🚢 Cruise Ships

⏱ 17 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for talking about cruises, cruise ships, cabins, ports, onboard activities, and visiting different destinations during a cruise vacation. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Cruise Vocabulary

🚢 Cruise / Cruise ship
a vacation on a large ship that visits several ports
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Crucero
🇫🇷 French: Croisière
🇩🇪 German: Kreuzfahrt / Kreuzfahrtschiff
🇮🇹 Italian: Crociera
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cruzeiro
🛏️ Cabin
your room on the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Camarote
🇫🇷 French: Cabine
🇩🇪 German: Kabine
🇮🇹 Italian: Cabina
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Cabine
🌊 Ocean
the large body of salt water the ship sails on
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Océano
🇫🇷 French: Océan
🇩🇪 German: Ozean
🇮🇹 Italian: Oceano
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Oceano
⚓ Port
a harbor where the ship stops
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Puerto
🇫🇷 French: Port
🇩🇪 German: Hafen
🇮🇹 Italian: Porto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Porto
🧳 Luggage
the bags you bring on the trip
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Equipaje
🇫🇷 French: Bagages
🇩🇪 German: Gepäck
🇮🇹 Italian: Bagaglio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bagagem
🎟️ Ticket / Passage
the booking that lets you travel on the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Billete / Boleto
🇫🇷 French: Billet
🇩🇪 German: Ticket / Fahrkarte
🇮🇹 Italian: Biglietto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bilhete / Passagem

🟡 Cruise Activities & Travel Vocabulary

🏊 Pool
a place on the ship to swim
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Piscina
🇫🇷 French: Piscine
🇩🇪 German: Pool / Schwimmbad
🇮🇹 Italian: Piscina
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Piscina
🍽️ Restaurant
a place on the ship where you eat
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Restaurante
🇫🇷 French: Restaurant
🇩🇪 German: Restaurant
🇮🇹 Italian: Ristorante
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Restaurante
🌴 Island
land with water all around it
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Isla
🇫🇷 French: Île
🇩🇪 German: Insel
🇮🇹 Italian: Isola
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ilha
🛳️ Deck
an outdoor floor of the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cubierta
🇫🇷 French: Pont
🇩🇪 German: Deck
🇮🇹 Italian: Ponte
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Convés / Deck
🗺️ Excursion
a short trip you take when the ship is in port
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Excursión
🇫🇷 French: Excursion
🇩🇪 German: Ausflug
🇮🇹 Italian: Escursione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Excursão
⚓ Port of call
a city or island where the ship stops
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Puerto de escala
🇫🇷 French: Escale
🇩🇪 German: Zwischenstopp / Hafenaufenthalt
🇮🇹 Italian: Porto di scalo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Porto de escala

🔵 Cruise Activities & Actions

🚢 To go on a cruise
to take a vacation on a cruise ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Ir de crucero / Hacer un crucero
🇫🇷 French: Faire une croisière
🇩🇪 German: Eine Kreuzfahrt machen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare una crociera
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fazer um cruzeiro
⚓ To board
to get on the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Embarcar
🇫🇷 French: Embarquer
🇩🇪 German: Einsteigen / An Bord gehen
🇮🇹 Italian: Imbarcarsi
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Embarcar
🚢 To disembark
to get off the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Desembarcar
🇫🇷 French: Débarquer
🇩🇪 German: Von Bord gehen
🇮🇹 Italian: Sbarcare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Desembarcar
🗺️ To go on an excursion
to take a planned trip from the port
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hacer una excursión
🇫🇷 French: Faire une excursion
🇩🇪 German: Einen Ausflug machen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare un'escursione
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fazer uma excursão
🌴 To visit an island
to spend time on an island stop
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Visitar una isla
🇫🇷 French: Visiter une île
🇩🇪 German: Eine Insel besuchen
🇮🇹 Italian: Visitare un'isola
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Visitar uma ilha
📸 To take photos
to make pictures with a camera or phone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tomar fotos / Sacar fotos
🇫🇷 French: Prendre des photos
🇩🇪 German: Fotos machen
🇮🇹 Italian: Scattare foto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tirar fotos

