CummingCruiser

I would definitely go for land tour. We just did 2 weeks in April and loved it.

1) The food is great, so you want to eat on land not the ship

2) Some ports are far away the sights, so you will spend a good portion of your time on buses if you cruise

3) Depending on time of year, some places will be crowded and would be worst with a cruise. It was sad seeing so many people from a cruise overtake some of the smaller places like Cinque Terra and Venice all at once.

We went with a Tour Company and spend 3 nights in each city (Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Venice), and did day trips as someone above mentioned (so limited the packing/unpacking). The tour covered all the excursions and most of the meals except for lunches when we were on our own. So for us, it was similar to a cruise (not worrying about driving or where to eat), but we were able to see a lot more of Italy and feel more relaxed and not rushed. Part of the experience was just walking the streets and having an aperol spritz or gelato.

Either way you will love it!!

Hi, we just got back from a 12 day cruise on the Explorer.

We did Levi's Rousseau Valley best and had a great time. Several people on the cruiseship tours mentioned seeing just one or 2 spots, while we ended up getting to see several with ours.

Levi was booked with a larger group the day we were in port, and we ended up getting a private tour (just my wife & I) with one of his other drivers named Gary. We still crossed paths with Levi a couple of times during the day and he was always happy to see us and asked how our day was going.

This was one of our favorite islands (especially if you like nature and hiking) and will definitely book Levi again to explore more remote parts of the island the next time we are there.