No doubt about it; cruise ships (and it’s always a ship, never a boat) have a lingo all their own. Some terms, like Stateroom, date to the grand old days of passenger steamers, when your cabin was your home for weeks at a time. Some, like the ritual Muster Drill, remind us that there was a time when the only mega-ships plying the seas were Navy battle ships. Others seem to describe things found only at sea--Tanzanite, anyone?

We’ve compiled a handy glossary to help you make sense of cruise talk. Read up, and sound like a pro on your cruise!

A B C D,E F G-I J-M N,O P Q,R S T-Z

Aft: The back end of the ship. Hint: First, visit the Fore of the ship. After that, be sure to check out the back, or aft end.

Alternative Dining: Once upon a time, cruise passengers were expected to report to assigned tables at assigned Seating times for meals. They could wear whatever they wanted, as long as it was formal. But more and more cruise ships now offer hipper and more flexible dining alternatives. You’ll be able to sample smaller, more intimate restaurants where you might get a table for two, and will usually get to eat at whatever time you please--and wear whatever you want. Examples include Royal Caribbean’s Johnny Rockets restaurants, Disney Cruise Line®’s Palo Italian restaurant, and Norwegian’s quirky Chinese/Italian mix, Ciao Chow. (Read more.)

Art Auction: Who says there’s no culture on the high seas? Most ships hold at least one art auction during the course of a cruise. The art for sale is usually quite affordable, and surprisingly good.

Azipod Propulsion: Ships powered by Azipod propulsion are a bit more maneuverable and much quieter than older propeller-driven ships.

Balcony/Verandah: Some Outside Staterooms (and most suites) have a balcony or veranda where you can sun and sightsee in relative privacy. Often available for as little as $15/day extra, many cruisers consider this a vital upgrade--especially in places like Alaska where the scenery never stops.

Bridge: The area of the ship where steering and navigation are controlled. Sometimes a scheduled tour of the bridge area will be offered--check the daily activity listings for times.

Captain’s Dinner: On most cruises, even ones where the dress code is Casual, you’ll have the chance for a group dinner--or at least a cocktail party--with the captain. This event is always optional, but many people enjoy the opportunity to dress up and meet the captain of their ship.

Casual: During the day, casual can be as dressed-down as a tee shirt and shorts, or even a bathing suit. On many ships, however, you will be expected to wear long pants (not jeans), a shirt, and shoes in restaurants and clubs after 6pm. (The opposite of casual is, naturally, Formal.)

Chocoholic buffet: Yes, these really exist. Norwegian Cruise Line pioneered the concept of a buffet where everything, from cakes to cookies to bon-bons, is made of luscious, diet-busting chocolate. Good thing Norwegian ships also offer guests free use of exercise equipment.

Cruise to Nowhere: A cruise spent entirely at sea in international waters, with no stops in port.

Disembarkation: Cruise-speak for getting off the ship.

Embarkation: Cruise-speak for getting on the ship.

Fore: The part of the ship that’s in front as you face forward. Opposite the Aft end.

Formal Wear: Most cruises still feature at least one formal dress night (an exception is Windstar, whose cruises are all-casual, all the time). Although there is often an alternative restaurant open at the same time where you can dress casually if you wish, most passengers enjoy the opportunity to put on the Ritz. Dress codes and customs vary by ship, but in general formal means a dark suit and tie for men--a tuxedo wouldn’t even look out-of-place on many ships (you’ll be able to rent one onboard, if you want). Women usually wear cocktail dresses or pantsuits. (Contrast with Casual dress, which is the rule any other time onboard.) When booking a cruise online, be sure to read Cruise Critic reviews to get an idea of what to expect on a particular cruise.

Freestyle: Specific to Norwegian Cruise Line, Freestyle cruising allows you to choose when you want to eat and what you want to wear to dinner--every night. More and more cruise lines are following suit. Carnival, for instance, now offers “Total Choice Dining,” allowing guests leeway choosing their seating times, and Princess offers a similar Personal Choice dining program.

Galley: The ship's kitchen, where all dining-room meals are prepared.

Inside Stateroom: A cabin with no windows facing the outside. Generally less expensive than an Outside cabin.