🧠 Talking About Cruises

💡 Use go on a cruise or take a cruise to talk about taking a cruise vacation.
We're going on a Caribbean cruise this summer.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Vamos a ir de crucero por el Caribe este verano.
🇫🇷 Nous allons faire une croisière dans les Caraïbes cet été.
🇩🇪 Wir machen diesen Sommer eine Karibikkreuzfahrt.
🇮🇹 Faremo una crociera nei Caraibi quest'estate.
🇵🇹 Vamos fazer um cruzeiro pelo Caribe este verão.
Last year, we took a Mediterranean cruise.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 El año pasado hicimos un crucero por el Mediterráneo.
🇫🇷 L'année dernière, nous avons fait une croisière en Méditerranée.
🇩🇪 Letztes Jahr haben wir eine Mittelmeer-Kreuzfahrt gemacht.
🇮🇹 L'anno scorso abbiamo fatto una crociera nel Mediterraneo.
🇵🇹 O ano passado fizemos um cruzeiro pelo Mediterrâneo.
💡 Use have / has to describe the features and amenities of your cabin or cruise ship.
Our cabin has a balcony.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Nuestro camarote tiene balcón.
🇫🇷 Notre cabine a un balcon.
🇩🇪 Unsere Kabine hat einen Balkon.
🇮🇹 La nostra cabina ha un balcone.
🇵🇹 A nossa cabine tem varanda.
The ship has several pools and restaurants.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 El barco tiene varias piscinas y restaurantes.
🇫🇷 Le bateau a plusieurs piscines et restaurants.
🇩🇪 Das Schiff hat mehrere Pools und Restaurants.
🇮🇹 La nave ha diverse piscine e ristoranti.
🇵🇹 O navio tem várias piscinas e restaurantes.
💡 Use stop at or call at when talking about a cruise ship stopping at a destination during its journey.
The cruise stops at three different islands.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 El crucero hace escala en tres islas diferentes.
🇫🇷 La croisière fait escale sur trois îles différentes.
🇩🇪 Die Kreuzfahrt hält an drei verschiedenen Inseln.
🇮🇹 La crociera fa scalo in tre isole diverse.
🇵🇹 O cruzeiro faz escala em três ilhas diferentes.
Tomorrow, we stop at our next port of call.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mañana hacemos escala en nuestro próximo puerto.
🇫🇷 Demain, nous faisons escale dans notre prochain port.
🇩🇪 Morgen halten wir in unserem nächsten Hafen.
🇮🇹 Domani facciamo scalo nel nostro prossimo porto.
🇵🇹 Amanhã fazemos escala no nosso próximo porto.

❓ Useful Cruise Questions

🚢 What time can we board?
asking when you can get on the ship
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿A qué hora podemos embarcar?
🇫🇷 French: À quelle heure pouvons-nous embarquer ?
🇩🇪 German: Um wie viel Uhr können wir an Bord gehen?
🇮🇹 Italian: A che ora possiamo imbarcarci?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A que horas podemos embarcar?
🛏️ Where is our cabin?
asking where your room is
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde está nuestro camarote?
🇫🇷 French: Où se trouve notre cabine ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo ist unsere Kabine?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dov'è la nostra cabina?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde fica a nossa cabine?
⚓ What time do we arrive at the next port?
asking when the ship reaches the next stop
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿A qué hora llegamos al próximo puerto?
🇫🇷 French: À quelle heure arrivons-nous au prochain port ?
🇩🇪 German: Um wie viel Uhr kommen wir im nächsten Hafen an?
🇮🇹 Italian: A che ora arriviamo al prossimo porto?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A que horas chegamos ao próximo porto?
🗺️ Where can we book an excursion?
asking where to reserve a shore trip
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Dónde podemos reservar una excursión?
🇫🇷 French: Où pouvons-nous réserver une excursion ?
🇩🇪 German: Wo können wir einen Ausflug buchen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dove possiamo prenotare un'escursione?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Onde podemos reservar uma excursão?

