Do you care about the language?

[vicmic83]

Have spent 14 1/2 years on US Navy ships. Terminology is not an issue. Having spent 121 days at sea and without hitting a port, or 3 ports on a six month cruise was my job. My big concern is #1 No Rain, and not oversleeping. The high point is on this cruise I won't be standing 8-12 hours a day on watch in addition to my normal duties. So..... I am going to sleep in my bed (Navy term Rack), in my bedroom (Navy term; compartment), shower in my shower (Navy term; head). Walk down the hallways (Navy term; passageways), Dine on a nice meal (Navy term; Eat chow on the messdecks). Yes... I am going to be irrevent and relaxed. Those with sea duty backgrounds will understand this, If your a member of ships company, you can call it a boat. If your not a member of ships Company or never sailed as a member of a crew, It is a Ship! I stand corrected by those with more than 24 Years in the Navy, or over 14 years seaduty, or those with higher rank, the rest of you have not earned that right.

[Vicar]

This thread reminds me of an old comedy skit.

A man walks into a very ritzy art gallery and looks at a painting and says to the owner of the gallery.

 

"Thats a nice picture of a boat"

 

The owner is incensed and tells the man . excuse me but this is not picture, but rather a painting and it is not a boat it is a ship, and then goes in a long spech of the history of the artist and the ship in question in the most condescending tone he can muster.

 

The man takes in this whole tirade in stride, and then tells the owner, "Well its still nice, i'll give you $50,000 for it.

 

The gallery owner shakes the mans hand and excitedly tells him "Mister, ya just bought a real nice picture of a boat." :)

[imsulin]

RevNeal - I just love you! You don't mind that I'm a Lutheran, you don't mind that I occasionally choose to genuflect backwards, you don't mind that I used to be an Anglican, you don't mind that I enhanced (more than once) the Communion wine with a little vodka, you don't mind that I never go to church, you don't mind that I cruise on many lines, and you don't mind that I'm very particular about spelling and grammar! (dinning - stewart - st. marteen , et. al.) I also am pretty particular about ship vernacular. Thanks, Rev Neal!

[jhannah]

Good one, Lisa L. I haven't thought of the Port Tack and Starboard Tack in a long time. Loved eating there. Somehow, Senior Frogs (or whatever it is now) just doesn't measure up! ;)

 

As for terminology, I like to use proper terms. But it doesn't really bother me one way or the other. When did the plank become a gangway????

[Cruiseoften]

Do you suppose the mariner or sailor of yesteryear might be somewhat confused with the proper terminology when referring to today's vessel? Since our 'ships' now sport ice rinks, rock climbing walls, minature golf courses, casinos and other sites of pleasure, maybe we should consider some new terminology. We are now dealing with complexes of massive proportions.

Anyone have any suggestions for new references? It could be some fun.:cool:

 

Yesteryears mariners/sailors would be totally dumbfounded by the so-called ships of today. I seriously wonder if they should be referred to as ships!!!!!!!!

 

They float it's true but are more akin to apartment or condo blocks. We've so far avoided travelling on any of the ungainly monsters.

 

Have to say it does bug me when people, after having spent 7 days on board, still enter the elevator and say 'hit floor 3 for me' and don't know Port from Starboard. That said, without a compass in my car, on a dull day I don't know in which direction I'm driving! :( We all have our hang-ups!

[Sailure]

It doesn't bother me when someone who's not familiar with ships and other sea vessels and don't know the proper names or terminology for everything.

 

MOST people go on cruises to take a vacation not because they're sailors or were born to the sea but to go on one of those "floating resorts" to have a good time.;)

[RevNeal]

RevNeal - I just love you!

 

From one former Anglican to another ... thanks. Someone needs to love me. :)

[dam1050]

It actually bothers me more when I read on many message boards "dinning" room instead of "dining room", or "alot" or "allot" for "a lot" (two separate words) .... LOL

 

Dave

[Esme]

The writing was on the wall when the pursers desk was changed to guest relations...

 

:confused:

The Purser's desk was never changed to the Guest Relations. The Purser used to have a separate office beside the Front Desk office, but now his/her office is located behind the Front Desk office. The GRM, (a position created a few years ago,) who is supposed to have specific hours to meet passengers at his/her located outside the Front Desk, is a separate department and if they are not at the desk you can ask the Front Desk personnel to speak to them.

[sail7seas]

The Purser used to be a three stripe position. When the duties of his office were split up and some of those functions were handed to GRM/Front Office, the position became two stripe.

 

 

There is one Purser on HAL who wears three and one-half stripes which I found very interesting. (Captain and Hotel Manager wear four sripes). After spending many evenings enjoying his company, I finally asked why he was "ranked" higher than all other Pursers on HAL.

