On January 2nd it was time to end our family adventure across southeast Asia and finally board the ship that would be our home for the next 4 months.
We arrived at the shipyard north of Pattaya and made our way to the dock where we got our first look at the vessel the "World Odyssey." If you look closely you can see the name of the ship is painted over another name. That's because when the World Odyssey is not traversing the globe throughout the academic year for Semester at Sea, the rest of the year it is known as the M.S. Deutschland, a German cruise ship for summer patrons.
We were instructed to leave our luggage on the dock; it would be taken to our rooms later. We decided to keep the pillows we bought with us, just to make sure they made it to our room.
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| Photographic evidence we had our pillows when we got to the ship |
We boarded the ship via the gangway, signed in, went to reception where we would receive our cabin key, went through another large room to drop off our necessary medical records, passports, and visas, and then made our way to the 8th deck where we finally got to our cabin. |
The large bed is just two twins pushed together. If this cabin's a rockin' you can still knock; it's just because it's on a ship.
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| Jacob, living his best life |
As exciting as it was to see our new home/living quarters, we realized, to our horror, that the pillows were gone. At some point in our brief ascent from deck 3 to deck 8, they were lost. Disappeared. Evaporated. They were reclaimed by Poseidon, never to be seen again. The pillows we hade made a special trip across Pattaya to buy because we were told extra pillows on the ship were a necessity. I bet you can guess who was keeping track of the pillows before they were lost forever...
Having never set foot on a cruise ship, we were totally blown away. Decorated in a 1920's style, it is clear why German cruise patrons think of this as something of a "love boat" cruise. Jacob was super excited about getting to do something "rich people" do.
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| We are refusing to take the elevator so that we get our steps in. |
As ship staff (not to be confused with "crew") we were boarding the ship several days earlier than the students so we could receive our own orientation. While Semester at Sea has permanent employees who prepare each new staff for the voyage, they are not on board for the actual voyage. Several of these staff members came to Thailand for our orientation, but would be leaving before we set sail. Meanwhile, the actual staff of the voyage is new every semester. While some staff and faculty have made 2-3 prior voyages, no one is "always here" and most of the staff, including us, are here for the first time. It's a huge undertaking to retrain an entire staff for a voyage. We had regular zoom meetings and some in-person trainings leading up to the voyage, but ultimately we had 4 days all together to figure out what our roles and jobs would be like for the next 4 months. Ender is one of 3 counselors on the ship and part of the medical team. Kim is one of two "Kids and Teens Program coordinators." We both like our co-workers, but have very different jobs and schedules. Kim's program runs daily every afternoon while we are at sea. There are nearly 40 children on the ship ranging from ages 3 - 17. Every child 5+ has to be with their caregiver at all times, but also gets to spend two hours every afternoon doing a group activity with other children. Kim's program coordinates parents and volunteers to take turns planning activities for the children on the ship to do. In the mornings, when Jacob is not at this program, he is doing school work, primarily keeping up on his algebra, literature, and art.
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The Counseling Center
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Ender is doing group and family therapy in this room
 | | Great View of the Water from the Counseling Center |
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2nd Counseling Office for individual therapy
Most of our orientation was in the Union Theater, a huge auditorium that is the only place on the ship where all of the voyagers can meet together at the same time (and only then because there are so many chairs packed in that there is little room for movement.
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| The ceiling of the Union |
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Jacob was pretty bored during orientation. He wasn't allowed to be on the ship on his own so he had to sit through our staff orientations all week.
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In addition to this auditorium, the ship has a movie theater, swimming pool, library, and various other spaces, many of which are converted into classrooms during the voyage. We tried to take a picture of the most important and noteworthy space on the ship below:
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| One of 3 dining areas on the ship. This is the Lido restaurant, which is also where the Kid's and Teen program meets daily. |
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Or we can eat on deck
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"The Chappy" is the Staff and Faculty Lounge, which also happens to be a bar
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| A movie theater |
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And a classroom
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The Spa offers a private pool, Sauna, Massages
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But it costs extra so we'll never use it
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The Lido Terrace
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| Sometimes a classroom |
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Sometimes a music room
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| Always a great place to play games |
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The library is another popular spot for board games
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Snacks in the library
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| Indoor Gym |
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Outdoor gym for your brain and body
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Sport Court, Deck Snack Bar, and a great place to lay in the sun
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| The pool is filled with fresh seawater and recirculates regularly. |
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The Four Seasons Restaurant, if you want to buy a fancy dinner
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| Is another classroom during the day |
Shortly after orientation started, we set sail from Pattaya to Bangkok. It was only a single day's journey, but we still had to do a lifeboat drill before we set sail. We would then have to do another one once all of the students boarded the ship because the ship can't sail until everyone on board has done the lifeboat drill. We also have to do one each month for the rest of the voyage.
When we arrived in Bangkok, the student started to board. Having the students onboard was both exciting and surprising. The quiet, welcoming grandeur of the ship was quickly filled with bodies, chittering excitement, and long, long lines in the dining rooms. It became quickly obvious that there would be little privacy of any kind outside of our cabin.
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| The first orientation with all voyagers |
We would only be in Bangkok for a day which would not give us enough time to do any sightseeing, however, we made on very important venture into the city: We had to replace the lost pillows.
Finally, with orientation (and our bedding) complete, the ship departed through the Chao Phraya River, into the Gulf of Thailand and set sail for Western Malaysia, a route that would take us around 6 days, around the Singapore Straight.
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