Ferry encyclopedia

In our lexicon or glossary you will find a lot of explanations about the terms around your ferry booking. The information is intended to answer your questions about
ferry booking
clarify. You are missing a term? No problem. Just leave us a comment at the bottom of the page and we’ll to the term.

• Departure Time: The scheduled time at which the ferry is scheduled to depart from the departure point.
• Arrival Time: The scheduled time at which the ferry is to arrive at the destination.
• Deposit: An advance payment due at the time of booking to confirm. Not all bookings require an immediate deposit.
• Car ferry: A ferry on to cars can be transported.
• Occupancy plan: A plan showing the number of available seats to ferry.
• Boarding pass: A card that you need to board the ferry. You can receive this in paper form or electronically, for example as an e-mail.
• Booking confirmation: A confirmation that you will receive after you have completed your booking. You will always receive the booking confirmation by e-mail for online bookings. You may also want to watch out to emails in your SPAM folder.
• Booking fee: A fee you have to pay when booking your ferry. Often, these fees apply when you make a personal consultation/booking over the phone or on-site at the port.
• Booking number: A unique number assigned to your booking.
• Camping on board: A possibility to stay overnight on to ferry by staying in your camper or caravan on board. This is currently only possible to a few routes in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic.
• Check-In: The process of checking in for the ferry where you must show your ticket and possibly drop off your luggage.
• Deck passage: In this type of crossing you have neither a fixed seat nor a cabin. You can only stay in the public areas of the ferry. For short crossings up to a few hours duration, this is certainly not a problem. For longer crossings, we recommend booking Pullman seats or cabins so that you arrive relaxed at your destination.
• One-way trip (One-Way): A booking that includes only a one-way trip without a return trip.
• E-ticket: An electronic ticket that you receive by e-mail or SMS.
• Bicycle Ferry: A ferry that can carry bicycles.
• Passenger information: information you receive before the trip, e.g. about departure and arrival times, routes and other details.
• Timetable: A schedule showing the ferry’s scheduled departure and arrival times.
• Fastlane: Some shipping companies, such as FRS Baltic, offer the fastlane as an additional service when booking. With this option, you can be one of the first to board the ferry and the first to disembark at your destination. This allows you to avoid slightly longer waiting times when loading and unloading the ferry.
• Ferry terminal: The place where the ferry departs or arrives.
• Ferry fares: The cost of the crossing.
• Ferry company: A company that provides ferry services.
• Flexible ticket: A ticket that allows you to change the date or time of your ferry crossing.
• Group booking: A booking made for a group of people.
• Pet Ferry: A ferry that can carry pets to
• Pet Cabin: A special cabin designed for passengers with pets, where your pet can be accommodated during the crossing.
• Round trip: A booking that includes both the outbound and the return trip.
• Cabin: A room to ferry where you can spend the night.
• Cabin: A small cabin to ferry where you can sleep.
• Discount for children: A discount to fare for children.
• Lounge: A cozy area to ferry where you can relax and enjoy the crossing.
• Online booking: A ferry booking that you can make via the Internet.
• Passenger Ferry: A ferry to which passengers can be carried.
• Shuttle ferry: A ferry that regularly travels back and forth between two places.
• Mandatory cabin: A cabin that you have to rent during the crossing, e.g. due to safety regulations or because you are traveling with a pet.
• Car deck: A deck to ferry to cars can be transported.
• Reservation: The advance reservation of seats to ferry.
• Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo): A system that allows vehicles to drive to the ferry and then back down without having to be maneuvered.
• Return ticket: A ticket that covers both the outward and return journeys.
• Seasonal ferry: A ferry that operates only at certain times of the year.
• Service fee: An additional fee for certain services, e.g. luggage storage, booking on the phone or at the port etc.
• Special offers: Special offers or discounts offered by ferry companies.
• Route: The planned route of the ferry.
• Ticket office: A place where you can buy tickets for the ferry.
• Ticket price: The price of a ferry ticket.
• Ticket counter: A counter where you can buy tickets for the ferry.
• Transfer: A transport from one place to another, for example from the ferry terminal to the hotel.
• Crossing: The journey on to ferry from one place to another.
• Rebooking: The modification of an existing booking.
• Consumption voucher: A voucher for food and drinks on board the ferry.
• Waiting list: A list of people waiting to a place to ferry.
• Waiting time: The time you have to wait at the ferry terminal until the ferry leaves.
• Swell: The movement of water that can affect the stability of the ferry.
• WLAN: A wireless network that may be available on board the ferry.
• Customs inspection: An inspection of passengers and their baggage by customs authorities.
• Surcharge: An additional fee for certain services, such as a cabin or seat.
• Stopover: A stop during the ferry crossing at an intermediate destination.
• Opening hours: The times when the ferry terminal or onboard facilities are open.
• Excess Baggage: Baggage that exceeds the allowable weight limit and may incur additional charges. Whereas there are very rarely luggage limits to ferries and in the vast majority of cases you can take as much luggage as you can carry or fit in your vehicle.