You are counting down the days to our cruise and Alex our travel agent has got you assigned to a stateroom and a reservation number personally for you. You are thrilled, excited and can’t seem to get this smile off your face. You look through the deck plan of the ship, daydreaming trying to read the small print to find the location of your stateroom. Where is it? Where are we? What area is this? Am I at the front of the ship or back? Do we enter on the right or left of the ship? Now, what deck was that for the buffet? Hey, where was that bar located that Roger said to meet him for a martini? I better find that Workout area after this buffet, now where is it?…which way…the front or back of the ship?
Though it’s not necessary to know ship lingo to get around the ship, knowing the ship terminology makes it fun and kind of an authentic seafaring experience. Here are a few terms that will make you look like you’re a seasoned cruiser as well as getting familiar with your floating home for a few days. Still lost? Meet-up with our friend Gary, a retired navy submariner, who'll knows this lingo as a second language!
Aft - Towards the rear of the ship
Amidships - Towards or at the middle of the ship
Astern - Behind the ship
Beam - Ship’s width at the widest point
Below - The area below the “Main Deck”
Berth - Quay, dock or pier where the ship ties up or the act of so doing. Also a term used
aboard ship for a sleeping point or bed.
Bilges - The lowest part of the ship
Boat Station - The place taken by passengers during lifeboat drill
Bow - The forward pointed part of the ship which acts as a control center
Bridge - The forward and upper part of the ship
Bulkhead - Interior partition or wall aboard ship
Cabin - Passenger’s room, otherwise known as a stateroom
Captain - Overall commander of the ship
Chief Engineer - Officer responsible for mechanical well being of the ship
Course - Ship’s passage in a given direction expressed in degree
Cruise Director - Individual in charge of entertainment and on-board activities
Disembark - To get off the ship
Embark - To join a ship for a voyage
Fantail- The rear, overhanging part of the ship
Fore- Front part of the ship
Galley- Ship’s kitchen
Gangway- The passageway or stairway that links the ship to the quayside
Hotel Manager- Officer in charge of passenger service
Launch- A small boat that transfers passengers from ship to shore when the vessel is
unable to berth
Leeward- The side of the ship that is sheltered from the wind
Nautical terms provided by DK Eyewitness Travel Cruise Guide to Europe and the Mediterranean
Photo provided by Flickr.biofriendly
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