What is a gangway on a cruise ship?

“The gangway is located aft on the starboard side.”

It’s entirely reasonable for a crew member to say this to you — and for you to not understand a word of all those nautical terms. It’s easy to learn that “aft” refers to the back of the ship and “starboard” is the sailor’s term for the right side, but what exactly is a cruise ship gangway — and what do you need to know about this common cruise structure?

“Gangway” is the name given to any walkway, staircase or platform that allows you to board or disembark from a ship. The location and style of gangway you’ll use during your cruise might be different from one day to the next. The characteristics of the gangway are dependent on the port, the sea conditions and the ship itself. Even where you find your cruise ship’s gangway can be confusing as the ship moves from port to port.

Let’s clarify some jargon and examine all the possibilities for entering and exiting your cruise ship via a gangway.

How do you use a cruise ship gangway?

At major cruise terminals, like those at your embarkation or departure port, the gangway is often like an airplane jetway. It’s an enclosed walkway from the terminal building to a midlevel deck of the ship. You’ll enter the gangway from a hallway at the terminal and exit onto a welcoming deck where crew members greet you and point you in the direction of your cabin.

Small ships might require you to walk across the pier and then up a flight of stairs or a ramp to board, even at major port facilities. It’s similar to how boarding regional jets varies from entering full-size jets, even at large airports.

To depart the ship once it docks or anchors and is cleared by local authorities in a port of call, you’ll pass through a line to check out from the ship, usually by scanning your cruise ship keycard.

At ports where the ship is tied at a dock, the gangway might consist of nothing more than a metal ramp with handrails bridging the small gap between the ship and the concrete pier. If the ship is anchored away from the port, tender boats will take passengers to shore; the gangway will be a platform attached to the side of the ship from which you access the boats. Crew members are always on hand to help you safely into the tender.

Upon return to the ship after a day in port, you’ll likely be greeted by crew members on the pier, sometimes with cool drinks or towels and a spot to rest in the shade. They will point you toward the gangway or tender dock, which might have changed a bit while you were gone.

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Fluctuating sea conditions and tides can increase or decrease the steepness of ramps and staircases throughout the day. Occasionally, crew members even swap to different gangway equipment to improve accessibility.

Once back on the ship, you’ll scan back in with your keycard and pass through a security checkpoint.

Related: The biggest mistakes cruise ship passengers make on port days

Where do you find the cruise ship’s gangway?

Signs, announcements and crew members will point you toward the location of the gangway, which can change from day to day based on sea conditions and docking facilities at each port. You might board the ship initially on Deck 5, leave in the first port of call from the forward port side on Deck 2 and disembark to a tender boat from a midship gangway on the starboard side in the next port.

I’ve even been on a river ship with a bow that opened to reveal a long gangway bridge that was deployed directly to shore in a spot where the river was too shallow to allow normal parallel docking at a pier.

“Gangway up” refers to the time at which a cruise ship takes the last steps to leave a port of call. Passengers are usually expected to return to the ship a half-hour or even a full hour before departure time. Gangway up is the time at which the captain essentially considers all passengers not on board as not coming aboard. The gangway is hauled in through the opening in the hull, or if a port gangway is in use, it is pulled away from the ship by port personnel.

Captains hold the cruise ship gangway for various reasons, such as when ship-sponsored tours or transportation methods are delayed, or when passengers are involved in medical emergencies.

It’s far better to be back on board your ship watching the gangway-up process than to be left behind.

Related: 12 ways to speed up the cruise embarkation process

Cruise lines place a high priority on passenger safety, making the collapse of a gangway unlikely but not impossible. In 2022, a port authority-owned gangway in Panama City collapsed, injuring 11 passengers of Norwegian Encore as they were reboarding the ship after a day in port. Reports indicated that the changing tides had increased the steepness of the gangway, possibly contributing to the collapse.

Are cruise ship gangways accessible if I use a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility aid?

If you have mobility limitations, it is important to choose your cruise line, ship and itinerary carefully. Don’t assume that every gangway will be wheelchair-friendly or that crew members will be there to assist with lifting scooters or wheelchairs in all situations.

Ports that require tendering pose one possible scenario where the gangway might be inaccessible: on days when the seas are particularly rough. I have seen tender crews help passengers using mobility aids on calm days but decline on choppy days.

Related: 6 tips for going on a cruise as a wheelchair user

Some small cruise lines use stairs for gangways in all ports, making them inaccessible for wheeled devices. Even if the port of departure has accessible gangways, checking the accessibility of a line’s port gangways is critical for those who rely on assistive devices and wish to leave the ship in ports of call.