Mediterranean Cruise - Dim Sum Italy

Family of 4 on Royal Caribbean. Nearly two full weeks on a ship with 2,000 people mostly Brits sailing to mostly Italian ports. I thought of it as dim sum because we sampled so many ports without overdosing on any of them. We spent a great deal of time (mostly Melanie did) thinking about and planning this. It was a premature 20th Anniversary trip for us. We got some great advice (especially from a long-lost cousin) and read up on how to get the most out of Italy. It all came together beautifully. How often does that happen?

First the ports:
Portofino - A gorgeous little hillside port town. A nice first stop because of the small size of the town and how very beautiful it is. Had to resist the urge to spend there, as it is the first stop, a fairly expensive town and the dollar is worth little against the Euro.
Livorno - Two days in this nasty port town with a train station that is a short ride to Florence and Pisa. We skipped Pisa, still struggling with the jet lag a bit and the unpleasant transfers to get to the train station. Spent part of one day in Florence. Florence is a gorgeous city that I would like to visit again. We went through the basilica and took a bus tour around town to get a taste for what the city looks like. Simply beautiful all over.
Split, Croatia - A mid-size ancient (and modern) city an an unexpected pleasure. The center of Split is a Diocletian (Roman) castle that was abandoned and taken over by the locals. The mish-mash of architecture here is mind-blowing and beautiful. A true melting pot of styles. It is still lively and just feels good to be there.
Venice - Two days in the huge and beautiful city. Some people complain about how touristy Venice is, but there's a reason that tourists flock there. It is breathtakingly beautiful and unlike any other city in the world (unless you want to believe the Texan we overheard say it was 'not as good as San Antonio'). The Doge Palace (seat of the Venetian Government) was a highlight there. The kids LOVED the gondola and water taxi rides. Great shopping in the beautifully narrow and crowded streets.
Dubrovnik, Croatia - Blech. An awful town that smells bad. Overpriced. Rude locals. I have nothing nice to say about it. I'm not sure why the cruise line subjects its guests to this dump. There must be a lot of kuna going to somebody at Royal Caribbean because no one I spoke to on the ship enjoyed this hole.
Naples - We spent our day in this port at the Pompeii archaeological site. The kids really seemed to enjoy the novelty of this. It made me think a bit of a place we visited when I was a kid that attempted to recreate the authentic feeling of Bedrock during the time of The Flintstones. I really enjoyed Pompeii for the authentic feel of the place. An amazingly well-preserved Roman town. A bit of a tough slog for us in the heat and sun, perhaps our next visit there should be be in autumn.
Rome - This was not a cruise port as such, but was the port of origin. We spent a few extra days there on the back end and we were all exhausted. I could easily spend a week there but we got a fair flavor for it I think. The Coloseum and the immediately surrounding valley of Roman ruins is amazing. Since I've always loved Ben-Hur, the whole EternalCity/OriginOfWesternCivilization vibe is pretty cool by me and the feeling that this really was the center of the universe was palpable to me. The Vatican museum, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are beyond words.

Lots of deep thoughts and amazing sights to digest all over this beautiful part of the world. Mostly, I think the the four of us weary travelers created some memories together. That's worth a mint.