Let me preface this review by saying that it truly makes me sad to write such a negative review. I don't often post negative reviews (in fact, this is the only negative review I've posted about a cruise.) I'm not a person who expects everything to be perfect, and I don't criticize lightly. But . . .

I booked this cruise because of the wonderful itinerary. It can be difficult to find a cruise that visits Mykonos, Athens and Santorini, and this one had all three. In that regard, this cruise was perfect, and I'm very satisfied with the ports we visited and all that we were able to see and do on this trip.

The ship experience is a different story. We had previously sailed on the Jewel in January 2015, and at that time, it was obvious that a refurb was desperately needed. The only reason I felt good about booking this cruise was that the Jewel was scheduled for a refurb in April 2016. Royal Caribbean made a big deal about the extensiveness of the refurb, promising that "each cabin" would get a facelift, new restaurants would be added, etc. I noted two things that were different in our stateroom between January 2015 and September 2016 -- new carpet and a flat-screen television. In the common areas, the only differences I saw were a large screen by the pool and the addition of Izumi sushi restaurant. Otherwise, the ship was exactly the same as it had been before the "refurbishment." I was disappointed. Read more