Cruise Lingo 101: Cruise Terms Every Cruiser Should Know
- Cruising with Lynnie
- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
If you're new to cruising, it can sometimes feel like everyone onboard is speaking another language. Port, starboard, aft, muster, tender...what does all of that actually mean?
You don't need to memorize a nautical dictionary before you sail, but knowing some basic cruise terminology can make it much easier to read a deck plan, understand announcements, find your way around the ship, and know what's happening in port.
Here are the cruise terms you're most likely to hear.
🚢 Finding Your Way Around the Ship
Bow: The front of the ship.
Stern: The back of the ship.
Forward: Toward the front, or bow, of the ship.
Aft: Toward the back, or stern, of the ship. You'll often see cabins and venues described as being "aft."
Midship: The middle section of the ship. Midship cabins are often popular with cruisers who are sensitive to motion because locations closer to the ship's center can generally experience less pitching than cabins far forward or aft.
Port: The left side of the ship when you're facing the bow. An easy way to remember it: PORT and LEFT both have four letters.
Starboard: The right side of the ship when you're facing the bow.
Bridge: The ship's navigation and command center, where the captain and bridge team operate the vessel.
Galley: The ship's kitchen.
Deck: Basically a floor or level of the ship. Instead of saying your cabin is on the seventh floor, you'll usually say it's on Deck 7.
Promenade: A public walkway or area for strolling. Depending on the ship, it may be indoors or outdoors and can include shops, restaurants and entertainment.
⚓ Getting On & Off the Ship
Embarkation: Boarding the ship at the beginning of your cruise. Your first day is commonly called embarkation day.
Disembarkation/Debarkation: Leaving the ship, particularly at the end of your cruise.
Gangway: The walkway, ramp or access point used to get on and off the ship.
Pier: The structure where a ship docks and passengers can usually walk directly ashore.
Tender: A smaller boat used to transport passengers between the ship and shore when the ship isn't docked directly at a pier. Some cruise lines may call these water shuttles.
Tender Port: A destination where passengers travel between the ship and shore by tender rather than walking directly off the ship.
All Aboard: The deadline for passengers to be back onboard before the ship departs.
This is one cruise time you don't want to miss! Always follow the ship's announced time, which may differ from local time.
🛟 Safety Lingo
Muster Drill/Safety Briefing: The mandatory safety briefing or drill completed near the beginning of your cruise. Procedures vary by cruise line and ship, with some incorporating electronic or app-based portions of the process.
Muster Station/Assembly Station: Your assigned emergency gathering location. Make sure you know where yours is.
🏝️ Your Cruise Itinerary
Port of Call: A destination the ship visits during the cruise.
Sea Day: A day when the ship is at sea instead of visiting a port. These are usually some of the busiest days for onboard activities.
Shore Excursion: A tour or activity taken while visiting a port. Excursions may be booked through the cruise line or independently.
Itinerary: The schedule of ports and sea days planned for your cruise. Remember that itineraries can change because of weather, port conditions and other circumstances.
Overnight Port: A port where the ship stays overnight instead of departing the same day, potentially giving passengers more time to explore.
🛏️ Around the Ship
Stateroom/Cabin: Your room onboard the ship. The terms are generally used interchangeably by cruisers.
Guest Services: Essentially the ship's front desk. This is where you'll usually go for help with your onboard account, cabin issues, lost items and other questions.
Main Dining Room (MDR): The ship's primary sit-down dining room or rooms. You'll see cruisers use the abbreviation MDR constantly online.
Specialty Dining: Restaurants separate from the ship's standard included dining. Some charge a flat fee, some are à la carte, and what's included varies by cruise line and ship.
Lido/Lido Deck: Commonly refers to the ship's main pool-deck area. The exact location and terminology can vary by cruise line and ship.
🌊 Cruise Terms You'll Hear Often
Knot: A measurement of speed at sea. One knot equals one nautical mile per hour, or approximately 1.15 mph.
Wake: The trail of disturbed water behind a moving ship—the beautiful foamy trail you see when looking off the back of the ship.
Sailaway: The period when the ship departs port and gets underway. For many cruisers, this is when vacation officially begins!
Cruise Card/Key Card: The card many cruise lines issue that can serve as your room key, onboard ID and method of charging purchases. It may also be used when getting on and off the ship.
Onboard Account: The account where purchases and other charges made during your cruise are recorded.
Onboard Credit (OBC): Money credited to your onboard account that can be used for eligible purchases during the cruise.
🗣️ Cruise Slang & Abbreviations
Once you start hanging around cruise groups, you'll encounter a few terms that aren't necessarily nautical terminology but are definitely part of cruiser vocabulary.
B2B: A back-to-back cruise—taking two consecutive cruises, usually on the same ship.
B2B2B: Three consecutive cruises. Yep, some people really do it!
CD: Cruise Director, the person responsible for overseeing and often hosting many of the ship's passenger activities and entertainment.
GTY/Guarantee Stateroom: A booking where you reserve a guaranteed stateroom category but the cruise line assigns your specific cabin later according to its terms. Exact guarantee rules vary by cruise line and fare.
Pier Runner: Unofficial cruise slang for someone running down the pier trying to make it back to the ship around—or sometimes after—all-aboard time. Yes, people really do watch from their balconies.
⭐ The Cruise Lingo Worth Remembering
If all of that still feels like a lot, don't worry. These are the ones I'd remember before your first cruise:
Bow = Front
Aft/Stern = Back
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
Midship = Middle
Gangway = Where you get on and off
Embarkation = Getting on
Disembarkation = Getting off
Muster Station = Your emergency meeting location
Tender = Small boat that takes you between ship and shore
OBC = Onboard credit
MDR = Main Dining Room
All Aboard = Be back on the ship by this time!
And if you forget everything else, remember this little trick: PORT and LEFT both have four letters. Once you've got the basics down, you'll be reading deck plans and talking cruise lingo like a pro in no time.
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