💬 Common Cruise Phrases

🚢 This summer, we're taking a cruise that visits several Caribbean islands.
the trip will stop at more than one island
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Este verano vamos a hacer un crucero que visita varias islas del Caribe.
🇫🇷 French: Cet été, nous allons faire une croisière qui visite plusieurs îles des Caraïbes.
🇩🇪 German: Diesen Sommer machen wir eine Kreuzfahrt, die mehrere karibische Inseln besucht.
🇮🇹 Italian: Quest'estate faremo una crociera che visita diverse isole dei Caraibi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Este verão vamos fazer um cruzeiro que visita várias ilhas do Caribe.
⚓ The ship will arrive at the port early, so we'll have almost the entire day to explore.
an early arrival gives you more time on land
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: El barco llegará al puerto temprano, así que tendremos casi todo el día para explorar.
🇫🇷 French: Le bateau arrivera tôt au port, donc nous aurons presque toute la journée pour explorer.
🇩🇪 German: Das Schiff wird früh im Hafen ankommen, also haben wir fast den ganzen Tag zum Erkunden.
🇮🇹 Italian: La nave arriverà presto in porto, quindi avremo quasi tutto il giorno per esplorare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: O navio chegará cedo ao porto, por isso teremos quase o dia todo para explorar.
🛏️ Our cabin has a balcony where we can look out over the sea.
the room opens onto a private outdoor space
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Nuestro camarote tiene un balcón desde donde podemos contemplar el mar.
🇫🇷 French: Notre cabine a un balcon d'où nous pouvons contempler la mer.
🇩🇪 German: Unsere Kabine hat einen Balkon, von dem aus wir aufs Meer schauen können.
🇮🇹 Italian: La nostra cabina ha un balcone da cui possiamo contemplare il mare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A nossa cabine tem uma varanda de onde podemos contemplar o mar.
🌴 During the stop, we took the opportunity to explore the island and discover some new places.
the port stop was used for sightseeing
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Durante la escala aprovechamos para recorrer la isla y conocer algunos lugares nuevos.
🇫🇷 French: Pendant l'escale, nous en avons profité pour parcourir l'île et découvrir quelques nouveaux endroits.
🇩🇪 German: Während des Zwischenstopps haben wir die Gelegenheit genutzt, die Insel zu erkunden und einige neue Orte zu entdecken.
🇮🇹 Italian: Durante lo scalo abbiamo approfittato per percorrere l'isola e conoscere alcuni posti nuovi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Durante a escala aproveitámos para percorrer a ilha e conhecer alguns lugares novos.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Finding your cabin
asking how to reach a cabin number
A: Excuse me, do you know how to get to cabin 825?
B: Yes. It's on deck eight, at the end of this hallway.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: Disculpe, ¿sabe cómo llegar al camarote 825?
🇪🇸 B: Sí. Está en la cubierta ocho, al final de este pasillo.

🇫🇷 A: Excusez-moi, savez-vous comment aller à la cabine 825 ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui. Elle est au pont huit, au bout de ce couloir.

🇩🇪 A: Entschuldigung, wissen Sie, wie man zur Kabine 825 kommt?
🇩🇪 B: Ja. Sie ist auf Deck acht, am Ende dieses Flurs.

🇮🇹 A: Scusi, sa come arrivare alla cabina 825?
🇮🇹 B: Sì. È al ponte otto, alla fine di questo corridoio.

🇵🇹 A: Com licença, sabe como chegar à cabine 825?
🇵🇹 B: Sim. Fica no convés oito, no final deste corredor.
Planning a shore excursion
deciding what to do at the next port
A: What do you want to do when we arrive at the next port?
B: I'd like to go on an excursion and then have some time to explore the city.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué quieres hacer cuando lleguemos al próximo puerto?
🇪🇸 B: Me gustaría hacer una excursión y después tener un poco de tiempo para recorrer la ciudad.

🇫🇷 A: Que veux-tu faire quand nous arriverons au prochain port ?
🇫🇷 B: J'aimerais faire une excursion et ensuite avoir un peu de temps pour parcourir la ville.

🇩🇪 A: Was möchtest du machen, wenn wir im nächsten Hafen ankommen?
🇩🇪 B: Ich würde gerne einen Ausflug machen und dann etwas Zeit haben, die Stadt zu erkunden.

🇮🇹 A: Cosa vuoi fare quando arriviamo al prossimo porto?
🇮🇹 B: Mi piacerebbe fare un'escursione e poi avere un po' di tempo per percorrere la città.

