Wife on board on a cruise ship is an informal, traditional maritime term that refers to the practice of a captain or senior officer having his wife travel with him on board for a voyage or for an extended period. Historically, in both merchant and cruise shipping, captains and senior officers spend many months at sea away from family, so some cruise lines allow the captain's wife to sail as a guest on board, often staying in the captain's cabin, eating in the officers' mess, and attending social functions. The term WOB is sometimes used as an abbreviation in crew slang, similar to wife on board. It does not refer to a safety code or emergency. On modern cruise ships, wife on board is less common than in the past due to stricter security, insurance, and company policies, but it still occurs, especially on longer voyages or world cruises. Some cruise lines allow senior officers to have family members join for a segment. Passengers might hear crew refer to wife on board when the captain's wife is present at the captain's dinner or cocktail party. It is a courtesy and has no impact on ship operations. In some contexts, wife on board can also jokingly refer to a passenger who is very involved in navigation or giving orders on the bridge, but the traditional meaning is simply the captain's spouse sailing along. It is a long-standing maritime tradition showing the close-knit nature of life at sea.
1 votes
Marked as accepted