cruise trip meaning

What is cruise tourism?

Cruise tourism is BIG business! So big, in fact, that in 2019 (before the COVID crash), the global cruise industry welcomed 29.7 million passengers, created jobs for 1.8 million people around the world and contributed over $154 billion to the global economy. 

Cruise tourism is essentially a form of enclave tourism and it encompasses all faces of the tourism industry- accommodation, transportation, hospitality and attractions. Cruising has become the fastest growing segment in the travel industry across the world and it’s no surprise with the wide variety of cruises on offer nowadays.

Cruise tourism is hugely popular around the world, but it can also have severe impacts on the natural environment and limited economic benefits for host destinations- interested to learn more? Stay tuned to learn more

History of cruise tourism

Royal caribbean, p&o cruises, norwegian cruise line, princess cruises.

• Cruise ship packages

Cruise ship names

The largest cruise ship in the world, cruise ship facilities, river cruise, expedition cruise, mega cruise, luxury cruise, caribbean cruise, mediterranean cruise, nile cruise, yangtze cruise.

• Read also: Business tourism explained: What, why and where

Arctic cruise

• Cruise tourism: Conclusion

Further reading on cruise tourism

Cruise tourism refers to holidays which are entirely or partly based on a cruise ship. It enables tourists to experience a multi-centre holiday, whereby they spend time at various destinations throughout their trip.

Cruise ships vary from small yachts to mega ships and can take place on the ocean , river or fjords. Cruise tourism is popular in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Arctic amongst other destinations.

In essence, cruise tourism is a luxurious form of travelling, involving an all-inclusive holiday on a cruise ship of at least 24 hours, with a set and specific itinerary, in which the cruise ship calls at several ports or cities. Cruise tourism is characterised by the concentration of large numbers of people who visit one particular destination at the same time.

If you are studying or teaching cruise tourism then I absolutely recommend that you consult the texts Cruise Ship Tourism and Cruise Operations Management: Hospitality Perspectives . These texts will cover all of the areas that I discuss in this post in more detail as well as discussing the impacts of cruise tourism and relevant management perspectives.

Cruise tourism has a long and fruitful history. The first notable leisure cruising began with the formation of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1822. Whilst the company started out as a shipping

line, it soon introduced round trips to a range of destinations. Over the next century more and more cruise liners began to emerge around the world and in the late 19th century, Albert Ballin, director of

the Hamburg-America Line, was the first to send his transatlantic ships out on long southern cruises during the worst of the winter season of the North Atlantic.

Fast forward to the 1980s and we started to see the development of cruise ships closer to what we recognise today. The first ‘megaships were built and cruise ships gradually became bigger and more luxurious with more onboard facilities than ever before.

Nowadays, some modern cruise ships are so big they cater for a capacity the size of a city! Cruise ships have a wide range of onboard features and there are cruise ship itineraries that cater for every corner of the globe.

For many, cruising has been perceived as an activity for the older generation. The Cruise Lines International Association offered a report for the following profile of an average cruise passenger in 2008:

• 93% Caucasian.
• Average age of 46-year-old.
• Well-educated (65% graduate, 24% post-graduate)
• 83% married.
• 58% work full-time.
• Average household income of USD$90,000.

However, since then it is important to note that cruise ships have become more diverse in their offered services: Offering a variety of onboard services to appeal to a variety of demographic groups, such as; couples, families, the younger generation, sports enthusiasts and the older generation.

Even I have taken a cruise and I don’t consider myself old just yet!

With the diverse demographic groups motivated by cruise tourism, there comes a variety of cruise types.

Cruise tourism companies

There are a wide range of cruise companies, although the market is largely dominated by the big five names:

Cunard cruises have been operating for more than 180 years and they specialise in luxury cruises with their famous White Star Service . This formal and traditional cruise company is ideal for couple and the older generation.

Royal Caribbean cruises are the leading cruise company for innovation. Offering everything from surfing to Broad Way shows, the cruise line is popular amongst a wide range of cruise tourists, including families, couples and solo travellers.

This is the most popular cruise line in the UK. It appeals to a range of customer types including families and couples. It offers traditional cruise products and services.

Another cruise line that is popular with UK cruise tourists, Norwegian Cruise Line offers an American-style service onboard their ships. You can sail from the UK or book a fly cruise.

Princess cruises offers sailings around the world using a traditional, American-style cruise approach. Princess cruises are popular the world over with couple, families and premium travellers.

Cruise tourism packages

When you book a cruise you are generally booking an inclusive package that will include accommodation, transfers, excursions, food, entertainment and more!

As the cruise industry evolves, so does the diversity of its packages offered to cruise tourists. Below I have listed a few examples of cruise ship packages from the Royal Caribbean International website.

Miami Stay & Weekend Getaway Bahamas Cruise

• Fly from UK to Miami
• 3 Night Hotel stay in Miami
• A dinner on us at Hard Rock Cafe
• 3 Night Weekend Getaway Bahamas Cruise on Navigator of the Seas
• VOOM Surf Internet WiFi whilst onboard your cruise for one device
• Overnight Flight from Miami to UK
• Private car transfers included

Singapore Stay & Spice Of Southeast Asia

• Overnight Flight from UK to Singapore
• 3 Night Hotel stay in Singapore
• Universal Studios – One Day Pass or Evening Marina Bay Tour
• 5 Night Spice of Southeast Asia Cruise on Quantum of the Seas
• Overnight Flight from Singapore to UK
• Private Car Transfers included

You can find some excellent t deals on cruise packages if you know where to look! Here are some of my favourite websites to find a cruise package holiday:

• Travel Supermarket
• Travel Zoo (I suggest you register for weekly updates on offers)
• Titan Travel

Looking for some cruise travel hacks? Best Cruise Tips: 303 Cruise Hacks Saving You Time, Money & Frustration has over 100 detailed pages of travel hacks to help you to make the most out of your cruise experience for as little money as possible.

There are many, many different ships used by the various cruise companies. Each ship has its own unique name so that you can research exactly what facilities are available onboard. For a full A-Z list of cruise ships, take a look at globalcruiseship.com .

Here are a couple of examples for you to take a look at.

At this moment in time, the largest cruise ship is the Symphony of the Seas. Measuring 361.011 metres (1,184.42 ft) in length and with a gross tonnage of 228,081 across 18 decks, this ship is a engineering marvel! The ship is able to accommodate 5,518 passengers at double occupancy up to a maximum  capacity  of 6,680 passengers, as well as a 2,200-person crew.

The Symphony of the Seas has every you would expect from the largest cruise ship in the world.

The cruise has;

• 22 restaurants
• 2,759 cabins
• A park with over 20,000 tropical plants

But we are witnessing growing trends in the mega cruise industry and it is no doubt that vessels are going to get bigger in time.

But this ship won’t be the biggest for long! Royal Caribbean International has announced that it will begin operations of its new Wonder of the Seas, in 2022. This ship will measure 1,188 feet long, 217 feet wide and will feature 18 decks and 2,867 staterooms. Wonder of the Seas will sail 7-night itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean.

Cruise ships are pretty incredible. They will often have everything you could want onboard. In fact, many are like a small city!

It is fairly common among modern cruises for the following facilities to be found on board:

• Swimming Pool
• Fitness centre
• Restaurants

Take a look inside…

Types of cruise tourism

Whilst the large cruises that I have discussed above are perhaps the most well-known, there are in fact many different types of cruise, which are less high profile.

Below I have briefly explained the different forms of cruise tourism.

Many destinations are popular for river cruising. River cruising is different from ocean cruising as passengers are close to the shore and the focus of the cruise is more for sightseeing and visionary landscape purpose. During river cruises, passengers tend to step offshore, and these excursions are typically free of charge.

The facilities on board a river course is kept to a minimum and are restricted due to the smaller size of the ship (it needs to fit down the river!).

Typically, cruise ships will hold no more than 100 to 200 passengers, whereas ocean cruises can hold many thousands.

Expedition cruising is smaller in its scale, offering niche experiences with shore landings via an inflatable boat to access remote locations. The purpose of expedition cruising is to take part in a comprehensive educational experience.

More often than not, expedition cruises specialise in voyages that offer nature/wildlife-based experiences in areas like Northern Europe, Alaska or the Arctic, for example.

Mega cruises are the biggest cruise ships yet, including cruise ships such as; Symphony of the Seas and Norwegian Bliss. Mega ships are a new class of cruise vessel and focus on maximising capacity and onboard services.

Some mega ships can hold more than 5,000 passengers. The Oasis series built by Royal Caribbean International, Oasis, Allure, Harmony and Symphony of the Seas can each hold around 6,700 people.

Yacht cruising is particularly small in scale when we compare the form of cruising to luxury or mega cruising. However, yacht cruising can be similar to luxury cruising in that it is a very expensive form of cruise tourism and can have very high standards of service and facilities on board.

Yachts hold fewer passengers than other cruise vessels and usually a family or group of people will hire the entire yacht and cruise the seas. There are many places that are popular for the cruise tourism, such as hiring a yacht in Greece or a  Whitsunday yacht charter  in Australia.

Many of the types of cruise noted here can also be considered luxury cruises. Luxury cruises tend to half a low staff to passenger ratio and a premium class of service throughout. And the sky is the limit when it comes to pricing!

Popular cruise tourism destinations

So where do people go to take a cruise? Lets take a closer look…

Caribbean cruises are a popular choice for cruise tourists as the weather in the Caribbean is generally good all year round.

Whilst the cruise tourism industry in the Caribbean is large, the economic and environmental impacts are often centre of discussion amongst academics and practitioners.  Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean: Selling Sunshine  outlines these concerns in a well articulated and interesting way and is definitely worth a read.

Similar to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean has always been a very popular cruise destination. Particularly for its warm climate all year round. And there are so many great places to visit around the Med- from Barcelona to Venice to Malta!

As I discussed earlier, river cruising is becoming an increasingly popular choice of cruising among cruise tourists. And the Nile has become a very popular destination for river cruising.

There are many ways to cruise the Nile. Cruise packages range from luxury cruises to something more cut back and affordable. Cruises vary in duration, most commonly, cruises last 3 to 7 days but can also last up to 14 days. The Nile cruise has been deemed as one of the world’s best cruises and it is a great way to see what Egypt has to offer.

Being the world’s third-longest river , almost one hundred cruise ships operate along the Yangtze. This is an amazing way to soak up some of the sights of rural China and is particularly popular with Chinese domestic tourists.

Round the world cruise

Round the world cruises are quite literally cruises that travel around the world.

Round the world cruises is probably the most expensive cruise and can cost up to anything from £9,000 upwards. Some of the most luxury round the world cruises can cost up to £200,000 per person. They typically last around 90-120 days and allows passengers to embark and disembark in various places along the way.

Arctic cruising I often referred to as a form of extinction tourism’, whereby passengers travel to the Arctic to observe the distinct wildlife or culture whilst it is still there.

Most people who take an Arctic cruise are wealthy adventure-seekers, wishing to explore the natural wildlife and landscapes of remote locations.

The advantages and disadvantages of cruise tourism

As I mentioned, cruise tourism is a growing type of tourism around the world. This industry not only makes a large amount of income directly, but through its various industry partnerships and integration it also has the potential to reap significant financial rewards.

However, the reality is that this economic benefit is absorbed predominantly by the large corporations who own these cruise ships and there is very little economic benefit of cruise tourism to the destinations that host the tourists. Because their every need is catered for onboard, cruise tourists typically spend little money in the destinations that they visit, meaning that the local people reap few rewards for this type of tourism. In addition to this, cruise tourism can have devastating impacts on the natural environment when ships dock in shallow waters or when garbage is not disposed of responsibly. And last but not least, large numbers of tourists visiting a destination at one time can have adverse effects, with overtourism being a distinct problem around the world that often results from cruise tourism.

• The Cruise Planner – a place to record all the information and details you need to plan your perfect cruise with comprehensive lists, worksheets, a cruise arc planner, packing suggestions, diary and journal.
• Cruise Tourism in Polar Regions – This book discusses critically the issues around environmental and social sustainability of the cruise industry in Polar Regions.
• Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean: Selling Sunshine – This book considers the limited economic benefits of cruise tourism, its environmental and social impacts, and the effects of climate change, and “overtourism”.
• Best Cruise Tips: 303 Cruise Hacks Saving You Time, Money & Frustration – A guide to teach you how to make the most of your cruise experience for as little money as possible.
• Cruise Ship Tourism – This academic text covers the economic, social and environmental impacts of cruising, combining the latest knowledge and research to provide a comprehensive account of the subject. 
• Cruise Operations Management: Hospitality Perspectives – A practical guide for students and professionals alike, this is a comprehensive and contextualised overview of hospitality services for the cruise industry providing a background to the cruise industry and management issues.

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Definition of cruise

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Definition of cruise  (Entry 2 of 2)

• gad (about)
• galavant
• kick around
• knock (about)

Examples of cruise in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cruise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Dutch kruisen to make a cross, cruise, from Middle Dutch crucen , from crūce cross, from Latin cruc-, crux

1651, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

1696, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cruise

• adaptive cruise control
• booze cruise
• cruise control
• cruise liner
• cruise missile
• cruise ship
• radar cruise control

Dictionary Entries Near cruise

Cite this entry.

“Cruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of cruise.

from Dutch kruisen "to cruise, move crosswise," from early Dutch crūce "cross," from Latin crux "cross" — related to cross , crucial

More from Merriam-Webster on cruise

Nglish: Translation of cruise for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of cruise for Arabic Speakers

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Cruise Tourism

The cruise industry is a modern phenomenon but it rooted from the early years of the 19th century. As travel by ship was the only means to travel overseas. The Duke of Bridgewater was initiated to start water transport services from Manchester to London in 1772. His boat was used to carry passengers as well as goods.

In 1815 steamboats were developed and used to carry passengers and goods. To launch first cruise ship the credit goes to the king Charles IV of Sweden when he started his personal cruise ship in 1821 . In 1824 the first commercial cruise ship was started under the flag of Ireland. Gradually, steamship excursions became so famous and it resulted in the introduction of modern age cruise lines.

In 1938 the Peninsular and Orient steam was launched first long distance steamship services from India to the Far East. This company is still operating and has a good grasp of the cruise market. The Cunard ship company followed the P&O company and began regular services to the American Continent in 1840.

During the 2nd half of the 19th century, Britain dominated the cruise industry. However, this dominance has decreased in the later century with the advent of the substantial emigrant from Europe and the steady growth of US visitors to Europe.

Thomas Cook (the father of travel agency business ) stimulated the British tourists to visit North America. In 1866 he succeeds to operate first steamship excursion tour to the USA.

In the modern age, UK started first transatlantic lines ‘Titanic’ in 192 which was sold to the Newfound-land Islands in 1913. Second important cruise line ‘Queen marry’ was started in 1934 . It had 2000 passengers capacity along with 1100 crew members. It offered every facility for passengers such as comfort, safety, and entertainment. It was considered one of the great ocean liners.