 

He has been with the company for so many years that he earned one-half stripe for his years of service and when the position went from being a three stripe to a two stripe, the company did not "take away" the stripes he already was wearing....quite appropriately IMO

 

Many long time HAL cruisers are sure to know who I am referring to. Absolutely great gentlemen IMO.

[Esme]

"Many long time HAL cruisers are sure to know who I am referring to. Absolutely great gentlemen IMO."

 

We are long time cruisers with HAL (23 years) and have no idea who you are talking about. Care to let us know?

[glrounds]

I am personally very pleased when people correctly refer to the front of the ship as "the pointy end" and to the opposite as "the blunt end".

Globaliser,

This works great until they get into a canoe. :)

[Globaliser]

This works great until they get into a canoe. :)

And is that when they discover they don't know their aft from their elbow? ;)

[imsulin]

Well, they're sitting on their "aft" in that canoe!

[gizmo]

The Purser used to be a three stripe position. When the duties of his office were split up and some of those functions were handed to GRM/Front Office, the position became two stripe.

 

 

There is one Purser on HAL who wears three and one-half stripes which I found very interesting. (Captain and Hotel Manager wear four sripes). After spending many evenings enjoying his company, I finally asked why he was "ranked" higher than all other Pursers on HAL.

 

He has been with the company for so many years that he earned one-half stripe for his years of service and when the position went from being a three stripe to a two stripe, the company did not "take away" the stripes he already was wearing....quite appropriately IMO

 

Many long time HAL cruisers are sure to know who I am referring to. Absolutely great gentlemen IMO.

Who are you referring to?

[imsulin]

Call me dumb, but I thought that only the Captain/Master could wear four stripes? Or do the Captain's stripes have the executive curl and the Hotel Manager's stripes don't? At least, that's the way it was when I was on the Titanic.

[cactuslady]

Thank goodness HAL ships have no baggywrinkles, Charlie Nobles, spankers, or belaying pins! (Perhaps there are pintles and gudgeons at the rudder, but we never see them.) Imagine the struggles had by the new swab, freshly shanghaied former plow boy, in the days of the full-rigged ships -- "Is that the maintopmast studdingsail or the main-topgallant studdingsail?"

 

I enjoy learning all the terms, but will be quite happy as long as there are teak deck chairs and a menu sufficiently varied to prevent scurvy.

[catlib55]

I'm with Globaliser: I always refer to the front of the ship as the "pointy end" and the back of the ship as the "round end."

 

But I really don't care who calls any of it what. I just love cruising!!!

 

'Til we sail on Rotterdam,

Mary Ellen

[Tatka]

I hate the word "Boat"... other things don't bother me as much , maybe because I don't know them too well ;)

 

I used to know every term in Russian and now I have to learn it again.

 

Last year on Century one of the daily planners (I think on the second day) contained a special page with every term ...including more advanced terms like "Leewards" etc. It was nice, unfortunately I was on "vacation" and didn't want to learn anything. :D

[glrounds]

Tatka,

I don't know if you were born and raised in Russia or how long you've been in America or what is the extent of your education, but rest assured, Tatka, Your English is just FINE ! ! :D :D

[sail7seas]

I totally agree. You have a wonderful command of the English language. I envy multi-linquists.

[Johanna7]

All I care about on a ship is staying out of the Brig

[JohnR49er]

Where is the Poopdeck?

[digby]

Do you make any effort to learn proper shipboard terminology? Does it matter to you the proper word is stern when referring to the back of the boat? Do you notice when speaking with other cruisers if they call Deck 3, the third floor?

 

NO! I don't care what it is called. I just want to enjoy it all.

[Tatka]

Tatka,

 

I don't know if you were born and raised in Russia or how long you've been in America or what is the extent of your education, but rest assured, Tatka, Your English is just FINE ! !

Thank you!

 

I was born, raised and educated ( including higher education) in USSR. Moved to US at 24 (8 years ago) and now proud :) citizen of US.

 

My passion for cruising is international. One of the reasons I was happy to move here was freedom to travel, and to cruise of course.

 

What I meant to say was I knew all "ship" terms in Russian,...For example "forward" of the ship in Russian was "nos" (like nose), and stern??? (back of the ship) was "korma", person who prepares food was "kok".

 

It's my English lack of ship termenology that bothers me.:eek:

 

I think ship kitchen is galley(?).

 

In my understanding people don't bother to learn all the terms because they treat new ships more like hotels or resorts. Many of new ships are exactly that, resorts IMHO. Otherwise how can anybody explain the need to have Promenade parades, Rock Climbing walls, Mini-golfs or Ice Shows. When I go on cruise my main preference is to be OUTSIDE watching ocean waves go by, feel ocean breeze !

 

All these other activities I can do on land... With my son playing hockey all year long I don't miss ICE a bit! ;)