Family Med Cruise - Italian ports logistics

My family is taking a cruise this spring. Our Italian ports of call include Messina, Naples and Rome. There will be 8 of us. While we are all experienced travelers, none of us have experience in these ports. Typically we like to use public transportation and move at our own pace using guide books. Will the size of our group limit our public transportation options to the point that we need to consider booking private transportation in any of these ports? Is a tour with a guide a must at any of these ports?

We had a group of 9 this past fall, so we booked private tours in most of our ports (since we could fill a whole van and we had 4 kids with us). That being said, our plan was to DIY for both Civitavecchia (rent car) and Naples (public transportation).

For Civitavecchia, we ended getting a driver because cost was the same as renting a car with less stress. We went North to Tarquinia and Lake Bolsena (because we were spending time in Rome post-cruise). If you DIY to Rome, give yourself plenty of time to get back to boat.

For Naples, I had originally planned to take public transportation to Herculaneum, but had second thoughts at the last minute and ended up hiring a driver once in port. For $400, he took us to Pompeii and then down to Sorrento (walk around and lunch) and back up to Naples for a driving tour. This was a good decision for us, because we had kids and my pregnant sister to consider and once in Naples, it was a bit chaotic with traffic/people.

Can't comment on Messina - our cruise didn't stop there.

Given your experience in traveling, I wouldn't say you MUST take a guide. Do your research on what you want to do and then weigh the pros/cons.

Thanks for the information. Our cruise ends in Rome so we'll have a few extra days to see those sights. I think we'll be on our own for Pompei. There seems to be lots of successful diy advice here.

Since your cruise ends and you will disembark in Civitavecchia, I would recommend a car service for transportation from ship side to your Rome hotel. There are a number of very reputable companies...we use RomeCabs. Their rate for eight people with two pieces of luggage each is €200...that's a very reasonable €25 each.