Do you know a tender from pilot boat? Here's the
lingo that will make you sound like a cruise-ship veteran.
Aft: Toward the back of the ship, the
stern.
Cabin steward: Your steward will
introduce him or herself and possibly give you his cell phone number,
depending on the level of service your ship offers.
Chambermaid: Your chambermaid will
make your bed and tidy your room daily, and turn down your sheets at
night.
Daily Programs: Typically, you will
find a newsletter describing the next day's activities -- what port
you'll land in, and some information about the port. The newsletter
also lists the evening's show, daytime lectures and club meetings.
Disembarkation: It's time to say
goodbye to your bobbing home. On most ships you'll receive color-coded
luggage tags. The crew picks up your packed luggage outside our
stateroom door; typically, you're required to set it there by 2 a.m.
It magically disappears and you are reunited with it when your color
tag is called the next morning: "Blue tags, you may now leave
the ship." There at the bottom of the gangplank will be your luggage
among the group of blue-tagged bags.
Embarkation: The ship starts the
cruise from the port of embarkation, the first port on your itinerary.
Formal dining: Many ships stick to
this traditional plan, usually with two dinner seatings. Passengers
generally choose an early or late seating when they book the cruise.
Formal nights: If your cruise
offers formal evenings, you'll have two to three formal nights,
depending on the length of the cruise.
Lifeboat safety drill: Before the
ship sails from the port of embarkation, there's a mandatory safety
drill beside the lifeboats. Don your orange life vest and listen to
the instructions as you are shown the lifeboat you will get into,
should a disaster require it.
Muster station: This is your
designated place to go when the captain announces over the intercom
that it's time to head there. Instructions will follow; a call to
muster stations might mean "man overboard" and a head count, not
necessarily danger aboard the ship.
Onboard account: Drinks, purchases
in gift shop, dry cleaning or laundry service and shore excursions
will all be tallied into your shipboard account. You'll settle with
the ship's purser before disembarkation.
Open seating: Some ships allow you
to wander into the dining room whenever you're ready for dinner, and
you can sit with whomever you'd like (it is also called "free-style"
dining).
Pilot boat: When you approach a
port, a pilot boat joins the ship, and the pilot joins the captain,
giving him directions in the waters the pilot presumably knows best.
The pilot shows up again when you're sailing from the port. It's great
fun to watch the little pilot boat nestle up to the ship and the pilot
get hoisted onboard; occasionally pilots drop in via helicopter.
Port: This is where the ship docks.
Cruise lines now dock in 1,500 ports worldwide -- and ports are rarely
right in a city's downtown. San Francisco and Bordeaux, France, are
exceptions, but in most cases you'll take a shuttle bus into town.
This is also a term that refers to the left side of the ship, when
facing forward.
Sailing: Every time you leave a
port it's called a "sailing." It's a dramatic moment, a chance to bid
adieu to a city. Watch the sailing from the big all-window lounge at
the ship's stern, or from an upper deck. If you're lucky enough to
have a balcony, sip wine and wave to the people below. Watch the
dockworkers lift the gangplank, untie the giant lines from the dock
and let'er go.
Shore excursions: The cruise
company arranges for buses and tour guides. Shore excursions are
optional, but they can be an excellent way to see a lot quickly. Many
ports are walkable, though, and you can explore them on your own.
Single supplement: You may have to
pay a considerable sum to travel alone in your stateroom.
Starboard: The right side of the
ship, when facing forward.
Stateroom: The is your home away home.
You'll be pleased with all the little nooks and crannies to stow your
stuff. Drawers, cabinets and bathroom fixtures are designed to hold
things in place, should be seas get bouncy.
Tenders: In some ports, like the
island of Santorini in Greece or St. Malo in France, the ship has to
drop anchor some distance from shore. Tenders are covered boats that
carry passengers to shore. On a large ship, t enders run back and
forth to shore frequently.
- Anne Chalfant / Knight
Ridder -
(408) 262-2304