In 1938 another larger sister ship Queen Elizabeth was launched by the same company. During the Second World War, these ships were used to carry British troops but after the war, their main business was to carry passengers across the Atlantic.

The year 1958 was the turning point in the steamship travel, as commercial jet aircraft has ended the dominance of steamship. By 1970’s steamship travel was only a curiosity. Due to less demand, high fuel prices and long duration of the journey all these resulted in the closing of many cruise company. Even many ship companies went bankrupt.

During 1980’s some large ships were converted into luxury liners, offering holidays to travelers who have money and time. Many cruise lines have taken the place of scheduled liner services.

The cruise industry is currently the fastest growing segment in the world tourism market and all tour operators now include cruises in their tour package.

Definitions of Cruise Tourism

The cruise tourism is an increasingly important part of the employment structure of advanced industrial nations as well as developing economies. Many of the cruise industries key players have made a significant contribution to the economic growth and development of the nation such as Star Cruises, Holland and American line Deluxe cruises. Crystal Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and so forth.

Cruise tourism provides and offers food, beverage, accommodation, recreational, casino, shopping, and other services to the tourist. It is like an informal industry which makes an arrangement of various services i.e., cruise packages and combines these with air travel to attract the potential customer.

The cruise package includes a plenty of facilities designed to meet the specific requirement of passengers – such as accommodation, food, beverage, deck games, swimming pool, yoga classes, quiet lounges, sheltered dock, library, casino, disco films.

Many cruises include special interest themes – like astronomy, yoga, meditation, sequence dancing, classical music and many more.

Cruise Tour Package

A cruise tour package may be defined as a systematically planned return journey with entertainment and recreational facilities on board, and shore excursion. In other words, the cruise package is a pleasure an all-inclusive trip by boat or ship for specific days, to specific days, to specific destinations, and with a set price.

Cruises packages may be designed and planned for an individual group, families, FITs, business executives, honeymooners, and special interest tourists. Of course, these cruise packages are designed for cruise passengers. However, these could not be segregated from air travel and land arrangement.

Types of Cruise Tour Packages

If we see the cruise packages offered and marketed by tour operators and travel agencies , we find similar as well as more ingredients in cruise packages such as port handling charges, airport taxes, visa processing charges and so forth. Therefore, the elements or components of a cruise package may vary from tour company to company, destination to destination and from region to region.

On the basis of above discussion actual cruise industry environment the following main cruise packages are offered by cruise liners:

• Incentive Cruise Packages
• Group Packages
• Family Packages
• Business Cruise Package
• Honeymooners Package
• Special Interest Cruise Package
• Fly Cruise Package

Types of Cruise

Since the introduction of the first cruise in 1821, numbers of cruises came in the cruise industry. Some of them are still operating in the industry while others which were not attracting clients discarded from the industry. Thus, the following typology is based on sales, marketing and working conditions of the cruises:

Volume Cruise

As the name indicates, volume cruises concentrate on volume turnover. That is why these are called mass market cruises. 65 percent of all cruises are volume/mass market cruises. These cruises are very popular in the Caribbean sea, Asia Pacific and South East Asia.

In such cruises, accommodation and other services are comparable to the star hotel. Generally, these cruises emphasized two things i.e. Turnover and short-term passenger itinerary. These are further divided into three sub-categorized:

• Short term cruises – Normally two to five days.
• Standard cruises – For one-week duration.
• Large cruises – Duration is from the week to two weeks.

Premium Cruises

Premium cruises are the second largest segment of cruise industry accounting for mere than 40 percent of all cruise revenues. The duration of this cruise varies from one week to three months.

Due to this, these are known as upscale cruises. Their product and services are equivalent to its class resort, and hotel. Royal cruise, Star Cruises, Princess Cruises, Panama Canal Cruises are offering premium cruise service.

Luxury Cruises

Luxury cruises occupied a meager percentage of the cruise market. It may be due to its high-quality product and services and it focuses on long-haul itineraries for exotic destinations. These cruises are meant for elite people. The duration of itinerary may range from 6 months to 12 months.

In spite of high prices, these cruises are more popular among the tourists and honeymooners. Luxury cruises are operated by the Royal Caribbean cruises, Crystal Cruises, and Star cruises etc.

Specialty Cruises

These cruises are launched to cater the demands of specific interest passengers, such as newly married couple, whale watching, oceanography,   scuba diving. The quality of products and services is comparatively low as other cruises. The duration of these cruises is very less but depending on the package.

Presently, there is more than 150 cruise ship with 90,000 cabins world over . The largest cruise lines is Royal Caribbean cruises liner (RCCL) with nine ships and have a capacity of 15,000 births. The Star Cruises is the 2nd largest cruise lines having five ships with 7000 births capacity. Followed by Deluxe cruise lines, Crystal Cruises, Radisson seven seas cruises, Seabourn cruises, Silversea cruise and princes cruises etc.

Significance of Cruise Industry For Tourism

The tourism industry in many countries of the world has been profoundly helped by the cruise sector to shape the tourism product and to satisfy the sophisticated travelers.

The relationship between the cruise industry and tourism industry is, therefore, a highly complex subject involving a mixture of socio-economic factors, technological factors, market pressures, government policies, management attitude ad tourist expectations.

The following points can be perceived pivotal for the significance of the cruise industry:

• Evolving cruise as a vacation option.
• Realizing the competitiveness.
• Development in MICE destinations.
• Image Conscious.
• Increasing the size of the cruise market.
• Alliances and Networking.
• Shifting tourist demands.
• Re-structuring ownership.
• Labor flexibility and Employment.
• Boom-bust cycles and tourism.

Process for Development of Cruise Tour Package

The development of air transportation and improvement in their technology in so far as safety, speed economy, and comfort are concerned to have admittedly hurt the cruise industry. However, steamship travel remains as today’s transportation of pleasure, relaxation, and comforts with service comparable to country’s best hotels and resorts.

The cruise industry is now a resort or hotel activities that must be promoted as floating hotel/resort, not for just vacation at sea but a romantic interlude, wedding anniversary, mind-dazzling, nightlife, resort cruise, and a pleasure of meeting new people.

Many thousands of rupees are spent annually by the cruise companies to promote their products and services directly or, through the tour operators and travel agents but a crucial question remains unanswered. What should be included in the cruise package? How it is to be marketed? What will be the core ingredients? In many cases, tour operators failed to find the right mix of cruise package for their clients.

Standard Components of Cruise Tour Package

Cruise packages are developed to all clients such as honeymooners, nature lovers, students, adventurers, fitness/health conscious, sport minded, music lovers, special interests and education professional etc. Thus, a cruise company has to consider a wide spectrum of market demands.

Therefore, the components of a cruise package will vary from client to client and company to company. However, the following main components or ingredients can be drawn from the cruise packages offered by the most cruise companies and tour operators:

• Air travel or land arrangements.
• Cruise segments Accommodation Food and beverage Entertainment and recreation Deck games Swimming pool Health clubs Casino Films Music-dances Entertainment facilities for children Quite lounges Sheltered decks
• Special Interest Theme Cricket Bridge Astronomy
• Education Library
• Other activities

Process of Cruise Tour Package Development

Developing cruises trips/tours, working with some other players; formulating effective marketing, managing and determining cost and price are the activities that are not easy to handle for the cruise company. However, if the manager approaches in a planned and systematic way, tour designing will become a simple, and easy task.

Cruise Tour Itinerary

A well-planned cruise tour itinerary identifies embarkation points, ports of calls, types of cabin, cruise facilities, meal services, shore excursions, tipping, and other services. Gradually, the cruise itinerary combined with air travel and land arrangement to make it more attractive and effective.

However, individuals needs cannot be overlooked. Thus, in developing cruise tour itinerary, tour planners/cruise planners normally considered the market forces, cruise industry environment, and cruise reference tools. Moreover, a cruise planner keeps in mind the following facts while designing cruise itinerary:

• Name of the Cruise
• Sailing date
• Destinations
• Port of Embarkation
• Port of Termination
• Client choice client budget
• Legal formalities

Types of Cruise Tour Itineraries

Cruise tour itineraries are broadly categorized in the following types:

• Short duration itineraries
• Medium-haul – Short and long duration itineraries (7 night, 10 nights and above)
• Long haul – Medium duration itineraries (7 months)
• Transatlantic and Round the world itineraries ( 6 to 12 months)

Cruise tour itineraries are not limited only to sea but river cruise itineraries can be developed. The main rivers of the cruise are Amazon, Mississippi, Yangtze Kiang, Hung He, Nile, and the Rhine, etc.

Determination of Cruise Tour Package Coast and Price

Determination of cost and price of a cruise tour is one of the most difficult tasks of a cruise manager/planner. What should be the exact cost? What should be the right margin? These are the two important question which a tour planner has to face.  Total price must be perceived by the passenger to be reasonable.

The cruise planner must ensure about the cost. Thus, before determination of the cost of a cruise package tour planner considers the following factors:

• Length of Tour
• Types of accommodation
• Type and quality of facilities
• Position of cabin
• Density of ship
• Date of travel
• Govt. Policy
• Competitive forces
• Seasonality

A typical cruise package includes accommodation cost, meal cost, recreational and entertainment cost, activities for children and teenagers, port taxes, shore excursion cost, and airfare may also be a part of total cost. Thus, at first glance, it may seem an expensive package, but we must understand the cost represents not only the accommodation, Food, and transportation but also entertainment together with other services and opportunities to visit a foreign port.

Cruise prices vary among cruise companies, depending on various factors and quality of product and services. More importantly, price depends on the selection of itinerary and standard of qualities. In cruise, segment price is not the main criteria but the quality of services is important.

Thus, a cruise package must create value for money to repeat clients. Generally, cruise companies adopt a mix of pricing strategies such as:

• Cost-oriented pricing
• Market-oriented pricing
• Product line pricing
• Competitive or seasonal pricing

Cruise Tour Sales and Marketing

The selling of cruise tour ticket is substantially different from the selling of airline ticket. One of the most important features relating to this is that the airline industry is well organized and regulated as compared to the cruise industry. Today, selling cruises are becoming more easier and profitable than ever.

Due to competition, the cruise companies are offering more discounts and other promotional incentives to the passengers. Besides 15 percent commission, more incentives are offered to the tour operators or travel agencies by the cruise companies.

There is a minimum procedure involved in selling and booking cruise package. Like other means of transportation, cruise liner issue the ticket, and provide other information through cruise brochure such as accommodation, entertainment, travel insurance, foreign currency, travel tips, and so forth.

Thus, successful selling and booking steamship cruise requires knowledge of both passengers and cruise on which client will have the product services, comforts, and entertainment. Tour operators need certain information to book a cruise package about the client such as:

• Name of clients
• Duration of tour
• Date of sailing
• Cabin choice
• Meal option
• Entertainment and Recreational activities
• Address with e-mail and telephone no
• Other information which is mere relevant

After obtaining required information, tour operator negotiates with cruise lines/companies. He has various options – i.e. to select a cruise for any age group. A long cruise “ Round the World ” takes long-range planning while shorter cruise can be booked with 3 to 5 days or shorter notice.

Tour operators or a travel agency follow a well defined and designed procedure for booking a cruise. The process may vary from company to company and point to point, but it includes all most following steps:

Cruise Ticketing

Preparation and issue of cruise ticket is the last step in the process of cruise reservation. The cruise ticketing is mostly done by the cruise companies or by the tour operators/travel agencies who are authorized to hold stock and issue the ticket.

A cruise ticket is a legal contract between the cruise line and passenger, entitling him/her or groups, at a stated price, to travel and avail cruise facilities specified – i.e. cruise products or services during a set time. Thus, the acceptance of cruise ticket means acceptance of those terms and conditions which contained in the passage contract ticket.

A cruise ticket document includes or conditions the following items:

• Staterooms, inside, outside
• Food and Beverage
• Dining room seating
• Sports deck
• Entertainment
• Social life
• Children’s corner
• Teenager rooms
• Port of cell
• Date of issue
• Agent validation No.
• Address of tour operator

A passenger who misplaces his/her ticket may be denied the right to board, to use cruise products or services, and even maybe denied a refund.

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Walter's 10 inside tips for first-time cruisers.

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Q&A for first-time cruisers

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Guide to passengers you'll find on each cruise line, 15 tips for first-time cruisers.

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10 essential items to remember before your cruise, shooting down 3 myths about cruises, cruise line partners.

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Meaning of cruise in English

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• They're going on a cruise round the Med.
• They've just set off on a round-the-world cruise.
• Do you dream of a luxury skiing vacation or a Caribbean cruise?
• age of sail
• ocean-going
• They are cruising off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
• Thousands of spectators watched the tall ships cruise the Detroit River.
• After launch , the probe will cruise for 6 months before intercepting the comet beyond Earth's orbit .
• The car is more fuel efficient because the engine can run on just three of six cylinders when cruising.
• A guy cruised up in a convertible and offered me a lift .
• He goes cruising the streets looking for places to rob .
• Our department is doing all the work while the rest of the business is cruising.

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Cruise | intermediate english, translations of cruise.

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in an energetic and continuous way

Trial, judge, and jury: talking about what happens when a criminal is caught

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verb (used without object)

• to sail about on a pleasure trip.
• to sail about, as a warship patrolling a body of water.
• to travel about without a particular purpose or destination.
• to fly, drive, or sail at a constant speed that permits maximum operating efficiency for sustained travel.

cruising along the highway enjoying the scenery.

Taxis and police cars cruise in the downtown area.

Let's cruise over to my house after the concert.

• Informal. to go about on the streets or in public areas in search of a sexual partner.

verb (used with object)

patrol cars cruising the neighborhood; to cruise the Caribbean.

• to move slowly through or visit (a street, park, bar, etc.) in search of a sexual partner.
• to make sexual overtures to; attempt to arouse the sexual interest of.
• to inspect (a tract of forest) for the purpose of estimating lumber potential.
• the act of cruising.
• a pleasure voyage on a ship, usually with stops at various ports.
• Tom Thomas Cruise Mapother, 4th, born 1962, U.S. film actor.
• intr to make a trip by sea in a liner for pleasure, usually calling at a number of ports
• to sail or travel over (a body of water) for pleasure in a yacht, cruiser, etc
• intr to search for enemy vessels in a warship
• intr (of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel) to travel at a moderate and efficient speed
• informal. intr to search the streets or other public places for a sexual partner
• an act or instance of cruising, esp a trip by sea
• CruiseTom1970MUSFILMS AND TV: actor Tom. original name Thomas Cruise Mapother. born 1962, US film actor; his films include Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986), Jerry Maguire (1989), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), War of the Worlds (2005), and Valkyrie (2008)

Other Words From

• cruising·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cruise 1

Example Sentences

Such tests might be useful, say, to screen school children or cruise ship passengers.

Meanwhile, Cruise still has its eyes set on public deployment, which is where the expertise of Raman comes in.

That all came after Cruise had already scrapped its plans to launch a robotaxi service in 2019.

Cruise also began focusing more on hardware earlier this year.

