Letter to Prospective Students,

Two months on the TS Golden Bear will change your life. Most people will walk off the gangway having a newfound appreciation for travel, life at sea, and kava. After a chaotic exchange of pictures, email addresses, screen names, and hugs, I know I will also walk away with over a hundred new friends. Even though our cruise was to the South Pacific, it wasn’t always smiles and sunshine. You’ll be hard pressed to find a quiet spot on the ship. The food is only a slight cut above The Lighthouse. There will be drills involving one hundred lost lambs in orange PDF’s, waiting to escape the sun overhead. You’re still taking classes whether you like it or not. You’ll have to trim your sideburns. On the ship, you’ll wish you had packed more. When you leave, you’ll wish you had packed less. Your digital camera might break and pictures might get deleted. Your plans in port probably won’t work out. Your friends on the ship might change. Your friends back home might change. Your significant other might not be so significant. But two months on the TS Golden Bear will change your life.

Writing about what you might be disappointed about is the easy part. The hard part is describing how incredible the trip will be. Every day the ocean is a different shade of blue. Amazing sunsets give way to spectacular starlit skies. You’ll meet people on the ship who are the perfect companions for two months of soul searching. There will be BBQ’s on the fantail and late night conversations on the bow. Port time is awesome, a three-day whirlwind of culture, adventure, and sleep deprivation. Two months on the TS Golden Bear will change your life.

I remember looking through these letters, scanning for tips on what to pack and what I was in for. Pack light. Bring music and one nice set of dress clothes. You’ll be amazed at how little you actually need. You are in for an amazing time. Two months on the TS Golden Bear will change your life.