Day 1 - Embarkation

Finally aboard the MV Explorer!  We had some time to explore the ship, but I often found myself lost and running into dead ends marked “Crew Only.”  I did stumble upon cocktail lounges turned into classrooms and casinos converted into the computer lab and library.  Many of the classrooms have spectacular views of the ocean and are cozy with comfortable couches.  There was also a ping pong table, a netted outdoor basketball court, and a spa complete with a nail and hair salon, several massage/procedure rooms, a sauna, and a Roman-themed bath.  Much to our delight, dinner was served!  We ate outside on the back decks, one of which had a small pool and many girls already in swimsuits sunbathing around it.

After a long and thorough safety drill, we finally left port and sailed for the ocean at full speed ahead.  We were indeed going very fast, and if you were eating on the back deck, you got sea water sprayed on you.  The MV Explorer was built to be one of the fastest ships on the sea, with a top speed of 32 knots (most cruise ships go about 20 knots).  I can’t confirm all of this, but the word is that the ship was commissioned in 2001 by a luxury Greek cruise company.  After 9/11, tourism dropped so rapidly, that the ship could never be used, and Semester at Sea bought it up for a steal.

Wandering around the ship, we ran across many students whose names we learned and forgot almost instantly, some families with children, and some people clearly too old for college, who we call “lifelong learners.”  To sum it up: 475 students, roughly twice as many girls as boys, plus about 50 or so non-students and around 100 more SAS staff members.  Everyone – the students, the lifelong learners, and the staff – are extremely friendly, but perhaps the friendliest are the ship crew.  The waiting staff is so eager to serve us and learn our names that many of us are taken aback.

Even though SAS has sent us loads of information, they left out a lot of important information.  The most important advice: lift up the painting hanging in your cabin and flip it over.  Previous voyagers had covered the back with top ten lists and other stories and advice for us.

A few orientation sessions later, and we were free to let the ship rock us to sleep for the night.