🇵🇹 A: O que queres fazer quando chegarmos ao próximo porto?
🇵🇹 B: Gostaria de fazer uma excursão e depois ter algum tempo para percorrer a cidade.

📝 Example Sentences

🏊 We spent part of the afternoon relaxing by the pool while the ship sailed toward the next port.
pool time while the ship was moving
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Pasamos parte de la tarde descansando junto a la piscina mientras el barco navegaba hacia el próximo puerto.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons passé une partie de l'après-midi à nous détendre près de la piscine pendant que le bateau naviguait vers le prochain port.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben einen Teil des Nachmittags am Pool entspannt, während das Schiff zum nächsten Hafen fuhr.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo passato parte del pomeriggio a riposare vicino alla piscina mentre la nave navigava verso il prossimo porto.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Passámos parte da tarde a descansar junto à piscina enquanto o navio navegava para o próximo porto.
🍽️ We had dinner at one of the ship's restaurants after returning from our excursion.
dinner onboard after a shore trip
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Cenamos en uno de los restaurantes del barco después de regresar de nuestra excursión.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons dîné dans l'un des restaurants du bateau après être revenus de notre excursion.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben in einem der Restaurants des Schiffes zu Abend gegessen, nachdem wir von unserem Ausflug zurückgekehrt waren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo cenato in uno dei ristoranti della nave dopo essere tornati dalla nostra escursione.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Jantámos num dos restaurantes do navio depois de regressarmos da nossa excursão.
📸 We went up to the deck to take photos of the sunset while we were sailing at sea.
sunset pictures from an upper deck
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Subimos a la cubierta para sacar fotos del atardecer mientras navegábamos por el mar.
🇫🇷 French: Nous sommes montés sur le pont pour prendre des photos du coucher de soleil pendant que nous naviguions en mer.
🇩🇪 German: Wir sind aufs Deck gestiegen, um Fotos vom Sonnenuntergang zu machen, während wir auf See unterwegs waren.
🇮🇹 Italian: Siamo saliti sul ponte per scattare foto del tramonto mentre navigavamo in mare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Subimos ao convés para tirar fotos do pôr do sol enquanto navegávamos no mar.
🌴 At one of the ports of call, we visited a small island and spent the morning near the beach.
a beach morning during a stop
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: En uno de los puertos de escala visitamos una isla pequeña y pasamos la mañana cerca de la playa.
🇫🇷 French: Lors d'une des escales, nous avons visité une petite île et passé la matinée près de la plage.
🇩🇪 German: An einem der Zwischenstopps haben wir eine kleine Insel besucht und den Morgen in der Nähe des Strandes verbracht.
🇮🇹 Italian: In uno dei porti di scalo abbiamo visitato una piccola isola e passato la mattina vicino alla spiaggia.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Num dos portos de escala visitámos uma ilha pequena e passámos a manhã perto da praia.
🧳 We left our luggage in the cabin before going out to explore the different areas of the ship.
bags stay in the room while you look around
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Dejamos el equipaje en el camarote antes de salir a conocer las diferentes zonas del barco.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons laissé nos bagages dans la cabine avant de sortir découvrir les différentes zones du bateau.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben unser Gepäck in der Kabine gelassen, bevor wir losgegangen sind, um die verschiedenen Bereiche des Schiffes zu erkunden.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo lasciato il bagaglio in cabina prima di uscire a conoscere le diverse zone della nave.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Deixámos a bagagem na cabine antes de sairmos a conhecer as diferentes zonas do navio.
⚓ We returned to the ship with plenty of time before the scheduled departure.
back onboard well before sailing time
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Regresamos al barco con suficiente tiempo antes de la hora prevista para zarpar.
🇫🇷 French: Nous sommes revenus au bateau avec suffisamment de temps avant l'heure prévue pour appareiller.
🇩🇪 German: Wir sind rechtzeitig vor der geplanten Abfahrt zum Schiff zurückgekehrt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Siamo tornati a bordo con abbastanza tempo prima dell'orario previsto per salpare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Regressámos ao navio com tempo suficiente antes da hora prevista para zarpar.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%