What Do You Do on a Scientology Cruise Ship?

They hang out in the Starlight Room, play shuffleboard, and achieve Operating Thetan Level VIII. To an outsider, the Freewinds looks just like any other cruise ship. In fact, it was an ordinary cruise ship called the MS Boh?me before the Church of Scientology bought it from Commodore Cruise Line in 1985. It has a shuffleboard court on the top deck, a couple of restaurants, swimming pools, hot tubs, and a night club that features either the regular band or a local group from the ship?s current port. (Tom Cruise once took the microphone in the Starlight Room for a pitchy birthday rendition of ?Old Time Rock and Roll.?) But a trip on the Freewinds is nothing like a Carnival cruise. Scientologists board the ship to progress in their spiritual studies, and their activities are tightly scheduled. Most days, they are in lecture halls or counseling sessions from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., with one-hour breaks for lunch and dinner. Playing hooky to bum around the pool is not an option. Supervisors take roll call at the beginning of each session, and tardy students are sent to ethics officers. The Freewinds? biggest draw is that it is the only place where an adherent can complete the coursework to achieve Operating Thetan Level VIII, the highest degree of spiritual achievement currently available in Scientology.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=002abdec138692bcb81a2651ac2da97b

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