For your first cruise, you might want to brush up on cruise terminology and the lingo before you get on the cruise ship. It isn’t necessary but sometimes it just makes you feel a little better when you know what everyone is talking about aboard the ship. From aft to windward, we’ve got you covered.
Cruise Terminology For Newbies
1. Bow – This term refers to the very front of a ship. Think of the famous “Titanic” scene where Leonardo DiCaprio shouts, “I’m the king of the world!” Just don’t dwell on the rest of the movie.
2. Stern – This is the back of the boat or cruise ship.
3. Aft – Here’s where it can get confusing. Aft means towards the back or towards the stern. So, the stern is the place (noun) and aft is a description or a direction. The sailor is at the stern. The sailor was told to stow the luggage aft. You’ll pick it up after a couple of cruises.
4. Gangway – This is the bridge that passengers walk on to get onto the ship when they first arrive. Some of these are several stories high because of the size of modern cruise ships. In the movies, pirates were often depicted as having a shorter version and demanding people walk the gangplank. Today’s gangways are generally handicap accessible and air conditioned.
5. Bridge – Why didn’t they just call the gangway a bridge, you ask? Simple. The bridge is the name for the captain’s area. think Star Trek if you need a visual reference. It’s the place where he and his crew take care of all the navigational aspects of the cruise ship. His (or her) cockpit, if you will. Many of the new cruise ships have extended bridges which stick out from the ship so you can look down the side. It looks a little odd, but it cuts down on collisions.
6. Embark/Disembark – Chances are you will get on and off the ship many times throughout the duration of your cruise. The proper terminology is to embark (get on) or to disembark (to get off). There are also special procedures when when you embark the cruise ship initially, and there are also some when you disembark at the end of the cruise.
7. Fluke –Usually a fluke is known as chance happening or something good that happens by accident. On a cruise ship, however, a fluke means something much different; it is the point of an anchor that catches the ground when the anchor is deployed, particularly the pointy tips on each arm. I’ve been on dozens of cruises and have yet to hear this mentioned.
8. Port – This means the left side of the ship as you face forward (towards the bow – see #1). It also can be a stop along the cruise – as in, “We docked at the port in Mexico.” Why do cruises have so many double meanings. And of course, dinner might be finished with a nice Port wine.
9. Starboard – The opposite of port, this means the right side of the ship as you face forward. Clearly the less confusing of the two directional terms.
10. Leeward – Here’s where it gets confusing to land-lubbers again. Leeward is the side of the ship that is facing away from the wind. It could be port or starboard. You probably won’t hear this on a regular cruise ship unless it has sails.
11. Windward – Take a guess… That’s right. Windward means the side of the ship where the wind is blowing. Again – great if you are on a sailing ship but if you are on a megaliner cruise ship, it really doesn’t mean much.
12. Knots – This is not referring to the knots on a rope but rather the speed at which your cruise ship is traveling. The proper mathematical definition is how many nautical miles a ship can travel in an hour. A nautical mile is just over 6,000 feet or 1,800 meters. (A statute mile is 5280 feet if you have forgotten.) If you don’t want to remember all that just remember not to ask the captain about mph over dinner.
Study this list. Learn the lingo. If you do your homework, you won’t feel like such a newbie. In fact, you might be able to teach a seasoned cruiser a thing or two. There may be a quiz on cruise terminology later.
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