
Cruise vocabulary, jargon or lingo – if you’re going on a cruise, you’ll want to be familiar with the cruise terminology
Are you getting ready for your first cruise? Through the planning process, you may have noticed that there’s a whole world of cruise vocabulary, nautical terms or “cruise lingo”.
This handy glossary of cruise terminology includes some of the new terms and acronyms used in the cruise industry today. These are some of the most common cruise phrases and words you’ll be hearing as you plan your cruise, as well as when you board your cruise ship.
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A Cruise Lingo Tip You Must Know
Before we get started, here’s the most important piece of advice I can give you, when it comes to talking like a cruise pro.
Don’t call a cruise ship a boat.
Cruisers might have different opinions about which cruise lines are the best, cruise line dress codes, and the do’s and don’ts of cruise gratuities, but there’s one thing all cruisers agree on…
Don’t call a cruise ship a boat. Trust me on this 😉
About Cruise Lingo and Cruise Lifestyle
Cruising is a lifestyle unto it’s own, and cruisers really do have their own lingo and cruise terminology. Nautical terms are often used, and cruisers love it!
New cruisers can be left scratching their heads.
Words and acronyms such as Aft, Muster drill, Starboard, OBC and MDR, may seem like a mysterious cruise language. However, in this cruise lingo glossary, I’ll go over all the cruise jargon need to know.
You’ll be chatting like a seasoned cruiser in no time!
Cruise ship vocabulary
1. Ship
You’re on a ship, not a boat. A boat fits inside a ship, and not the other way around. Fellow cruisers won’t hesitate to correct you sternly if you get this wrong.
Try and get used to this one quickly, just trust me on this…
Below you can hear Celebrity Cruises Captain Kate, explaining this point in her navigational report.
2. Cabin
Your room is called a cabin. While hotels have rooms, ships have cabins.
3. Stateroom
Sometimes a cruise cabin will be referred to as a stateroom.
4. Deck
Your cruise ship will have many decks. While hotels refer to floors, cruise-ships refer to decks.
5. The bridge
The bridge is the navigational hub of the ship.
6. Captain
The person in command of the ship.
7. Cruise Director
Think Julie McCoy :-). Your cruise director, among other duties, will act as Emcee, heading up most major entertainment events on the ship. On larger ships you’ll see assistant cruise directors and other activities staff also leading main activities.
8. Itinerary
Your cruise itinerary refers to each destination/cruise port of call you’ll be visiting.
9. Port of departure
This is the port from which your cruise will depart (ie. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Vancouver, Barcelona etc.)
10. Cruise terminal
Just like airplanes have airports, cruise ships have cruise terminals or cruise ports. There are safety and boarding procedures to be aware of.
Recommended: 11 Cruise Boarding Tips You Need to Know
11. Ports of call
You probably remember this one from “The Love Boat”. I know I do! This is individual destination where you will stop at for the day. Examples of cruise ports or ports of call on a Caribbean cruise include Cozumel, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman and so on.
12. Shore excursion
This is an organized activity you may choose to do when in a port. You can book a shore excursion through your cruise line or on your own with a private vendor or tour company. Examples include a snorkeling or sightseeing excursion.
13. Dock
A cruise ship will usually arrive at a large dock when it arrives at the cruise port.
14. Tender
There are some cruise ports where cruise ships cannot access the land directly and dock, due to coral reefs and other reasons. In these cases your ship will tender a few minutes away from the port, and shuttle passengers in by tender boats.
As an example, Grand Cayman is a tender port at this time, but it looks like a new dock will be built in a couple years.
15. Stabilizers
Modern cruise ships have stabilizers to keep motion to a minimum.
16. Anchor
The ship’s anchor is impressive. Along with the chain, the anchor holds to the sea bed to keep the ship from drifting at sea.
17. Galley
The super large kitchen where literally tons of food is cooked and prepared. You can actually do a galley tour while on your cruise if you’re interested.
18. Dry dock
When a cruise ship goes into dry dock, it’can be to receive routine maintenance, or to be refurbished. the ship can be out of service for weeks or longer.
19. Charter
Groups will sometimes charter a cruise ship, to host a special event.
Cruise Ship Terminology – understanding common areas of the cruise ship
20. Atrium
The atrium is a large central public area usually spanning 3 or more decks. Often very beautiful, it will be the central hub of the ship’s interior.
21. Port side
The left side of the ship, as you face forward, is referred to as port side.
