Photo Review: Celebrity Summit 4/26/14 REPO Cruise – Caribbean & Bermuda

[CruisingChick]

Fellow Cruisers:

 

I experienced my first Celebrity snob this week (luckily only ONE that I came in contact with). So, one day my mom and I were sitting on a bench on the pier waiting for our shore excursion group to gather (we were early), and a middle-aged woman asked if she could sit next to me. I said of course and within minutes she started making small talk. Of course the conversation began with her asking if this was my first Celebrity cruise, followed by the inquisition of what other lines I’ve been on before (after I said this was my 13th cruise). When I said I had been on ten Carnival cruises, she actually had the gull to say “Oh…well, those don’t count”. At that point, I turned and ceased to engage in further conversation with her.

 

When speaking with one of the friends we made onboard, she said she had a similar experience with someone at her assigned dining table. Same thing, when she was questioned as to what other cruise lines she’d sailed before, she said Carnival, and another woman at her table responded to her “We don’t speak of that line on Celebrity” or something along those lines.

 

 

WOW, that's something else. My DH and I have not sailed Carnival, but if you were at our table he would have wanted to know everything about your Carnival cruises as he said we should try them sometime. We have been on 17 Celebrity cruises, 1 RCCL and our first two cruises were on lines that no longer exist - Big Red Boat II and Regal Empress.

 

So sorry you encountered such a person.

[HeatherC430]

Classic Beverage Package:

 

I can’t say enough good things about Celebrity offering the classic beverage package as a part of their promotions. It’s really nice to have this option included with your price paid so that you don’t have to worry how much you’re spending every time you order a drink. For me, I have no reason to upgrade to the premium package. Throughout the course of the week, I drank Corona Lights and frozen blended drinks (like daiquiri’s and such), all of which were included in the package. I think if you‘re not a wine drinker or require top shelf liquor, you’ll probably be fine with not upgrading your drink package to premium. One of the best parts of the package is having the freshly squeezed orange juice, bottles of water, soda, and coffees included daily.

 

Clearly I used my card enough, because mid-way through the week, one bartender insisted I go to the front desk and have a new card printed (my name was half worn off and the “CALL” for classic package was completely worn off.

 

Almost every time I ordered a drink at one of the bars, I would tip the bartenders at least $1 with each order. I will say that my service at the bars on this cruise was much better than what we had experienced in February on the Summit. On that cruise, there were a few bars where we almost always had a wait for drinks/service (the bars on lido and aft bar). On this cruise, the only bar we encountered any kind of wait was at the martini bar. So, when my mom wanted to hang out at that bar, I’d head to the Casino bar to get my Corona light in a timely fashion. The bartender would know me and my order as soon as I was standing there. Normally, I wouldn’t even have to order, he’d grab my Corona light on his way to me. Now…that’s what I call service. I’d return to the Martini bar and my mom and her pals would still be waiting on drinks. It wasn’t until the end of the week that I realized they actually had Corona Lights at the Martini Bar. Apparently they do have a limited beer selection at that bar too.

 

The bartenders did a great job of making sure that whatever drink you were getting was included in the drink package you had. If it wasn’t included, they were sure to let you know in advance to avoid any charges.

[HeatherC430]

Food:

 

On this cruise, my mom and I were booked for the 6:00 dining time. We only ate in the MDR twice all week. While the people we were sat with were nice enough, I still much prefer the anytime/select dining time where you can get a table for two. While I don’t mind making conversation with people, it always seems like too much work. Especially, when traveling with my DH, I’d rather it just be the two of us, rather than having forced conversation with others. Let’s face it, if it’s just the two of you, no doubt you’ll be having a completely conversation that if you’re at a table with others. On this cruise, that option wasn’t available when we booked the cruise (a few months prior to).

 

Two other nights we had dinner at Qsine and really enjoyed the food. The couple other nights, we were happy just to grab something to eat on lido deck at the ocean view café. The one thing I ate there during the week that really stood was one night at the grill in the aft they had chicken fajitas. It did take about 10 minutes for the chicken to be grilled, but it was WELL worth the wait. Probably my favorite meal all week! It was really THAT good! We had two lunches at Bistro on Five and it’s one of my favorite places to eat onboard the ship.

