Advice on where to go!

That seems like a wonderful and quite unusual itinerary, with the cruise in the middle. There is so much to see and do in Barcelona and a side trip to ancient Girona and nearby towns should be very enjoyable too. For your few days in Italy, I think adding Florence and Venice would be a fine idea, both are rich with sites and are unique. The distances from Genoa are manageable, and can easily be traveled by train. I think those are more interesting cities to visit than the others you mention, certainly for a first time visitor. Venice is a little bit of a geographical outlier, but is a very special place to visit, so I would stretch to include it. Enjoy!

I forgot to mention that we have been to Barcelona.. We have seen Monserrat, Sagrada famila, stayed right by park Guell etc. Also great flamencos!
Why do you think its unusual?

Made me giggle... Because I refuse to use a travel agent and try to do it all on my own.. It usually works out..

Especially since you have been to Barcelona before and have seen some of the sights, I think it would be a nice idea to spend some nights in Genoa [TYPO! I meant Girona!]. It's a lively place but nowhere near Barcelona in terms of tourist load, and it's a convenient base for some good daytrips to several interesting spots that are closer to Girona than to Barcelona.

I think Venice is magical if you have time to do more than walk the route between the train station, Rialto Bridge and San Marco. Allow yourself time (3 days would be great) to really wander around and see areas of the city that are crammed full of tourists. There are lots of trains that will get you there from Genoa in 4 to 4-1/2 hours, which isn't too bad for such a special place. If you can pin down your schedule early on, the train tickets will not be expensive.

Most trains to Florence will take 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours.

I think it looks a little unusual because you are committed to Spain for at least 7 days in the beginning and then 2 additional days in Barcelona at the end of your trip and you said you have already been to Barcelona before. I would look at seeing other in cities in Spain since you are committed already with your flights. Perhaps someone on here can give more details as to where in Spain to visit.

As far as being in Genoa and seeing Italy, I would second the suggestion to see Florence. You are near Cinque Terra, Portofino, Parma, Milan. All within very short train rides.

Not sure if you have visited most of Spain before, but you can take a train to Madrid and spend 3/4 days there. A day trip to Toledo from Madrid is about 1 hour each way. Train from Barcelona to Madrid around 3 hours. For Italy with the 5 open days I would suggest Florence with possible day trips to Lucca, Sienna and Pisa. Or spend 3 nights Florence and 2 nights Sienna.

For my two cents I would focus on Florence and Pisa/Lucca for your six nights after the cruise. 4.5 hours on a train from Genoa to Venezia is too much for me, but everyone has different limits. I’d rather spend more time in the beautiful towns closer to Genova rather than traveling all the way across the country. You could of course do the Cinque Terre also, it just depends on what your interests are. You could easily fill up those days with Florence and Pisa/Lucca.

If you’ve already been to Barcelona before you might want to visit Madrid (and day trips to Segovia and Toledo) which is what I’m doing next month. I’m also returning to Barcelona for ten days, but it’s one of my favorite cities in all of Europe, so I can’t wait to go back. Girona/Madrid could be a good combination for your first days in Spain. Have fun!!