What Do the Letters Mean on Cruise Ship Rooms?

By Robert Palmer

Cruise ships, with their distinct letter-number code system for naming their staterooms, can be a bit confusing. But understanding the meaning of the letters and numbers on your room keycard is important for navigating your way around the ship.

Typically, cruise ships use a two-letter, three-number system for naming each room on board. The two letters usually come first in the code and stand for the deck level of the room.

For example, an ‘A’ or ‘AA’ could mean it is located on an Aft (back) side of the ship while ‘F’ or ‘FF’ could mean it is located on a Forward (front) side of the ship. The deck levels are usually indicated by single or double letters such as B, C, D, etc., with the higher alphabetical letters indicating higher deck levels.

The three numbers that follow indicate which block and subsection of that particular deck level your room is located in. This can help you find your way around different parts of a large cruise ship quickly and easily. For example, if you see ‘A3123’ written on your key card, it means that your stateroom is located on an Aft side deck level 3 in block 1 subsection 23.

Conclusion:

Understanding what each letter and number in a stateroom code means can help you get to know your way around a cruise ship quickly. The two letters usually refer to which side of the ship (forward or aft) and at what deck level it is located at, while the three numbers indicate which block and subsection within that particular deck level it belongs to.