Hi there! We are planning a 12 day trip to Croatia around mid September 08. I am still in the planning stages and have several questions that I hope I might find some answers to:

1. Are there any days of the week when the cruise ships don't dock in Dubrovnik?

2. Should we hire a car for the drive between Split and Dubrovnik? I have heard that there aren't many places to stop, so was wondering if hiring a car is worthwhile?

3. Is it worth spending time on Hvar AND Korcula? Are they very similar, or do they offer somewhat different experiences?

We are going to be traveling with my parents (late, healthy 60s), so wanted to do things at a somewhat leisurely pace and not do too much too quickly. As a result, we will more than likely be concentrating on the Trogir/Split, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik area.

1. In September, cruise ship traffic should be less, and I do know that some days are less busy than others (weekends usually worse), but you can't predict this. Explore the town early in the morning and in the evening, and do day trips to Lokrum or the Elafiti Islands or elsewhere during the day to beat the crowds. It's not that bad on the back streets either.
2. Up to you, it is a gorgeous but curvy drive in parts. The bus takes about 4 hours and is plenty comfortable. There may be places you'd like to stop, but I haven't traveled this route so I can't say. (Check the Croatian National Tourist Board website to find out.) I assume you'll take the ferry one way and need to return for a flight out? Make sure you check the ferry schedules when your trip is closer so that you can work out if it is better to do:
Split, Hvar, Korcula, Dubrovnik, then Dbv-Split
OR
Split-Dbv, Korcula, Hvar, Split.
3. I think they are similar, in that both offer one stunning small town (though Stari Grad on Hvar has fans as well) and the rest of each island is gorgeous too. Hvar has lavendar fields, Korcula has vineyards. Both have rocky hillsides. To me, it is a toss-up if you choose one or the other.
You do have time to do both, depending on how much time you choose elsewhere and the number of day trips you plan on taking.
While you do not need a car during the entire trip, it would be nice to rent one while on Hvar or Korcula so that you can conveniently explore the island(s).

Thanks so much for your feedback, Yorkshire. Yes, we will more than likely be flying into and out of Split. It seems to have better air connections than Dubrovnik.

I was thinking of spending 2 nights in Trogir (with a day trip to Split), then possibly 3 nights Hvar (with a day trip to Korcula), 5 nights in Dubrovnik (with day trips to Mostar and Montenegro, Elafiti Islands) and then take a leisurely drive back up to Split, with an overnight before leaving. I am leaning towards renting a car for this last part of the trip and hopefully stopping along the way at places we like.

Any suggestions about places to see, things to do, places to stay, good restaurants in these locations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Korcula is too far for a day trip from Hvar, but other than that your plan sounds good.
You could ferry or catamaran to Korcula from Hvar and stay a night before heading to Dubrovnik. (4 nights would still be enough in Dbv.) Alternatively, you could drive there from Dubrovnik (about 3 hours) and then ferry back over to the mainland from the Peljesac peninsula (Trpanj to Ploce) to continue your drive back to Split.
You'll have to check the ferry schedules closer to the trip.

At first blush, I would recommend taking the bus from Dubrovnik to Split. That way, you can enjoy the extraordinary views down the cliffs to those lovely villages without the driver having to take his eyes from the road. Good, clean buses.

On the other hand, one thing we regretted while taking the bus was not being able to stop and explore those same villages, isolated at the base of those cliffs.

Which ever way you go, I'm sure you just love Croatia!

We drove from Dubrovnik to Split and were glad we did because there are some spectacular spots along the way, and with a car we were able to pull over and take some pictures. We stopped in the town of Ston, which was very nice. There are also some orange stands along the side of the road and the oranges are fabulous; small and juicy and very sweet. If you are looking for a treat, definitely pick some up.

Just a word of warning though; if you do rent a car make sure the gas is filled up before you leave Dubrovnik. We learned the hard way, as we decided to get out of town before we got gas. We were just about riding on fumes when we finally found a gas station, and all that worrying definitely wasn't one of the highlights of our trip!

Either way you go you will be rewarded with amazingly beautiful scenery, so it just depends on what you feel comfortable with. We were in Croatia in November so there wasn't much traffic.

As for cruises, I'm not really sure but it may be worth your while to do a little investigating. If you get on cruises.com, travelocity, etc. you may be able to filter through itineraries by choosing ones that only include Croatia. Then put in your month and see which ones come up and at which day of the week.

In November we had two wonderful days of Dubrovnik cruiseship free. Our last day there was a little dissapointing because a cruise ship was docked outside and there were tourists everywhere looking for that perfect Croatia souvenir for their 5 hour stop. It did change the atmosphere of the town, and not for the better. I understand that Dubrovnik can be pretty crowded, but in November it was pretty much almost tourist-free so having the flood of cruise shippers was definitely noticeable.

Best wishes,
Tracy