 

I realize that food is very subjective, but my mom and I were really happy with all the meals we had onboard during the course of the week. It wasn’t uncommon to hear complaints from others about the food onboard. I couldn’t help but wonder what these people eat at home on a daily basis if they’re complaining about what’s served in the main dining room. Maybe my expectations are low? Then again, the food isn’t the main reason why I cruise either.

 

My only complaint is that it would be nice for them to have more options available later in the night. I stayed awake much later on this cruise with my mom and several nights where we stopped by to get a snack before going to bed almost all the stations had closed down. Even that unmentionable line has pizza available 24 hours a day. ;)

[HeatherC430]

Service:

 

Our stateroom steward was Ruth. We really only saw her on the first day (after moving our beds apart) and on the last day. Our room was clean and we had everything we needed, but I wouldn’t say the service was any better than on previous cruises. The service overall was across the board was consistently pretty good. Like I mentioned earlier, my only issue with the length of time for bar service has been in the Martini Bar. I think that it’s due to the number of people trying to get a drink and the time it takes to make all those specialty martinis (which is understandable). The guy who worked the juice counter each morning actually remembered me from my last cruise in February. All the servers in the MDR, specialty restaurants, and coffee place were all extremely friendly upon each encounter with them. I’d put the service level on this cruise on par with what I’ve experienced on past cruises (no better or worse).

 

 

Entertainment:

 

This was the first cruise where I attended a show on Celebrity – and we went to two of them. I was really impressed by the aerialists included in the performances. Other than that, I think the singing and dancing portions were on par with shows I’ve seen on other lines. I did not attend any of the Sin City comedy shows onboard (although they did add an extra seating of this on our cruise because it was that popular). People we talked to that went really enjoyed it and noted how packed the lounge was where it was offered. The band that played on lido wasn’t as visible as they were on our Summit cruise in February (which was a little disappointing). This cruise had different musical acts than our last cruise so they must have changed over in the last few months. The band that played on lido deck this cruise wasn’t “as good” as what we experienced on the Summit in February (although they were still enjoyable).

 

 

The Summit:

 

Like I mentioned in my last review of the Summit, the ONLY areas that I noted that showed the age or needed some improving I’ve read about on other reviews prior to this cruise and would agree with other posters. The deck chairs – while some if not most were totally fine, it wasn’t uncommon to see various chairs missing strips of their plastic pieces. Clearly, there are a decent amount of deck chairs onboard that need replaced. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but going back through my photos you see this in a number of the photos that show the deck chairs. Also, while I didn’t notice any mold in my shower like others have on the Summit, the shower tiles were in a desperate need of a re-grouting job! This was true both in the last stateroom I had as well as this one. Other than those two issues, I thought the ship itself was pretty great! Neither of these issues was significant enough to affect my overall cruise. I’ll even go as far as to say that if it weren’t for those two issues that need addressed, I would have no idea the ship is as old as it is.

 

 

Overall Comments:

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise on the Summit and look forward to my third cruise on the Summit as well (next February)! The ship is a perfect size for me and I think it offers great itineraries out of San Juan. If you’re thinking about booking this repo cruise or one of the Southern Caribbean itineraries I think you’ll be pleased. If you’re booking an itinerary for the summer months that cruises only to Bermuda, you’ll be experiencing some beautiful beaches. For me, that was the highlight of our two days in Bermuda.

 

There are two other areas that I think Celebrity could use improved upon (that I haven’t already mentioned elsewhere). 1. The bedding, beds, pillows onboard the Summit could all stand to be more comfortable. In hindsight, I probably should have tracked down the room steward for an extra pillow. My back still hurts from sleeping on that bed (and I’ve been home for a week). 2. The movie channels offered in the stateroom and well as the number of channels available could stand to have a little more variety. There was only one movie channel (even the unmentionable line has two or three movie channels on any given sailing!). Most times while in the room, we found ourselves watching one of the Celebrity promo channels, because there was really nothing else available to watch.

 

On a side note, two different people onboard approached me that they recognized me from my prior Summit review (in February). I felt like a local Celebrity! If these reviews help even a few people with their planning of their upcoming cruises, it’s worth my time to do it.

