The M.V. World Odyssey is a small cruise ship operated by a private company that is leased by ISE (Institute for Shipboard Education) for use on SAS (Semester at Sea). It's the sixth ship in the 60+ year history of SAS, and it will be our "home" for four months in early 2026.
"Small" is a relative term. MV World Odyssey is over 600 feet long and nine stories tall. Neither Jennifer nor I had ever been on a ship bigger than a ferry when we boarded the MVWO on New Years' Day of 2020, and it seemed enormous to us. Nevertheless, it's minuscule compared to the behemoths of the cruise industry. A student took the picture below in the harbor in Barcelona.
The ship is truly unique and beautiful. When not in use for SAS, MVWO cruises the Mediterranean as SS Deutschland (see Wikipedia article). For many years, the ship itself has starred in a German soap opera as Das Traumschiff (“dream ship”).
It's a fantasy of the glory days of wealthy German travelers and culture before the devastation of the Wars of the 20th Century. The interior is lavishly decorated in a combination of Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles and bedecked with spectacular reproduction art representing Europe of the early 20th Century. Luscious woodwork, brass, and stained-glass serve as a backdrop to gorgeous paintings and sculptures. Disney meets Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
You can read (and see!) much more about MV World Odyssey on the SAS website, including 3D virtual tours.
Click here for a link to complete maps of every deck.
The ship has a theoretical top speed of about 18 knots (about 20 mph). You could ride a bicycle faster! Typically, we travel at more like 12 knots.
There are nine decks, but we only have access to Decks 4-9 and part of 3. The students live almost entirely on Decks 4 and 5 (think of these as "dorms" with a few on Deck 3. Faculty and staff ("staculty") and LifeLong Learners ("LLLs") live mostly on Deck 8, with a small number also on other decks. The upper decks contain a lot of public spaces where we spend most of our time, because the cabins are quite small. The huge Berlin Restaurant (dining hall) is on Deck 6 aft. Most students eat there. The much smaller Lido Restaurant is on Deck 9 aft. We love The Lido because we can sit outdoors!
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| Lunch at The Lido |
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| Global Studies in the Anderson Union |
On deck 8 there’s a small movie theater called The Kino that’s used as a classroom by day and often shows films in the evenings.
There's a gigantic auditorium on Deck 6 in the bow where I teach all morning every day.
On Deck 7 aft there's a lovely bar called The Chappy which is off-limits to students. It’s a great place to get away with a covered outdoor patio. Deck 8 aft has a small gym which is crowded with students except for "adults-only" time in the early mornings. Deck 6 also hosts a library. Smaller lounges all over Decks 6 through 9 are repurposed as classrooms during school days with desks, whiteboards, podiums, and monitors. There's a small store and hair salon on Deck 7.
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| Students eating fancy at the Four Seasons |
The Four Seasons is a "fancy restaurant" for fine dining that costs extra -- all meals at Lido and Berlin are included in your tuition. The included meals are ok -- nutritious and satisfying if a bit boring and bland. Think dining hall in a nice dorm. The fancy dinners at the Four Seasons are quite nice with a fixed menu for $35 per person. Students go there and get all dressed up.
In the middle of Deck 9 (top deck) is a large pool area with covered seating. The pool itself is quite small -- maybe 25 feet by 15? It's for fun and cooling off, not swimming laps. Students lay around and work on their tans -- somebody really ought to tell them about skin cancer! Deck 9 forward is a wide-open observation area in the bow where you can pretend to be Leo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet. Deck 8 aft has a great open seating area where you can look longingly at where we’ve been and become mesmerized by the ship’s wake.
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| The pool is small and salty! |
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| Sunset from the stern |
Deck 3 hosts a Medical Center (urgent care, infirmary) and a spa. The medical center is well-staffed and equipped to deal with illnesses, emergencies, or injuries but not a full hospital. Very serious medical issues would require evacuation.