A dream come true

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

This was written for the SAS website as a sort of a testimonial:

A voyage on the MV Explorer with the Semester at Sea is a dream come true, making me wonder why I waited until the seventh decade of my life to experience the joy of sailing around the world. What makes it unique is the diversity of its travelers, the in-depth classes offered while we are at sea, the excellent side trips arranged by well-versed tour operators, the lectures about the countries to be visited and the affordability of its luxury features.

We, the voyagers, are amazed at how smoothly everything runs on the MV Explorer, thanks to Captain Jeremy, a Brit, and a highly experienced international crew. On this Spring 2013 voyage, there are 875 passengers, including students, faculty, lifelong learners and some guests who come and go from port to port. The interior and the exterior spotless. The cleaning crew works around the clock, making sure no germs are transferred from handrails, elevator buttons, doorknobs, computer keyboards, and all public spaces where hand sanitizers are overtly visible.  

Our voyage began in Ensenada, Mexico, and will end, after 110 days, in Barcelona, Spain.

We have two cafeteria-style dining rooms that serve a well-balanced variety of meals and, on the top deck, a fast-food stand for burgers, hot dogs, pizza and ice cream at a nominal fee any time of the day as well as a cafe selling lattes, cappuccinos, rolls, candy and fruit. A private dining room caters to small groups where you can enjoy champagne and other drinks and order from a menu of steaks, lobsters and fancy desserts for more than a nominal fee.

The Explorer offers three semesters of college credit through the University of Virginia. During semester breaks it sails from port to port on shorter-term voyages. I was on a two-week Alaska cruise in the mid-1990s during which we could pull into smaller ports that large cruise ships could not. I am grateful to my son, Joseph Yackley, who made the Fall 1994 voyage. He has gone to get a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history from the University of Chicago and has recently taken up a post in the foreign service. He will begin work as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis later this year. Kudos to the Institute for Shipboard Education, the parent company for Semester at Sea, for helping inspire him.

I intend to take my whole family on a shorter voyage in 2014. 

Above: I came across the picture of my (long-haired) son Joe, a Semester at Sea alum, in the on-board yearbook. This snap was taken at the pyramids of Giza in the Fall of 1994.