Aft – This is the back of the ship and also is called stern.
Balcony – Also known as a Verandah. Many rooms have a Balcony that allows passengers to have a private place to sit outside their room.
Bar Manager – The person responsible for the operation of all of the bars/lounges.
Beam – This is the widest portion of the ship.
Beaufort Scale – This refers to the force of the wind as indicated by the number from 0 to 12 with 0 being mild and 12 being hurricane force winds.
Berth - This is where the ship is docked in port.
Bridge – This is where the ship is controlled from and the Captain, Vice Captain or another officer will be located 24 hours each day while the ship is at sea.
Butler – This is a position performed on some ships either for just the suites or sometimes for all rooms. The duties could include making reservations at specialty restaurants, restocking the refrigerator, serving meals, polishing shoes, and unpacking and packing.
Captain – This is the person who is in charge of the ship and all of the crew is under the direction of the captain.
Cabin – This is a passenger room.
Channel – The channel refers to the deepest part of a river or harbor.
Chief Engineer – This is the officer responsible for the maintenance of the ship.
Crew Decks. These are decks of the ship where only the crew is permitted to use. They are located below the passenger decks.
Cruise Director – The cruise director has responsibility for all of the entertainment and enrichment activities. On smaller ships they might also entertain.
Cruise Fare - This is the cost that the cruise line charges for the cruise portion of the total fare.
Deck - The individual floor on a ship.
Deck Plan - Diagrams that show all of the passenger decks including the location of staterooms & suites, dining venues and lounges.
Disembark - This refers to leaving the ship.
Disembarkation Day – This refers to the day that the cruise ends and when the passengers leave the ship on the morning that the cruise ends.
Double Occupancy - This is the cost per person based on two people sharing a room. If someone wants to book the room for themselves some cruise lines double the price. Others add on what is known as single supplement fee that is usually greater than the per person double occupancy fare but less than the doubling of the double occupancy fee.
Dry Dock – This refers to where maintenance/refurbishment is done on a ship. This is done in an area where the water can be removed so that work on the engines and the exterior of the vessel can be done and then water is added when the work is completed so the ship can float back out.
Embark – This refers to boarding the ship.
Embarkation Day – This refers to the first day of the cruise when all guests who will be on a particular sailing arrive and board the ship.
Executive Chef – The person who overseas all of the food prepation on board the ship.
Fleet – The number of ships that comprise each cruise line.
Food & Beverage Manager. This position is responsible for all of the food and beverage served on the ship for both passengers and crew and for operations of all of the restaurants and lounges.
Forward – This refers to the area that is forward on this ship, which is similar to the bow.
Funnel – This is the ship’s smokestack.
Galley – This is where the food is prepared. Often there is more than one galley on a ship that has more than one restaurant.
Gangway - This is the stairs or the ramp that is used for passengers to leave or return to the ship. The deck that it is located on can vary from places to place based on several factors including the height of the water below the ship.
Gross Registered Ton – This is a measurement representing all enclosed space on the ship.
Guarantee – From time to time a specific room is not available but a passenger can book a guarantee for a specific category. This means that the cruise line guarantees that when the room is assigned that it will represent at a minimum the room category is guaranteed and with a category the passenger might get assigned a room that is at a higher category than the one that has been guaranteed.
Head Housekeeper – This is the person responsible for all of the people who clean the inside of the ship including the passenger room.
Helm – This refers to the ship’s steering equipment and is located in the bridge.
Hold – This is the ship’s cargo area.
Hotel Director – Also sometimes known as a Hotel Manager, this position is responsible for all of the hotel functions of the ship including food and beverage, passenger rooms and restaurants.
Inside cabin. This refers to those passenger rooms that do not have a window facing the outside of the ship.
Knot. This is a measurement that refers to the ships speed. One knot is one nautical mile per hour.
Latitude - This is the distance north or south of the equator which is expressed in degrees.
Lifeboats – These are also known as Tenders and are used in the case of an emergency to evacuate the passegners and often are used to take passengers to and from shore when the ship is anchored rather than docked.
Lines – This is the rope that the ship used to keep the ship from moving while in dock.