Cruise Director of Government Affairs Prashanthi Raman Earlier this year, before the world blew up, Cruise received a permit in California to begin transporting passengers.

These skills are particularly needed when, as in the case of the AirAsia flight, the airplane is at cruise altitude.

Nerd Cruise By Adam Rogers, Wired What 800 Nerds on a Cruise Ship Taught Me About Life, the Universe, and Snorkeling.

He told the court he called the retired captain to see exactly where he lived so he knew when to sound the cruise ship horn.

More than 150 passengers on a California cruise ship came down with norovirus, continuing a trend that happens every year.

It also has a close association with cruises and cruise ships.

And Jack come home from a long cruise, with prize-money in his pockets, was as ostentatious as any nouveau riche.

And every boy made a dash for the camp to secure anything he might need on a cruise down the bay.

In his first cruise he was out forty-five days, and in that time he captured fourteen vessels and 166 prisoners.

Then, his mother coming in, he proceeded to tell about their "cruise," and the sad fate of his bundle.

Earth-closets are a delusion; you cannot get earth, nor even sand, when on a cruise, and there are other serious objections.

Related Words

What Is Cruise Tourism Definition?

By Alice Nichols

Cruise tourism has become increasingly popular in recent years, with more and more people opting for this unique way of traveling. But what exactly is cruise tourism? In this article, we will take a closer look at the definition of cruise tourism and what makes it such a special type of travel experience.

What Is Cruise Tourism?

Cruise tourism refers to the act of traveling on a cruise ship for leisure purposes. This type of travel involves passengers embarking on a ship that typically travels along a pre-determined route, stopping at various ports along the way to allow passengers to explore different destinations. Cruise ships offer a wide range of amenities and activities onboard, making them almost like floating resorts.

Types of Cruise Tourism

There are different types of cruise tourism that cater to different interests and preferences. Some cruises focus on luxury travel, offering high-end amenities such as gourmet dining options, spa services, and exclusive shore excursions. Other cruises may be more family-oriented, with activities designed for children and teenagers.

• Luxury Cruises: These cruises offer the ultimate in luxury travel experiences with high-end amenities such as fine dining, spa services, private balconies, and exclusive shore excursions.
• River Cruises: River cruises take passengers along scenic rivers around the world. These boats are usually smaller than ocean-going vessels but still offer excellent amenities and personalized service.
• Expedition Cruises: Expedition cruises take passengers to remote locations such as Antarctica or the Arctic Circle. These ships are often smaller and more rugged than traditional ocean liners and offer unique adventure experiences.

The Benefits Of Cruise Tourism

One of the biggest benefits of cruise tourism is the ability to visit multiple destinations without having to worry about transportation or accommodations. Passengers can simply relax on the ship and enjoy the journey while the ship takes them from one port to another. Additionally, many cruises offer all-inclusive packages that include meals, drinks, and onboard entertainment, making it easy for passengers to budget their vacation expenses.

Cruise Tourism And The Environment

While cruise tourism is a popular and enjoyable way to travel, it is important to consider the impact that these ships have on the environment. Cruise ships are known to produce a significant amount of pollution and waste, including sewage, air emissions, and garbage. However, many cruise lines are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact by implementing sustainable practices such as using cleaner fuels and reducing plastic waste.

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The Ultimate Cruise Lingo Glossary – 85 Terms You Need to Know

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Cruise vocabulary, jargon or lingo – if you’re going on a cruise, you’ll want to be familiar with the cruise terminology

Are you getting ready for your first cruise? Through the planning process, you may have noticed that there’s a whole world of cruise vocabulary, nautical terms or “cruise lingo”.

This handy glossary of cruise terminology includes some of the new terms and acronyms used in the cruise industry today. These are some of the most common cruise phrases and words you’ll be hearing as you plan your cruise, as well as when you board your cruise ship.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click and buy that I may make a commission, at no cost to you. Please see my disclosure policy for details.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

A Cruise Lingo Tip You Must Know

Before we get started, here’s the most important piece of advice I can give you, when it comes to talking like a cruise pro.

Don’t call a cruise ship a boat.

Cruisers might have different opinions about which cruise lines are the best, cruise line dress codes , and the do’s and don’ts of cruise gratuities , but there’s one thing all cruisers agree on…

Don’t call a cruise ship a boat. Trust me on this 😉

About Cruise Lingo and Cruise Lifestyle

Cruising is a lifestyle unto it’s own, and cruisers really do have their own lingo and cruise terminology. Nautical terms are often used, and cruisers love it!

New cruisers can be left scratching their heads.

Words and acronyms such as Aft, Muster drill, Starboard, OBC and MDR, may seem like a mysterious cruise language. However, in this cruise lingo glossary, I’ll go over all the cruise jargon need to know.

You’ll be chatting like a seasoned cruiser in no time!

Cruise ship vocabulary

You’re on a ship, not a boat. A boat fits inside a ship, and not the other way around. Fellow cruisers won’t hesitate to correct you sternly if you get this wrong.

Try and get used to this one quickly,  just trust me on this…

Below you can hear Celebrity Cruises Captain Kate , explaining this point in her navigational report.

Your room is called a cabin. While hotels have rooms, ships have cabins.

3. Stateroom

Sometimes a cruise cabin will be referred to as a stateroom.

Your cruise ship will have many decks. While hotels refer to floors, cruise-ships refer to decks.

5. The bridge

The bridge is the navigational hub of the ship.

The person in command of the ship.

7. Cruise Director

Think Julie McCoy :-). Your cruise director, among other duties, will act as Emcee, heading up most major entertainment events on the ship. On larger ships you’ll see assistant cruise directors and other activities staff also leading main activities.

8. Itinerary

Your cruise itinerary refers to each destination/cruise port of call you’ll be visiting.

9. Port of departure

This is the port from which your cruise will depart (ie. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Vancouver, Barcelona etc.)

10. Cruise terminal

Just like airplanes have airports, cruise ships have cruise terminals or cruise ports. There are safety and boarding procedures to be aware of.

Recommended:   11 Cruise Boarding Tips You Need to Know

11. Ports of call

You probably remember this one from “The Love Boat”. I know I do! This is individual destination where you will stop at for the day. Examples of cruise ports or ports of call on a Caribbean cruise include Cozumel , St. Thomas , Grand Cayman and so on.

12. Shore excursion

This is an organized activity you may choose to do when in a port. You can book a shore excursion through your cruise line or on your own with a private vendor or tour company. Examples include a snorkeling or sightseeing excursion.

A cruise ship will usually arrive at a large dock when it arrives at the cruise port.

There are some cruise ports where cruise ships cannot access the land directly and dock, due to coral reefs and other reasons. In these cases your ship will tender a few minutes away from the port, and shuttle passengers in by tender boats.

As an example, Grand Cayman is a tender port at this time, but it looks like a new dock will be built in a couple years.

15. Stabilizers

Modern cruise ships have stabilizers to keep motion to a minimum.

The ship’s anchor is impressive. Along with the chain, the anchor holds to the sea bed to keep the ship from drifting at sea.

The super large kitchen where literally tons of food is cooked and prepared. You can actually do a galley tour while on your cruise if you’re interested.

18. Dry dock

When a cruise ship goes into dry dock, it’can be to receive routine maintenance, or to be refurbished. the ship can be out of service for weeks or longer.

19. Charter

Groups will sometimes charter a cruise ship, to host a special event.

Cruise Ship Terminology – understanding common areas of the cruise ship

The atrium is a large central public area usually spanning 3 or more decks. Often very beautiful, it will be the central hub of the ship’s interior.

21. Port side

The left side of the ship, as you face forward, is referred to as port side .

Tip: An easy way to remember – LEFT has 4 letters and so does PORT

22. Starboard side

The right side of the ship as you face forward is the Starboard side.

23. Forward

The front section of the ship.

The back section of the ship is called the aft. The aft or wake view is a favorite for many cruisers.

25. Purser’s desk

These days, the purser’s desk is often referred to as guest or passenger services. However many avid cruisers enjoy the nautical language and will continue to use the term “purser’s desk”. Usually this is located in the atrium.

26. Mid-ship

Generally said in reference to the preferred cabin location . Most cruise passengers will prefer a mid-ship cabin, rather than one that is forward or aft. This area has an advantage of having more stability in general.

Get The Ultimate Cruise Planner

Regular price: $27 now just $17.

Cruise Cabin Terminology

When booking a cruise, you’ll notice that there are several different stateroom options. Below are the most common cabin options.

27. Interior staterooms

Inside or interior cabins are staterooms which include all the basics, however do not have a window.

Related:  15 Best Tips for Cruising in an Inside Cabin: cabin organization and more

28. Oceanview Cabins

Cabins with a window or porthole are ocean view cabins.

29. Balcony cabins

Balcony cabins , sometimes referred to as Veranda cabins, include a private outdoor space outside your cabin.

Related:   7 Best Reasons to Book a Balcony Cabin

30. Guarantee cabin (GTY)

This refers to an unassigned cabin any type of cabin (inside, ocean view, balcony) . The cruise line will assign the cabin at any point before the cruise.

Often, guarantee cabins will be priced lower, so this can be a great value if you’re not picky about the location of your cabin.

31. Pullman bed

If you have more than 2 passengers in your cabin, you may have pullman beds for 3rd and 4th passengers. They are like bunk beds that come out of the wall or ceiling. They will be tucked back into the ceiling or wall during the day if you like.

32. Double occupancy

The cruise fare will be based on double occupancy as a standard, and this is what you will see as an advertised price.

33. Single occupancy

When cruising solo, most of the time you’ll be paying a single occupancy rate, which can be almost the cost of 2 people in a cabin (you won’t pay taxes twice).

34. Solo cabins – Studio cabins

If you’re cruising solo, look for cruise ships that have studio cabins intended for solo travelers.

35. Triple and Quad Cabins

Some cabins can accomodate 3, 4 or more passengers in one cabin, referred to as triple or quad cabins. These are most popular with young families cruising together .

Read next:   Worst Cruise Ship Cabins to Avoid

Back to the Cruise Ship

36. Deck plan

A map of all the cruise ship decks.

37. Lido deck

The Lido Deck is the public pool deck, often on one of the top decks of the cruise ship. There may be more than one pool, hot tub and outdoor seating.

38. Gangway

The gangway is elevated walkway you will use to board your ship, usually covered, but not always.

The very front of the ship.

The very back of the ship.

The beautiful white trail of waves visible at the very back of the ship. My favorite spot on the ship to realx and take it all in. Please let me know in the comments if this is your favorite as well – if not, where is?

Cruise Lingo you need to know for the first day of your cruise and beyond

42.   Embarkation day

The first day of your cruise and the best day in a cruiser’s life 😉

Recommended reading to prepare for your cruise embarkation day – 25 Cruise Embarkation Day Tips Straight from the Pros

43. Muster drill

The muster drill is a mandatory safety drill which is done prior to sailing. Note, it’s not “mustard” drill, as you just may hear from other passengers.

44. Muster station

Your assigned emergency meeting location. You’ll likely meet here for your muster drill, but don’t worry, cruise ship crew will help to guide you.

45. Daily planner

Different cruise lines use different terms for their daily newsletter of information scheduled activities (Cruise Compass, Princess Patters, Today, Freestyle Daily). Many cruise lines now have this information available on their app.

46. Sailaway

The period of time that your Cruise Ship actually sails away from the shore. Often there will be a Sailaway party on the top deck, however some cruisers enjoy it from their own balcony.

47. Sailaway Party

Check your daily planner for information. Generally the Sailaway party will be at the main pool and will include some drinks, a DJ or band playing and some dancing.

48. Sea day

A day at sea is when your cruise ship is not visiting a port, but sea days aren’t boring ! There will be plenty of activities to choose from if you don’t want to simply relax by a pool.

49. Cruise Card

On most cruise ships, you’ll be given a cruise card which will act as your room key, ID and your method of payment when on your cruise.

50. Ocean Medallion

Ocean Medallion is a relatively new cruise ship technology available on Princess Cruises . Instead of a cruise card, the medallion serves like a cruise card, but also does much more.

You can read about our recent Ocean Medallion experience here .

51. Room steward or cabin attendant

Sometimes mistakenly called a room “Stuart”, the person who cleans your room twice a day (amazing!) and really takes care of you and your cabin mates is called a room steward or a cabin attendant.

52. Dress code

Cruise lines have suggested dress codes , ranging from very casual to more formal.

53. Formal night 

A tradition on many cruise ships, the formal night is a night to dress up. Check your cruise line’s dress codes for suggestions. Some cruise lines have relaxed the dress codes a bit, including Celebrity Cruises which now has Evening Chic , rather than formal.

54. Early dining and late dining

Early and late dining are basically a first and second seating, which some cruise lines with an option of assigned dining will have. This is for a main dining room and not a buffet.

55. Open dining

Open dining is offered on many cruise ships. In some cases, a cruise line will offer both open and set dining. It can go by different terminology including Anytime Dining on Princess , My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean, Select Dining on Celebrity .

To note, some cruise lines offer only open dining, such as Norwegian Cruise Line which is Freestyle dining.

56. Specialty restaurants

This usually refers to the dining in an alternative restaurant that is not included in your cruise fare and is often a more intimate or higher culinary experience. An example of this would be Celebrity Cruises Tuscan Grille .

57. All Aboard

The ship will leave your ports of call promptly. All aboard time is generally set for 30 minutes before your cruise is scheduled to leave the port of call. Do verify the all aboard time before heading off for an excursion in the cruise port.

All joking aside, there are people at cruise ports every year – and you don’t want it to be you.

58. Towel animals

You just may find towel animals in your cruise cabin. These are the super cute towel creations made by your room steward, available on some cruise lines (usually family orientated ones).

We’ve had many years of enjoyment when our kids were young, even miss them a little bit these days.

59. Pier runners: This is an unofficial name given to those (who may have had too many libations) who can be seen running in the last few minutes hoping not to miss the ship’s departure. It is quite entertaining!

60. Roll call

A roll call may be set up for your cruise by yourself or other cruise passengers. Basically, this is a group of people who chat online before a cruise, and may have some gatherings set up once on board.

Read more:   5 Reasons Why You Should Join a Cruise Roll Call

61. Disembarkation

The saddest day in a cruiser’s life is the day that you need to disembark and the cruise is over.

Wondering about how disembarkation day really works?   21 Cruise Disembarkation Tips You Need to Know

62. Onboard booking

Booking your next cruise on board can give you some awesome benefits and is one of the best kept secrets for saving money while booking a cruise . For those that book with travel agents, don’t worry, the future cruise consultant will transfer it to the agency (request if they don’t offer).

Tip: Check to make sure about the terms and conditions and find out if future cruise deposits are refundable if that’s important to you.

Booking a cruise – terms to know

63. Cruise fare

This is the base cost of the cruise, per person

64. Deposit and Final Payment

When you book a cruise, if you’ve booked early you’ll be making a deposit which will secure your booking. As you get closer to sailing (usually about 70-90 days pre cruise), your final payment will be due.

