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Mark

Hi Rubyslippers, we have just come back from a cruise that included Istanbul. It was our 2nd time there so we had a slightly different agenda. As we got off the ship the taxi driver's boss was calling through the fence to drum up business. He wanted 10 euros to take us to the Blue Mosque, so we took the taxi. From there you can easily walk to Agia Sofia, Topkapi palace and Grand Bazaar. We had been to these last time, so opted for the open top bus ride which leaves from outside Blue Mosque. It was expensive at 20 euros each, but we saw a bit more of the city. A taxi to the Spice market was 12 euros, then we walked back to ship across the Galata bridge (shops and cafes underneath). Getting lire was a bit of a problem- loads of ATMs but no bureau de change. If it's your first time there you will probably want to stay around the beautiful Sultanhammet area. Blue Mosque is free (donations appreciated) other sites have a charge. Are you planning to go into Venice? Not far to walk to Piazza Roma and get the water bus. We have also done Dubrovnik ourselves a few years ago- couldn't get a taxi because of other big ships in port, so had to take a local bus which was very hot and crowded.
kate

On our recent cruise, Dubrovnik was the only port which you have mentioned...this was a doddle to do on your own....we took a taxi from the bottom of the gangway (which we agreed a 10 euro price for prior!) and it dropped us literally at the city walls. I did see lots of people from our ship struggling to walk the distance, which we were advised would take an hour. In the intense August heat this was not something I would recommened.
Taxi's were also easily available for the return journey.
A fabulous experience, I much prefered it to Venice, which I had expected to be my highlight.....
From Venice port we took an excursion entitled Venice on your own...which cost us 15 Euro each and gave us 4 hours free in venice after being taken there by a water taxi. This was available in the port to do independantly for 11 euro.....so take your choice there. The only advice I would give is that those folk who chose the full day excursion came back early via other other means.....they had had enough of the heat and the crowds after half a day.....could be a different matter in October though...more comfy maybe?

Thankyou for the replies which have raised my confidence greatly.
We have changed our flights to a day early and are planning to book a hotel near the Piazza Roma, so that we can have an afternoon, evening and morning in Venice, before a hop skip and jump to the ship. Any advice on a hotel near the Cruise Boat Docks at PiazzaRoma would be greatly appreciated.
Luckily we have found the Lonely Planet guide to Bari, inc maps, which although at first we thought it an odd port, it seems like it may be a whirlwind to take in the clustered together sights worth visiting (memories of Rome come flooding back now, too many ruins, not enough hours)

Thankyou so much KATE 52, for your information on Istanbul and the Sultanhammet area recommendation, duly noted and searching already.
The advise on the lire problem was also greatly appreciated, it may be worth trying to get these prior to the visit, if possible.

I did a similar-ish cruise on Costa in 2000. Bari was a very short 'technical' stop. We wandered off on our own for that. Completely unmemorable, but we found a few shops and churches IIRC.

Olympia's a tough one. We did the ship tour and were pleased that we did, because it brings the place to life. If you do it on your own, make sure you find a guide from somewhere or a very good book. The modern Olympia town is a waste of time - tourist shops galore.

Totally agree with the previous poster on Dubrovnik. Once you're at the town gates, everything is close together. We did a short walking (ship) tour but then spent the rest of the day on our own. Our guide talked very emotionally about the place and the troubles it had been through - that wouldn't come through from just walking round by yourself. Leisurely lunch down by the port and walked round the walls (spectacular and, literally, breath-taking). The ship might run a bus (RCI did) for less than a taxi.

We treated ourselves to one of the expensive ship tours in Istanbul - including lunch by the Bosphorus and a talk on rugs, plus the usual sites. Didn't regret it for a minute - totally fascinating. But then again it's true that once you're at the Blue Mosque, everything is close together.