10 Days from Rome w a Few Extras

[CLW]

Leaving in three weeks for our ten day cruise from Rome. Due to moving we have not been good at planning. We get in on Friday evening 9/30 to FCO. Looking for some feedback on:

stay near airport or head towards port that evening?

train to port? It’s like 2+ hours? 

Cruise ship excursions at ports or are there readily available locals to pick up on your way out of the ports like in the Bahamas and Caribbean?

Ports are in order Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Athens, Katakolon, Messina, Naples, back to Rome. We will have four full days and nights before flying out from FCO. Stay in Tome the entire time or explore easily from a centrally located base? Prefer not to rent a car. 

Prefer to keep prices down as the flights are already outrageously expensive, so saving on hotels transfers, yours, etc is helpful.

Best tours or companies appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

[DeanneB]

I would look for hotels that are nearer to the ports.  I tend to oversleep, so I personally would book reasonably priced hotels that are minutes away from the port also traffic can be unpredictable.  This way you can just hail a cab or maybe walk and get some exercise too.  I also book excursions in advance, especially if there is a specific activity I would love to do, though there are independent locals that can take passengers from the ports, because there will be an influx of other passengers also getting their service, I imagine it will be chaotic.