Traveler Reviews

• Donna F 13-Aug-2023

  The #1 thing to do if you are in Rome. What an unbeatable experience. Ricardo is so caring; just top notch service! The water is unparalleled. Beautiful! Some reviews mention crowded boats, I say, who cares when you are going to swim and delight in the ocean. As luck would have it, our boat was seemingly empty with only about 26 people dispersed between top deck, bottom and the front, it was just perfect! Lunch is a simple pasta with wine. Very basic, freshly prepared while you swim and a good carb load for the day. Read all your emails. I missed the one detailing a few things, so here’s a quick punch list: show up with your swimsuit on, arrive extra early (our taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong cafe; fortunately the correct one was just around the corner), bring your $50 cash for the ferry, sunscreen, towel, extra water & a few snacks, and every is pretty wet by the end of the day so bring some ziplocks for your things and maybe a wet bag. Very very relaxing day onboard. Oh, not to freak anyone out but I was the only one on our trip that got stung by a jellyfish, right in the face too. Ricardo had prepped us before hand to quickly remove/wash any pokies left and rub it off and get cream quickly from the staff. Wow. So glad I paid attention! The cream worked great. I was a bit freaked out bc the jellyfish in the states really pack a punch, like the Portuguese man o’ war in the gulf of Texas, but not the Italian one! California jelly’s hurt too, but this felt more like a bad paper cut when you get alcohol in it. The redness didn’t last very long either, & I ended up getting right back in the water and swimming all day. So for those of you worried that it might be like a Cali jelly, it’s not at all! Jump on it! People jumped from the top deck. Water was clear clear clear and beautiful!! We had locals on the boat just escaping the heat of the city for the day and they were delightful. If that’s where the locals go, you KNOW it’s a best kept secret! We are headed to Capri at the end of our trip and I hope we are not disappointed because Ponza might just blow it away! Ricardo led us to a beautiful blue and green grotto, explaining how to swim through it and we all did and WHAT a memory! Ricardo was in the water a lot which really builds such confidence in his guests! We were very grateful to see that! We brought swim goggles beachside they pack so easily and with them, we saw LOTS of fish! just a perfect day all around. DO NOT HESITATE TO BOOK THIS TRIP. Hopefully I can load some pix to show you how beautiful this was! We had a very diverse group of people on the boat and had such a great time making friends. One couple kept to themselves and had a delightful, quiet romantic day, so whatever you are looking for, you can’t miss! I rely heavy on these reviews so I want to be sure you don’t pass on such an incredible day. Thank you too, to all the guests who leave reviews because I am extremely grateful. Oh yeah, the speaker IS super loud. Haha. So don’t sit by it, & on the flip side, if you sit in the very front, you will not be able to hear anything so plan accordingly.

• Ahmad A 05-Aug-2023

  Excellent way to escape hot weather of Rome. Transportation was smooth. Food was tasty. Sightseeing was magnificent. Our guide Riccardo was caring, informative and very helpful. 5/5. I recommend getting the snorkel.

• Pink_walrus 05-Aug-2023

  Perfect day trip. Efficient way to get to the ocean, snorkel, tour the entire Island. Beauuuutiful tour. 10/10 loved it.

• B3543aeteresam 31-Jul-2023

  Highly recommended. This trip is amazing and relaxing. Incredible staff Huge shout out to Valerio and the rest of the staff that puts this trip together.

• Sophia R 29-Jul-2023

  This was the first thing we did when coming to Italy and man did it not disappoint! The waters were so clear and beautiful, not to mention refreshing since it has been hot! The scenery is worth the experience alone, but the entire day was a blast! Our tour guide Ricardo made sure we all had a great time and always was available to take pictures when asked! We stopped to swim like 4-5 times I think and the food onboard was amazing! At first when they said tuna and olives I was like ummmm no thanks, but I do like to try new things so boy I’m glad I did! Didn’t even taste the tuna it was so delicious! Was able to sit freely on the boat and even hung my legs out as it was going which the water slashing at my feet felt nice haha. I took so many pictures and videos this place is remarkable and the tour was great! It is a 3 hour trek from time to get there plus the 3 hrs to get back (ferry and bus ride each way) but it was air conditioned and comfy and had a great time! The ferry is 1.5 hrs long so bring snacks and a charger!