Internet Café: More and more common on board ships, Internet cafés offer computers allowing you to surf the net and send e-mail. Prices are steep, but often less expensive than placing a ship-to-shore telephone call.

Midnight Buffet: It’s not always at midnight (on some ships, you only have to stay awake until 11:30 or so), but most ships offer a midnight buffet. As a matter of fact, most ships now offer some form of dining--or at least room service--around the clock, ensuring you never have to go hungry onboard.

Muster Drill: Also known as the lifeboat drill, every cruise ship holds this safety drill at the beginning of a cruise. It may seem silly, but you’ll find out which lifeboat is yours in the (extremely unlikely) event of an emergency. Plus, it’s mandatory! There will be instructions in your cabin telling you where to report for your drill, and announcements telling you when.

Oceanview: All Outside cabins have windows, but if your stateroom is called an oceanview, you can be sure there will be no beams or lifeboats obstructing your view.

Outside Stateroom: A cabin with a window that faces outward (as opposed to a stateroom located Inside the ship). Usually synonymous with an Oceanview stateroom, however some outside cabins have partially blocked views. (Travelocity’s deck plans can help you see where your cabin is before you book it.)

Port: The left side of a ship, facing forward. It’s easy to keep port and Starboard straight if you notice that “port” and “left” have the same number of letters.

Purser: The Purser's Desk is a combination bank/post office/information booth/lost-and-found/authority on customs and immigration, and safe deposit trustee. Usually open 24 hours for all your information needs.

Registry: Why is your ship registered in Liberia? Or Panama? For tax reasons, cruise-ship lines find it less expensive to register their ships abroad. International standards of safety and sanitation do apply, though. For instance, the U.S. Coast Guard requires that all foreign-flagged ships calling at U.S. ports pass inspections based on the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS. So even though it’s far from home, your cruise ship is guaranteed to meet strict safely and health guidelines.

Rock Climbing: Believe it or not, it really is possible to rock-climb on board a cruise ship. Royal Caribbean has several ships with rock-climbing walls, and hopes to eventually have them installed on every vessel in the fleet.

Seating: On most cruises, you will be assigned a dining-room seating, either early or late. This is the time you will be eating dinner for the duration of the cruise. The early seating is typically at 6 or 6:15pm, and the late seating usually starts between 8 and 8:15pm. If this won't work for your party, the Maitre 'd can sometimes help change your time. Also keep in mind that many ships offer Alternative restaurants where you will have more flexibility about time.

Shore Excursion: Any organized trip to shore is a shore excursion. Virtually every ship has a shore excursion desk set up to help passengers plan their activities. You don’t have to be signed up for an excursion to get off the ship when it’s in port, but because ports aren’t always near tourist areas, it’s a good idea. Shore excursions vary widely by cruise line and destination, but they can range from a quick and inexpensive bus tour of a city to an Alaskan glacier trek, guided visits to European cathedrals, or excursions to private Caribbean beaches.

Starboard: The right side of a ship as you face forward. So called because in the olden days, English ships traditionally had a sort of a rudder, or “steerboard” hanging off the right side, and so….actually, we can never remember that story. Probably the best way to remember which side is starboard is to remember that Port is the left side.

Stateroom: A cruise-ship cabin. Staterooms come in two basic styles: Inside, and Outside, although on any ship you will find subdivisions within each category. Some outside staterooms have Balconies, or Oceanviews, for instance, while slightly less expensive room will not.

Suite: Suites are larger than the average stateroom, normally including more than one room. They sometimes also offer luxurious touches like floor-to-ceiling windows, hot tubs, entertainment systems--even a butler!

Tanzanite: Tanzanite is a beautiful blue or purple stone seemingly found only in two places in the world: Tanzania, and cruise ships. You may find it in shops at home, but it seems to be a particular obsession in cruising circles--on some sailings you can’t swing a shuffleboard cue without hitting a boutique specializing in the stone.

Tender: Most ports that cruise ships call on have large enough docks and deep enough harbors that the ship can discharge passengers directly onto the dock. A few smaller ports, however, can’t accommodate today’s mega-ships. In this case, small boats, called tenders, ferry passengers from the ship to the dock.