Tip: An easy way to remember – LEFT has 4 letters and so does PORT
22. Starboard side
The right side of the ship as you face forward is the Starboard side.
23. Forward
The front section of the ship.
24. Aft
The back section of the ship is called the aft. The aft or wake view is a favorite for many cruisers.
25. Purser’s desk
These days, the purser’s desk is often referred to as guest or passenger services. However many avid cruisers enjoy the nautical language and will continue to use the term “purser’s desk”. Usually this is located in the atrium.
26. Mid-ship
Generally said in reference to the preferred cabin location. Most cruise passengers will prefer a mid-ship cabin, rather than one that is forward or aft. This area has an advantage of having more stability in general.
Cruise Cabin Terminology
When booking a cruise, you’ll notice that there are several different stateroom options. Below are the most common cabin options.
27. Interior staterooms
Inside or interior cabins are staterooms which include all the basics, however do not have a window.
Related: 15 Best Tips for Cruising in an Inside Cabin: cabin organization and more
28. Oceanview Cabins
Cabins with a window or porthole are ocean view cabins.
29. Balcony cabins
Balcony cabins, sometimes referred to as Veranda cabins, include a private outdoor space outside your cabin.
Related: 7 Best Reasons to Book a Balcony Cabin
30. Guarantee cabin (GTY)
This refers to an unassigned cabin any type of cabin (inside, ocean view, balcony) . The cruise line will assign the cabin at any point before the cruise.
Often, guarantee cabins will be priced lower, so this can be a great value if you’re not picky about the location of your cabin.
31. Pullman bed
If you have more than 2 passengers in your cabin, you may have pullman beds for 3rd and 4th passengers. They are like bunk beds that come out of the wall or ceiling. They will be tucked back into the ceiling or wall during the day if you like.
32. Double occupancy
The cruise fare will be based on double occupancy as a standard, and this is what you will see as an advertised price.
33. Single occupancy
When cruising solo, most of the time you’ll be paying a single occupancy rate, which can be almost the cost of 2 people in a cabin (you won’t pay taxes twice).
34. Solo cabins – Studio cabins
If you’re cruising solo, look for cruise ships that have studio cabins intended for solo travelers.
35. Triple and Quad Cabins
Some cabins can accomodate 3, 4 or more passengers in one cabin, referred to as triple or quad cabins. These are most popular with young families cruising together.
Read next: Worst Cruise Ship Cabins to Avoid
Back to the Cruise Ship
36. Deck plan
A map of all the cruise ship decks.
37. Lido deck
The Lido Deck is the public pool deck, often on one of the top decks of the cruise ship. There may be more than one pool, hot tub and outdoor seating.
38. Gangway
The gangway is elevated walkway you will use to board your ship, usually covered, but not always.
39. Bow
The very front of the ship.
40. Stern
The very back of the ship.
41. Wake
The beautiful white trail of waves visible at the very back of the ship. My favorite spot on the ship to realx and take it all in. Please let me know in the comments if this is your favorite as well – if not, where is?
Cruise Lingo you need to know for the first day of your cruise and beyond
42. Embarkation day
The first day of your cruise and the best day in a cruiser’s life 😉
Recommended reading to prepare for your cruise embarkation day – 25 Cruise Embarkation Day Tips Straight from the Pros
43. Muster drill
The muster drill is a mandatory safety drill which is done prior to sailing. Note, it’s not “mustard” drill, as you just may hear from other passengers.
44. Muster station
Your assigned emergency meeting location. You’ll likely meet here for your muster drill, but don’t worry, cruise ship crew will help to guide you.
45. Daily planner
Different cruise lines use different terms for their daily newsletter of information scheduled activities (Cruise Compass, Princess Patters, Today, Freestyle Daily). Many cruise lines now have this information available on their app.
46. Sailaway
The period of time that your Cruise Ship actually sails away from the shore. Often there will be a Sailaway party on the top deck, however some cruisers enjoy it from their own balcony.
47. Sailaway Party
Check your daily planner for information. Generally the Sailaway party will be at the main pool and will include some drinks, a DJ or band playing and some dancing.
48. Sea day
A day at sea is when your cruise ship is not visiting a port, but sea days aren’t boring! There will be plenty of activities to choose from if you don’t want to simply relax by a pool.
49. Cruise Card
On most cruise ships, you’ll be given a cruise card which will act as your room key, ID and your method of payment when on your cruise.
50. Ocean Medallion
Ocean Medallion is a relatively new cruise ship technology available on Princess Cruises. Instead of a cruise card, the medallion serves like a cruise card, but also does much more.
