Cruise Buzz

Going on a cruise?  Worried about all the lingo that you might need to know? Here are some must-know buzz words to help you get around.

• Aft: The rear of the ship.
• Bow: The front of the ship.
• Bridge: An area or room from which the ship can be commanded..
• Cabin: Your room on board the ship. Historically, ffirst class cabins were traditionally referred to as staterooms.
• Crossing: The term used to describe a transatlantic or a transpacific cruise.
• Decks: Floors of the ship.
• Departure Port: The place where you get on the ship to begin a cruise.
• Embarkation Port: The place where you get on the ship to begin the cruise.
• Formal Night: A suggested dress code for the dining room and public spaces.
• Galley: The ship’s kitchen.
• Gangway: The entrance / exit area of the ship used while docked.
• Lido: The term often used to describe a deck, where pools and fresh air venues are located. There is usually food involved somewhere.
• Maitre D’: The officer in charge of the dining room and its wait staff.  The head position of the front-of-the-house in a restaurant.
• Muster Station: The designated meeting spot for passengers during emergencies or evacuations.
• Ports of Call: Places a ship will stop and allow visitors to get off the ship.
• Portside: The left side of the ship when facing the bow (the front of the ship).
• Purser: A customer service representative, responsible for hotel operations on a cruise ship. Starboard: The right side of the ship when facing the bow (the front of the ship).
• Stateroom: Your room on board the ship. Also called a cabin.
• Stern: The rear of the ship.
• Steward: A housekeeper responsible for passenger cabin cleaning and guest needs in the cabin.
• Tender: When a cruise ship can not dock at a pier, a tender is used to ferry passengers from a ship to a pier. Also used as lifeboats for an emergency.
• Main Seating and Late Seating: Assigned dining times for passengers to use the main dining rooms.
• Specialty restaurant: A themed restaurant on a ship which might be offered for a nominal charge.
• Shore Excursion: An organized activity offered by the cruise line for a fee.