Cruise Ship Crew Slang: 50 Words You’ll Hear Onboard
Decode directions, work routines and casual crew conversation with a pocket glossary that separates useful maritime terms from informal expressions and company jargon.
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Crew conversation mixes maritime terminology, company shorthand and ordinary slang. These 50 entries give you a starting vocabulary, not a universal onboard dialect. Formal means established maritime terminology; workplace means employment language; everyday means common descriptive language; informal means casual speech whose use varies.
Four directions. One fixed reference.
- Look down from above. Face the bow to identify port and starboard.
- Port: left when facing the bow.
- Starboard: right when facing the bow.
- Bow / forward at one end; stern / aft at the other.
Educational illustration; arrangements vary by vessel. Open the full-size diagram: Four directions. One fixed reference.
No matching terms. Try another word.
Finding your way
- Port, formal: The ship’s left side when you face its bow; also a harbour.
- Starboard, formal: The ship’s right side when you face its bow.
- Bow, formal: The forward end of the ship.
- Stern, formal: The rear end of the ship.
- Forward, formal: Towards the bow.
- Aft, formal: Towards the stern.
- Amidships, formal: Around the ship’s middle.
- Deck, formal: A ship’s floor or horizontal level.
- Bulkhead, formal: A wall or partition aboard a ship.
- Overhead, formal: The ceiling above you.
- Bridge, formal: The ship’s navigation and command area.
- Galley, formal: The shipboard kitchen.
- Mess, formal: A crew dining area; access arrangements vary.
- Gangway, formal: The access route used to board or leave.
- Berth, formal: A ship’s allotted mooring place, or a sleeping space.
Understanding the working day
- Watch, formal: A scheduled duty period, often for operational teams.
- Handover, formal: Passing relevant responsibilities and information to the next person.
- Muster, formal: An assembly, often connected with safety duties or checks.
- Muster station, formal: Your designated assembly location for specified situations.
- Drill, formal: A planned exercise to practise an assigned response.
- PPE, formal: Personal protective equipment appropriate to the task.
- Ship time, everyday: The time officially used aboard your ship.
- All aboard, everyday: The announced deadline to be back onboard.
- Sea day, everyday: An itinerary day without a scheduled port call.
- Port day, everyday: A day when the ship visits a port.
- Turnaround day, everyday: One voyage ends and the next begins.
- Embarkation, formal: Boarding a ship.
- Disembarkation, formal: Leaving a ship.
- Shore leave, formal: Authorised time ashore, subject to applicable arrangements.
- Tender, formal: A smaller boat transferring people between ship and shore.
Jobs, joining and leaving
- Master, formal: The captain in command of the vessel.
- Bosun, formal: A deck supervisory role; short for boatswain.
- Cadet, formal: A trainee following a structured professional training route.
- Purser, formal: An administrative or financial title with company-specific responsibilities.
- Sign on, workplace: Join the ship’s crew through its joining process.
- Sign off, workplace: Leave a shipboard assignment through its departure process.
- New joiner, workplace: Someone newly arriving for an onboard assignment.
- Rehire, workplace: A returning employee; arrangements depend on the employer.
- Rotation, workplace: An arrangement of periods working and periods away.
- Shoreside, workplace: A company team or operation based on land.
Casual crew conversation
- Newbie, informal: Someone new to the job or ship.
- Old hand, informal: Someone with experience; not a formal rank.
- Sea legs, informal: Feeling accustomed to a ship’s movement.
- Scuttlebutt, informal: Rumour or gossip; not a reliable information source.
- Back-to-back, informal: Consecutive voyages; clarify whether someone means guests or work.
- Crew bar, everyday: A designated social venue for crew, where provided.
- Crew mess, everyday: A dining space designated for crew.
- Cabinmate, everyday: The person sharing your cabin.
- Day off, everyday: Time off; ask what the actual schedule provides.
- Home time, informal: Casual talk about an approaching return home.
Illustrative example: “Meet aft after handover” still needs a deck, meeting point and time. Familiar words do not make an instruction complete.
Takeaway: Ask what unfamiliar words mean, especially during safety briefings. Slang belongs in conversation; clear language belongs in instructions.
Your next step
Sources
- Royal Caribbean: Cruise terminology glossary. Basic directions, boarding, deck, berth and purser terminology; definitions rewritten and company-specific details excluded
- US Naval History and Heritage Command: Old Salt Jargon. Basic shipboard vocabulary including bulkhead, overhead, galley and mess; naval usage is not claimed as universal cruise slang
- US Department of the Navy: Nautical Terms and Naval Expressions. Bosun terminology and scuttlebutt as informal speech
- IMO: SOLAS Chapter III summary. Formal context for muster, emergency training and drills
Sources are references, not endorsements. Examples in this article are illustrative and do not describe a particular company, ship or person. Arrangements vary by employer and vessel: your own ship's instructions come first.
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