Dear Potential Cal Poly Cadet,

The trip in itself is absolutely one of a kind. If you’re looking for adventure and an experience very few people in the world get to obtain . . . this is the trip for you. It’s a pretty neat mix between “sea life” and traveling because you’re on the ship in a set routine for a certain amount of days and then all of a sudden you’re in a brand new culture able to do absolutely whatever your heart desires, whether that be exploring and adventuring islands, or relaxing on the beach, or going straight to the bars (such a waste!). The sea life is a good way to help get your bearings on the trip and not feel so out of place, because routine seems to set people at ease. Meals are at the same times every day, 7 and 11:30 and 5:30, and are bearable - sometimes good, sometimes not. When they’re not good, we have an amazing baker on the boat. Mom is the most kindhearted Sri Lankan woman you’ll ever meet, and she bakes the most delicious goodies I’ve ever tasted to help you last until the end of cruise.

There are about three and a half hours of classes every day, six days a week, which doesn’t seem too bad, but somehow I never had any leisure time. Meals serve as the social hour, so they take up at least 2 hours of a day, then there’s Captain’s Hour which is about 2 hours a week, and a drill every Tuesday. If you’re not in class, eating, at a drill, or sleeping, or at the gym, you’re doing homework or catch up work. Many people did find a lot of leisure time who don’t consider themselves intense studiers and still did well, but I need more time than most and therefore found the work a bit frustrating.

Ports were the most amazing part because there’s always something brand new to do. In order to enjoy them the most, you have to realize you CAN’T do everything, which is also frustrating because the time is so short for such huge places, but usually I was able to take joy in the adventures we did get to take. The best was at Brisbane where we actually drove to Fraser Island 3 hours away and met a native Aborigine who took us around the island for a day out of his own generosity. I strongly encourage making an effort to get to know the locals, because experiencing the culture is the most life changing part. To fully enjoy the trip you definitely have to be flexible and somewhat laid back because the routine of the “sea life” totally gets thrown off by ports, but everyone seemed to have an absolutely incredible time regardless of personality type. Just know that you’re in for a life changing experience and try to live every moment, because there are always ups and downs no matter where you go to travel.