Why called staterooms?

[sparks1093]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary-- 1. A captain's or superior officer's cabin on board a ship. Also: the largest cabin on a private yacht, etc., intended for the owner's use. 2. A large, typically lavishly decorated room in a palace, hotel, etc., used on ceremonial or formal occasions. 3. Chiefly U.S. A cabin providing sleeping accommodation on a passenger ship. (first found in print in 1754)

 

Definition 3 seems to refute the Mississippi Riverboat story. The Navy has used the term stateroom for officer's cabins for quite some time and there is no luxury associated with them:) (well, they have more luxury than a 50 man berthing compartment;)).

[leaveitallbehind]

Definition 3 seems to refute the Mississippi Riverboat story. The Navy has used the term stateroom for officer's cabins for quite some time and there is no luxury associated with them:) (well, they have more luxury than a 50 man berthing compartment;)).

 

Actually the riverboat story is accurate in that the rooms on board US riverboats were named after states. That may not be the only trace to the term defining cabins on a ship, but it is correct regarding riverboats.

[gooch47]

I thought the front of the ship was called "the pointy end."

[sparks1093]

Actually the riverboat story is accurate in that the rooms on board US riverboats were named after states. That may not be the only trace to the term defining cabins on a ship, but it is correct regarding riverboats.

 

I meant it refuted the story that the Riverboats were the origin of the term, which it couldn't be if the first written use was noted in 1754.

[leaveitallbehind]

I meant it refuted the story that the Riverboats were the origin of the term, which it couldn't be if the first written use was noted in 1754.

 

Got it! Thanks for clarifying. :)

Edited August 26, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[NMLady]

In all of our more than a dozen cruises we've never had a stateroom. We've always had a cabin. Maybe the suites are staterooms? We've never had a suite, rarely have a balcony.

[leaveitallbehind]

In all of our more than a dozen cruises we've never had a stateroom. We've always had a cabin. Maybe the suites are staterooms? We've never had a suite, rarely have a balcony.

 

Suites are suites and cabins are cabins, but I guess they can all be staterooms. :D

 

Interesting however that RCI in their gratuity breakdown designates $3.85 of the $12 per person per day gratuity for standard rooms to the "Stateroom Attendant", but designates $6.10 of the $14.25 per person per day gratuity for the suites to the "Suite Attendant". Guess they aren't sure either! :confused: :D

Edited August 26, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[awhcruiser]

It's a ship, not a boat

:D

Also:

It's not a kitchen, but a galley.

You go below (not down below).

It's bow and stern, not front and back.

It's the head, not the bathroom.

You take the companionway, not the stairs.

Ships have no ropes, only lines or hawsers.

You don't put your things away, you stow them.

[beachbum53]

In a hotel, or at home, just room, so why on ships, are they called state rooms?

 

A one room apartment is often referred to as an efficiency room or studio apartment. In the U.K., it's called a studio flat. Calling the room on the ship a cabin or stateroom is definitely more preferrable than efficiency room. However, "studio flat" doesn't sound too bad, even though it would be minus a kitchenette.

[navybankerteacher]

Actually there is a dual source - the fanciest rooms in English house were referred to a rooms of state - while the US riverboats did name babies after states -- but only the best, the equivalent of first class - they had many other"cabins" which were simply numbered.

 

The result is that "stateroom" simply has a somewhat fancier sense than "cabin".

 

During the days of the trans-Atlantic liners, only first class passengers had staterooms, below that was what was generally referred to as "cabin class", and the lowest being "tourist" or, in earlier days, "steerage".