Maiden Call – This is the first time that a ship stops at a port-of-call.
Maiden Voyage – This refers to the first voyage of the ship when it is carrying passengers.
Maitre d' - The person responsible for the table assignments and the wait staff of a dining venue/restaurant.
Master – This is another name for the Captain who is responsible for the ship.
Mini Suites – This refers to a passenger room that is larger than a standard size room but smaller than a larger suite.
Muster – This is to assemble the passenger’s and crew.
Muster Station – This is the location that each passenger is assigned to meet in the event of an emergency. From there if the emergency is severe, the passenger’s will be escorted to their life boat for evacuation.
Nautical Mile. This refers to the distance that a ship travels and one Nautical Mile is equivalent to 6,076.1 feet longer than a land mile which is equivalent to 5,280 feet.
Oceanview Cabin – This refers to a passenger room, which faces outside the ship that has a window either a large window or a port hole which cannot be opened.
Open Seating. On some ships for dinner there is open seating where guests can show up for dinner anytime during the operating hours of the restaurant and be seated for diner in lieu of having to be arrive at one specified time and seated at the same table with the same wait staff.
Outside Cabin. This refers to any cabin that faces to the exterior of the ship including rooms with a balcony/verandah or ones with a port hole or large window.
Passageway. This is a hallway on each deck of the ship.
Passenger space ratio – This is the number of gross tons divided by the total passenger capacity.
Pilot - The local person from shore who is responsible for bringing the ship in and out of port.
Pilot Boat - The boat that brings the pilot over to the ship to then guide the ship into port and picks up the pilot after the person has guided the cruise shop out of port.
Passenger to Crew Ratio - The total number of passengers divided by the total number of crew.
Port – This refers to the side of the ship on the left side when facing forward.
Port Of Call – This is the location where the ship docks or where the ship is anchored and small vessels are used to take the passengers to the location that is located near the local town.
Porthole – This is a small round window.
Port Charges - These are fees often listed incremental to the overall cruise fare for costs that the local port charges to the cruise ship. It is analogous to a hotel tax.
Port Day - A day when the ship is either docked or anchored off port.
Promenade Deck – This refers to the deck outside the ship that is used for walking or jogging. On some ships it actually wraps around the entire exterior of the ship.
Purser – This is the person responsible for the financial administration for the passengers.
Repositioning Cruise – This is a cruise that is taking the ship from one area of the world to another area in preparation for other cruises that will take place in another geographical region.
Roll - The side to side sway of the ship while at sea.
Sea Day - A day when the ship is at sea and not in port.
Ship - The passenger cruise vessel you are sailing on.
Shore Excursion Desk – This is where passengers can sign up for shore excursions that are offered through the Cruise line, return tickets or ask questions.
Shore Excursion Manager – This is the person responsible for the crew members who work in the shore excursion department which offers tours from the cruise line at each port that the ship visits.
Specialty Restaurant – This is a restaurant in addition to the regular restaurant. On some ships there is no charge and on other ships there is a charge. Often there is a theme to the cuisine that is served.
Stabilizer - The hydraulic underwater fins that minimize the roll of the ship.
Starboard – This is the right side of the ship when facing forward.
Stern – This is the back of the ship and also is called Aft.
Steward/Stewardess. These are the people who clean each of the passenger rooms and perform other function depending on the ship.
Suite – This is also similar to a passenger room but it also is quite a bit larger.
Tenders – Also referred to as lifeboats and are used in the case of an emergency to evacuate the passegners and often are used to take passengers to and from shore when the ship is anchored rather than docked.
Transfer – This is transportation that is provided, normally at a cost, to take passengers between ship and hotel, ship and airport, or hotel and airport.
Underway - When the ship begins to sail.
Upgrade – This is when a passenger receives a new room assignment at a higher category than the one they booked. It could be complimentary or come at a cost.
Verandah - Also known as a Balcony. Many rooms have a Balcony, which allows passengers to have a private place to sit outside their room.
Vice Captain – The Vice Captain reports to the Captain. Often the Vice Captain has some departments that report to them.
Wake – This is the tack left in the water at the stern of the ship which is created by the movement of the ship.