Fall 2025 | Asia, Africa, and Europe Exploration
Sending Mail to the Ship & Port Arrival Times
View information regarding sending mail to the ship and port arrival times below.
Sending Mail to the Ship
Please be aware that mail service can be unreliable in many of the destinations that we visit. Semester at Sea does not assume liability for lost, damaged, or undelivered items or the costs associated with the return or forwarding of items. Customs, duty charges and local taxes may all increase the cost of the package or cause it to become undeliverable. Itinerary changes are possible, and, while we will attempt to forward delivered mail to our next destination, it is not always possible. Due to these challenges, sending packages to the ship is strongly discouraged.
If you have an emergency or must send something to the ship and have more questions, please contact us at (800) 854-0195 or email familysupport@semesteratsea.org for instructions.
- For small flat parcels like heavy duty envelopes a $10 fee will be charged to the student’s shipboard account for shipping/handling. Higher fees will be charged for larger packages.
- Duty charges are calculated by in-country officials based on the perceived value of the items enclosed or in some cases the local price. As a result, duties may exceed the value of the items sent. Again, sending packages to the ship is strongly discouraged.
We recommend that you avoid sending any of the following items: medications, credit cards, currency, valuable items, food (snacks, chocolates, candies, etc.), and electronics (cell phones, tablets, chargers, etc.).
Port Arrival Times & Mailing Addresses
Planning Your Own Travel
The disembarkation process upon the ship’s arrival to port can take anywhere from 1–4 hours depending on local customs and immigration.Additionally, on-ship* and departure times are based on a variety of factors, including weather, and can vary from what is listed below. When making independent travel plans, please give yourself extra time to both disembark and re-embark the ship.
- [*] On-ship time is the time is the latest time that participants can return to the ship. Times listed below are estimated; final on-ship times will be announced onboard prior to arrival in port.
- [**] When the ship repositions to a different port in or near the same country, it is considered an overland port. This means that participants have the option of traveling with the ship as it repositions or staying in-country for the entire span of scheduled time. Overland ports for this voyage are: Tema/Takoradi
Suggested Airmail Arrival Date
International shipments must pass through local customs and port security upon arrival to each country. The timelines for these processes vary and are out of Semester at Sea’s control. Therefore, it is up to the sender to determine the latest date and best method to ensure your package will ARRIVE at the port agent’s address NO LATER than the date listed.
IJmuiden, The Netherlands
Departure: September 9; 2000
Port Mailing Address
Mail cannot be sent to this port
Nantes, France
Ship Arrival: September 15; 0800
On-ship Time*: September 18; 1600
Departure: September 18; 1800
Port Mailing Address
TBD
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Malaga, Spain
Ship Arrival: September 22; 0800
On-ship Time*: September 25; 1600
Departure: September 25; 1800
Mailing Address:
TBD
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Casablanca, Morocco
Ship Arrival: September 28; 0800
On-ship Time*: October 3; 1600
Departure: October 03; 1800
Mailing Address:
TBD
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Tema, Ghana**
Ship Arrival: October 12; 0800
On-ship Time*: October 14; 1800
Departure: October 14; 2000
Mailing Address:
Master/Passenger of MV World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/o Oil & Marine Agencies Ghana Limited
P.O Box SC 441
Tema, Ghana
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Takoradi, Ghana**
Ship Arrival: October 15; 0800
On-ship Time*: October 17; 1800
Departure: October 17; 2000
Mailing Address:
Master/Passenger of MV World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/o Oil & Marine Agencies Ghana Limited
P.O Box SC 441
Tema, Ghana
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Cape Town, South Africa
Ship Arrival: October 26; 0800
On-ship Time*: October 31; 1800
Departure: October 31; 2000
Mailing Address:
Master/Passenger of MV World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/o Rennies Ships Agency
16 Paarden Eiland Street
Paarden Eiland
Cape Town 8001
South Africa
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Port Louis, Mauritius
Ship Arrival: November 8; 0800
On-ship Time*: November 10; 1500
Departure: November 10; 1700
Mailing Address:
To the Master of World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/O IBL Shipping Agency
FDM Complex 2, Freeport Zone 21
Mer Rouge 11609
Port Louis, Mauritius
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Cochin, India
Ship Arrival: November 18; 0800
On-ship Time*: November 23; 1500
Departure: November 23; 1700
Mailing Address:
To the Master of World Odyssey
TBD
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ship Arrival: December 1; 1200
On-ship Time*: December 7; 2000
Departure: December 7; 2200
Mailing Address:
Master/Passenger of MV World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/O Continental Co. Ltd.
55 Le Quoc Hung Street, Ward 12, District 4
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China
Ship Arrival: December 10; 0800
On-ship Time*: December 15; 1800
Departure: December 15; 2000
Mailing Address:
Master/Passenger of MV World Odyssey
ATTENTION: [STUDENT NAME]
C/O Inchcape Shipping Services
Unit 501B, 5th Floor, Eastmark,
No. 21 Sheung Yuet Road, Kowloon Bay
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Suggested Airmail Arrival Deadline:
TBD
Bangkok, Thailand
Arrival: December 22; 0800
Mailing Address:
Mail cannot be sent to this port.