Baltimore is a major Mid-Atlantic cruise homeport, with ships using the dedicated Cruise Maryland Terminal at South Locust Point on the Patapsco River.
The terminal provides a single principal alongside cruise berth, passenger processing facilities and adjacent parking, with direct access to Interstate 95. Downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor are approximately three miles away.
The technically interesting part of Baltimore is not the terminal itself but the route ships must take to reach it. Cruise vessels navigate Chesapeake Bay and the Patapsco River, using the federal navigation channel and passing beneath bridges before reaching South Locust Point.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on 26 March 2024 after being struck by the container ship Dali, temporarily closing the port to cruise traffic. The main Fort McHenry Federal Channel was subsequently restored to its normal approximately 700ft width and 50ft depth, and cruise operations resumed in May 2024.
Maryland's replacement Key Bridge project targets approximately 230ft (70m) of vertical navigation clearance. Deck7 records that as future infrastructure rather than pretending it is today's maximum cruise-ship air draught. Ships also encounter the Chesapeake Bay Bridge farther south, so actual route clearance remains vessel-specific.
Baltimore is a true turnaround port. Its proximity to I-95, Baltimore/Washington International Airport and the Washington–Baltimore population corridor makes it an important drive-to cruise market despite the navigational limitations imposed by its inland location.