marazul

Not really. Many businesses start winding down by early October. If you are concerned about the boat to Oia, there is a good chance it will still meet the cruise ships if the weather is fine. You should contact the Santorini tourist office.

There is such a service. It runs during the tourist season.

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the very best DOC's in Italy. It is a wonderful wine. You should look it up in one of the wine review websites, such as Wine Spectator. It is very unusual to find it 'by the glass' so Emma would be a good place for you to try it.

https://santorinidave.com/best-beaches-mykonos

https://santorinidave.com/best-beaches-mykonos

Good plan. Don't miss going to the San Miguel Market behind the Plaza Mayor. It is a foodies paradise. Much better than La Boqueria in Barcelona, IMO. Plan on a prolonged lunch sampling from the many different stalls. The Galician seafood stall is fantastic. Try the percebes.

The Plaza Mayor is the heart of the city. Look for hotels between El Prado and the Royal Palace. We like the area around the Opera. But do your research as to what interests you.

The hotels will keep your bags safely at the desk until it is time to check in. That leaves you free to go sightseeing as soon as you arrive. Going directly to the hotel in Rome will add 2 or 3 hours to your time in the city and it lets you spend the evening in Rome instead of the airport hotel. Book an early transfer to the airport ahead of time.

Not sure what the story is.

You normally have to disembark by 9 am. That means a full day in Athens.

You have an entire day to spend before your flight next morning. You do not want to spend it at the airport. There isn't even a place to go for a pleasant walk. You have two possibilities. 1. you can check into a hotel in Athens, enjoy a day in the city, and have the hotel book you an early taxi. 2. Have a transfer/tour company bring you to the airport hotel after the cruise to drop off your bags. Then, have them take you on a tour to Corinth and Mycenae, or to Delphi. After the tour, they can take you back to the airport Sofitel for the night.

Here is the website to check the water temperatures around the world. https://www.seatemperature.org/ We have Swedish friends who think that a sea temperature of 74 is really warm. Personally, I am happier if it is 84, In Greece, I like swimming in August and early September. But take your pick. Balance other things you would like to see at each port and the amount of time in each. For beaches in each, google something like "Kos beaches" to get pictures and maps of all the beaches around. Kos has really beautiful, sandy beaches, and it may have fewer other things to do than your other ports. The sea temps in June will be around 74F. https://www.themediterraneantraveller.com/beautiful-beaches-kos/ Also consider Mykonos for a lot of sandy beaches. A fun thing to do in Mykonos is to take a jeep tour of the island that takes you several places and stops at two or three beaches for a swim. They normally have one long beach stop for lunch and a longer beach time. The water temps should be about the same as in Kos.

The buses are generally reliable. But you do not have a lot of time there, If you go to the town first, a lot of places will be closed. You may or may not enjoy an early swim. There are some half day jeep tours that would take you to a few places with swim stops. A private transfer would, of course, work too.

There are also frequent buses. Search this board for lots of info.

And join their loyalty program for discounts on all reservations.

Mom says has an excellent idea. But check the opening times of the Villa Ephrussi to make sure the time is right to get back for your tour. But you might want to look for a tour starting in the morning that takes you first to Nice, then to Eze and then to Monaco. Nice is best in the morning because the Flower Market closes for the day around noon time. On a long port day, you would still have time to wander around Villefranche or maybe go to the Villa Ephrussi after the tour.

Plenty of time for both. Plan to get to Cassis for lunch in one of the many waterfront restaurants.

There are many pebbly beaches. There are many sandy beaches. There are many lovely beaches. The warmer water season is limited. It is not all year round. Yes, it is not at all like the Caribbean (and I often say that to people who want to go swimming in April.) But, it can be great at the right time. It is best to speak from experience. To the OP I would say Kos or Mykonos. But first, when are you going?

Corfu has some very nice beaches. The question is what interests you, other than beaches, in each island. Then pick the one that has the least "other interests" for your beach time.

The average sea temperature in June is 70 F degrees. Max is 74 F. https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/spain/barcelona-june.htm The Med is not the Caribbean. Barcelona is at about the same latitude as NYC. But the beaches are nice. Best time to swim is August.

A lot of businesses are closed. They are likely to be open in heavy tourist areas. There will be parades and ceremonies in most cities, usually in the morning. A lot of people take the day off, so there will be more traffic going to the beaches and other attractions. Check the websites for the attractions you are interested in for opening times.

Definitely not in Athens. Diving is not great in the Med, but friends tell me there is a very interesting shipwreck near Mykonos.

You should be OK. Check-in for European flights takes a lot less time than for flights to the US.

Absolutely not. You will find taxis, but not for tours. Make other arrangements for your tours.

You can take the train or you can take a taxi The taxi is around 25-30 euros and delivers you to the palace gates. Plenty of taxis to get back.