Terms and conditions may be different on various cruise lines, however the details will be on your own reservation.

65. Cruise contract

When booking a cruise, you’ll be agreeing to a cruise contract. The cruise contract includes the terms and conditions that cruise passengers agree to.

66. Online check-in

Before your cruise, passengers are asked to complete an online check in and print out cruise documents to sail.

67. Gratuities

Gratuities or tipping is customary on a cruise. A per person service fee or gratuity will be charged daily to your cabin, on most major cruise lines.

Recommended:   Cruise Tipping Guidelines and Etiquette

68. Prepaid gratuities

When booking your cruise, you can prepay your gratuities , and avoid thinking about additional expenses on a cruise .

69. Lanyard

A lanyard might be used by cruisers to hang a cruise card around the next for convenience. This is one of the most popular cruise accessories in our list of travel essentials .

70. Rum Runners

A type of container used to conceal alcohol brought on a cruise, that isn’t allowed. For more on other items that are prohibited, read this next:  33 Banned Items You Can’t Bring on a Cruise 

Recommended:   10 Things NOT to pack for a cruise

Cruise Start Up Terms

Along with some major changes on cruise ships, we have seen new cruise line policies the have resulted in more cruise lingo – more words and explanations we just don’t know.

71. Cruise with Confidence

The major cruise lines introduced a flexible cruise cancellation policy, during this time, should people decide to cancel a cruise up to 48 hours pre-cruise. When cancelling, in most cases passengers will receive a credit which can be used towards a future cruise.

There are some terms and conditions to be aware of, so always read the fine print.

72. Muster 2.0

A new technology that would allow muster drills to be done using a new app, rather than in a large gathering. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises came out with this new technology as cruises resume. Several cruise lines are using a form of emuster as well.

The Cruise Line International Association is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association. It represents the major cruise lines, which have suspended cruises leaving from the United States until the end of October .

74. No Sail Order

A no sail order was put into effect by the CDC in March 2020. For cruises to resume, it was imperative that the CDC lift the no sail order . This is lifted and cruisers have resumed with strict guidelines for safety and health.

75. Warm lay up and cold lay up

As cruises are suspended, we hear the terms “warm and cold lay up” of cruise ships.

Warm lay up refers to when a cruise ship has reduced levels of crew onboard, and costs for fuel and other items are reduced. However, the cruise ship is kept in a condition as to be able to be brought back to service relatively quickly.

A cold lay up is a prolonged period of time when the cruise ship is shut down as much as possible to reduce cost. It takes longer for ships to be brought back to service and is a more complicated process.

76. NEW Safety and health protocols

The cruise lines have adopted new safety and health protocols to ensure safe cruising for passengers and crew.

Cruise Lingo Acronyms

It’s quite common to hear people who cruise a lot speak using these acronyms. You may even see these abbreviations in cruise facebook groups and pages, or on cruise forums .

Here is an explanation of the most common cruise acronyms, so you’ll be fluent in cruise lingo of all sorts.

Main Dining Room

On board credit – extra cash credit on your cruise account that you can use on the ship for most purchases. Sometimes this is added as a promotion by the cruise line or your travel agent.

This refers to a back to back cruise, meaning one cruise and then another cruise one after the other. Some cruisers may even do a B2B2B (3 cruises in a row)

The abbreviation for a guarantee cabin (see above in cruise lingo glossary)

Future Cruise Credit – when booking a future cruise onboard

A TA is short for travel agent

Avid Cruiser Lingo

83. Cruisebug

After a first cruiser, it’s not uncommon for a new cruiser to love it so much that they feel an immediate calling to book again and cruise more often. Often, this is referred to as catching the cruisebug.

84. Cruise addict

It’s said that cruising is the healthiest addiction and a vice many are happy to have! If you’ve cruised and now you’re constantly on the lookout for all the cruise info you can find and really just want to book cruises, congrats! You are now a cruise addict!

85. Cruiseaholic

Another word for someone who is addicted to cruising!

Recommended:   30 Best Gifts for Cruisers (that are unique too!)

86. Thallosphile (n)

A lover of the sea , someone who loves the sea, ocean.

87. Post-cruise blues

So, the post-cruise blues is real! One possible remedy is booking another cruise when onboard, but it’s still tough to leave that amazing cruise ship life!

Do you suffer from Post-Cruise Depression?

How To Know if You Have Post-Cruise Depression (a fun read)

*Ultimate Cruise Travel Planner*

Over the last year, I put together a 47 page cruise travel planner that has everything you need as you plan and get ready for your cruise.

If you could use cruise packing lists, to-do checklists, shore excursion forms and more, you’ll love the Life Well Cruised Ultimate Cruise Planner .

Plus, for a limited time, it’s $10 off. Hope you enjoy!

See details here: Ultimate Cruise Planner -What’s Included

Related and Popular Posts:

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50 Most Popular Amazon Cruise Essentials

25 Cruise Embarkation Day Tips You Need to Know

75 Genius Cruise Hacks and Tips

23 Essential Things to Pack in Your Cruise Carry-On Bag

What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise

Worst Cabins to Avoid on a Cruise

Recap: Cruise Lingo Glossary – 85 Cruise Terms You Need to Know

In this post, we went over 85 cruise terms that are important to know when you’re booking a cruise, as well as when you’re on a cruise ship. This list of “cruise lingo” should help to navigate the world of cruise language.

If you’re a new cruiser I hope the information has been helpful. If you’re a seasoned cruiser, I hope it was a fun read!

Is there a cruise term that you think should be added? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Happy cruising!

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed this, please don’t keep it to yourself ;-)! Please share it with a friend, on Facebook or save for later on Pinterest. Thanks so much!

Let’s connect:

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20 Comments

You missed out Rum Runners. Those cheapskates that think its clever to smuggle on alcohol rather than buy on board in various containers. This may be a Carnival thing but its creeping on the better lines.

You’re right – I completely forgot that one and it’s now totally in the cruise lexicon, right? For better or for worse, lol!

I’ll add it in. Thanks for taking the time to comment :-)!!

by the way what happens to the “Rum Runners” when caught?

Hmmmm,good question. I actually have heard that any alcohol will simply be confiscated, but I’ve never used them so I can’t say for sure.

I love the drinks on board, so I just drink those 🙂

Thanks for taking the time to comment Lebo.

I really like your blog/page. The information in it is very good. I am a member of the Princess Cruise forum and what I have done is when I have come across something interesting or information I didn’t know I take notes on it. That’s how I’ve learned many of the items here. I would add TA – which is travel agent may seem too simple But I see TA all the time. I liked your comment about if you don’t know something ask a fellow cruise passenger or staff person on board. Since I am a solo travelor that really helped me. I would also add to tips for new cruisers is to be respectful of their fellow travelors and also all staff they encounter onboard (which includes room stewards, wait staff and everyone else they encounter).

Hi Charles,

Great points! TA is one I overlooked and you are so right. I agree completely with respect for passengers and crew – I hope most are.

I really appreciate you reading my blog and taking the time to leave a comment!

All the best,

This is great, but I would have liked a short, printable list, as well.

Glad the list was helpful. Thanks for your suggestion as well. This may be something that I’ll work on doing in the future.

I love your cruise blog. I have the cruise bug bad. PCD is bad in me on disembarkation day. I have only cruised with NCL and when onboard I buy as many CruiseNext Deals as I can. Many times you buy one and get on free, and on balcony and higher you can use two. To me free money off my cruise. NCL has past guest deals and when on bourd I book it. Thus even getting a better deal. I will triple dip looking for a past guest and a Latitudes Reward program. Earn point for every cruise night, Point for Suite, point booking 9 mounts in advance, and point for a Latitudes insider offer. Next cruise I will earn many points per day. That gives you free laundry, free dinners, free bottles of wine at dinner, and hopefully one day a free cruise… I would like to do a B2B2B. Do you have to get off the ship? Only word I would add is RESPECT. Respect yourself not making a scene if something not right. For you are the lesser for it. Hopefully one day we will meet up on a cruise ship. Your friend Russell

Thanks Russell for your kind words and your great tips! I have the same sentiments on disembarkation day – it’s the worst :-(.

For a B2B, you do have to get off the ship (although I hear sometimes not if customs come on), but it’s a pretty good process as passengers are grouped together and passed through quickly.

Would be great to meet you on a cruise one day!

Yes a printable list of the terms would be very helpful. Tyvm for your time to help fellow cruisers!!

Thanks Deborah for your comment. I’ll definitely look into creating one, especially since it’s been suggested a couple of times.

Best to you,

We too had a stressful private tour in Turkey, going to Ephesus. We made it back by the skin of our teeth, but the traffic on he way back through Izmir was heavy and slow. All your tips about not being a pier runner are very apt! Thank you. Jim and Norita Nickerson

Hi Jim & Norita,

Wow I would have been stressed as well. We loved Ephesus but did a morning tour only so were back early. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Not only do I find your newsletters fun AND helpful but ditto your You Tube videos. I have been addicted to cruising since 1959. Wish I could afford to feed my addiction more frequently. Going on an 11 day Caribbean cruise on Rotterdam VII in December.

Thanks so much Jim! I’m so glad that you enjoy my emails and videos & appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Don’t we all just wish we could cruise a little more? Your Caribbean cruise sounds absolutely amazing – enjoy every minute!

I enjoy your work … 2 more often overlooked terms: bunkering and along-side … bunkering of course is the re-fueling process … along-side is the captain’s term for bringing a ship to a full stop at a future pier (“we’re expected to be along-side at 7 am in Fort Lauderdale”) …

Thanks for sharing these!

Hey, Ilana! I love your blog and your YouTube videos. Post cruise depression is real. I got sad today because I used the last bit of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that I brought home from a Viking cruise in October/November of 2023. I have several cruises coming up and always looking up itineraries to see what is out there. 🙂

I hear you! It definitely helps to have future cruises on the horizon!

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• Food & Drink
• How to Plan
• Shore Excursions
• Onboard Activities
• What to Expect

Ocean Lingo: Glossary of Cruise Ship Terms

By Carnival Cruise Line

If you’re a newbie to cruising culture, take a few minutes to learn the cruise ship lingo. Knowing the language both on board and on shore will make you feel more at ease on your very first cruise . We’ve compiled a list of the most essential terms for you to be familiar with before you step on board.

From knowing the ins and outs of stateroom design to understanding cruise ship nautical terms, you’ll be ready to hit the waves with confidence.

Planning Your Cruise

• Crossing: A voyage across the water – in other words, a cruise is a crossing. For example, if you take a cruise to Europe , you can depart from New York and cross to ports of call, including Northern Ireland .
• Departure port/embarkation port: Both of these terms refer to the port or location where your cruise begins and ends . Carnival has many departure ports in the United States. For example, you can cruise to the Western Caribbean from the departure port of Mobile, Alabama .
• Disembarkation: This is when you leave the ship at the end of your trip.
• Embarkation: It’s when you board your cruise ship at the beginning of your trip.
• Port of call: A port of call is a destination on your cruise and where you’ll likely be able to enjoy shore excursions. For example, if you take a cruise to Mexico , you can depart from one of three ports in California and visit multiple ports of call in one trip, including Cozumel , Costa Maya and Mahogany Bay .
• Shore excursion: A shore excursion is an activity off the ship at a port of call that you can purchase as part of your itinerary. For example, if you cruise to The Bahamas , you can take a shore excursion in Half Moon Cay. You may want to book the educational Stingray Adventure shore excursion there that allows you to interact with the sea creatures.
• Tender: Also called a lifeboat, a tender is a small boat that takes you from the ship to shore when the cruise ship anchors in a harbor.

Stateroom Speak

Even before booking your cruise , you’ll want to know the types of staterooms that are available to ensure a comfortable trip. Whether you’re cruising solo or with a group, this list helps you choose the right stateroom for your needs.

• Balcony stateroom: This room has a small, personal, outdoor balcony. A balcony stateroom is recommended when taking a cruise to Alaska , for example, so you don’t miss any unexpected wildlife or glacier sightings.
• Interior stateroom: Located in less active spots on the ship, interior staterooms are comfortable for sleepers who prefer a quiet place to curl up after a day of fun and activities.
• Ocean view stateroom: An ocean view stateroom with a porthole or window lets you gaze out at ocean vistas and ports of calls.
• Specialty stateroom: This has a thematic setting that caters to families, couples or solo guests. Specialty staterooms include Cloud 9 Spa staterooms located next to the Cloud 9 Spa Family Harbor staterooms are next to the Family Harbor Lounge, a great escape when traveling with kids .
• Suite stateroom: Larger rooms that are ideal for family cruises . These suites give everyone in your group ample room to stretch out.

Cruise Ship Terminology

It pays to understand cruise ship terms and definitions so you don’t wander around too much during your vacation. Although, while on board, you’ll never be truly lost. You can find a deck plan of each vessel so you can get to know it before your trip in the comfort of your home. Until then, here’s a crash course in ship architecture.

• Bow: The bow is the front of the ship.
• Bridge: The bridge is the location from which the captain steers the ship.
• Galley: A galley is a ship’s kitchen. On a cruise ship, there are many galleys.
• Gangway: The gangway is the ramp or staircase that you’ll use to embark or disembark the ship.
• Helm: The helm is the area of the bridge on which the steering wheel is located and used by the crew only .
• Hull: The hull is the outside of the ship.
• Keel: The keel is the ship’s bottom center.
• Leeward: The side of the ship where you’ll feel most sheltered from wind is leeward.
• Lido: Lido is an often-used term because it’s the deck where you’ll find the outdoor pools .
• Midship: This is the middle of the ship.
• Port: The left side of the ship as it’s facing forward is called port. If you have a hard time remembering that, just keep in mind that “left” and “port” both have four letters.
• Starboard: The right side of the ship is starboard.
• Stern/aft: This is the rear part of a ship closest to the casual dining
• Upper deck: The upper deck is typically the area closest to the entertainment , fun and outdoor deck areas.

Dining Discussions

• Cruise casual: This is what you can wear most nights at dinner. For men, that includes slacks, khakis, jeans, dress shorts and collared sport shirts. Women wear casual dresses and skirts, pants, capri pants, dressy shorts and dressy jeans.
• Cruise elegant: This is the one or two nights on a cruise where it’s suggested you wear evening wear to dinner in the main dining room and some other restaurants. For men, that means dress slacks, dress shirts and sport coats (optional). For women, it’s cocktail dresses, fancier pant suits or skirts. In restaurants, such as the Steakhouse , you will be required to wear tasteful attire.
• Formal night: There are two formal, or elegant, nights on longer cruises. Elegant nights mean formal suits and ties or tuxedos for men and evening gowns for women. It’s not required to dress formally, yet formal attire is welcome.
• Main seating/late seating: This means there’s an assigned schedule and seating for passengers in the main dining rooms.
• Open seating: There’s no fixed schedule and no seating arrangements for dining with open seating.

