If you’re new to cruise you may find some of the terminology slightly confusing, so we’ve tried to explain and simplify as much of the jargon as possible for you. From working out how to choose your perfect cabin on the ship, all the way to understanding some of the terms used once you finally embark, this guide should help make life that little bit easier.
Forward – This is pretty straightforward (pun intended), it’s basically the front part of the ship.
Mid-ship – Another easy term to understand, this is the middle of the ship where the most sought-after cabins are often found.
Aft – This is the back of the ship. It isn’t necessarily a bad place to be, in fact aft-facing balcony cabins are often one of the first to sell out.
Starboard – The right side of the ship.
Portside – The left side of the ship, the easiest way to remember this is that left and port both have four letters.
Deck plan – The map of the ship. It will show the complete layout of the ship including cabins, restaurants, and public venues. You’ll probably check it when choosing your cabin and most importantly once onboard to navigate around the ship.
Gangway – You’ll often see signs onboard pointing “to the gangway”, this is the ramp from which you can enter and exit the ship.
Muster station – This is where you will need to meet in case of an emergency. You’ll have a set location normally noted on your cruise card or in your cabin.
Muster drill – At the beginning of your cruise you’ll need to attend a muster drill, this is the safety briefing, similar to that on an airplane, and attendance is compulsory.
Back to back – A back to back cruise is when you book one cruise after another. Some cruise lines even offer a discount when booking two consecutive cruises.
Berth – You may hear that a ship has a certain number of berths, this is essentially the word used to describe a passenger’s bed. So, if a ship has 2000 berths, it has space to hold 2000 passengers.
Upper berth – Essentially a bunk bed. If there are more than 2 people in a cabin the extra guests will sleep in either a pull-out sofa bed or an upper berth, which is also known as a pullman bed.
Pullman bed – As previously mentioned, this is normally a pulldown bed which when not in use can be stowed in the ceiling or wall. Your stateroom attendant will make up this bed during turndown.
Tender – In most ports you’ll be docked and able to walk on and off the ship via a gangway, however, on some occasions the ship will drop anchor and you’ll be transferred to shore on tender boats. These will either be the ship’s lifeboats or small boats provided by the port you’re visiting.
Stateroom – Another way of saying cabin. It’s basically your room for the duration of your cruise.
Grade – You’ll often hear this word when referring to a cabin grade, it’s how cruise lines differentiate cabins of the same type but in different locations. So for example, if you’re looking to book a balcony cabin, you may find that a midship balcony is a higher grade compared to a balcony in a forward or aft position. The higher the grade, the more sought-after the cabin is likely to be, and therefore the price will likely be higher.
Guarantee cabin – Possibly the most confusing cruise jargon of them all and the one that makes the least sense, but here goes nothing. A Guarantee Cabin is a cabin which is allocated to you by the cruise line, you’re unable to actually choose your cabin number, however you are guaranteed to receive the type of cabin you booked. So if you booked a Guaranteed Balcony Cabin you can’t be downgraded to an outside or inside cabin. Think of it like staying in a hotel, you can book a type of room but you’ll never know your room number until you actually check-in.
Gratuities – These are the tips paid to the crew onboard for their fantastic service. Some cruise lines include gratuities as part of the cruise fare, whilst others will allow you to pre-pay these before you travel. Otherwise, in many cases they will be added to your onboard account which you can settle at the end of your cruise.
