Considering your first Alaska Cruise. Looking forward to cruising those Alaskan waters but don’t know what all those nautical and cruising terms mean?

Do not worry, below we have listed a Glossary for the most common Alaskan Cruise terms.

Aft – The back of the ship
Ahead – located in front of the ship’s bow
Amidships – Toward the middle of the ship (also midship)
Ashore – On land
Astern – Behind the ship
Beam – Widest part of the ship
Bearing – Compass point direction into which the ship is headed
Below – Anything beneath the main deck
Berth – A bed; also a space to anchor or moor (tie up) the ship
Bilge – Lowest inner part of the ship’s hull
Blast – Sound of the ship’s horn
Bow – Front of the ship
Bridge – Place where the Captain and Officers control the ship
Bulkhead – Any wall aboard the ship
Buoy – A floating marker moored to the bottom of the sea or tied to an anchor
Cabin – A passenger guestroom; also called a stateroom
Cast Off – To release the lines that tie the ship to the pier
Chart – A nautical map to guide the ship
CLIA – Cruise Line International Association
Come about – Turn the ship around
Course – Direction in which the ship is headed
Davit – Device for raising and lowering the lifeboats
Deck – Floor or level
Disembark – to leave the ship (also Debark)
Dock – Where the ship is tied up; the landing wharf or pier
Draft – Measure of the space between the bottom of the ship & the water surface
Embark – To get onboard the ship
Fore – Front of the ship
Galley – Ship’s kitchen
Gangway – Ramp use to board or disembark the ship
Head – Bathroom
Heavy Seas – Rough water
Helm – Ship’s steering mechanism
Hold – Ship’s cargo area
Hull – Frame of the ship
Keel – Bottom of the ship
Knot – 1 nautical mile per hour = about 1.15 land miles per hour
Leeward – Direction toward which the wind is blowing
Lines – Ropes that tie the ship to the dock
Midship – In the center of the ship
Muster – Assembly
Nautical mile – 6,080.2 feet (land mile equals 5,280 feet)
Pitch – Rise and fall motion of the ship in heavy seas
Port Side – Left side of the ship when facing the front
Roll – Side to side motion in heavy seas
Starboard – Right side of the ship when facing the front
Stateroom – Guest cabin
Stern – Back of the ship
Tender – A small boat used to transport passengers from the ship to shore
Windward – facing the wind

Now you can cruise and relax without wondering what all those ‘in the know’ people were talking about.

Read our other articles to get a full rundown on the latest Alaska Cruise Tips.

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