Crew Member Chatter

Who wouldn’t want to be a crew member on a cruise to Hawaii ? Here are some of the cheerful faces you’ll meet on board:

• Cabin steward: Crew member responsible for the housekeeping of your stateroom.
• Captain: Crew member in charge of the cruise ship, responsible for the crew and passenger safety.
• Cruise director: Crew member who organizes for the ship’s activities and entertainment and is often the emcee for onboard events.
• Maître d’: Crew member responsible for the dining room.
• Porter: Crew member on land to help you with your luggage curbside before you embark the ship.
• Purser: Crew member in charge of onboard billing and monetary transactions.

Nautical Lingo

Knowing nautical terms in the cruise ship world is important when you’re underway (which means moving through the ocean). You may hear the captain discussing knots with another crew member.

• Knot: A unit of speed at which ships travel, which is one nautical mile per hour.
• Mooring: A place where a ship is tied, such as the dock when in port.
• Wake: The trail of water created at the back (stern) of the ship as it moves forward in the water.

It’s perfectly fine if you forget your cruise-speak and just say “meet me at the room,” instead of stateroom, or “where’s customer service?” instead of asking to see the purser. On a Carnival cruise, you can just be yourself and learn at your leisure. Once you have your first cruise under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a seasoned cruiser with insider tips of your own.

Note: Onboard activities, shore excursions, and dining options may vary by ship and destination.

Related articles

What to expect.

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships.aspx

A Cruise Lingo Glossary to Make You Sound Like a Pro

Do you know your roll from your wake ? Just like every other industry on the planet, the cruise business uses a few words and terms that may, at first glance, leave you scratching your head. For first-timers, here’s a quick reference cheat sheet that lists the most important lingo to know before your book your first cruise. We’ll talk about booking and cabin terms as well as crew and ship-specific lingo. Let’s dig in:

BOOKING TERMS

Cabin category: Every cruise ship offers accommodations in different categories, ranging from inside staterooms (no windows) to ocean view (with a porthole or panoramic windows) to balcony/veranda rooms to full-blown, multi-room suites. The higher the cabin category, the more you can expect to pay for those accommodations.

Charter: Any group of individuals—a company, church group, or family members—can charter all or part of a cruise ship. It’s a good idea to ask if there are any partial charters booked on any sailing you’re interested in taking. Sometimes large partial-ship charters book entire restaurants for certain nights of the cruise or can be disruptive to other passengers.

Crossing: If you book a “crossing,” that means your itinerary crosses the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.

Cruise contract: The cruise ticket contract lists the terms and conditions passengers agree to when they book a sailing. It lists all types of things, like what you can expect if your cruise is canceled or what happens if you miss embarkation due to travel delays. This document is filled with legalese but you should try to read through it before booking your voyage since you will be signing away some of your rights as soon as you make a payment.

Cruise fare: The cruise fare outlines how much each person will pay for the voyage and stipulates exactly what is included in that fare.

Deck plan: You can’t easily learn your way around a ship without first reviewing the deck plan. These illustrations show what type of staterooms are located on each deck along with the location of elevators, laundry rooms, restaurants, theaters, and shops.

Double occupancy: Most cruise fares are based on double occupancy. That means two people sharing one cabin.

Guarantee: Also known as “run of ship,” a guarantee is a type of cruise fare. You book a particular cabin category but are not assigned a cabin number. Instead, the cruise ship keeps selling that cabin category. If it sells out, you might be bumped up to a better stateroom category. If you’re not, you’re guaranteed a spot in the category you originally booked.

Itinerary: The itinerary lists the voyage’s schedule day by day, noting both ports of call and sea days.

Port expenses: Wherever you sail, each port of call will levy a charge based on local taxes and fees. That fee is charged to the cruise company, which then in turn charges it back to you. Cruise fares generally don’t include port expenses and other taxes and fees.

Repositioning cruise: This is a one-way itinerary that effectively moves a cruise ship from one part of the world to another. Look for repositioning cruises as the seasons change, as these itineraries are often well priced.

Sea day: A day in which the cruise ship does not visit a port of call and stays on the open water.

Shorex: This is the abbreviation for “shore excursion.” You can book a shorex through your cruise line or independently.

Single supplement: Cruise fares are based on double occupancy. If you are traveling solo, you will likely be charged a single supplement. Some cruise ships charge 150 to 200 percent of the cruise fare while other ships offer a small number of single cabins that don’t cost extra. Most river cruise lines are moving away from the idea of the single supplement and offer sailings that won’t cost extra for solo travelers.

Transfer: A transfer can be the bus ride from the airport to your docked cruise ship or from the cruise ship to a hotel you’ve booked through the cruise line for a post-cruise stay. If you buy your airfare directly from the cruise line, it will usually include transfers to and from the ship. If you are traveling independent, you can inquire about paying extra for the ship-sponsored transfers.

CABIN TERMS

Butler: A butler assists cruisers with everyday tasks like unpacking and packing laundry and making restaurant and spa reservations. The butler also serves meals en-suite and can provide afternoon teatime snacks or cocktails before dinner.

Cabin: Your room aboard a cruise ship may be called a cabin or stateroom or, if you’ve upgraded to a higher category, a suite.

Cabin attendants: Cruise ship cabins are cleaned and serviced by cabin attendants, also known as stewards and stewardesses. Some cabin categories also come with butler service.

Cruise director: This person is the “face” of the cruise ship and acts as the emcee at events like the captain’s reception and deck parties.

Purser: The ship’s purser handles all monetary transactions onboard. You can find him or her at the reception desk.

Bridge: The navigational control center of the ship is called the bridge. This area is usually off limits to passengers although smaller lines—like Windstar Cruises and Un-Cruise Adventures—do invite their guests to visit the bridge at certain times throughout the voyage.

Dock vs. tender: When you read your cruise brochure, the itinerary will list the ports of call and a note next to them will indicate either “dock” or “tender.” Dock means that the ship will actually pull up to the pier and deploy the gangway. You’ll simply walk off the ship into port. A tender port indicates that the ship will anchor in the bay near the port. You will board a smaller vessel that will ferry you between the cruise ship and port.

Embarkation/disembarkation: When you first board your cruise ship, you are embarking. You disembark the ship at the end of the cruise.

First seating/second seating: In the old days, almost all cruise ships had set dining times. You sat with the same people every night and ate your evening meal at the same time. First seating refers to the early dinnertime while second, or late, seating happens thereafter. But this sort of fixed seating arrangement has become less popular, as cruisers now tend to prefer open seating.

Galley: A ship’s kitchen is called the galley. Sometimes larger cruise ships offer fun galley tours.

Gangway: The gangway is the ramp or staircase you use to embark or disembark from the ship.

Muster/muster station: Every cruise passenger is assigned to a “muster station.” This is where you are instructed to gather—with your life jacket—in case of emergency. You will be called to your muster station at the beginning of your cruise so the crew can explain what to do in case of emergency.

Open seating: Many of today’s cruise ships have segued from fixed dining times to open seating, which means you can dine whenever you want and with whomever you want.

Roll: In rougher seas you might feel a little “roll,” the side-to-side movement of the ship.

Ship locations: Specific words are used to describe locations aboard watercraft. The stern is at the very back of the ship (aft is the back portion of the entire ship). The bow is the very front. Forward is near the front of the ship while midship is—you guessed it—the midpoint of the boat. Portside is the left side of the ship (as you face forward) while the starboard side is on the right. If you’re looking for the pool, head to the “lido” deck.

Specialty restaurant: A specialty, or alternative, restaurant requires a nightly per person fee in addition to your cruise fare.

Wake: The wake is the pretty trail of waves at the stern that’s created as the ship moves forward.

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New to cruising? Here are all the terms you need to know

If you're new to cruising, you may feel like your fellow passengers are speaking in an insider, secret language, exchanging words and phrases that stump you. Fortunately, TPG can keep you from getting lost in translation with this handy glossary of cruise lingo. Take a peek and you'll know your berth from a beam in no time.

The ship and nautical terms

Aft: The rear (stern) area of the ship. When you select a cabin, you can pick one in that's aft, midship or forward.

Atrium: The splashy main entrance and lobby of the ship. If you sail Norwegian Cruise Line , you may know this spot as the Centrum.

Beam: Refers to the ship's width at its widest point. This is important since it's the measurement that will tell a captain if a vessel can transit tight spaces.

Bow: The very front of the ship.

Bridge: The bridge is usually on a high deck and forward. It's where the captain and officers navigate the ship. It's command central and usually off-limits to passengers with the exception of small cruise lines such as Windstar Cruises and Uncruise Adventures that offer specific times when you can stop by the bridge to ask the officer and his or her team questions.

Bulkhead: Partition walls in strategic places on the ship to prevent the spread of fire or flooding.

Dry dock: When a ship is at a shipyard or other location to be refurbished or have technical upgrades made.

Forward: Toward the front of the ship.

Funnel: The smokestack at the top of the ship. Most cruise lines paint their logo on the side of the funnel.

Galley: The ship's kitchen. Megaships like Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas may have more than one galley.

Related: The ultimate guide to cruising with Royal Caribbean

Gangway: This is the removable ramp or steps that passengers use to board or disembark the ship.

Grand staircase: Many posh ships, such as Oceania's R-class ships, have a grand staircase in the atrium. It's a fabulous spot for photographs -- especially when you're all dressed up. You could use the shot on next year's holiday card!

Helm: The ship's wheel (or remote control navigation) and steering apparatus make up the helm.

Hull: The watertight body of a ship.

Keel: A bow-to-stern structural support that runs along the bottom of the ship. You'll often hear about a ship's keel-laying ceremony , which kicks off a major construction milestone.

Knot: Indicates the speed of a ship in nautical miles.

Lido deck: Old-school cruisers use this term to denote the pool deck.

Lifeboat: Every cruise ship carries smaller boats that can be used by passengers in case of emergency. Most often, these are separate vessels from the ship's tenders (see that term below).

M.S.: Means motor-sail, a type of ship. If you sail Windstar Cruises , you're likely already familiar with the term M.S.Y., which indicates motor-sail-yacht. Wind Surf, Wind Spirit and Wind Star are all motor-sail-yachts.

Midship: The middle section of the ship. If you're worried about getting seasick, book a cabin on a low deck at midship so you're close to the vessel's fulcrum point, where you'll feel less movement.

Mooring: A mooring is a physical structure to which a ship can be secured. Examples include piers, wharves, jetties, quays and anchor buoys.

Muster station: A designated location on the ship where each passenger must report for muster drill, a practice run in case of an actual at-sea emergency. Your muster station is printed on a map on the back of your cabin door and is listed on your cabin key card. The location could be in an interior bar or theater or on an open deck.

Panamax: A ship that's the right width to sail the Panama Canal. Anything larger than a Panamax vessel cannot transit the canal.

Port side: This refers to the left side of the ship as you face forward.

Porthole: An oval or round window. It's sealed shut so water can't get in, but it does provide light and a limited view to the world outside.

Promenade: The open-air walkways that usually span the entire length of both sides of the ship.

S.S.: Stands for "steam ship."

Skiff: These are shallow, flat-bottomed open boats used for expedition exploration. They are favored since you can execute wet landings on beaches and transit shallow bodies of water. They also help travelers get close to glaciers and rock formations. You may also hear people call them Zodiacs, but that's actually a brand name for this style of boat.

Stabilizers: Stabilizers, which sometimes look like wings on the sides of the ship, are retractable tools that can be deployed in rough seas. As the name infers, they stabilize the ship to provide a smoother sail.

Starboard: Refers to the right side of the ship as you face forward.

Stern: The rear end of the ship.

Tender: Small motorized boats that the cruise ship carries. They are deployed on port days and are used to ferry passengers from ship to shore.

Wake: If you've ever taken a cruise, you've probably photographed the ship's wake: It's the turbulence the ship causes in the water that creates a trail, not unlike an airplane's contrail.

Cabin intel

Balcony (veranda): Cruise ship cabins come in all types, including "balcony." It means the stateroom has a private balcony (shocker!) which is sometimes called a veranda.

Category: Ships can have several or many categories of cabins. This can mean inside, porthole, oceanview, balcony and suite varieties. And, one type of cabin can even have multiple categories. For example, inside cabins at the front of the ship, midship and aft can be in different cabin categories.

Related: The 5 best cabin locations on any cruise ship

Double occupancy: Most cruise fares are priced as double-occupancy, meaning two people sharing a cabin. If you book that cabin by yourself, you will often be charged a single supplement of up to 100% of the cruise fare. Alternatively, you can book a cabin meant for a solo traveler. Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean both offer them, as do a lot of river cruise lines. Or, look for a low or waived "single supplement" fare.

Inside: Inside refers to a cabin that has no porthole, window or balcony.

Junior suite: Not a true suite, but a cabin that has a bit more room than a traditional oceanview or balcony. The bedroom and living space are usually separated by a curtain or other movable partition. (See "suite" for more information.)

Obstructed view: You'll see this note on some deck plans showing cabin locations. Obstructed view means you don't get a full line of sight through your cabin's window. You may be able to see part or all of a ship's tender that's stored outside your window. On Celebrity Edge and Apex, some rooms have views obstructed by part of the mechanism of the Magic Carpet.

Outside: When you book an "outside" cabin, you're getting one that includes a window.

Pullman (Murphy) bed: This type of bed pulls down from the ceiling or wall. It's a space-saving way to add another sleeping area to a cabin.

Spa cabin: Many cruise ships offer incredible spa facilities. To leverage those services, some ships dedicate an entire category of cabins to the spa. These cabins -- often located on the same deck as the spa -- often have upgrades such as rainfall showerheads in the bathroom and select perks packaged in the cruise fare, such as access to the spa's thermal suite.

Suite: A true suite means the bedroom and living area is separated by a permanent wall.

Related: What it takes to get concierge or lounge access on a cruise ship

Upper/lower berths: This can refer to bunk beds with the upper referring to the top bunk and the lower referring to the bottom bunk.

Virtual porthole/balcony: Some inside cabins have a virtual porthole or window, which is a screen that shows a live stream of what's going on outside. You'll find these on certain Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line ships.

Cruise director: This is the person in charge of all the ship's social activities and entertainment. He or she is the MC for most events on board. Many cruise directors are highly trained musicians or entertainers.

Maitre d': This person holds court over an onboard restaurant and supervises the waitstaff and sommeliers. The maitre d' can assist you in making reservations and getting the specific table, waiter or waitress you prefer.

Porter: Shoreside, porters are the people who ferry your luggage from shore to ship, and vice versa.

Purser: The purser is usually found at the reception desk and is in charge of all onboard accounts and guest relations.

Sommelier: The terms sommelier and wine steward are interchangeable. This refers to the trained crewmembers who have an encyclopedic knowledge of wine. He or she can suggest the perfect wine to pair with your meals. Sommeliers also often host wine tastings on board and share their love of winemaking.

Steward: Each cabin is assigned a specific steward that tends to the room and its occupants throughout the cruise. Your steward will make sure your stateroom is set up correctly upon your arrival and will take care of daily cleaning and maintenance.