You can read about our recent Ocean Medallion experience here.
51. Room steward or cabin attendant
Sometimes mistakenly called a room “Stuart”, the person who cleans your room twice a day (amazing!) and really takes care of you and your cabin mates is called a room steward or a cabin attendant.
52. Dress code
Cruise lines have suggested dress codes, ranging from very casual to more formal.
53. Formal night
A tradition on many cruise ships, the formal night is a night to dress up. Check your cruise line’s dress codes for suggestions. Some cruise lines have relaxed the dress codes a bit, including Celebrity Cruises which now has Evening Chic, rather than formal.
54. Early dining and late dining
Early and late dining are basically a first and second seating, which some cruise lines with an option of assigned dining will have. This is for a main dining room and not a buffet.
55. Open dining
Open dining is offered on many cruise ships. In some cases, a cruise line will offer both open and set dining. It can go by different terminology including Anytime Dining on Princess, My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean, Select Dining on Celebrity.
To note, some cruise lines offer only open dining, such as Norwegian Cruise Line which is Freestyle dining.
56. Specialty restaurants
This usually refers to the dining in an alternative restaurant that is not included in your cruise fare and is often a more intimate or higher culinary experience. An example of this would be Celebrity Cruises Tuscan Grille.
57. All Aboard
The ship will leave your ports of call promptly. All aboard time is generally set for 30 minutes before your cruise is scheduled to leave the port of call. Do verify the all aboard time before heading off for an excursion in the cruise port.
All joking aside, there are people at cruise ports every year – and you don’t want it to be you.
58. Towel animals
You just may find towel animals in your cruise cabin. These are the super cute towel creations made by your room steward, available on some cruise lines (usually family orientated ones).
We’ve had many years of enjoyment when our kids were young, even miss them a little bit these days.
59. Pier runners: This is an unofficial name given to those (who may have had too many libations) who can be seen running in the last few minutes hoping not to miss the ship’s departure. It is quite entertaining!
60. Roll call
A roll call may be set up for your cruise by yourself or other cruise passengers. Basically, this is a group of people who chat online before a cruise, and may have some gatherings set up once on board.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why You Should Join a Cruise Roll Call
61. Disembarkation
The saddest day in a cruiser’s life is the day that you need to disembark and the cruise is over.
Wondering about how disembarkation day really works? 21 Cruise Disembarkation Tips You Need to Know
62. Onboard booking
Booking your next cruise on board can give you some awesome benefits and is one of the best kept secrets for saving money while booking a cruise. For those that book with travel agents, don’t worry, the future cruise consultant will transfer it to the agency (request if they don’t offer).
Tip: Check to make sure about the terms and conditions and find out if future cruise deposits are refundable if that’s important to you.
Booking a cruise – terms to know
63. Cruise fare
This is the base cost of the cruise, per person
64. Deposit and Final Payment
When you book a cruise, if you’ve booked early you’ll be making a deposit which will secure your booking. As you get closer to sailing (usually about 70-90 days pre cruise), your final payment will be due.
Terms and conditions may be different on various cruise lines, however the details will be on your own reservation.
65. Cruise contract
When booking a cruise, you’ll be agreeing to a cruise contract. The cruise contract includes the terms and conditions that cruise passengers agree to.
66. Online check-in
Before your cruise, passengers are asked to complete an online check in and print out cruise documents to sail.
67. Gratuities
Gratuities or tipping is customary on a cruise. A per person service fee or gratuity will be charged daily to your cabin, on most major cruise lines.
Recommended: Cruise Tipping Guidelines and Etiquette
68. Prepaid gratuities
When booking your cruise, you can prepay your gratuities, and avoid thinking about additional expenses on a cruise.
69. Lanyard
A lanyard might be used by cruisers to hang a cruise card around the next for convenience. This is one of the most popular cruise accessories in our list of travel essentials.
70. Rum Runners
A type of container used to conceal alcohol brought on a cruise, that isn’t allowed. For more on other items that are prohibited, read this next: 33 Banned Items You Can’t Bring on a Cruise
Recommended: 10 Things NOT to pack for a cruise
Cruise Start Up Terms
Along with some major changes on cruise ships, we have seen new cruise line policies the have resulted in more cruise lingo – more words and explanations we just don’t know.
71. Cruise with Confidence
The major cruise lines introduced a flexible cruise cancellation policy, during this time, should people decide to cancel a cruise up to 48 hours pre-cruise. When cancelling, in most cases passengers will receive a credit which can be used towards a future cruise.
