Jewel of the Seas Review

3.5 / 5.0
1,643 reviews

Jewel Greek Isles Cruise after Refurbishment May 2016

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
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dagunny
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: May 2016
Cabin: Grand Suite

This was the third leg of three back to backs.

We stayed on at Civitavecchia after going out and having a great meal at one of the shoreside restaurants. We made one horrendous mistake in Civi. We took a few 100 Euro notes to a bank to get change. BIG MISTAKE! First, we get to the bank and there is a capsule you have to go in to enter the bank. It wouldn’t let us through. One woman told us no bags and you had to place them in a locker. I stayed outside with the bags (camera case and Celebrity blue bag) and my wife went in with just her ID and cash. Then, like the DMV, you take a number ticket and wait..wait..wait. Finally, you get to a teller and they haven’t a clue what they are doing. She finally has to have her ID photocopied, fill out much paperwork and sign forms. Totally disgusted, she comes out after an hour. DO NOT CHANGE MONEY AT AN ITALIAN BANK! It was so easy in Barcelona taking less than 5 minutes. OK, back on the ship. Hey, wait, security scanning is done at the port, not on the ship. I could have taken on cases of wine or booze and no one would be wiser. Good thing I’m honest, stupid, or both.

Messina, Sicily – We arrived late and got off at 11:30 – we knew there was a clock tower 5 minutes from the ship and it did some magical things at 12:00. We booked off and got to the square. At noon it plays Ave Maria, the lion roars, the cock crows, and the angels/saints circle round. Don’t miss it. We then took the train shuttle around for 10 Euros each. Much better than the HOHO. After tooling around the city we get dropped off at the “shopping area”. Being they shut down for siesta, nothing was open. We found a bakery and got take out cannoli and sfogliatelles. They wrapped everything up on a tray, covered it with decorative paper and a ribbon. Very classy for 8 Euros worth of pastries. We gobbled those up waiting for the trains return. An hour later (they said 20 minutes) it shows up and we scramble for seats. Returning to the square we sit down at a café and get a beer as it is closing for a late siesta. Beware that stores in Spain and Italy close from 1 or 2pm until 4:30ish. Ruins a lot of shopping time. Back on the ship and we eat at Chops. Christian is our waiter again and we selected the Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir we had at the Captain’s table last cruise. Nice wine to complement the Filet Mignon’s but pricy. This is a $49 bottle in Total Wine but $75 on ship (plus gratuities of course).

Cabin Review

Grand Suite

Cabin GS

Heavy glue smell, new carpet fibers everywhere on clothes and in ventilation system. Horrible because of the refit. New furniture chemical smell was terrible. Had to keep lanai door open.

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