Ten destinations, four continents and 20,000 nautical miles: for some Coronado residents, Semester at Sea is the adventure of a lifetime. After all, what’s better than a floating campus?
The program—which brings together college students with learners at all stages of life—allows students to take classes with renowned professors in a shipboard classroom, most earning a full-semester of college credit. The ship sails around the world, stopping in destinations from Morocco to Cape Town, from Ghana to Mauritius, and from India to Hong Kong.
Dozens of Coronado locals have sailed with the program as students, professors and even children of professors, known as “ship kids.” Then there are the lifelong learners ages 30 and up, who join the voyage and take classes simply for the thrill of learning.
“It’s an amazing, enriching experience,” said Moriah Meyskens, who is currently sailing with Semester at Sea, working aboard the ship as a professor with her husband and three children ages 7, 11, and 14. “It’s a great way to see the world.”
The three-and-a-half-month-long voyage embarks from the Netherlands in the fall and ends in Bangkok. It does the exact opposite in the spring. Along the way, students take college classes aboard the ship during the day, stopping at a new port every five to six days. There, they spend about six days “in country,” applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world setting.
Abby Berk, a Coronado resident who has sailed with Semester at Sea three times as a professor and also with her children, says the assignments are reflective and hands-on.
“The school isn’t about research papers,” she said. “We don’t want them to spend time in each country researching, we want them to explore. Everything is focused on being a global learner.”
Life Aboard the Ship
Berk says that the ship is “really nice” and actually operates as a German cruise ship in the summertime. According to the Semester at Sea website, the ship houses about 550 students representing majors from 270 colleges and universities. This includes a diverse group of learners from around the world from countries like China, Sweden, Australia and Panama.
Students are matched up with a roommate or select one on their own, each pair residing in their own cabin. Each student is assigned to an RN, and there’s a doctor on board and three counselors. The ship includes a library, a pool, a gym, a wellness center and a spa. There are two different places to dine.
When they’re at sea, most students take classes all day and are busy with homework and ship activities in the evenings.
“As amazing as it is, you’re getting like zero downtime,” said Berk. “You’re taking classes, and you’re doing homework when you’re at sea for six to seven days. Then when you come to a port, you’re on land exploring that country nonstop.”
Berk says that because the internet is unreliable, most students don’t buy internet packages. Instead of scrolling, they spend their free time interacting with each other, playing board games and talking.
For Berk, the ability to disconnect from technology was an unexpected surprise.
“It’s the only time in your life when you can detach from the internet,” she said. “It’s so healthy for relationships. And at meals, everyone is talking to each other.’
Meyskens says that since everyone is on the ship for long stretches, everyone is open to playing cards, shooting hoops and engaging with ship activities and clubs, which range from chess to Bollywood dance classes, from theatre to foreign languages. There’s even line dancing!
That’s when you’re not taking a class or studying.
Meyskens says she teaches classes in Entrepreneurship and Social and Sustainable Venturing. Her 14-year-old is taking two university-level classes on the ship, Reading without Borders and Geography. Her husband is auditing four classes—Authoritarianism, Film Studies, Economy and Philosophy. The younger kids do homeschool aboard the ship, play sports, games, and other enrichment activities with the ship community. The entire family is taking Global Studies.
It’s a busy schedule that starts with a walk around the ship deck at 7am and ends around 10pm after clubs, dinner and games.
“It’s really a beautiful experience and community,” she said.
Adina Batnitzky, a Coronado local who traveled as a professor with her husband and kids in 2023, agrees that life board the ship is unlike any other experience.
“Life was fully-immersive, fast-paced, and no day was ever the same,” she said. “It was exciting and intense all at the same time.”
Exploring “In Country”
When the ship pulls into port, many students opt to say on land in hotels, VRBOs or hostels. While Semester at Sea does offer paid excursions, most travelers opt to explore on their own.
“Some students have so much energy, they won’t sleep for days,” said Berk. “They’ll go Taj Mahal and then go clubbing all night then hop on a plane and fly somewhere new.”
While you can stay on the boat, in most places it makes sense to stay on land. Except for the port in Lisbon, which is walking distance to all the sights and entertainment, according to Berk.
Most of the adventures on land involve some sort of learning and extension of the lectures. For example, Berk teaches sustainability, so in every country, her assignment is for students to document and take pictures of the initiatives that are promoting sustainability.
In addition, Semester at Sea Field Program offers in-country field programs that help generate awareness and build a deeper understanding of issues that affect each country. These range from climbing through the hidden Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam to joining an African Blacksoap workshop to a camel trek through the Sahara Desert.
“Watching the students make the connections between what they were learning in the classroom and then in the port country was so rewarding,” said Batnitzky. “Its not every day that the content of the course comes alive in such an impactful way.”
For most Semester at Sea voyagers, the adventure is a journey that connects them to each other for life.
“The bond you form with the ship community is really special and lasts well beyond disembarkation,” said Batnitzky. “Even when I meet people from other voyages, I feel a connection about this very unique shared experience.”
For Berk, the connection she shared with other shipmates was perhaps the most valuable part of the journey.
“Despite all the places we visited, I always say that my favorite port is the ship,” she said.
For those who are interested in checking out the Semester at Sea journey, visit the website here. Travelers can learn more about future voyages and apply as soon as each itinerary is posted.