Dining terms

MDR: Stands for the Main Dining Room. The restaurant usually also has a specific name, such as the Sunrise Dining Room and Sunset Forward Dining Room on Carnival Sunshine.

Main seating/late seating: The Main Dining Room usually offers two sittings at dinnertime: main (also known as first or early seating) and a second, or late, seating.

Captain's or officers' table: Each evening in the Main Dining Room, the captain and other officers host tables. It's an honor to be invited to dine at one of these tables. Members of the cruise line's loyalty program are often invited and the cruise director may also recommend passengers for seating at one of these tables.

Related: A beginner's guide to cruise line loyalty programs

Open seating: Open seating means passengers can select where and when they want to eat, and with whom, instead of sticking to a strict early or late seating.

Specialty restaurant: Also known as alternative dining, specialty restaurants -- such as Cagney's Steakhouse aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships — are smaller dining venues than the MDR. You'll usually pay a per person surcharge or order a la carte off the menu.

Related: 5 reasons you should splurge on cruise ship specialty restaurants

Dress codes

Cruise casual: Most cruise lines have basic dress codes. For daytime, passengers can usually wear casual clothing such as T-shirts, shorts, jeans and sundresses. While you can wear a swimsuit at the pool deck, throw on a cover-up when in other parts of the ship.

Cruise elegant/country club casual: On some cruise lines, they've gotten rid of the formal night but still have a slightly dressier standard for dinner. it's called cruise elegant or country club casual. Women generally wear dresses, blouses and skirts or slacks while men can wear collared shirts and slacks. Suitcoats aren't required but can be worn if desired.

Formal night: Usually once per seven-night cruise or twice on a two-week voyage, it's when the cruise line asks passengers to dress up for dinner. That usually means a black-tie affair, with tuxedos or dark suits for men and gowns or cocktail-style dresses for women.

Onboard events

Captain's cocktail party: Nearly ever cruise itinerary kicks off with a captain's cocktail party and/or dinner. The gathering gives the captain a chance to introduce himself or herself, the officers and pivotal crew members. At the cocktail party, it's customary to receive a free glass of Champagne and appetizers. If the cruise line still has formal night, the event is often paired with the first one of the cruise. So, passengers get dressed up to enjoy the festivities.

Friends of Bill W: A fathering of Alcoholics Anonymous members. Watch the daily cruise planner for meeting times and places.

Friends of Dorothy: A gathering of LGBTQ cruisers. Watch the daily cruise planner for meeting times and places.

Sail-away: Stay topside as the ship departs its embarkation port. The cruise director and band are usually at the pool deck entertaining guests and the drinks start flowing. The sail-away from some home ports, such as Miami and Venice, are particularly beautiful.

Berth: This word is used in two ways in the cruising world: Berth can be the pier at which your ship docks. Or, it can refer to the beds in a cabin. For example, if a cabin sleeps three, it has three berths.

Dock: These structures are built next to the water and provide space for ships to tie-up to load and unload passengers.

Home port: The ports from which a cruise ship embarks and disembarks. For example, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral are all popular home ports in Florida where ships from many cruise lines depart on itineraries on a regular basis.

Pier: A pier is built with pillars or pilings over the water and is the place where ships moor.

Port of call: A ship's itinerary is made up of ports of call: The places the ship will stop so passengers can explore. Most cruises are a mix of sea days and days in port.

Shorex: This is an abbreviation for "shore excursion" and indicates the activities you can take part in on shore. You can purchase shore excursions directly from your cruise line or arrange them on your own.

Tender port: Some ports do not have facilities for cruise ships to dock. In those cases, they are called "tender ports" and that means you'll board the ship's tender (smaller boat) to transfer from ship to shore.

Transfers: Usually motorcoach transportation from the airport to the cruise terminal and vice versa at the beginning and end of your cruise. You can purchase these transfers from your cruise line.

Cruise-specific terms

Air/sea: Cruise lines offer air/sea, or fly/cruise, packages that include both your flights to and from the ship as well as the cruise itinerary itself. Transfers between the airport and cruise ship are also usually included in the price.

All aboard: The time when all passengers need to be on board the ship before it sets sail. Ships don't wait for passengers in most circumstances so don't miss your all aboard time!

Back to back: This refers to two or more cruise itineraries that you book "back to back." It's a way to create a longer cruise vacation and see more ports of call. Most cruise lines offer a discount on the second itinerary in a back-to-back booking.

Charter: Cruise ships are the perfect venues for family reunions and corporate gatherings. You can charter an entire ship or just part of it. Sometimes you'll notice gaps in a cruise ship's schedule. Many times, it's because the ship has been chartered and there are no cabins available for anyone outside of that group.

Crossing: Crossings refer to sailings across oceans. Cunard's transatlantic crossings between Southampton, England, and New York City, are legendary.

Cruise contract: Before you book any voyages, carefully read the fine print in the cruise contract. It lists the various rules and regulations, including what recourse, if any, you have when things go wrong.

Cruise documents: About two weeks to 30 days before boarding your cruise ship, you'll receive your cruise documents. The paperwork includes your cruise ticket, airline tickets and hotel confirmations (if you booked them through the cruise line), pre-cruise and shore excursion information and luggage tags. Be sure to download this information from your online account. In most cases, you cannot board the ship without this paperwork in hand.

Cruisetour: This refers to a cruise and land tour package. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both offer cruisetour packages to Alaska so you can see the best of the state by sea and land.

Related: The ultimate guide to Princess Cruises

Disembarkation: Departing the ship on the last day of the cruise.

Doc dancing: When your cruise documents arrive via mail, courier or your email inbox, many cruisers do the "doc dance" to show their excitement that their cruise will begin shortly.

Embarkation: Boarding the ship for the first time at check-in.

Godmother: Every ship has a godmother who is installed at a ceremony that coincides with the brand-new ship's inaugural voyage. This person, usually a woman, christens the ship and wishes it a lifetime of good luck and special sailings. Godmothers are usually celebrities, royalty or industry executives.

Inaugural voyage: This is the big celebration every brand-new ship has when it first sets sail. It's not necessarily the ship's very first sailing, but it's the one at which a big deal is made and where the godmother christens the ship.

Lanyard: Many cruisers like to stash their cruise card (key to their cabin and method to charge items to their onboard account) on a lanyard. A strap hangs around your neck with a plastic pouch at the bottom to keep your cruise card easily accessible.

Maiden voyage: This is a "first" for the ship. It can be a brand-new ship's very first voyage or a ship can make a "maiden call" on a port it has never visited before.

Repositioning cruise: Repo, or repositioning cruises, happen at the beginning and end of a regional cruising season. It's when the ship repositions from one home port to another. For example, a ship may spend the winter cruising out of Miami for Caribbean itineraries. In the spring, the ship repositions to Barcelona to sail out of that home port for Mediterranean voyages all summer long.

Sea day: A day at which the ship doesn't stop at a port of call. It stays at sea all day and night.

Segments: Longer voyages, like world cruises, are often broken up into shorter "segments." This makes it possible for cruisers to book just part of a longer itinerary.

Turnaround day: This is the day one cruise itinerary ends and another begins. Turnaround days are tough on the crew since they need to see every passenger off the ship safely, clean and prep the ship for the next batch of passengers, and welcome them on board. It's a very long and busy day for the crew.

Upgrade fairy: The upgrade fairy visits passengers on occasion. This is when the cruise line calls you (or your travel agent) to offer an upgrade. They are usually paid upgrades but the discounts make them very attractive.

Waitlist: Sometimes, an entire cruise itinerary or the cabin category you're interested in will sell out. If you want to be notified when cabins become available, ask to join the waitlist. If someone cancels the trip and a cabin opens up, the cruise line will contact travelers on the waitlist.

World cruise: Many cruise lines offer three- to four-month-long itineraries that span the entire globe.

Pricing and the bill

All-inclusive: You'll see the term "all-inclusive" used often in relation to cruise fares. It means "everything's included." However, read the terms since that's usually not quite true. Mainstream cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line generally include accommodations, all meals in the main dining room and buffet (as well as other free restaurants), nonalcoholic beverages and entertainment. Extras like wine and booze, spa treatments, specialty (for-fee) restaurants and shore excursions still cost extra.

Related: The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line

Future cruise credits (FCC): If you had to cancel or postpone a cruise due to coronavirus, you're probably very familiar with future cruise credits. These are vouchers with a dollar value that the cruise line gives out in certain circumstances, such as when an itinerary is canceled. Cruisers who receive an FCC can rebook on another ship and itinerary of their choosing.

Chit: The "chit" is the bill of sale you'll sign onboard cruise ships when you make a purchase. That could mean buying a drink at the bar, paying for a T-shirt in the boutique or signing up for a shore excursion. On truly all-inclusive lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises or The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Club, you'll never sign a chit since nearly everything is included in your cruise fare.

Related: The ultimate guide to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Guarantee (GTY) cabin: You'll sometimes see GTY fares. This means you can book the cabin category but not select the actual cabin number as you normally would. You are guaranteed a cabin in that category but, if it sells out, you will be upgraded to the next available cabin type. Read this for a complete explanation of cruise cabin guarantee fares and when you should -- or shouldn't -- book one.

Onboard (shipboard) account: At check-in, the ship will open an onboard account for you, and you'll provide a credit card. Charges will be added to this account throughout your cruise. At the end of the voyage, you'll receive an itemized bill. If you're fine with it, the total will be charged to the credit card on record.

Onboard credit: Cruisers love onboard credit (OBC), which is also known as shipboard credit. It's basically money that's deposited into your onboard account that you can spend during your cruise on things like alcohol (if drinks aren't included in your cruise fare), shore excursions and specialty restaurant fees. Cruise lines often lure passengers to book cruises with the promise of OBC. Travel agents also often reward clients by giving them a certain amount of onboard credit to thank them for booking a cruise through their agency.

Example sentences cruise trip

Both companies say that their ships are thoroughly disinfected after outbreaks and throughout each cruise trip in accordance with strict protocols.

However, he forces himself to refuse his boss to go on a complementary cruise trip , as it leaves that same day.

Safari adventures, trekking expeditions, cruise trips, even five-star spa breaks - all are available to you and your offspring, tailor-made to suit the whole family.

Ministers are also expected to agree a package to revive cruise trips.

Nowadays still makes cruising trips to these coastal towns, which are also served by regular service ships.

Definition of 'cruise' cruise

Definition of 'trip' trip

Related word partners cruise trip.

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Build Your Own Vacation

Plan a cruise.

Ready to book an unforgettable adventure? Here’s everything you need to plan a memory-maxing vacation.

There’s a whole world waiting to be explored, and you’re just a click away from an unforgettable journey. Whether you’re planning your vacation from scratch, ready to book or want financing options, we’ve made it easier than ever to plan and book your cruise vacation. Traveling with a group of friends or family, celebrating a special occasion, or looking to extend your stay in one of your favorite departure or arrival ports? All the information you need on how to plan your cruise is right here.

YOUR ULTIMATE CRUISE CHECKLIST

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✔ Explore Our Ships

From the tallest slide at sea to spellbinding ice-skating performances, our adventure-packed fleet offers thrilling activities, world-class dining and incredible entertainment. Choose the ship that’s right for you.

✔ Find a Departure Port

It’s easier than ever to visit your dream destinations. Kickstart your vacation right from your backyard, or choose an exciting port in another state.

✔ Decide Your Itinerary & Book

You can’t go wrong with any itinerary you choose. Check out our weekend getaways and weeklong explorations. There are countless thrilling options.

✔ Choose Your Destinations

The world’s boldest ships sail to nearly 300 destinations worldwide, with itineraries that put multiple checkmarks on your bucket list.

✔ Prepare Your Travel Essentials

Already booked? Make the most out of your adventure by adding exciting shore excursions and deluxe drink packages. Be sure to also review packing tips and essential documents for seamless onboarding.

✔  Decide Your Itinerary & Book

Gather your travel crew.

Are you looking for a romantic escape, a family getaway, or the perfect way to celebrate a milestone occasion? When you plan a cruise trip with us, you’re choosing a vacation that will max out memories like never before. From gourmet globetrotting and awe-inspiring entertainment to one-of-a-kind thrills and sun-soaked itineraries — you can count on larger-than-life experiences for adventurers of all types.

A ROMANTIC COUPLES GETAWAY

Wander Rome ’s ancient piazzas. Marvel at the sparkling azure light inside Capri’s Blue Grotto. Or savor mezes in a hillside taverna while magical colors fill the Santorini sky at sunset. And when you’re not exploring dreamy coastlines, fill your days at sea with endless romance — like intimate dining at specialty restaurants, pampering couples massages and date nights with show-stopping entertainment.

THRILLS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Discover the ultimate thrill-topping family vacation. From unforgettable onboard experiences like catching a wave on the FlowRider® surf simulator to earning bragging rights on the tallest waterslide in the Caribbean at our private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay — this is the epic family getaway you’ve been waiting for.

THE MORE THE MERRIER

Nothing fuels bolder bonding like an epic adventure with your squad. Whether you want to go on a romantic Euro-hopping honeymoon , plan an epic milestone birthday bash at our private island in The Bahamas , or spot whales in wild Alaska with your work buddies — make memories that last a lifetime.

FIND A DEPARTURE PORT NEAR YOU

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ALL CRUISE PORTS

Choose your destination.

No matter where you choose to sail from, you’re bound for a bold adventure. From snorkeling in the Caribbean to dog sledding in Alaska, castle chasing in Europe and kayaking in the Mexican Riviera — wow-worthy adventures are yours for the taking.

ALASKA GLACIER

PERFECT DAY AT COCOCAY

WESTERN CARIBBEAN

SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

EASTERN CARIBEAN

COZUMEL & CANCUN

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Greece & Greek Isles

BRITISH ISLES 

of the Seas

explore the best cruise ships

For years we’ve led the vacation industry with first-at-sea innovations, continually pushing the limits of the imagination with  award-winning  ships packed with revolutionary thrills. Like our Oasis Class  Wonder of the Seas℠  and Icon Class  Icon of the Seas℠  — the biggest, boldest ships to ever set sail. Our fleet has 28 thrilling ships, each delivering bold onboard thrills, world-class dining , jaw-dropping entertainment , and incredible accommodations .

EXPLORE OUR SHIPS

READY TO BOOK YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE?

FROM ESCAPES TO EXPEDITIONS

No matter how many vacation days you have to play with, there’s an epic getaway with your name on it. Choose from 3- and 4-night thrill-filled cruises to nearby shores, or opt for more vacation destinations and time to make memories on a week-long wander.

it's time to win the weekend

Not all weekends are created equal. Max out every minute without maxing out your vacay days. Tropic trek to sun-kissed shores. Take your tastebuds on a delicious globetrotting tour. And do it all before Monday — on our game changing ships.

EXPLORE WEEKEND CRUISES

WANDER FOR A WEEK

Go off the grid entirely or stay on the beaten path and soak up everything each destination has to offer — on a week-long cruise, you set the schedule. No matter what’s on your itinerary, planning an unforgettable 7-night week long cruise is as stress-free as an afternoon at the beach.

