Cindy, I will visit the Vatican in August and I will definitely use the Vatican website to book a tour. I just have to wait to book exactly 60 days before the tour as that is the earliest day when able to book. I really don't think the extra money justifies a different operator tour. I think most visitors just don't plan in advance, then most panic as the day approaches and the only tours then available are those more expensive tours. Not that they are bad, but if you can book directly with the Vatican, do it.

I have booked the 8am tour with Italy With Us http://www.italywithus.com/ to benefit from being a bit ahead of the crowds. I'm not expecting it to be empty by any means but hopefully quieter than a bit later in the day. We shall see.

We did the Viator tour. We met in the morning just across from the Vatican. If I remember correctly, the price was in the 50€ range, the group size manageable -about 15, and we went in without waiting in line (one of the main reasons we did a tour). The guide was knowledgeable and interesting. Two years prior we did it on our own, waiting in line. We much preferred the tour. Enjoy!

We used http://www.italywithus.com/ back in November, it was great. Our guide was Anton, we loved him. Our group was only five people. He takes you directly to the Sistine Chapel, very few people there, maybe 20 or 30. I think we paid about 80 euro's each.

I booked with the Vatican directly and it was wonderful. I did the tour to include the Sistine Chapel and we were able to skip waiting in line to climb St. Peter's. The tour was about 3 hours, if I remember correctly. It made a world of difference than doing it on my own, that is for sure.
And I agree the more expensive ones are for those who get there, see the line and then panic.

there are two sorts of pre-bookable tours - the ones that just skip the queue, but take plce at the same time as the Vatican museums are open to the public, and the others that take place when the museums are closed.

those are the very expensive ones.

the 8am ones seem to be a bit of a hybrid - you get in early, but at 9am, when presumably you are still there, the doors open to the teeming hoards.

You don't need to take a tour in order to bypass the lines. You can buy entry tickets directly from the Vatican that allow you to go to the front of the security line without waiting. If you book the tour you are also allowed to bypass the lines outside. I would suggest booking an afternoon tour so that the many tours groups that go in the morning are gone. The museums will still be very crowded but you won't have to content with so many different groups.

Donna

That's right, you can indeed book tickets to avoid long lines on their website, but the better tours are actually run by tour operators.

We used Context tours with Hillary as our tour leader. Six people made the group size very managable. I found this to be well worth the money,

http://www.contexttravel.com/city/rome/walking-tour-details/arte-vaticana-our-vatican-tour-including-sistine-chapel-and-st-peters-with-reservations

We had a similar experience with When in Rome tours and Luigi as our guide, what a fount of knowledge!!! We booked this tour for 5 people, http://wheninrometours.com/Tours/Vatican-Tours-Vatican-Tickets/Vatican-Highlights-Afternoon.html

Hmmm, perhaps this is an ad?
vaticantours on May 28, 12 at 5:37am
That's right, you can indeed book tickets to avoid long lines on their website, but the better tours are actually run by tour operators.

In any event, I disagree. Book a tour directly with the Vatican, and you will not overpay.

yes, with an account name like 'vaticantours', seems so, but there was no link in the post?

Other tips for avoiding peak times from Ron in Rome:

http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-and-attractions/vatican-museum-to-pre-book-or-not

http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-and-attractions/20-tips-on-visiting-the-vatican-museums

We did not have any issues with lines by going after lunch and on a less busy day (Thursday). True, it was in October, so I'm not sure how applicable that is to the busier summer time.

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/rome.html