Going on cruise has been the best experience of my life so far. Not many people get the opportunity to do something like this. I have to admit that it's not for everyone. You do live in close quarters an must be a pretty easygoing person, but nobody on my cruise had trouble with that. You have cleaning duties every day but nothing more than what you would have at home, plus everyone is there to help you. Living amongst the CMA cadets is definitely interesting. It takes a while for the CMA students to start interacting with Cal Poly, but once you warm up to each other they're all really friendly and fun to hang out with . All of the officers were awesome people. They were very patient with us and usually had time to answer any questions you had about the ship. They may look a little intimidating, but don't be afraid to talk to them.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to ask students who have been on cruise before what to pack. You get a packing list ahead of time, but some things are more important than others. Snacks, for instance. If you have a particular snack (soda, candy, etc...) you are used to eating all the time, then bring it, and bring lots of it. There is a little place on board to buy snacks an soda but they may not carry what you like or may run out half way through cruise. The food is pretty good and there are always fresh baked desserts waiting for you after every meal, so you may want to learn where the gym is.

Clothes are another issue. You don't really need a lot of clothes because you wear the same uniform every day. You can wear whatever you want after a certain time in the evening an din port, so pack light. You're not allowed to wear tank tops on the ship but you can wear them in port (after you're out of sight of the ship; you have to wear something over the tank top to get down the gangway), so it's up to you if you would even want to bring them or not. The rules may sound harsh, but they aren't bad at all. The biggest thing any of the Poly student usually get in trouble for on the ship is not making your bed or being extremely late to something.