EXPLORE 7 NIGHT WEEK LONG CRUISES

what to KNOW before going on a cruise Planning your dream cruise vacation is easier than ever. With our online booking engine, you’re just a click away from scoring the adventure of a lifetime. If this is your first time booking a cruise or if you prefer to speak to someone, we recommend reaching out to our friendly representatives or your favorite travel advisor — who will happily answer all your questions.

After you’ve booked your cruise, follow the checklist below to ensure a smooth sailing.

✔ Download our  app  on your phone to start planning your vacation, complete online check-in, browse shore excursions, and more.

✔ Then visit our Cruise Planner , your go-to place to score bold savings on onboard dining and beverage packages, as well as thrilling excursions.

✔ Check out our Travel Documents page , for a run down on everything you may need to bring on your trip.

✔ Have other general questions? Explore our  frequently asked questions .

And if you don’t know what to pack or need inspiration for short trips, weeklong Caribbean getaways, or last-minute family vacation ideas, take a look at our useful  vacation travel guides .  Finally, be sure to read our Set Sail Guide , that details everything you need to know, from checking in, what to pack and more before your cruise.

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CONVENIENCE WE'RE HERE TO HELP

EXTEND YOUR STAY

Your vacation doesn’t have to end when you step off the ship. Royal Caribbean has partnered with hotels in select departure ports so you can save on stays before and after your cruise. Just contact the reservations department and choose from different packages designed to help you add more thrills to your getaway.

FROM CAR TO CRUISE

Ease in and out of your next cruise with transportation to and from your ship. You can pre-purchase airport shuttles, private transfers and even motor-coach travel on bus routes between major cities. When it comes to planning cruise vacations, we’ve done all the groundwork for a stress-free escape.

TRAVEL PROTECTION

Sometimes plans change. Make sure nothing gets in the way of your adventure with the Royal Caribbean® Travel Protection Program , which offers round-the-clock expert guest support, luggage and medical protection and coverage for travel delays and cancellations.

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

Download or print our digital brochure for even more information on itineraries, ships, adventures and how to book.

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A Cruise Glossary: Cruise Lingo You Should Know

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: August 29, 2020  - Last updated: January 23, 2023

On your first cruise, you’ll find that seasoned cruisers often tend to speak in cruise lingo. It’s a mix of nautical terms, cruise slang, and abbreviations that might send your head spinning if you’re unfamiliar.

But you’ll probably even encounter some unfamiliar cruise lingo before you set foot on the ship! When you’re booking a cruise, you’ll see lots of these cruise terms when you’re choosing an itinerary and picking your stateroom.

Let’s go over some cruise terminology you’ll want to know before you book your cruise, and what words you’ll want to be familiar with once you’re on board.

Terms you should know when booking a cruise

All-inclusive: a policy where all food, drinks, and entertainment are included in your cruise fare. Luxury cruise lines tend to be far more all-inclusive than mainstream cruise lines. Some luxury lines include airfare, shore excursions, and gratuities as part of the fare.

Read more: Which Cruise Lines Are All-Inclusive?

Balcony:  Sometimes called a verandah, a balcony is a private outdoor space attached to a stateroom. Most balconies face out to the water, but some large ships have interior balconies facing public areas.

Back-to-back: (Often written BTB or B2B) is the cruise term for booking two or more sailings in a row on the same ship.

Booze cruise: A slang term for a very short cruise sailing where many passengers’ primary objective is to drink a lot of alcohol. Some cruisers looking for a short relaxing getaway are often shocked that they’ve inadvertently booked a rowdy booze cruise.

Read more: Pros and Cons of Taking a Short Cruise (2-5 Days)

Closed-loop sailing:  A roundtrip itinerary that begins and ends in the same port. For ships sailing from United States ports, closed-loop sailings often have more relaxed rules that the cruise lines need to follow compared to cruises that begin and end in different ports.

Read more: Why Do Most US Cruises Have to Stop in a Foreign Port?

Cruise to nowhere : A short voyage in which a cruise ship leaves the embarkation port, sails in international waters for several days, then returns to the embarkation port without stopping at another destination. Cruises to nowhere are somewhat popular in Europe and Australia. The US banned this kind of cruise for foreign-flagged ships in 2016.

Cruisetour: A land-based excursion, usually by coach, that cruisers can take before or after a voyage.

Double occupancy: A policy requiring that a minimum of two cruise fares must be paid for a stateroom. Solo travelers booking a double occupancy cabin must pay a single supplement, often 100% of the fare, to book that room.

Expedition cruise: Sometimes called an adventure cruise, expedition cruises often visit far-flung locations like Alaska, Antarctica, or the Galápagos Islands. Ships are generally smaller and purpose-built. Expedition cruises offer more active excursions like hiking, kayaking, and nature walks, and enrichment lectures focus on the destination’s culture, history, and wildlife.

Read more: What Is an Expedition Cruise (and Why You Should Consider One)

French balcony: Although not technically a balcony, a French balcony is the term for a large sliding glass door that opens to the outside, but doesn’t have seating space. French balconies are often found on river cruise ships.

Gratuities: Tips paid to cruise ship staff by passengers. Gratuities for service crew accrue daily (often called automatic gratuities or autograts), and can be pre-paid or settled at the end of the cruise. Specialty dining and drink packages also include gratuities, so there’s no need to tip extra.

Read more: Tipping on a Cruise Ship: What You Need to Know About Cruise Gratuities

Guarantee stateroom: A fare class where cruisers are assigned a cabin from unallocated inventory before sailing. Cruisers will receive a stateroom assignment in the cabin category they paid for, or one in a higher category.

Read more: What Is a Guarantee Stateroom on a Cruise (and Should You Book One)?

Interior:  Also called an “inside cabin”, an interior is a stateroom that’s located away from the hull of the ship, in the ship’s interior. Inside cabins don’t have windows to the outside, although some newer ships might include a virtual window or a window to the interior of the ship.

Read more: Is an Interior Cabin Right for Your Cruise?

Loyalty program: A free plan that gives perks and discounts to repeat cruisers on the same cruise line. Cruise line loyalty programs often have several tiers, with more valuable perks offered to passengers who have sailed many times.

OBC: Onboard credit issued as a perk for booking a cruise, or as compensation for a negative event during the voyage. OBC can be used on the ship to pay for items in the ship’s stores, shore excursions, and specialty dining.

Obstructed view: A window or balcony that’s blocked by an object, usually a lifeboat. Obstructions can partially or completely block a window.

Ocean view:  A stateroom with a porthole or window facing the ocean.

Open-jaw sailing: A one-way cruise itinerary where the embarkation port and disembarkation port are not the same.

Port fees: Charges from the cruise port to the cruise line, which are passed on to the passenger at booking. Some ports charge more than others, so port fees can be adjusted if stops on the itinerary are canceled or changed.

Pullman bed: A bed that pulls down from the wall or ceiling of a stateroom to allow higher occupancy in a room. Cabin stewards set up and stow Pullman beds if anyone in your cabin will be using them.

Repositioning cruise: Sometimes called a repo cruise, repositioning cruises take ships from their seasonal home port to their home port for the next season. Repo cruises are generally long sailings with lots of sea days, and are often sold at bargain prices.

Shoulder season: The time period at the beginning and end of the busiest season for cruises in a given area. Cruise fares in the shoulder season can be significantly cheaper than in the peak tourist season.

You may also like: What is the Cheapest Month to Cruise?

Single supplement: The fee that solo cruisers must pay to book a double-occupancy stateroom. It’s usually 100% of the cruise fare, but some cruise lines slightly discount the supplement.

Stateroom: Also called a cabin, a stateroom on a cruise ship is a passenger’s on board accommodation. Staterooms can vary in size from tiny interior cabins to massive owner’s suites with several bedrooms and living areas.

Studio: Sometimes called a solo cabin, studios are small staterooms on some cruise ships that can accommodate a single cruiser. Studio cabins are an economical way for solo cruisers to travel, as a single supplement isn’t required.

Suite:  Larger accommodations on a cruise ship, often with separate living and sleeping rooms. Many cruise lines extend perks to suite guests, like private dining rooms, priority lines, or even butler service.

Theme cruise: A chartered cruise that appeals to a particular audience. Theme cruises for fans of a musical group or style are the most common, but other types of theme cruises center around health and wellness, or crafts. LGBTQ+ cruises are also a popular theme for chartered sailings.

Check out my list of Sweepstakes You Can Enter to Win a Free Cruise to find out how you could win tickets on a theme cruise!

Transfer: The term for coach transportation between the cruise ship and the airport or a hotel you booked through the cruise line before or after a cruise. Transfers are also often included with pre- and post-cruise shore excursions and cruisetours booked through the cruise line.

Mini-suite: Also called junior suites, mini-suites are a type of stateroom that’s usually a bit larger than a balcony cabin but smaller than a full suite. Mini-suites have a separate living space set off from the sleeping area by a partial wall or a privacy curtain. Guests in mini-suites usually don’t share in the added perks that suite guests enjoy, but some cruise lines offer special fare classes for this type of stateroom that allow you to enjoy some of the benefits.

Virtual balcony/virtual porthole: A high-definition screen mounted on the wall of an inside cabin to simulate the look and feel of a balcony or window. The screen shows a real-time feed from the exterior of the ship.

Wave season: The three-month period from January through March when cruise lines typically offer the best deals of the year.

Read more: How to Save Money on Cruises

General cruise ship terms you should know

All-aboard: The time all cruisers need to be aboard the ship on embarkation day and after each day in port. These times are listed in the daily planner, as well as on signs as you exit the ship. All-aboard time is always in ship’s time, which may differ from local time.

Bunkering: A ship’s term for refueling in port. Marine fuel is known as “bunker”, a term that most likely comes from the place a ship’s fuel is stored: the fuel bunker.

Charter: When a company or group books the entire ship (a full charter) or a large amount of cabins (a partial charter). Groups often book charters for theme cruises or corporate retreats.

Crossing:  A cruise across an ocean, such as a transatlantic or transpacific voyage.

Cruise card: A credit card-sized plastic card that each cruiser receives at check-in, linked to your onboard account. The cruise card serves as your boarding pass each time you return to the ship. As cruise ships are an almost cashless environment (except for in some casinos or if you want to give someone an extra tip), cruise cards are used to pay for everything around the ship from purchases in the shops to drinks at the bar.

Daily planner: A newsletter delivered to cruisers each day. The daily planner details times and locations of the next day’s activities. The planner also provides a weather report, port information, and any important announcements cruisers need to know. Each cruise line calls the daily planner by a different brand-specific name. Some cruise lines offer paperless planners via a smartphone app.

Departure port or embarkation port:  The port where your cruise begins.

Disembarkation:  The process of exiting the ship. You’ll sometimes hear this called “debarkation”. Most cruisers only use this term to refer to leaving the ship at the end of a cruise, but it technically can refer to any time you leave the ship.

Disembarkation Day: The last day on board the ship, when passengers leave at the end of a cruise. Disembarkation day isn’t a full cruise day—passengers generally need to disembark in the mid-morning at the latest.

Dry dock: A structure that’s flooded to allow a ship to float in, and is then drained once the ship is in position. This allows workers access to parts of the ship that are usually underwater to perform maintenance. Often when you hear that a ship “just came out of dry dock”, it means that major maintenance or refurbishments were just completed.

Embarkation: The process of entering the ship. Most cruisers only use this term to refer to boarding the ship at the beginning of a cruise, but it technically can refer to any time you come aboard the ship.

Embarkation Day: The day that passengers board the ship at the beginning of the cruise.

Read more: How to Have the Best Embarkation Day on a Cruise

FCC: an abbreviation for Future Cruise Credit, FCC may be used in lieu of cash to pay for all or part of a future cruise. FCC is issued if a sailing is canceled and the cruiser opts to not receive a cash refund of their fare. Cruise lines may also award FCC due to a major customer service issue.

Future Cruise Deposit: Similar to FCC, Future Cruise Deposits can be used to pay for part of a future cruise fare. These deposits can often be purchased at a heavy discount during a sailing to apply to another cruise.

Godmother: The honorary protector of a ship who blesses and officially names the vessel before its inaugural sailing. Traditionally the role of a well-known female, today some cruise ships have godfathers. Notable cruise ship godmothers and godfathers include Queen Elizabeth, Oprah Winfrey, activist Malala Yousafzai, and rapper Pitbull.

Read more: What Is a Cruise Ship Godmother (or Godfather)?

Itinerary: The list of ports visited on a cruise.

Muster drill: Also called the safety drill or lifeboat drill, the muster drill is a mandatory safety demonstration that all cruisers must attend. It’s usually held on the afternoon of embarkation day.

Open tender: The time when any guest can go ashore at a tender port of call (see “tender ports” below) without a ticket. Open tender generally happens after all passengers with tender tickets have left the ship, although later tenders will often take guests who didn’t pick up a ticket prior to tendering.

Pier: A fixed structure that allows a cruise ship to dock in a port. Passengers can disembark at a pier and walk directly ashore without tendering.

Pier runners: The slang term for cruisers who are late getting back to the ship for all aboard. Pier runners are generally seen frantically running toward the ship. Spotting (and heckling) them is a favorite pastime of some cruisers.

Read more: 35 Things You Should Never Do on a Cruise

Port of call:  Any destination on a cruise where the ship stops and lets passengers off for the day. Usually just called a port.

Private island: An exclusive destination that only cruise ship passengers can visit. Some cruise ship private islands are entire islands, and some are private sections of an island.

Read more: 12 Amazing Cruise Line Private Islands to Visit in 2021 and Beyond

Sea day: A day on a cruise itinerary when the ship doesn’t stop at any port.

Ship: The cruise vessel you’ll be traveling on. Call it a “boat” at your own risk! (This might be the #1 way to be identified as a new cruiser.) Boats are nautical vessels that can be carried by a larger boat or ship. Examples include lifeboats and tender boats.

Ship’s time: The time zone that the ship’s operations use on any given day. This is often local time, but not always! For example, a ship might visit several ports that are in close proximity to one another but in different time zones. To avoid switching in and out of time zones, the Captain might choose not to change to local time.

Shore excursion:  Sometimes abbreviated as “shorex”, a shore excursion is an activity at a port of call booked with the cruise line, a tour company, or as a DIY activity.

Stabilizers: A set of fins or rotors on ocean-going ships that reduce a ship’s rolling motion from waves or wind.

Tender: A smaller boat that ferries passengers from the ship to the shore (and back) when the cruise ship anchors in a harbor. Passage on tender boats is always free of charge, but guests without cruise line excursions often need to pick up a tender ticket or wait until open tender to secure a spot on a boat.

Tender port: Ports of call with shallow harbors (or limited piers for cruise ships) often force ships to anchor offshore and ferry passengers in on tenders.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About Tender Ports on a Cruise

Zodiac: An inflatable, rigid-bottomed boat used to transport expedition cruise passengers away from the ship.

Read more: What Is a Zodiac Boat on an Expedition Cruise?

