Taking a Cruise/ Italy- suggestions?

Stay away from the rocks.

Sagrada Familia is a tourist trap but also a must see .
Pisa is overrated .... but loved Florence . Great small city .
Rome is Rome . See it all .
If you want to get away from tourists in Venice ... go to the area around Via Giuseppe Garibaldi .

Apologize to your liver as you're on the boarding ramp.

Premium drink pass is definitely proper planning.

Venice is awesome but the biggest tourist trap I have ever seen. Saint Mark's square is a must see. The Square itself. It has a nice atmosphere and the walk there is nice. But plan ahead and bring some drinks and snacks with you. I once sat down at the restaurant on the corner of Saint Mark's Square and bought 1 micro sized coke, 1 ice tea, without fucking ice, 2 waters and it costed $80.00. But I can see the chairs I sat in in virtually any movie that has a clip of Venice.
I have been to Venice many times. It used to be an hour train ride from my sisters house. We would make day trips there and ride the midnight train back home. It is nice to walk around but when the cruise ships get there it sucks (to me, I am a country boy). That is when you will be there. Once you check out Saint Mark's square, walk straight to the water, veer left and catch a water taxi, Take the trip to Lido Island. It costs about $10 per person. It takes about a half hour and you can see much of the city from the water. Parts of the city you would never see in a day. Lido is a nice little town. It is a great place to walk around and find a good restaurant that has decent food and normal prices. For instance, there is a nice ice cream shop there that has $1 Gelato cones. You won't find that in Venice. Learn to say Mi scusi, ottenere il vostro dio damn mani dal mio portafoglio. I'm just kidding, but get used to people standing very close to you, cutting lines in front of you and being in your personal space. So be sure to protect your wallet and valuables. For peace of mind if nothing else. Think of the train ride on the movie Euro trip. It isn't that far of a stretch.

This is where I was talking about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lido_di_Venezia Great place to escape to for a couple hours and eat.
I forgot to mention. While you are in Venice, it is amazing walking around looking at Venetian masks and paintings. One of the best souviniers I ever bought was a $120 oil painting from the street artist. Also, the idea for glass beaded charms like that of the Pandora type bracelets originated from Northern Italy. If your wife is into Pandora type stuff, get her a real glass charm from Northern Italy, where it originated.

I was just in Europe 2 weeks ago on a vacation with a 16yr old and a 11 yr old. We did hit Rome for 3 days and walked all over the place, go eat at LIkeat for lunch. Super cheap sandwich shop and the #1 ranked place in all of Rome. It's a hole in the wall place with 6 chairs I think inside.

I was really looking forward to seeing the Sistine Chapel but man it was like cattle headed to slaughter the way they run you through that place. All of Rome is very cool indeed and seeing the ruins underneath the Colosseum is really cool if you get that tour. Enjoy the trip I know I will be back to Europe for sure.

P.S Take an empty water bottle and when you see a fountain on a square with water pouring out fill your bottle there. It's cold filtered and drinkable and tastes pretty decent and it's free.

In Florence, go check out the Dome Cathedral. I walked up the steps to the top and it's a great view, but you have to be in pretty good shape. It's definitely a workout. Also, don't miss the statue of David. Both are tourist traps but well worth the hassle.

In Venice, check out the Palace of the Doge. It is connected to a prison via a suspended walkway known as "The Bridge of Sighs." The sighs came from the condemned who were viewing the sky for the last time as they went to jail.

There are so many things to see in Rome you are bound to miss some, but I enjoyed the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon. Check out Vatican City. Take time to wonder where all the damn cats came from, because there are a lot!

Most of all, enjoy it.

Agree it is a good climb, can see the city and area. Watch out for the tourist renting mopeds. I saw a couple of nasty crashes. They then pick the moped up. Put the broken pieces in the basket, make sure each other is ok. Then carry on. No need for insurance or lawyers. Enjoy the pizza. Also the black squid pastas are awesome flavors. Enjoy the trip.