There are some terms and conditions to be aware of, so always read the fine print.
72. Muster 2.0
A new technology that would allow muster drills to be done using a new app, rather than in a large gathering. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises came out with this new technology as cruises resume. Several cruise lines are using a form of emuster as well.
73. CLIA
The Cruise Line International Association is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association. It represents the major cruise lines, which have suspended cruises leaving from the United States until the end of October.
74. No Sail Order
A no sail order was put into effect by the CDC in March 2020. For cruises to resume, it was imperative that the CDC lift the no sail order. This is lifted and cruisers have resumed with strict guidelines for safety and health.
75. Warm lay up and cold lay up
As cruises are suspended, we hear the terms “warm and cold lay up” of cruise ships.
Warm lay up refers to when a cruise ship has reduced levels of crew onboard, and costs for fuel and other items are reduced. However, the cruise ship is kept in a condition as to be able to be brought back to service relatively quickly.
A cold lay up is a prolonged period of time when the cruise ship is shut down as much as possible to reduce cost. It takes longer for ships to be brought back to service and is a more complicated process.
76. NEW Safety and health protocols
The cruise lines have adopted new safety and health protocols to ensure safe cruising for passengers and crew.
Cruise Lingo Acronyms
It’s quite common to hear people who cruise a lot speak using these acronyms. You may even see these abbreviations in cruise facebook groups and pages, or on cruise forums.
Here is an explanation of the most common cruise acronyms, so you’ll be fluent in cruise lingo of all sorts.
77. MDR
Main Dining Room
78. OBC
On board credit – extra cash credit on your cruise account that you can use on the ship for most purchases. Sometimes this is added as a promotion by the cruise line or your travel agent.
79. B2B
This refers to a back to back cruise, meaning one cruise and then another cruise one after the other. Some cruisers may even do a B2B2B (3 cruises in a row)
80. GTY
The abbreviation for a guarantee cabin (see above in cruise lingo glossary)
81. FCC
Future Cruise Credit – when booking a future cruise onboard
82. T.A
A TA is short for travel agent
Avid Cruiser Lingo
83. Cruisebug
After a first cruiser, it’s not uncommon for a new cruiser to love it so much that they feel an immediate calling to book again and cruise more often. Often, this is referred to as catching the cruisebug.
84. Cruise addict
It’s said that cruising is the healthiest addiction and a vice many are happy to have! If you’ve cruised and now you’re constantly on the lookout for all the cruise info you can find and really just want to book cruises, congrats! You are now a cruise addict!
85. Cruiseaholic
Another word for someone who is addicted to cruising!
Recommended: 30 Best Gifts for Cruisers (that are unique too!)
86. Thallosphile (n)
A lover of the sea, someone who loves the sea, ocean.
87. Post-cruise blues
So, the post-cruise blues is real! One possible remedy is booking another cruise when onboard, but it’s still tough to leave that amazing cruise ship life!
Do you suffer from Post-Cruise Depression?
How To Know if You Have Post-Cruise Depression (a fun read)
*Ultimate Cruise Travel Planner*
Over the last year, I put together a 47 page cruise travel planner that has everything you need as you plan and get ready for your cruise.
If you could use cruise packing lists, to-do checklists, shore excursion forms and more, you’ll love the Life Well Cruised Ultimate Cruise Planner.
Plus, for a limited time, it’s $10 off. Hope you enjoy!
See details here: Ultimate Cruise Planner -What’s Included
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Port Side or Starboard Side on a Cruise: Which Side is Best?
37 Interesting Cruise Ship Facts that Will Surprise You
50 Most Popular Amazon Cruise Essentials
25 Cruise Embarkation Day Tips You Need to Know
75 Genius Cruise Hacks and Tips
23 Essential Things to Pack in Your Cruise Carry-On Bag
What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise
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Recap: Cruise Lingo Glossary – 85 Cruise Terms You Need to Know
In this post, we went over 85 cruise terms that are important to know when you’re booking a cruise, as well as when you’re on a cruise ship. This list of “cruise lingo” should help to navigate the world of cruise language.
If you’re a new cruiser I hope the information has been helpful. If you’re a seasoned cruiser, I hope it was a fun read!
Is there a cruise term that you think should be added? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.
Happy cruising!
Ilana
P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this, please don’t keep it to yourself ;-)! Please share it with a friend, on Facebook or save for later on Pinterest. Thanks so much!
