A continuation from our previous post on Cruise Ship Lingo.
Disembark or Debark is when you leave the ship because you are going ashore.
Embark is when you board the ship, either for the first time or when you get back on from a port you are visiting.
French Balcony is a wall-to-wall glass door that opens to the outside, but there is no actual balcony. It’s like a big window with a rail in front of it to keep you from stepping off the ship. These are more popular on river ships.
Gangway is the ramp or walkway between the ship and the dock that alows you to disembark.
Inside Stateroom is a stateroom that does not have a porthole or balcony – no view at all. These are typically the least expensive staterooms.
Knot is the term the ship crew will use to tell you how fast the ship is going. As an example, 18 knots is a little more than 20 mph.
Lido Deck is the open pool deck.
Muster is the mandatory drill every passenger must attend. It’s the safety drill that occurs before the ship leaves port. On the inside of your stateroom door, you will see your muster station. If you have a plastic key card, it may also be stated on there.
Oceanview Stateroom is has a porthole or window. These windows typically do not open, but you can see out of them.
Onboard Credit is spending money you can use on the ship. This “free” spending money typically can only be used on board only and if you don’t use it, you won’t get it back. You may get this credit if the cruise line has a special when you book or your travel advisor may give it to you as a thank you for using their services.
Open Seating just means that no dining reservations are required. It’s open table seating.
Passenger-Crew Ratio tells you how many crew are on board per passenger. The larger the crew number to passengers typically the better service you have. Luxury cruise lines will typically have the better ratio.
Port is the left side of the ship when facing the forward part of the ship. Remember it by knowing both port and left have four letters.
Ports of Call are the stops on a cruise where guests may leave the ship for sightseeing.
Pre or Post are extra days that can be tacked onto your cruise giving you additional stay days at the start or end of the cruise. You may include a hotel stay or an entire sightseeing package.
Repositioning Cruise is when an ocean cruise has completed sails in one water and heads to another. This is typically a seasonal thing. For example, cruise ships do not sail to Alaska in the winter, so those ships reposition to another port.
Single Supplement is for solo travellers. Since most staterooms are designed for two or more passegers, solo travellers will pay this extra charge to stay alone in the stateroom.
Starboard is the right side of the ship when facing the forward part of the ship.
Tender is a small boat that transports you from the large cruise ship to the pier. This is usually in ports with a shallow harbor.