Venice is lovely but hot in the summer. We bought a 24 public transport pass that included the land buses as well as the water buses. We waited in the line to see the Basillica. The line looks very long but we only waited about 20 minutes. You need to check and large bags/backpacks in a separate location around the corner. You can push a stroller through the cathedral.

We took the water bus to Murano and watched a glass blowing demonstration. It was very beautiful and there was no pressure to buy glass.

Eating here is very expensive and you pay a premium to sit down. There are not very many places to picnic.

The island is very lovely and mind blowingly picturesque. Postcards can't do it justice. We rode the cable car to and from Fira and then a bus to Oia. Oia is where the famous white and blue buildings are. The cable car and bus ride to Oia were nice but we were crammed on the bus coming back and waited for over an hour to get the cable car ride down. In the afternoon every passenger on every cruise boat in the port was standing in that line. I don't think there is anything you can do to avoid it unless you are willing to walk down the steep and uneven steps. I would have done it if I was on my own but we had small children and a toddler with us.

Take a cab to and from the ruins of Ephesus and save yourself some money. Don't use the cabs right by the terminal. Cross the street and offer the guy around 70 euros. Pay him when you are returned to the port safely. Typically the same guy won't pick you up but they work for the same company. They will offer to take you to their "brother's" carpet store for a demonstration but you can refuse.

The town of Kudasi is fun to walk around if you can deal with all the harassment of the shop keepers selling their "Genuine Fake Watches" Most of the shop keepers are willing to barter. I got several scarves for half of what they were asking. The further you shop from the cruise terminal the better the prices are.

It is hard to review this port because the ruins of Athens are so amazing but the port city is a total dump. There are a bunch of Hop on Hop Off tours near the port that say they will leave in "ten minutes" but in reality you are sitting in the sweltering heat until they can fill the bus. If you are a big family like we were this is your cheapest option to get into Athens. If there is one or two of you just take a cab but not from the cruise port. Cross through the cruise port and then get a cab to avoid the cruise terminal fee.

It takes over an hour to get to Rome from the port. Some of the trains have air conditioning some don't. If you can, try and buy the all day train pass before you get to the tourist office where every single person from every single cruise line is lining up.

Livorno isn't really close to Pisa or Florence. There is a shuttle bus that takes you to the town of Livorno for free but not to the train station. You need to get a city bus or a cab to get there. You can buy bus tickets to get to Tuscany or Pisa from the tourist office near where the free shuttle drops you off. We used Tuscany Bus to get to Pisa. They also go to Florence. They say they will bring you back to the cruise port but they don't. They take you back to the shuttle bus drop and pick up. Pisa was very hot and crowded and full of junk sellers and tourists using selfie sticks. It was a long and hot journey to see the Leaning Tower but we did it and now I never have to go to Pisa again.

We took a very hot bus ride for an hour and a half for a 20 minute ride through the Blue Grotto. It was an amazing view but I think another boat tour could have been better. We basically spent our whole day getting too and from the grotto and we missed some other things I wanted to see. If you can take a taxi. Bring bathing suits. We didn't and I regret it.

The Upper Barraka gardens were amazing and the lift is right near the cruise port. It was well worth the one euro to take the lift to the top.