Getting Ready and Cruising Lingo

One week tomorrow we will be boarding the Caribbean Princess and setting sail out into the deep blue sea. Our suitcases are out, passports ready, boarding passes printed, shore excursions booked and lists of things to do, buy and pack are getting longer and longer. Some people think that women require lots of luggage but I am starting to think a 3 year old needs even more.

Jeff and I keep telling Adam that we are going on a big boat and he seems very interested in this idea. He loves motion and all things water so hopefully that will set the stage for a wonderful vacation for him.

Everyone talks about all the food on the ships and how it is available around the clock but I have never talked to any vegans, vegetarians or someone with a special dietary needs and how the cruise lines accommodate that. I am very pleased so far with the options we have been given. Princess has an online Cruise Personalizer we used to select vegetarian options for all 3 of us as well as note that Adam requires a dairy free diet. I thought we may need to bring our own soy milk supply but Princess has arranged for Adam to have his own private supply on board and advised us that the Maitre D' and head waiters can assist with any special food requests. They can even make any baked goods non-dairy as Princess does all of their baking on board. Vegetarian menus are available for each dining room meal so it seems we will not have any issues finding enough food. Thank goodness for the fitness facilities on the ship and all the walking we will be doing.

As I am typing this post I realized how little I know about cruising lingo so I thought I would compose a list of some common and important terms we should get to understand:

• aft - the back of the ship
  
• bridge - the location where the captain and crew steer the ship
  
• cabin or stateroom - passenger room on board the ship
  
• deck - each level or floor
  
• disembark - to leave the ship
  
• embark - to get on the ship
  
• gangway - the ramp or stair between shore and ship while docked
  
• muster - to assemble the passengers and crew (like during a lifeboat drill)
  
• pitch - the forward and backward rise and fall of the ship as it moves
  
• port - the left side of the ship
  
• promenade - the open deck around the ship often used for walking or jogging
  
• purser - financial administrator for guest services
  
• roll - the side to side movement of the ship
  
• starboard - the right side of the ship
  
• tender - small boat to transport passengers from ship to shore