 

After my second cruise on Celebrity, I can say with confidence that Celebrity is indeed my top choice when it comes to choosing a cruise in the future. I feel that at this stage of my life it’s the cruise line that’s most “me”. That’s not to say I wouldn’t say another line if the price, itinerary, etc wasn’t more appealing for one reason or another. Everyone keeps talking on the message boards about all these cuts or things they’re unhappy about Celebrity changing. I suppose for every one of those people, there’s someone new who tries Celebrity and is happy with the product that they’re offering (like me).

 

 

If I missed anything or you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[richsea]

Thanks again for the great photos & review!; lots of fun to read! It is refreshing to hear from someone with a positive attitude like you have. Hopefully, we'll cross paths on a future cruise. We also like Summit very much. We love sailing her from out of San Juan, & will be on her next Feb./March on a b2b, just as we did this past January.

[HeatherC430]

ahhh I see you found all the great spots.... I can't wait to retake all of your photo's for the 3rd time, this beach is one NO ONE could ever tire from! (hope the water warms up a bit by the end of the month... Still loving your review! Happy to you were brave enough to say your mom was a smoker,,,(me too) I thought only drinkers could post (LOL LOL)

 

Yes, Horseshoe Bay Beach was pretty amazing. So much to explore on that beach!

Trust me, no one’s more annoyed at her smoking than me traveling with her (a non-smoker). It seems like every time you turn around she needs another “smoke break”. Even though smoking areas are limited on Celebrity ships (compared to other lines) there were plenty of adequate places for her (and others) to smoke.

[HeatherC430]

Loving your trip report and the many pictures, almost as good as being there!

My sisters and my mom were on the Summit last year in Bermuda and ate in Quisine. One of the highlights of the trip, mainly due to our waiter, the same one in your pictures. Do you remember his name? We were just reminiscing this weekend and could not come up with it. he had us in stitches the whole time. Thanks.

 

Thank you! The guy in our picture from the first night at Qsine was not our waiter. One of the guys at our table had taken a video of him doing his demo of Qsine at the end of the Heartbeat of the Operation Tour. We showed it to him during dinner and he couldn't believe that was himself. He seemed embarassed as if he didn't know he acted that way! lol. We told him he would be a YouTube sensation once it's posted! Even though he wasn't our waiter we had a great time with him that first night. And, requested he be our waiter for our second night in Qsine (which he was). I'm almost positive his name was Hervin (although I'm not sure I'm spelling it correctly). He really did make our experience at Qsine on both nights. He'd see us during the course of the week and say "Hi Darlings" each time he'd pass us.

[HeatherC430]

Thanks again for the great photos & review!; lots of fun to read! It is refreshing to hear from someone with a positive attitude like you have. Hopefully, we'll cross paths on a future cruise. We also like Summit very much. We love sailing her from out of San Juan, & will be on her next Feb./March on a b2b, just as we did this past January.

 

You're quite welcome. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I can't get over how some people complain on thread after thread. It's vacation - it's it supposed to be fun! I try and avoid any of those threads and only use them to research various aspects of any upcoming cruises. Once my cruises are booked, I have full intention of going, and having a great time! It looks like we're missing you by two weeks next February's sailings! Enjoy your back to back! :)

[HeatherC430]

WOW, that's something else. My DH and I have not sailed Carnival, but if you were at our table he would have wanted to know everything about your Carnival cruises as he said we should try them sometime. We have been on 17 Celebrity cruises, 1 RCCL and our first two cruises were on lines that no longer exist - Big Red Boat II and Regal Empress.

 

So sorry you encountered such a person.

 

Yeah, my thoughts exactly…I’m just glad I didn’t experience them on my first Celebrity cruise, where maybe I would have thought that mentality was more commonplace than not. Truth be told, it’s not so much the food or service that makes Celebrity a more pleasant cruise, it’s the mindset and demeanor of the overall passengers onboard (for me). The overall laid-back vibe is why I would choose Celebrity over Carnival. Some people (who have never even sailed Carnival) based their judgments off of preconceived notions rather than experience. Had I not tried Celebrity, I’d still be happily sailing on Carnival (I’m sure of it).

No need to apologize, everyone else we encountered onboard was pleasant.

[HeatherC430]

I was also on this cruise. It was so much fun seeing the trip through someone else's eyes. Great review!