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You missed out Rum Runners. Those cheapskates that think its clever to smuggle on alcohol rather than buy on board in various containers. This may be a Carnival thing but its creeping on the better lines.
Author
Hi Bob,
You’re right – I completely forgot that one and it’s now totally in the cruise lexicon, right? For better or for worse, lol!
I’ll add it in. Thanks for taking the time to comment :-)!!
Ilana
by the way what happens to the “Rum Runners” when caught?
Author
Hmmmm,good question. I actually have heard that any alcohol will simply be confiscated, but I’ve never used them so I can’t say for sure.
I love the drinks on board, so I just drink those 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to comment Lebo.
Ilana
I really like your blog/page. The information in it is very good. I am a member of the Princess Cruise forum and what I have done is when I have come across something interesting or information I didn’t know I take notes on it. That’s how I’ve learned many of the items here. I would add TA – which is travel agent may seem too simple But I see TA all the time. I liked your comment about if you don’t know something ask a fellow cruise passenger or staff person on board. Since I am a solo travelor that really helped me. I would also add to tips for new cruisers is to be respectful of their fellow travelors and also all staff they encounter onboard (which includes room stewards, wait staff and everyone else they encounter).
Author
Hi Charles,
Great points! TA is one I overlooked and you are so right. I agree completely with respect for passengers and crew – I hope most are.
I really appreciate you reading my blog and taking the time to leave a comment!
All the best,
Ilana
This is great, but I would have liked a short, printable list, as well.
Author
Hi Trudy,
Glad the list was helpful. Thanks for your suggestion as well. This may be something that I’ll work on doing in the future.
Take care,
Ilana
I love your cruise blog. I have the cruise bug bad. PCD is bad in me on disembarkation day. I have only cruised with NCL and when onboard I buy as many CruiseNext Deals as I can. Many times you buy one and get on free, and on balcony and higher you can use two. To me free money off my cruise. NCL has past guest deals and when on bourd I book it. Thus even getting a better deal. I will triple dip looking for a past guest and a Latitudes Reward program. Earn point for every cruise night, Point for Suite, point booking 9 mounts in advance, and point for a Latitudes insider offer. Next cruise I will earn many points per day. That gives you free laundry, free dinners, free bottles of wine at dinner, and hopefully one day a free cruise… I would like to do a B2B2B. Do you have to get off the ship? Only word I would add is RESPECT. Respect yourself not making a scene if something not right. For you are the lesser for it. Hopefully one day we will meet up on a cruise ship. Your friend Russell
Author
Thanks Russell for your kind words and your great tips! I have the same sentiments on disembarkation day – it’s the worst :-(.
For a B2B, you do have to get off the ship (although I hear sometimes not if customs come on), but it’s a pretty good process as passengers are grouped together and passed through quickly.
Would be great to meet you on a cruise one day!
Ilana
Yes a printable list of the terms would be very helpful. Tyvm for your time to help fellow cruisers!!
Author
Thanks Deborah for your comment. I’ll definitely look into creating one, especially since it’s been suggested a couple of times.
Best to you,
Ilana
We too had a stressful private tour in Turkey, going to Ephesus. We made it back by the skin of our teeth, but the traffic on he way back through Izmir was heavy and slow. All your tips about not being a pier runner are very apt! Thank you. Jim and Norita Nickerson
Author
Hi Jim & Norita,
Wow I would have been stressed as well. We loved Ephesus but did a morning tour only so were back early. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Ilana
Not only do I find your newsletters fun AND helpful but ditto your You Tube videos. I have been addicted to cruising since 1959. Wish I could afford to feed my addiction more frequently. Going on an 11 day Caribbean cruise on Rotterdam VII in December.
Author
Thanks so much Jim! I’m so glad that you enjoy my emails and videos & appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Don’t we all just wish we could cruise a little more? Your Caribbean cruise sounds absolutely amazing – enjoy every minute!
Ilana
I enjoy your work … 2 more often overlooked terms: bunkering and along-side … bunkering of course is the re-fueling process … along-side is the captain’s term for bringing a ship to a full stop at a future pier (“we’re expected to be along-side at 7 am in Fort Lauderdale”) …
Author
Thanks for sharing these!
Hey, Ilana! I love your blog and your YouTube videos. Post cruise depression is real. I got sad today because I used the last bit of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that I brought home from a Viking cruise in October/November of 2023. I have several cruises coming up and always looking up itineraries to see what is out there. 🙂
Author
I hear you! It definitely helps to have future cruises on the horizon!