Reference Guide
Glossary of Cruise Terms
Cruise news and forums are full of terms tossed around like everyone already knows them. If you're new, half the value gets lost in vocabulary you were never taught. Here's the plain-language glossary — bookmark it, we'll keep adding to it.
Ship & Sailing Basics
- Homeport
- The port where your cruise starts and ends. "Miami is the homeport" means you fly into Miami, board there, and disembark there at the end.
- Itinerary
- The schedule of ports your ship visits, day by day.
- Port day vs. sea day
- A port day means the ship is docked somewhere and you can get off; a sea day means you're sailing and staying onboard all day.
- Muster drill
- The mandatory safety briefing before departure where you learn what to do in an emergency and where your life jacket/muster station is. Required by law, takes about 20 minutes, non-negotiable.
- Tender port
- A port where the ship can't dock directly, so you take a small boat ("tender") to shore. Takes longer to get on and off than a regular port.
Cabin Terms
- Interior/inside cabin
- No window. Cheapest option.
- Ocean view/outside cabin
- Has a window or porthole, but no balcony.
- Balcony/veranda cabin
- Has a private outdoor balcony attached to the room.
- Suite
- Larger cabin, often with extra perks (priority boarding, better dining access, concierge service) depending on the line.
Money Terms
- Gratuities
- A daily service charge (usually $16–23/person/day) added to your bill for crew tips. Sometimes included in your fare, sometimes not — always check.
- Onboard credit (OBC)
- Pre-loaded spending money on your cabin account, often given as a booking incentive. Use it or lose it — it typically doesn't refund as cash.
- Drink package
- A flat daily fee that covers unlimited drinks up to a price cap. Worth it only if you'd otherwise be buying multiple drinks a day.
Ship Features
- Muster station
- Your assigned meeting point during the safety drill and in an actual emergency.
- Lido deck
- Usually the pool deck, often with the buffet restaurant.
- Promenade
- An indoor "main street" area on some ships with shops, bars, and entertainment.
None of this is complicated once you know it. The problem is nobody hands you the vocabulary before throwing you into forums and news articles that assume you already have it. Now you do.