 

Agreed. A lot of times, it's like if you didn't know you were on the same ship, the exact same week, you'd think it was a completely different cruise! We really lucked out with the weather, right up until the end. :D

The repo cruise was a great itinerary. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

[HeatherC430]

Heather, great review. So nice of you to share your beautiful photo album. Hoping to go to Bermuda with family in July! This was very helpful.

 

Thank you.

 

Donna

 

Thank you for your kind words. Bermuda was great. I could have spent several days exploring all that they have to offer. Normally, I'm ok with an hour or so at each beach (in the Caribbean), but I could have spent all day exploring at Horseshoe Bay Beach. Even the three hours we were there wasn't nearly long enough. Glad I could help.

[HeatherC430]

Thanks so much heather. Our very first cruise on the summit to bermuda is coming up so we drank in all of your pictures! :D

 

 

Do you think the glass bottom boat would be any better during the day, or your groups opinion to skip this excursion all together (day or night)?

 

You're welcome. I think what you'd see through the glass bottom portions of the boat (I'm pretty sure it's the same boat) would be as sub par as the nighttime cruise. The only portion I enjoyed on the nighttime one, was the sun setting. Without that, I think it would have been even worse. Honestly, any of the sights you'd see while going to your viewing location, wouldn't be much different than if you took one of the ferries somewhere. If you've ever snorkeled (anywhere), I think you'd be as disappointed as we were in this trip. If due to mobility issues or not being able to swim (and you or someone you're with NEVER went snorkeling) then it would probably be worth doing. My DH had always poo-poo'ed any glass bottom boat excursions over the course of the past 6 years that we've been cruising together. Now I know why he was never interested in doing it. I think I've done my first (and LAST) glass bottom boat trip! Enjoy your upcoming cruise on the Summit!

[HeatherC430]

Thanks Heather for the great review! I've been reading along as soon as you started posting this one. It's very nice to hear a positive reviewer, since it seems a lot of negative posts on CC lately. I will be on the Summit next month for the first time and Bermuda for the first time, so I found a lot of your information very helpful. We are already booked for Qsine and I can't wait!

 

I do have question...we were on the Celebrity Reflection last Christmas and as much as I tried, I rarely got any ship pictures without random people filling up the background. It felt like a crowded ship (probably the time of year didn't help) but your ship pictures made the ship so much more roomy. Was it just the time of day you took them or are there really pool chairs available??

 

Thanks again for the review and your beautiful pictures!

 

 

This ship/itinerary did seem even less crowed than our last Celebrity cruise. Deck chairs did seem to be more readily available on this sailing than the previous one. Most of the morning photos I took were in the 8-9am timeframe. It was early enough that you would have thought there were more people outside. Even on days when we got back from port, it was never supercrowded on the top decks. There were always chairs somewhere. The only day on this particular cruise that seemed croweded was the last sea day - and I'm sure that's due to the fact that almost everyone was cooped up inside the ship. Enjoy your first cruise on the Summit & to Bermuda. I'm sure you'll enjoy both! :)

[HeatherC430]

Thanks so much for taking all the time you did with your review, I enjoyed reading so much. Your pictures also fantastic, you are so photogenic :0)

We're heading on the Summit in June. First time on celebrity and excited to try something new. We've been to Bermuda many times, but never with any of the recent warnings that have been posted about the raw sewage dumping etc... Did you get any notifications onboard, or see any posted at the beaches?

This will be the first time going that we won't be taking that dip in the ocean.

If you did comment on this and I missed it somewhere I apologize in advance.

GREAT REVIEW!!!

Carrie

 

Thank you! In terms of being photogenic, remember...for each "decent" photo, there was probably at least five really bad ones! lol. I'm sure you will not be disappointed with Celebrity. The Summit is a great ship! I too was very excited to try something new. I suppose it'll be awhile before I get sick of Celebrity or the Summit.

 

There were NO notifications or posting onboard the Summit or at any of the beaches in Bermuda. If you didn't read these message boards or keep up with the news in Bermuda, you would literally have no idea that anything was wrong or different. If there were postings at the beaches or onboard, maybe I wouldn't have gone in the water, but since there weren't I didn't hesitate. The water and beaches in Bermuda are beautiful. Thanks for reading!

[HeatherC430]

I enjoy reading your reviews. Looking forward to your next one!

