I select the places I visit because they have things that I want to see or experience. To me, comparing them would be like comparing apples and oranges -- but that's just me. I'm sure others have preferences.

Here are some of my impressions:

Korcula Town's medieval roots are more clearly evident than the other places you mention; it's smaller, and, to me, felt a bit less touristy

Trogir has exquisite stonework. I would not consider it similar to any of the others, although I can understand that many would draw a comparison to Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik has some extraordinary Renaissance architecture, in addition to the Walls, harbor, etc.

Hvar Town has some interesting buildings, a harbor that seemed to me like a parking lot for yachts and, as already noted, during high season it is a "destination" for partiers.

As already noted, Hvar Island has other cities, as well, and they are quite different.

Split is a dynamic, energetic, and vibrant city that has elements dating from its Roman era (Diocletian's Palace) onward. Unlike the others on your list, it is a university town and it is not primarily dependent on tourism.

I haven't been to Mljet; I believe it is best known for being a quiet island suited to biking and relaxing on beaches.

Kotor has some architectural similarities to Dubrovnik, retains more of its Byzantine features, generally lacks the refinement of some of Dubrovnik's Renaissance architecture, and is stunningly situated.

I haven't been to Budva; I believe it is more of a resort setting, but I could easily be wrong.

Mostar is very different than any of these, with its functioning mosques, glorious setting, and reconstructed Stari Most.

Seems like you would do well to consult some of the guidebooks that feature good, high quality photos -- perhaps the <i>Insight Guide</i>.

Good luck!

My gut says I dont need a car in either Dubrovnik or Split but it may not be bad idea to have one on Hvar to explore the island a bit. Perhaps I am incorrect.

Depends on what you would want to see on Hvar -- there are buses and I think you can probably rent scooters. Having a car will limit which ferries you can take. Again, your call.

The problem is I start doing research and I want to visit ALL of them :):):).

So here is the final itinerary:

July 1 - arrive in Dubrovnik at 2pm.
July 2-4 - Dubrovnik with 1 day trip. Likely Kotor/Budva
July 5-7 - Hvar with possibly 1 day trip
July 8-10 - Split with possibly one day trip to Trogir, Zadar or Mostar
July 11 - Plitvice Lakes, ending in Zagreb
July 12 - 8am flight out

I booked the following hotels:
Fresh* Sheets Kathedral in Dubrovnik
Hotel Podstine in Hvar
Le Meridien Lav just outside Split (booked on points to save money)

All hotels are cancellable so if anyone has any other suggestions, I am all ears!!

Thanks!

You are making progress! I hope that my comments intended to help you differentiate your various day trip options helped.

Consider shifting one night from Dubrovnik the Plitvice Lakes. As already noted, it's best to spend a night in Plitvice. For most of us, 1.5 days in Dubrovnik itself is sufficient.

IME, Hvar isn't a great base for day trips. If you want more day trip options, shifting a night to Split might make sense.

Personally, I would not try a day trip to Mostar in July -- too hot, too crowded. JMO. Your call.

All your feedback is extremely helpful. Thank You.
Re: Less time in Dubr
Argh, I am going back and forth on this. The beach and area look amazing and based on my research, there are no BIG cruise ships parked that day so less people will be in town. It will also depend on ferries. It looks like the fastest ferry actually leaves at 4:30pm, so we may do that on the last day and spend the evening in Hvar.
Re: Hvar Excursions
I want to spread out any day trips, so figured 1 per stop every 3 days or so. There are tons of organized excursion to Brac/Zlatni Rat from Hvar so I figured this can be doable on our own without a tour. Perhaps not.
Re: Mostar
I will also heed your advice about cutting Mostar. I don't really want to an organized tour and seems a place like Trogir is much easier to do, much closer and just as interesting/beautiful. I also don't want to over-plan. I like the flexibility of waking up one morning, seeing beautiful weather and just going on a day trip. This is much more appealing than having a pre-planned/organized day trip.
Re: Plit. Lakes, I am leaning to just doing an organized on-way tour from Split to the Lakes that ends in Zagreb. I know I am contradicting myself from above, but I don't have much flexibility on which day to do this like other places and doing this way seems hassle-free, no car/parking, checking in-out. We get delivered to Zagreb in the evening and fly out next morning.

I do have one important question that seems to be quite confusing online. Did I read it right that you cant book ferries ahead of time online like in Greece? What is the best route to go about ensuring we get on the ferry we need?

I bought my ferry tickets onward upon arriving in a city. I was traveling in May, though, not in high season.... At least you aren't planning to have a car for those legs, which will make it simpler!

this is kind of concerning :)
How do you ensure there are enough tickets for a ferry?
Split-Hvar seems to have many ferries but Dubrovnik-Hvar only has 2/day.

If you can't buy the ferry tickets in advance online then neither can anyone else. Your only worry should be if you were to arrive last minute at the ferry without tickets - not in Dubrovnik ahead of time to buy them a day or two ahead. But it seems you will be there a few days before to buy a ferry ticket.

Regarding Mostar vs. Trogir: it's perfectly legit to cut Mostar (hey, you can't see everything!), but I wouldn't say the two places have much in common. Trogir is a charming little old town in a lovely water setting - but it resembles all of the other Croatian coastal towns you'll be seeing, more or less. Mostar is completely different, in part because of the Muslim influence. If the two towns took exactly the same effort to visit, I'd choose Mostar in a heartbeat over Trogir - but of course Mostar requires a lot more effort in your itinerary, so maybe it isn't worth it for you.

Be flexible enough to head to Mostar on a whim if you feel like it, though. The one thing you have to keep in mind is that if you drive a rental car to Bosnia, you have to make sure you have the right insurance card. This used to be an issue for Montenegro, too, but now Croatia is in the EU, and I think the rental car restrictions (insurance-wise) may have mostly do to with leaving the EU. Note that even if you were to drive the coastal highway between Split and Dubrovnik, you cross briefly through a tiny slice of Bosnia (the "Neum corridor") so you'd have the same issue if you drive that route without going to Mostar. If you stick to the ferries you've planned, though, you won't have this issue.

Negotiating ferry schedules is, IMO, one thing that complicates having a car in Dalmatia. But if they are all sold out when you get there, at least you should have some time to come up with an alternative.

If you do decide to go to Mostar (and as I already explained, it is nothing like Trogir), give serious consideration to taking the bus -- even if you have a car.

Ok, so changed things slightly based on ferry schedule
July 1-arrive in Dubr at 2pm
July 2-explore Dubr
Jul 3-day trip to Kotor
July 4-half day Dubrovnik, 4:30pm ferry to Hvar, arrive 7:30
July 5-6-free days in Hvar
July 7-half day in Hvar, evening ferry to Split
July 8-10-explore Split and surrounding area
July 11-Plitvice and then Zagreb
July 12-home

this way we have 3 full days in Split, basically 3 full days in Hvar and cut down Dubrovnik by 1 evening.

I really want to go to Mostar..but I also dont want to over-plan it. Trogir seems much easier to get to..or just explore the beach areas south of Split like Mokarska.

I was able to book the ferry on Krilo Jet for July 4 at 4:30!

I thought the Krilo Jet was a catamaran?

http://www.krilo.hr/
its this one. looks legit.

Krilo Jet is legit, but I don't think they have any car ferries. They have passenger only catamarans. Hopefully this won't screw you up.

I can't speak to the ferry question, but I think your newest plan looks good! And your options for day tripping from Split include not only Trogir and Mostar, but also Sibenik and the Krka National Park and even Zadar....

Enjoy!