Club Traveler

Ship-Speak—Words to Make You Sound Like a Cruise Pro

Ready for an adventure on the water? Learn some of the vernacular before you go. Take a look at these common terms and their definitions, and learn how they might be used in a sentence in one of the exciting Member cruise events in 2019.

Embark (verb)
  • Definition: To board a ship. (Disembark is the process of leaving a ship at the end of a journey.)
  • Used in a sentence: Club Members will embark the Azamara Journey on June 22 before setting out to sea on the Incredible Baltic Sea Golf Expedition.
Gangway (noun)
  • Definition: A staircase or ramp that extends to the pier and provides passengers a way to get on and off the ship.
  • Used in a sentence: To visit impressive sights on land, like the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, Club Members will exit the Azamara Journey via its gangway.

Learn more about this dose of Baltic history, luxury and golf on Club Traveler.

Stern (noun)
  • Definition: The back, or back section, of a ship. (The front of a ship is called the bow.)
  • Used in a sentence: Walk to the stern of Holland America’s MS Noordam and wave bon voyage as you set sail from Seward and begin your cruise journey through Alaska.
Stateroom (noun)
  • Definition: A room or sleeping cabin inside a ship.
  • Used in a sentence: Board the MS Noordam and find your stateroom, where you’ll rest your head between stops like Haines, Juneau and Ketchikan on board HGV’s second 2019 Member Cruise: A Breathtaking Alaskan Adventure.

Learn more about this Breathtaking Alaskan Adventure on Club Traveler.
Knot (noun)
Starboard (noun)
  • Definition: A ship’s right side when facing forward. (Port is the left side.)
  • Used in a sentence: Whether standing starboard or port, soak in 360-degree views of the Galapagos Islands thanks to the Celebrity Flora’s outward-facing design (picture above).

Learn more about this one-of-a-kind Galapagos Wildlife Tour on Club Traveler.



*Photo at top of page is courtesy of Celebrity Cruises.