 

I wish my Mom would want to take a cruise. I have three sisters and we tried to get her to go on one with us. She refused.:( I guess when you are 85 you are not always too anxious to try new things.

 

Thank you! I'm anxious for the next cruise already (I always am).

 

Why not take one with your three sisters? Yeah, I would think by 85 you're probably pretty set in your ways. Maybe try taking her on a shorter long weekend type cruise so she can see if she likes it first (without the fear of being stuck at sea for a week or longer)? Luckily, my mom enjoys cruising too (but probably not as much as I do). This was her first vacation in 2 years - since the last cruise I went on with her.

[Port Power]

Heather, I am like minded and enjoyed your review. I can see that Summit is rather old by the shower curtain and generally style, but loved the longer cabin. We also don't bother with the extra expense of a verandah cabin as we are never in the cabin except to sleep. On Celebrity Solstice we had cabin 7102, which faced forward. Also slight larger than the average ocean view cabin, it had two arm chairs between the bed and the window. The cabin was a lot wider and the wardrobes were across the cabin facing the bed. Glass door on the shower too. Huge amount of space. We even put excess hangars in the basket with the life jackets under the bed. On Infinity, which is the same size as Summit, I have booked cabin 7002, which is 25% bigger. I was going for 9001 or similar when a fellow cruiser mentioned the extra sofa they had in 7002. So now we know where to look, which is why it is great to chat through these forums.

 

Look forward to meeting you on the March 2016 Panama Canal cruise. You might also be the person the ask about getting from Port Miami to Port Everglades. We are doing consecutive cruises.

 

Carol

[Xcitdcruiser]

Look forward to meeting you on the March 2016 Panama Canal cruise. You might also be the person the ask about getting from Port Miami to Port Everglades. We are doing consecutive cruises.

 

Carol

 

I'm sorry to thread jack but your user name stood out in the X boards - Go Power!! Carn the pear! :D

[HeatherC430]

Heather, I am like minded and enjoyed your review. I can see that Summit is rather old by the shower curtain and generally style, but loved the longer cabin. We also don't bother with the extra expense of a verandah cabin as we are never in the cabin except to sleep. On Celebrity Solstice we had cabin 7102, which faced forward. Also slight larger than the average ocean view cabin, it had two arm chairs between the bed and the window. The cabin was a lot wider and the wardrobes were across the cabin facing the bed. Glass door on the shower too. Huge amount of space. We even put excess hangars in the basket with the life jackets under the bed. On Infinity, which is the same size as Summit, I have booked cabin 7002, which is 25% bigger. I was going for 9001 or similar when a fellow cruiser mentioned the extra sofa they had in 7002. So now we know where to look, which is why it is great to chat through these forums.

 

You might also be the person the ask about getting from Port Miami to Port Everglades. We are doing consecutive cruises.

 

Carol

 

Hi Carol,

 

Yes, my DH & I would take one of the larger oceanview rooms with more space over a balcony room anyday (I suppose we're probably in a minority with that line of thought). Sure, it's nice to have a balcony...but the times we've had them, we barely spend any time at all out there (other than to briefly look outside when we pull into port). Even in Alaska (where everyone says it's a necessity), we didn't feel that way (even though we booked an aft-extended balcony on that trip). I've looked at those forward facing rooms on deck 7 and have made a note of them. Part of what we like about 9001 is that it's right under the lido deck. We found it very convenient for the places we frequent on the ships. I'll be sure to keep those rooms in mind though if our go-to is taking on future sailings.

 

My experience is limited when cruising out of Florida from taking shuttles from the Ft. Lauderdale airport to the port of Miami (when we've left from Miami port). I've never had to take a shuttle between ports before. Although, I'm sure it's as easy as either taking a taxi that day in port (to the next port rather than the airport), or enlisted a car service to pick you up when you debark in Port Miami.

[HeatherC430]

Great review! I especially loved all of the pictures of the transportation signs in Bermuda - very helpful to this type A girl!

 

By the way, you will love Bernard's Tours! We booked Maho/Orient Beach/Marigot tour and had a fantastic time. You mentioned a weak rum swizzle on your bermuda triangle tour. Be warned that the Bernard tour rum punch will be strong ;) Enjoy!

 

Thank you (from one Type A girl to another :)). While cruising, I try and take random pictures of things I would have liked to have seen pre-cruise. And while not everyone reading would "get it" why I'd take a picture of such things, I know there's some people out there who do. Specifically, I had anxiety about where to find these ferry passes and where you would board the ferry. My concerns were completely unwarranted as you can see from my photos the vantage points of each are clear as day.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence in Bernard's Tours. I'm looking forward to it. It seems like a great combo tour of the island seeing all the "must see" stops. It'll be my DH's first time in St. Maarten too. Like I said in my review, another couple we made friends with raved about their tour with Bernard on our cruise. Within days of coming home, I already had it booked for next year! :D

[kfrey68]

Heather, I am like minded and enjoyed your review. I can see that Summit is rather old by the shower curtain and generally style, but loved the longer cabin. We also don't bother with the extra expense of a verandah cabin as we are never in the cabin except to sleep. On Celebrity Solstice we had cabin 7102, which faced forward. Also slight larger than the average ocean view cabin, it had two arm chairs between the bed and the window. The cabin was a lot wider and the wardrobes were across the cabin facing the bed. Glass door on the shower too. Huge amount of space. We even put excess hangars in the basket with the life jackets under the bed. On Infinity, which is the same size as Summit, I have booked cabin 7002, which is 25% bigger. I was going for 9001 or similar when a fellow cruiser mentioned the extra sofa they had in 7002. So now we know where to look, which is why it is great to chat through these forums.

 

Look forward to meeting you on the March 2016 Panama Canal cruise. You might also be the person the ask about getting from Port Miami to Port Everglades. We are doing consecutive cruises.

 

Carol

 

7002 is great. We had it last year to bermuda and booked it again for this year. The extra space is great since our DS is with us and so we need to use the sofa for his bed. On other cruise lines when the sofa is made into a bed we could not even move without stepping on his bed. This room has plenty of room to get around with the sofa open and also has plenty of room to get around snorkeling gear when it is laid out drying. The only drawback is if it gets a bit rough you do feel it. We had one night last June that made DS and me a bit queasy.

[HeatherC430]

We had John as our driver/guide in 2012, and I rode shot gun and 'guarded' the cooler:eek: If you want a bit more time at one stop and less at another, if the group is okie dokie with it, they will adjust. Since you visited the 'market' this trip, tell the driver more planes, less market. We have rode with the Mailman too! Next yr we are planning the day pass at one of the Sonesta Resorts.

 

Sorry again, back to your trip report:D

 

Thanks for the tips Wallie! I'll make sure I'm in a strategic position to "guard" the cooler! :)

[HeatherC430]

I am really loving your review and all your photos! I am especially looking forward to the Bermuda portion of your review. I'll be celebrating my 30th birthday sailing the Summit to Bermuda this July! Oh and we'll be celebrating our wedding anniversary as well. I guess we have a lot to celebrate!!

A side note....If you ever stay at the Sheraton again, you can take the C53 bus from the convention center to OSJ. It is really cheap (75 cents) and easy.

 

You sound like me...my birthday is exactly one week before our wedding anniversary! I knew there was a bus stop near the Sheraton, but I didn't know how difficult it would be to understand the bus routes, times, etc. Taking a taxi seemed like the easiest way at the time. Enjoy your cruise on the Summit this summer!

[We're The Groupnors]

What a great review! We've been on Summit three times, and seeing your photos brought back many fond memories of the ship and a number of the ports!

[Port Power]

7002 is great. We had it last year to bermuda and booked it again for this year. The extra space is great since our DS is with us and so we need to use the sofa for his bed. On other cruise lines when the sofa is made into a bed we could not even move without stepping on his bed. This room has plenty of room to get around with the sofa open and also has plenty of room to get around snorkeling gear when it is laid out drying. The only drawback is if it gets a bit rough you do feel it. We had one night last June that made DS and me a bit queasy.

 

We don't mind rough weather at all; in fact, it's rather fun! However, when the anchor was lowered at our first tender port, it certainly woke us up with a start! I realised what the noise was, but poor Mum thought we had hit something.

[HeatherC430]

What a great review! We've been on Summit three times' date=' and seeing your photos brought back many fond memories of the ship and a number of the ports![/quote']

 

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed reading! Reading photo reviews is the only thing (for me) that helps pass the time between cruises! ;)