We chose this cruise because we could do the Panama Canal in 8 days, rather than 10 or 14 days. The Jewel is a nice ship, a little dated, but the service on the ship was far better than expected. Our room was always clean. Cindy and Ronald in the Palace dining room went above and beyond to provide excellent service. The entertainment was outstanding with comedy magic and Stephanie Pope and several other talented performers. Would definitely recommend this cruise. Loved the places we stopped: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao (ABC Islands). Costa Rica was a definite favorite for me as I enjoyed seeing monkeys and sloths in the wild on the Eco Cruise we took. Panama is a very mixed country with a not so nice area near the airport, but beautiful areas elsewhere in the county. I think most people would enjoy these destinations and the Panama Canal Transit was a definite bucket list item for us.