• Kathe_h 29-Jul-2023

  There is nothing wrong with this trip - except that it is a LOT of sitting on a boat. The entire day was from 6:30am to 9:15pm. Of that, about 80 minutes was swimming and one hour was wandering the town. The guide was perfectly lovely and the food was fine. Just not as adventuresome as I had hoped.

• Alolondra 25-Jul-2023

  This was such a singular experience, I’ve never visited a place so beautiful and so one of a kind. Swimming was refreshing, although the fact that there’s a lot of jellyfish around made me nervous. The guide gave us great info of the island throughout the tour and the captain handled that boat amazingly. Wouldn’t recommend for people that get motion sickness easily, but if you can, definitely visit Ponza! Thanks, Ricciardo!

• Candyu04 25-Jul-2023

  This Ponza Trip was the highlight of our vacation in Rome. It was a perfect day to cool down and beat the Roman heat. Our tour guide Riccardo was awesome. He made sure that everyone is having fun and are well informed of the island.

• Sharon_d 24-Jul-2023

  Amazing trip!! Beautiful weather and water!! It was a great way to escape the heat of Rome. Our guide Gina was great making sure everyone stayed together and had a good time. Our captain and crew were excellent and the lunch was delicious. This was the best part of our trip to Rome for our two teenage daughters

• Scott_w 22-Jul-2023

  First the good: our guide, Ricardo, was phenomenal. He really knew a lot of history, culture, geography, geology and we learned a lot! Swimming in the sea was one of the best things I have ever done in all of my travels. I have never seen anything like it. So blue and clear! We got to jump in and swim 5 times. It was heavenly. Second; not bad or good parts, but things to be aware of: 1. The meeting place in Rome was a small cafe (food truck size) that was very hard to find. It was open at 6:00 am and had delicious coffee and amazing pastries, but not much else. They are cash only and do not speak English. There is a tiny bathroom down a steep spiral staircase. 2. The bus from Rome to Anzio was a standard coach/tour bus. Comfortable but no bathroom. 3. When you arrive in Anzio, you walk about 5-10 minutes to the ferry. There is no shade or waiting area on the dock. The ferry has a snack bar and bathrooms. 4. The lunch was tasty and plentiful, but it was not served until after 2 pm. 5. The boat is no frills! There is a standard cooler that could fit a few things from passengers; we put a few beers and waters in it. It has a small bathroom 6. Your stuff will get wet from all of the going back and forth from the water. Not bad, just be aware of it. Don't bring a fancy bag! 7. Bring your own water and more than you think. They have some bottled water that they pour out into mouthwash cups, but it is not enough because it is hot and a long day. 8. Bring the obvious things: hat, sunblock, swimsuit 9. Bring your own snorkel or get one from them as an add on it's worth it! 10. It is a long day and you are stuck with people who may be loud and rowdy. We had a nice mix of couples and families, but about 50% of the young people/couples acted like it was a frat party and their constant loud chatting on the bus/ferry was super annoying. 11. You have an hour ish of free time in Ponza after the boat ride before catching the ferry back. You will be wet and hot and the cafes are crowded and not air conditioned. And it will be early for dinner and many places aren't open yet. We ate a fine dining seafood place outside which was amazing, but if you only want to spend a few bucks, I'm not sure how many options there are. I didn't want to walk up a huge hill with all my wet bags to find out. 12. They didn't tell you this until after you're on the bus, but there are jellyfish and urchins to be aware of. Not dangerous if they sting you, but "uncomfortable". I saw a few and avoided them. 13. If you are expecting a coral reef full of fish to see snorkeling; don't. It's pretty bare of sea life, but that didn't matter to us! It was still amazing The not so good: 1. The boat was packed and it is not comfortable! I was not expecting a yacht, but they packed us in like sardines - shoulder to shoulder. The seating is a few areas of park bench-style rows. Think the bed slats that come in ikea beds. Your rear end will not be happy after a few hours on those and there is not enough seating in the shade for those who want it. They should have sold 20 tickets and not 35+ to make it less terrible and crowded. It's like being in economy on an airplane but hot and wet. (It was still worth it for the swimming!) 2. The loud speaker on the boat is LOUD. If you sit anywhere near it, it will blow your ears out. Bring earplugs. 3. The ferry is hot and crowded. It has AC, but the AC in Italy is nothing like the US. It will be hot.