• 14 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Cruise Ship

A cruise ship side-on, with the sea cut away to show the hull under the waterline.

Parts of a Cruise Ship

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Hull
  2. Bow
  3. Stern
  4. Superstructure
  5. Bridge
  6. Funnel
  7. Lifeboats
  8. Lido deck
  9. Promenade deck
  10. Anchor
  11. Bulbous bow
  12. Bow thruster
  13. Propeller
  14. Rudder

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-28. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a boat

All 14 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Hull The watertight body that floats the ship. It runs from the main deck down to the keel along the bottom.
  2. Bow The front end of the hull, where the anchor is stowed.
  3. Stern The back end of the hull, above the propeller and rudder.
  4. Superstructure Everything built above the hull’s main deck. On a cruise ship it holds most of the cabins, many with their own balconies.
  5. Bridge The command center where the ship is steered. It is high up at the front with a view ahead.
  6. Funnel Carries the engines’ exhaust up and away from the decks. A chimney, also called the stack.

Other 8

  1. Lifeboats Small boats kept on board. They take passengers and crew to safety if the ship has to be abandoned.
  2. Lido deck The open deck with the main outdoor pool and sunbathing area. Usually at or near the stern.
  3. Promenade deck An open deck that runs round the foot of the superstructure. Passengers can stroll or relax there.
  4. Anchor Grips the seabed and holds the ship in place. It is dropped on its chain and stows in a pocket in the bow.
  5. Bulbous bow A rounded bulb sticking out at the bow just below the waterline. It changes how water flows round the hull, cutting drag.
  6. Bow thruster A small propeller in a tunnel through the bow, side to side. It pushes the bow sideways to turn the ship at slow speed in port.
  7. Propeller Turned by the engines to push the ship through the water. Large ships may have up to four.
  8. Rudder The blade behind the propeller that turns to steer the ship.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-28. (1) Wikipedia, Ship, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship : its numbered main-parts figure (funnel, stern, propeller and rudder, anchor, bulbous bow, bow, deck, superstructure); lifeboats as safety equipment; large vessels with up to four propellers and transverse (bow) thrusters for maneuvering in port; azimuth thrusters as propulsion that also steers; port and starboard. (2) Wikipedia, Glossary of nautical terms (A–L and M–Z): bow, stern, hull, bridge (houses the command center), stack (another name for a funnel), lifeboat, promenade deck (open-air upper deck of a passenger ship), superstructure (the parts above the main deck), waterline, anchor, propeller, rudder, bulbous bow (below the waterline, reduces drag), bow thruster (a small propeller or water-jet at the bow for maneuvering at slow speed, often in a tunnel side to side). (3) Wikipedia, Deck (ship), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deck_(ship) : lido deck (open area at or near a passenger ship's stern with the main outdoor pool and sunbathing area); promenade deck (wraps round the superstructure). (4) Wikipedia, Lido (swimming pool): on a cruise ship the lido deck has the outdoor pools. (5) Wikipedia, Cruise ship: cabins with private balconies. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-28. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a cruise ship, drawn side-on with the sea cut away below the waterline so the underwater hull shows. Start with the 6 main parts.

Read the full guide

Above the waterline

The hull floats the ship; its front is the bow and its back the stern. Above the main deck rises the superstructure of cabin decks, with the bridge at the front, the funnel on top and the lido deck’s pool near the stern.

Below the waterline

The bulbous bow juts out under the bow to cut drag. The bow thruster’s tunnel lets the bow be pushed sideways in port. At the stern the propeller drives the ship and the rudder behind it steers.

  • Some ships steer with azimuth thrusters, propellers that swivel, instead of a separate propeller and rudder.

Questions and answers

What is the front of a cruise ship called?

The bow. The back is the stern. Facing the bow, the left side of the ship is port and the right side is starboard.

What is the bulb at the front of a ship?

A bulbous bow. It sticks out just below the waterline and changes how water flows round the hull, reducing drag, which saves fuel and adds speed and range.

What is the lido deck on a cruise ship?

The open deck with the main outdoor pool and sunbathing area, usually at or near the stern. The name comes from lido, a public outdoor swimming pool.

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