Helpful cruise terms for around the ship

Aft:  The rear part of a ship. The opposite end of the ship from forward. Also used to specify which way you’re walking on a cruise ship, e.g. “Head aft and you’ll see the main pool.”

Atrium: The central part of a ship’s interior, with an open floor plan. A ship’s atrium often spans several decks and is where you’ll find guest services, shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Forward: The front section of the ship. The opposite end of the ship from aft. Also used to specify which way you’re walking on a cruise ship, e.g. “Head forward and you’ll see the library on your right.”

Bow:  The very front of the ship. Bow is pronounced to rhyme with “cow”—not like the word that refers to a ribbon tied in a fancy knot.

Bridge:  The location where the captain or officers command the ship.

Deck: Although today’s mega cruise ships can often feel like enormous resorts where you could easily forget that you’re even at sea, you’re still on a ship. Although you might be tempted to tell your family “Meet me at the pool on the seventeenth floor”, seasoned cruisers don’t call the levels on the ship “floors”. They’re decks. That pool? It’s on Deck 17. Or just say “Meet me on the Lido in an hour”.

Duty-free: Shops on board a cruise ship that sell products without having to collect local import taxes. Alcohol, tobacco products, and cosmetics are popular duty-free items.

Galley:  A kitchen on a cruise ship.

Gangway: The ramp or stairs that you use to embark or disembark the ship.

Hull:  The outer waterproof covering of the ship, from below the lowest open decks to the keel. A cruise ship’s hull is made of welded steel panels.

Keel:  The bottom center line of a ship, running from bow to stern.

Leeward:  The side of the ship that’s most sheltered from the wind. This side can vary based on the direction of the wind and the direction a ship is sailing. The opposite of windward.

Lido:  Also called the pool deck, the Lido is the deck where you’ll find the outdoor pools, sun loungers, and live entertainment.

Midship:  The middle area of the ship between forward and aft.

Muster station: A meeting point for guests and assigned crew in case of an emergency. Muster stations are assigned by cabin location, and are usually located on open decks near the lifeboats.

Port:  The left side of the ship as you face forward.

Promenade deck: A deck designed for walking in a circular path around the perimeter of the ship. Promenade decks traditionally were open decks, but today’s cruise ships sometimes have them partially or fully enclosed.

Starboard:  The right side of the ship as you face forward.

Read more: Port vs Starboard: Which Side Is Better on a Cruise?

Stern: The aft-most section of a cruise ship.

Windward: The side of the ship that’s least sheltered from the wind. This side can vary based on the direction of the wind and the direction a ship is sailing. The opposite of leeward.

Dining and Entertainment terms on a cruise ship

Captain’s table : The table where the Captain eats dinner, often with senior officers and invited guests. Passengers are sometimes invited to join by formal invitation, and this is considered to be quite an honor.

Captain’s party: Usually held on the first formal night of a sailing, the Captain’s party or ball is open to all passengers. During the party, which is often held in the atrium, guests will have the opportunity to chat and take photos with the Captain and officers. Often, complimentary Champagne or sparkling wine is served.

Resort casual:  The general dress code on many of today’s cruise ships, especially in the main dining rooms. It usually includes trousers and capris, casual dresses and skirts, polos or dressier tops, and dressy jeans. Some cruise lines have specific rules around shorts, sleeveless tops, or t-shirts, so check with your cruise line for their specific rules.

Formal attire:  For cruise lines that have formal nights, this is the dress code in the main dining rooms on these evenings. Dress code varies by cruise line, but many passengers wear cocktail dresses or longer gowns, a blazer, suit, or tuxedo.

Formal night: On more traditional cruise lines, there are often one or more evenings each week when formal attire is required in the main dining rooms. Formal nights often take place on sea days, and are announced in the daily newsletter.

Friends of Bill W . : The cruise ship term for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting on board.

Friends of Dorothy: The cruise ship term for LGBTQIA+ meetings and activities on board.

MDR: The main dining room (or dining rooms) on a cruise ship.

Read more: What New Cruisers Don’t Know About Cruise Food & Drinks

Seating: On cruise ships with assigned dining times, there’s often more than one set dinner time. These times, known as seatings, are spaced several hours apart.

Served buffet: A style of buffet where each guest indicates which dishes they’d like to have, and crewmembers place their servings on a plate. Served buffets are popular on luxury cruise lines, although mainstream cruise lines will offer served buffets during times of increased risk of disease transmission.

Open seating:  On cruise lines that allow guests to eat dinner on their own schedule, at least one dining room will have open seating. Passengers don’t need to make a reservation or dine at a specific time.

Sailaway party: On embarkation day, the cruise director and entertainment staff host a party, often on the Lido deck, to celebrate leaving port and the beginning of the cruise. Sailaway parties often feature live music and dancing.

Specialty restaurant: A dining venue on a cruise ship that offers elevated cuisine and service for an extra fee. Specialty restaurants often serve food from a specific region, like Italian, French, or Japanese. Or they may specialize in seafood, BBQ, or steak dishes.

Terms for cruise ship employees

Butler: Some cruise lines employ butlers, generally for suite guests, who pick up where cabin stewards leave off. Butlers can pack and unpack your luggage, make dinner reservations, take care of laundry service, and arrange in-suite dinner or cocktail parties.

Cabin steward:  A crew member responsible for cleaning your stateroom, setting up beds, and delivering items like ice and extra hangers. Stewards are often excellent sources of information, especially for new cruisers and guests who are new to the cruise line.

Captain:  The cruise ship Captain holds the ultimate responsibility for safe transportation of the ship, passengers, and crew. They direct the ship’s navigation and make decisions to avoid hazards, especially those due to weather conditions. The Captain also socializes with passengers, notably at Captain’s table dinners and at the Captain’s party.

Crew: Service employees on the ship including waitstaff and cooks, bartenders, and cabin stewards. Skilled maintenance workers like carpenters, electricians, and plumbers are also considered crew.

Cruise director:  The staff member who organizes entertainment and activities on a cruise ship. A cruise director usually takes on the role of Master of Ceremonies during events and parties, and spends time mingling with guests to make sure everyone’s having a good time. Cruise directors also oversee the entertainment staff on board.

Dance Host: Sometimes called a “gentleman host”, male dance hosts are available on some of the more traditional cruise lines to dance and converse with unattached female cruisers. Dance hosts aren’t technically employed by the cruise line, but receive free or heavily discounted fares in exchange for their service.

Head Waiters: Although service levels in cruise ship restaurants are often impeccable (even on mainstream cruise lines), the Head Waiter in the MDR and in specialty restaurants is there to ensure service runs smoothly and guests enjoy the experience.

Maître d’:  A cruise ship Maître d’Hôtel (usually abbreviated as Maître d’, and pronounced “may-truh-DEE”) is in charge of operations for one or more restaurants on a cruise ship. Cruise ship passengers with dietary restrictions can usually speak with the Maître d’ to ensure kitchen and waitstaff comply with those needs, but sometimes the Head Waiter takes care of that function.

Officers: Employees on a cruise ship who oversee the safety, navigation and mechanical aspects of the ship. Officers report directly to the ship’s Captain.

Porter:  A baggage handler that takes your checked luggage on embarkation day and delivers it to the ship. Porters often aren’t cruise line employees, and they rely on tips (generally $1 to 2 per bag).

Purser:  The Purser on a cruise ship is the staff member in charge of guest billing and all monetary transactions on board.

Purser’s desk: Traditionally, the Purser’s desk is the place where guests can ask questions about charges to their on board account. Today, what used to be called the Purser’s Desk is generally called Guest Services, Passenger Services, or the Reception Desk. Cruisers can still ask questions about their onboard accounts, along with other general questions. If you have a problem with your cruise card not working, or you need to check the lost and found, this is where you need to go.

Staff: Cruise ship employees in upper-level positions including cruise directors, assistant cruise directors, entertainers, retail workers, and spa technicians.

Nautical terms cruisers should know

Knot:  The unit of speed used by ships. One knot is equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. In the 16th century, sailors used a rope with knots tied at intervals in a length of rope to measure speed. As the ship moved forward, the line of rope rolled out behind the ship. The number of knots that went over the ship’s stern during a period of time was used to calculate the speed.

You may also like: How Fast Do Cruise Ships Go?

Mooring:  A permanent structure to which a ship is tied, such as a pier when in port.

Wake:  The waves created by a ship as it moves through the water. The wake is seen as a churning trail of water at the stern of a ship.

What’s your favorite cruise lingo? Are there any cruise terms I should add to the glossary? Let me know in the comments below!

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Travel vs Trip – Difference

What is the difference between Travel and Trip?

These two words frequently confuse learners of English.

A quick explanation that is valid for most situations is the following:

Travel – a verb (the action) Trip – a noun

Susan’s husband isn’t in town at the moment; he is on a business trip . He travels to many different countries. Susan met her husband on a trip to the Bahamas.

Travel – to go from one place to another Trip – a journey that is often for a short period of time.

NOTE: There are some exceptions to the general rule above.

Travel can also be a noun when it refers to the act of traveling.

• Travel is difficult in that part of the country since there are no paved roads.
• Travel broadens your mind.

Sometimes Travel appears in plural form and in that case is normally preceded by a possessive adjective (my travels, his travels etc.)

• She has had many adventures in her travels .
• I have never seen any as strange as that in all of my travels .

Trip can also be a verb though it has a completely different meaning. To Trip – to accidentally stumble and almost fall while walking or running, usually after catching your foot on something.

• He didn’t see the cat and he tripped up.

Trip vs. Journey

A trip usually refers to traveling to a place and returning back to where you started. A journey usually implies traveling from one place to another (not necessarily returning to where you started). It sometimes refers to the length of time taken to go from one place to another.

• They went on a journey through South America that lasted 6 months.
• It is a three-day journey by train.

Some more uses of the word Trip

A day trip usually refers to a tourist activity that occupies your entire day. A business trip is when you travel for business reasons. A round trip means to travel somewhere and return to place of original, there and back (= a return trip)

Summary Chart

What is the best trip you have ever had?

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What is raw-dogging flights? What to know about TikTok's latest viral travel trend

Frequent flyers usually pack at least one carry-on bag that contains a book, music and some other form of time-consuming, idle-amusement providing entertainment.

But suppose you wanted travel without all those trappings?

Welcome to the world of raw-dogging flights.

Here's everything you need to know about TikTok 's latest viral trend and challenge.

What does raw-dogging flights mean?

Essentially, raw-dogging flights means traveling with as little items as possible. The extreme raw-dog flyers only travel with the clothes on their backs and enough identification to get on the flight.

"'Raw-dogging,' a new trend that’s blowing up on the social media platform, particularly among males, requiring people to sit through a long-haul flight with zero distractions or forms of entertainment," read Travel Week's raw-dogging guide . "This means no phones, movies, music, books or even sleep, food and water. If people can just sit there, for hours, without any stimuli, they get instant bragging rights."

Raw-dogging flights a viral TikTok trend

Several social media influencers on TikTok have amassed millions of views of their videos depicting hardcore raw-dogging flights.

"Just raw-dogged it, 15 hour flight to Melbourne," read the caption to the video posted to TikTok user Torrenfoot's account . "No movies, just a flight map. I counted to a million twice."

The official TikTok account for the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club posted a video of its players raw-dogging flights:

Norwegian swimmer and 2024 Paris Olympic Games athlete Henrik Christiansen also posted. video to his TikTok page about raw-dogging flights to Paris:

Is raw-dogging flights safe?

Published reports indicate that raw-dogging flights - particularly, long or international flights - could cause health issues, including blood clots, that could be fatal.

Other published reports have labeled the TikTok trend as dangerous and outright stupid .

Raw-dogging flights have also be blamed for causing other physiological problems, including heightening anxiety, nervousness and restlessness.

If you want to test your limits from the East Coast, flights from Philadelphia to Doha, Qatar are just under 13 hours non-stop and JFK to Singapore non-stop lasts close to 19 hours.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

New EU airport scanners 'in two months' could mean big delays to France, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal

Travellers are being told that the system which scans passports and biometric data automatically could hit trips to European countries

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When a brand new system called EES becomes operational in autumn, non-EU travellers entering the Schengen Area will have to go through new scanners at EU borders in a move critics fear will lead to '12 months of delays'. In less than two months everyone entering the European Union will have to go through a completely new passport control procedure.

The EU's post-Brexit Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on 10 November, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has confirmed. And this means that the new €7 fee to get into countries including France, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal will follow.

When it becomes operational in autumn, non-EU travellers entering the Schengen Area will face new border controls. Everyone will have to go through new scanners in the automated registration system - including everyone travelling from the UK. Travellers will need to scan their passports or other travel documents at a self-service kiosk each time they cross an EU external border.

It will not apply to legal EU citizens or residents or those with long-stay visas. There have been concerns that there could be teething problems - potentially causing big delays at ports and airports. Brits will need to scan their passports or other travel document at a self-service kiosk each time they cross an EU external border.

The system will register the traveller’s name, biometric data, and the date and place of entry and exit. Facial scans and fingerprint data will be taken every three years and are valid for multiple trips within that period. Home Affairs Commissioner Johansson said: “The moment is finally there. There may have been times you believed it will never happen But it's going to happen. Everything is coming together. We're in the final testing phase. There is a real momentum now. Carriers, operators, train stations, airports, everyone is getting ready for the big day.”

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The EES was first slated to launch in 2022 but has faced multiple setbacks due to IT issues and delays in installing the automated barriers required at all international land, maritime and air borders in the Schengen Area. Ms Johansson said: “With the EES we will know exactly who enters the Schengen area with a foreign passport, “We will know if people stay too long, countering irregular migration.

And the EES will make it harder for criminals, terrorists or Russian spies to use fake passports thanks to biometric identification, photos and fingerprints.” Andrea Godfrey, head of Regent Travel has spoken about possible delays caused by the system. She previously said: “We have been told to expect delays and queues in airports for up to a year. The early days of these schemes are likely to be chaotic and slow.”

Discover Ferries, the industry body for passenger ferries, also expressed concerns about “the lack of clarity” on the EES system. Earlier this year French Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said the EU ’s external borders would face “serious operational problems.” Vergriete added, “We are aware of the risk in terms of passenger fluidity. It is a challenge, and we must not get this wrong.”

French authorities will operate EES border checks at the UK’s Port of Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel. They are currently working with the UK government to minimise the system’s impact on border flows and traffic, but express concern about potential waiting times. Government agencies and representatives for the tourism industry have said that the EES will likely cause long queues for ferry traffic sailing from Dover to Calais.

Roughly six months after the launch of the EES will see the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). This new scheme obligates non-EU citizens who do not require an EU visa to gain travel authorisation to enter the bloc (as opposed to the EES which is a monitoring system of border crossings by third-country nationals). The visa waiver will be mandatory for anyone wishing to visit the Schengen Area short term.

Travellers will be able to apply for ETIAS online before their trip at a cost of €7. Once approved, the electronic travel authorisation will be electronically linked to their passport and will last for three years.

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