What to Expect on Your First Cruise: Part 2 - Cruise Lingo

Cruising has a language all its own. Knowing what things mean will make things easier. I’ll start with a few terms I used in Part 1 of What to Expect on Your First Cruise.

Embarkation Day

This is the day you board your cruise ship.

Security Key Card

You will receive an ID card when you board the ship. This card will act as your room key, your ID for entering and exiting the ship, and your onboard method of payment.

Drink Package

Cruise lines offer unlimited drink packages for interested guests (for a fee, of course). You can choose from a package which offers only coffees, waters, sodas, and non-alcoholic drinks. However, you can also choose to add alcohol to the previous list. If one passenger purchases a drink package, all other passengers in the cabin must purchase a drink package of some kind as well.

Stateroom/Cabin

There are a variety of rooms onboard the ship. Your room, also known as a stateroom/cabin, can be an Interior (with no windows), an Oceanview (with a picture window), a Balcony/Verandah (with outdoor space), or a Suite (with a larger living and sleeping area and an outdoor balcony space).

Room/Cabin Steward

An attendant is assigned to a section of rooms on each floor/deck. The attendant/Room Steward is responsible for keeping your room clean and caring for any needs you might have related to your room. Take the time to get to know them. Make them aware of any special requests you have which would make your cruise more enjoyable.

Luggage Tags

You will print color-coded luggage tags sent by the cruise line. Then, you'll fold them and staple them onto your luggage. If you choose, you can purchase special plastic luggage tag holders. You'll place the folded tags inside the holders rather than stapling them. These tags tell the porters where to deliver your luggage.

Buffet

Most ships include a complimentary dining venue with a casual environment and a wide selection of food items. Some cruise lines allow self-service, while other cruise lines prefer to have crew serve the food to guests in more of a cafeteria style setup.

Main Dining Room

Most cruisers choose to eat their dinners in the main complimentary dining venue on board. It generally has a more upscale environment with table service. You'll order from a menu. The main dining room is usually open for breakfast and occasionally for lunch.

Maître D’

At the entrance to the Main Dining Room, an individual will show you to your table and manage any special dining requests you might have. They are the ship's equivalent of a restaurant host/hostess.

Complimentary Dining Venue

All cruise lines offer two dining venues where food is included in your cruise fare. These would include the Main Dining Room and the Buffet. Some cruise lines have additional dining venues included in your cruise fare, such as a pizza counter and a burger joint.

Specialty Dining

Many dining venues are included in your cruise fare. Specialty Dining is a dining venue with an upcharge; but the level of cuisine is an upgrade from what you would receive in the Main Dining Room.

Onboard Account

You'll set up an expense account during the online check-in process. You'll need to enter your debit/credit card info, because no cash is exchanged onboard. All onboard purchases will be charged to this account. When you disembark the ship, your onboard account balance will be charged to the card on file.

Service Charge/Gratuities

Cruise lines charge a daily fee to provide gratuities to the staff. The current rate is about $16.00 per person per day for a standard cabin. Suites will pay a little more. In addition, you'll be charged 18-20% for each drink or spa purchase. You can choose to prepay these gratuities when you do your online check-in.

Itinerary/Ports of Call

The Itinerary is a list of the different destinations/ports you will be visiting showing the date and times of the visit.

Shore Excursions

Cruise lines organize activities for guests to participate in while on shore. Activities include visiting a beach, exploring architectural or historic sites, scuba diving or snorkeling trips, or sightseeing bus tours. They charge an extra fee for these activities.

Disembark

You will check out (or disembark) the ship each time you are in port or when you leave to go home.

Now let’s look at a few terms regarding the ship itself:

Ship vs Boat - A cruise line vessel is called a ship. A boat is a much smaller vessel. 

Port - the left side of the ship as it is facing forward

Starboard - the right side of the ship as it is facing forward

Foreword (Fore) - the front of the ship

Aft - the back of the ship

Solo Cabin - available on some ships - a single room without a single supplement

Single Supplement - cabins are priced based on double occupancy. If you only have one person in anything but a solo cabin, you will be paying double the price.

Interior Cabin - a room in the center of the ship with no windows

Oceanview Cabin - a room on the outside of a ship with a large picture window

Balcony Cabin - a room with a large sliding door leading to a balcony

Oversized Family Cabin - a larger cabin usually with a separate bunk sleeping area

Suite/Jr. Suite - a larger room with separate living and sleeping areas 

Gangway - an opening on a lower deck of the ship where a ramp is attached for entering and exiting the ship. A security station is located here where your security key card will be scanned when you enter and exit the ship. You will also go through TSA style scanning each time you re-enter the ship. 

Tender - the ship will pull aside and secure to a dock in some ports. However, in others, the ship will remain a bit off-shore and anchor in the open water. A tender is a small boat which will transfer you to shore. Motorized scooters or wheelchairs are not allowed on tenders for safety reasons. You may however use a collapsable wheelchair or walker.

Ship Time - often, the actual time will change based on what time zone the ship is in. Always keep your watch on the time used on the ship, so that you will know what time you need to be back on board. Adjust your disembarkation time to match what local time you need to meet an excursion but keep your watch on ship time. If you aren’t back by the designated time, the ship might leave without you.

Did I miss any that you learned while traveling on a cruise? In What to Expect on Your First Cruise: Part 3, we’ll be discussing the costs of cruising versus a land-based vacation.