A lot of this depends on where you will actually dock - some ports you can do on your own if you are close enough, but your port (Livorno) to go to Florence is quite far away thus the 9 hour trip.

Maybe that is not the trip you use to see Florence and stick to some very interesting places closer by like Pisa or even Lucca. All reports about the ship are great since she is new. But she is larger which means sometimes it may not get the easist berths for docking.

We found HAL shore excursions to be very good but they are group bus tours with all their inherent limitations, yes pricey but at least you have all the arrangements made for you and you don't have to worry about getting back on time. And they don't put any emphasis on hauling you to canned "shopping experiences" like some tours do.

However, doing ports on your own is really the best of both worlds. so try Cruise Critic "Ports" forum and you will learn a lot more specifically about where ships come in to these port cities and what you can do on your own and when you might be better off on a tour.

It is next to impossible to find any port stop information in regular guidebooks - trains and cars maybe, but almost never will they show you where the cruise ports are or how to connect to public transportation once you get there.

Good you are starting to dig a bit now. It will pay off immensely when you are on your trip. Take notes on 3/5 cards and carry these tips with you for each port. You have picked a good itinerary - Holland America always offers some of the best in this highly touristed area. Poke around on this website and see what you can learn about the ports you will be visiting: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=42

Here is the port info link for "Florence" (Livorno): http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=83