Are you thinking of taking a
cruise vacation, but aren’t sure you want to travel on a ship that includes
something called a “poop deck”? Or, have you been on several cruises and still
don’t know what the “lido deck” is? Let go of your worries: the answers to
these and other perplexing cruise questions are right here.
You may be relieved to know that
a “poop deck” has nothing to do with dog walking or diaper failure. The poop
deck is a raised deck at the rear of the ship; often, it forms the roof of a
cabin below. In the days of the Roman Empire, sailors would place sacred
statues on the raised deck, perhaps so the idols could look down upon the rest
of the decks and grant protection to the ship and crew. These statues were
called puppis, and the raised deck
was called a puppim. The French
translated this term to la poupe;
over time, this evolved to “poop” deck.
“Lido” is an Italian word for beach: for example, Lido
di Venezia is the name of the barrier beach that protects the lagoon of Venice,
Italy. Through the centuries, lido became a term referring to a place where
people can swim, enjoy water sports and relax in the sun. On a cruise ship, the
Lido Deck is where you’ll find the ship’s main pools (and often a terrific
buffet as well). Back in the days when European steamships divided passengers
by fare classes, the Lido Deck was restricted to first-class passengers only;
today’s Lido Decks are enjoyed by all passengers.
Perhaps you’re not sure whether
you should refer to your accommodations as a “cabin” or a “stateroom.” You can
use either term, or both – they are interchangeable, though you may find that
some cruise lines consistently use one or the other. The more important word
may be the one that comes before cabin or stateroom – you definitely want to
know whether you are booking “inside” (no window), “outside” (a window), or “balcony”
(a step-out balcony, sometimes quite spacious) accommodations.
If you’re wondering where to get
your “sea legs,” you’ll get them automatically after your ship sets sail. Sea
legs is a term for the ability to maintain balance and walk steadily on the
deck of a moving ship. Today’s cruise ships are built for stability in the
water, and most passengers get their sea legs very quickly – if yours take a
little time to arrive, take advantage of the hand rails you’ll find all around
the ship.
If there are other cruise terms
that puzzle you, turn to your best resource for all cruise information: Anita, your
Cruise Holiday’s personal cruise expert.
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