Cruise Jargon Buster

Hello Sailor! New to cruise? It's time to learn the lingo. There's nothing to worry about, it's all very simple. And wherever possible, we like to scrap the jargon completely and just talk to you in plain old English. But taking a quick glance some of the words you might come across will help you get into the swing of things from the moment you step on deck.

Aft - Towards the back of the boat. Okay, technically it's a ship, but we don't mind if you call it a boat.
Alleyway - Corridor or passageway.
Alongside - When the ship is beside the pier (or another ship).
At Anchor - When the ship is anchored offshore (as opposed to docking alongside).
Astern - Behind the ship, beyond the stern.
Beam - Width of the ship at it's widest point.
Bearing - Compass direction, expressed in degrees from the ship to a particular destination.
Berth - The beds in your cabin are sometimes called berths. And when the ship is docked, it's also in a berth.
Bow - The front of the ship.
Bridge - The cockpit of a ship. Well worth a look, it's full of clever gadgets and home to the handy man (or woman) who's taking you to the next exciting destination.
Bunkers - Fuel storage area.
Cabin - What's a 'room' in a hotel is a 'cabin' afloat. Sometimes known as staterooms, your cabin has all the facilities you'd expect from a hotel room.
Cabin Grade - Confused by all the letters and number combos? E1, B3, F5? Us too. That's why our helpful cruise specialists are at the other end of the phone to help you choose which cabin is right for you and will keep it simple.
Cabin Type - Although this depends on the cruise ship, there are four main types of cabin. Inside, outside, balcony or suite.
Cabin steward/stewardess - This is the lovely lady or gent that takes care of your cabin every day, turning it down at night and maybe even leaving a cheeky choccie on your pillow, if you're lucky!
Cashless system - No need to carry cash around the ship as your boarding/swipe card can be used to make purchases on board. Only available on selected ships.
Charts - Navigation map detailed with depth, latitude, longitude of the area being sailed in. The position is plotted on these charts.
Colours - Ship's emblem or Flag of nationality.
Course - Ship's direction (in degrees).
Crew - All those brilliant people on-board making your holiday extra special. From the Captain to the cooks, from the wine waiters to the spa therapists.
Disembarking - Quite simply, this is getting off the boat (We didn't say this was rocket science, did we?)
Dock - The act of bringing the ship alongside the Quay.
Draft - Distance from the ship's waterline to the bottom of it's keel.
Embarking - To enter or come on board the ship.
Electrical Supply - Usually it is 110 volts so you will require an American style adapter to use your electrical items in the cabin. Always ask before embarkation
Emergency drill - A requirement of maritime law, it is compulsory for guests to attend an emergency drill. The purpose of this is to familiarise you with the safety procedures on board and the actions you must take in the event of a real emergency.
Fathom - Distance of depth (1 fathom = 6 feet).
Forward - Towards to front of the ship.
Funnel - Ship's exhaust.
Galley - Ship's kitchen.
Gangway - The ramp linking the ship to the land./li>
G.R.T. - Gross Registered Tonnage. Sounds riveting, no? This is basically how big and heavy a ship is.
Hull - The framework of a ship.
Inside Cabin - A cabin situated in the middle of the ship. Ideal if you're happy to go up to the deck for your sea view.
Keel - Longitudinal extension of the ship's underside.
Knot - Distance by sea is measured in knots, rather than miles.
Life Boat - For use in an emergency.
Life Jackets - 1 per person can be found in your cabin on arrival. To be used at the emergency drill and in the case of an emergency. If you are travelling with a child or infant please contact your cabin steward/stewardess to arrange these to be placed in your cabin.
M.S. - Abbreviation for Motor Ship.
M.V. - Abbreviation for Motor Vessel.
Manifest - List of passengers, crew and cargo.
Midships - Towards the middle of the ship. Easy peasy.
Muster - Assemble guests and/or crew.
Muster Station - This is your emergency assembly point. Rememeber fire drills at school? In the first few hours of your cruise, you'll do something very similar. The alarms will go off, you'll don that gorgeously feching looking life jacket of yours and head to your muster station.
Nautical mile - 1,852 meters (10 knots = 10 nautical miles per hour = 11.5 land miles per hour)
Outside Cabin - We prefer 'sea view' cabin. Outside cabins means you'll have a window to enjoy the scenery floating by.
Pilot - Independent navigational advisor at times of entering/ leaving port.
Pontoon - Used and lowered to the side of the ship for guests to walk on prior to getting in the tender boat to go ashore when the ship is at anchor.
Port - Listen up, there are two meanings. Port means the left of the ship. But it also refers to places you'll visit...basically, all those fabulous destinations you'll be visiting on your cruise.
Porthole - If you've booked an outside cabin, you'll have a window, AKA a porthole.
Port Terminal - On the Dock / Quay where guests check-in and enter/ leave the port area through at each destination.
Pullman Bed - This is a pull down bed from the wall for some of the beds in the cabins.
Quay - Dock, pier, or berth.
Rudder - The bit of the boat that steers it.
S.S. - Abbreviation for Steam Ship.
Satellite Navigator - The global positioning system (GPS). A system using 24 satellites to fix the ships position.
Stabilisers - Wing shaped fins on the bottom of the boat that helps minimise the side to side rolling movement. Why? To make you cruise as smooth sailing as it possibly can be.
Starboard - To the right of the ship.
Stern - The back of the ship.
Swell - The motion of the ocean.
Swipe Cards - Used for the security on and off the ship and for the cashless system onboard for you to sign for purchases.
Tender Boat - If your ship is too big to squeeze in to a particular destination, you'll have to jump (not literally) on-board a tender board to take you the short distance to shore.