When is a cruise not a cruise? When it's a voyage on a floating university, that's when.

For over 40 years, Semester at Sea (and its earlier incarnation as World Campus Afloat) has taken more than 45,000 student travelers to 60 countries around the world. The Semester at Sea ship, MV Explorer, was in San Diego last summer before setting sail for her latest 100-day circumnavigation of the world.

Although the amenities aboard ship evoke the glamour of the Queen Elizabeth and the fun of the Love Boat, there is a lot more to spending a semester on board than the opulence the ex-cruise ship indicates. The goal of a voyage with Semester at Sea is not to be a sightseeing tour but to combine educational travel and systematic study. The end result is a heightened interest in foreign affairs with strengthened international understanding and good will.

According to Dr. John Tymitz, chief executive of the Institute for Shipboard Education who has gone on 14 voyages himself since 1972, "Our mission is firmly rooted in the belief that learning is a lifelong pursuit. Travel enriches the learning experience through personal engagement and discovery."

The Exlorer was built as a luxury cruise ship in 2002 in Germany and is billed as the fastest passenger ship afloat today. After being purchased by SAS two years ago, the ship was retrofitted to become a floating college campus. Not only were rooms converted to classrooms with closed-circuit television capabilities, but an 11,000-volume library, computer lab with wireless internet access, student union and campus store were added. The ship has two dining rooms, a swimming pool, fitness facilities and a well equipped clinic. There are six passenger decks with each hallway reminiscent of a dorm, complete with a resident assistant.

Coronado resident Jay Wilcox remembers his first voyage as a student in the fall of '98. "It was the last semester of my senior year. My sister had traveled with Semester at Sea in 1992 and upon her return - and seeing the life changes that SAS had on her - my parents informed me that I had no choice but to go!"

Wilcox enjoyed the experience so much, he hopped back on board in the role of IT coordinator eight years later. "Since I had traveled as a student I could identify with students about what they were feeling. It was very special to be able to give back to something that had such a huge impact in my life,"

Wilcox says. "SAS is about the people that you meet and the experiences that you share together. And as a result the bonds that are formed last a lifetime." Wilcox feels the more you travel and the more countries you see, paradoxically the world becomes a smaller place for you. "No matter what one's nationality or religion is, we all want the same things. Students are able to put a face to the nameless individuals that we read about in the news," he says. "Suddenly that foreign place is not that far away because a piece of it is in your heart."

SAS faculty is comprised of visiting professors from institutions across the United States and abroad. "The travel is great, but it's the academic community that makes it special," says Bob Vieira, executive dean of the fall 2006 voyage. "Each voyage is unique because of the mix of people on board. We have 557 students from nearly 300 different universities represented on this voyage, from Yale to UCLA, and even 25 international students."

The program is also open to continuing "senior" students who are interested in travel and study abroad. For individuals in retirement, on sabbatical, or simply those interested in being a part of a dynamic educational environment, Semester at Sea is designed for people who are seeking travel with educational content. And with dignitaries like Archbishop Desmond Tutu aboard as Lecturer in Residence (Spring 2007), passengers can be assured of camaraderie, cultural discovery and a profound life-altering experience.

Adult adventurers can also have their own shipboard experience through Seminar at Sea. Based on the Semester at Sea model, and rooted in the belief that learning is a lifelong pursuit, this voyage combines an enlightening onboard program with a field program, experiencing the ports of call first hand. The next one sets sail right after Christmas and cruises for 11 days through the Caribbean.

Semester at Sea provides opportunities for families to travel together, too. Some of the staff, including Vieira, bring their families along on the voyage. This time his two eldest children are traveling as students, while his teenager and his wife Abby are along for their third "experience of a lifetime."

"The diversity of people is fascinating, yet the common thread of saying 'yes' to this adventure is what we share," Abby says. "We're a tribe of seekers, each with a different reason, and each with a different reaction to the world we have stepped into."

Alexandra Hargis, who calls Coronado home when she's not attending college at Willamette University in Oregon, took a Semester at Sea voyage this past summer. She was thrilled to be able to come into port just across the water from her home town at the end of her voyage, with her family waiting for her at the Broadway pier.

"The opportunity to visit so many different countries with a group of my peers was simply amazing, we all learned so much about the world." Hargis said. "Semester at Sea was hands down the best experience of my life."