Thanks for the input and we were just talking about those very factors. Our first stop is Florence and we have pretty much decided that with it being our first experience at shore excursions we are going to do ship excursions there, and in Barcelona since that one is right before our day at sea and the farthest from our next port which is Naples and the end in Rome. Thinking since Cannes is right on the water we can just wander around that one on our own. We think after 3 days in Rome and then Florence an easy day of shopping, café sitting, will be just the ticket in Cannes. Not sure on Mallorca yet. Naples is our last stop on the cruise and we are doing an excursion with fellow cruisers we found on our roll call and with a tour company that is very well known and gets great reviews. We figured if we did miss it we could get back to Rome from there easier than any of the other stops. Or at least that is the game plan. Thanks for all your info. Always good to have fresh ideas as it is easy to miss something or overthink it! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />