“We are the world…” (Michael Jackson)
January 14th, we celebrated our 35th Anniversary, sailing the Pacific, dining on French cuisine in the fancy Four Seasons restaurant on The Love Boat! Our Semester at Sea (SAS) ship, the MV World Odyssey, was used in the TV program Das Traumschiff ("The Dream Ship"), the German equivalent to The Love Boat. Yes, our ship came in, and it’s the Love Boat!
What Time is It?
For the Voyage, we are on the ship approximately 50 days and in country 50 days. As we write this post, we are sailing for almost three weeks from San Diego, CA to Kobe, Japan, with a day in Hawaii to refuel. On board, we’ve established somewhat of a routine. However, ship time is rather confusing, because of the erratic timeline. The schedule for classes while on the ship is “A” days and “B” days, rather than days of the week. Larry teaches two classes on A days and one class on B days, all afternoon classes. We both attend the Global Studies course on B days, 0930-1100. Most days, Erlene carves out a few “office hours”; walks several times on the upper deck, usually with other walkers; and does yoga. Larry is figuring out the best time to go to the small gym, with machines and weights.
Typically, Larry, the early-early bird, gets up by 0500ish and goes to the Fritz (a quiet, study space for faculty during the day and a bar at night) for a bit of class preparation time. Then, at 0630ish, we both go up one deck to breakfast. Erlene is enjoying being a morning person on this trip, as we started out on Pacific time, and every few days on the ocean, we move the clocks back an hour. And, we skipped January 16th when we crossed the International Date Line. Also, the ship uses military time (1300 equals 1:00pm, etc.). So, with all these factors, we never know what time it is. But, with mostly sunny or partly cloudy weather, we get to see the sunrise and sunset. And, so far, we haven’t missed a meal.
Good Eats!
In addition to the Four Seasons (a special occasion restaurant), for daily meals, the ship has two large restaurants. The food is quite good, although the coffee is sub-par. The breakfast buffet includes eggs, meat, potatoes, French toast or pancakes, various breads, cheeses, cold meats, yogurt, cold cereals, milk, fresh fruit, and juice. Each day a big hot pot of oatmeal, grits, or cream of wheat is available. Also, the ubiquitous peanut butter and jelly is always available. We’ve heard that the ship goes through an exorbitant amount of peanut butter!
A couple of decks have small grills that provide burgers, fries, smoothies, etc. Upon the advice of previous Voyagers, we haven’t eaten there, because it costs extra and we don’t want to get in that habit.
Lunch is served 1130-1330 and dinner 1730-1930. The daily fare includes a large salad bar, and a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and meats. The food is really “clean” and fresh. We have lots of water, lemonade, and juices—no soft drinks. The German butter is Erlene’s treat and Larry enjoys the desserts that are like most European sweets—not so cloyingly sweet as typical in the U.S.
The Fritz Bar is open for faculty in the evenings and is a nice place to unwind with other staculty. The wine and other drinks are good quality. The students are allowed occasional alcoholic beverages at the grill. They were required to attend a responsible drinking seminar, prior to the first night of “beverage services.”
Seeing the World on the Ship
Whilst enjoying the routine, every day on this ship is out-of-the ordinary. Daily, we connect with students, faculty, staff, family members, and guests who are travelers! At meals or just daily ship life, we share stories, learn new things, engage in exchanges: A world of experiences! Most evenings include a variety of programs, speakers, and activities for the ship community. The students self-select into an array of clubs, from Photography, Kindness, SAS on a Budget, Jews on a Cruise, and many more!
As one of the WKU students commented, before we stopped in Hawaii, “I feel like I’m already seeing the world and we haven’t even left the ship.” Indeed, we are the world!
