Patriot Cruises FAQs

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Located in historic St. Michaels, Md., Patriot Cruises presents a variety of cruise offerings during its season from April-October. To help you prepare for your Miles River cruise, we have provided answers below to the most frequently asked questions about cruising with us. For additional support, please email patriotcruises@cbmm.org.

PATRIOT is in the St. Michaels Harbor at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Free parking is available in the museum’s lot. (Get directions)

PATRIOT cruises run from April through November. Narrated Historic Cruises are typically scheduled daily at 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Additional cruises, including our Cocktail Cruises and Log Canoe Spectator Cruises, are offered on most weekends May through September.

Tickets can be purchased online or by visiting Patriot Cruises Ticketing at CBMM’s South Entrance or the Welcome Center. (View campus map)

Yes. To purchase a combo ticket, select a day and time from our schedule, and then select the appropriate combo ticket from the list according to your age range.

CBMM members save $6 on all cruise offerings in 2026. Make sure that you are logged in as a member during checkout (by either inputting your Membership ID and the Last Name of the Primary Cardholder or clicking a verification email) and the discount will be automatically applied. To learn about the benefits of membership and become a member, click here. If you are a member in need of further support, contact join@cbmm.org.

Yes! Season Passes allow the holder to ride any cruise on PATRIOT, all season from April to November. Season Passes include perks like 20% off Patriot Cruises concessions and souvenirs, tours on CBMM’s Historic Workboat Experience on historic wooden vessels, and discounts on PATRIOT Private Charters. This limited-availability offering is exclusively offered to CBMM members. Click here to learn more and join today!

Once tickets are purchased, we have a no-refund policy. If you notify us of an emergency, traffic, or medical issue at least two hours before your cruise, we will allow you to reschedule your cruise to a later date and/or time in the season.

Tickets may also be donated back to us. We give these tickets to a local school for students to cruise for free.

If a cruise is canceled due to weather or mechanical issues with the vessel, all customers will receive a full refund or can change their cruise to a different day and/or time. We will run cruises in the rain. There are multiple covered spaces on the vessel. At the captain’s discretion, they may cancel due to lightning and/or high winds.

While PATRIOT is not ADA compliant, guests are encouraged to assess their ability and interest to ride the vessel.

Boarding: Passengers board on the mid deck area via a ramp. High tides occasionally make our ramp steep, up to a 45-degree angle or more when tides are high. The ramp is 6-feet long by 2.5-feet wide.
Main Deck Access: The climate-controlled main deck (bar and restrooms) is accessible directly via the boarding ramp.
Upper Deck Access: The open-air upper observation deck is only accessible by 12 stairs.
Restrooms: Our restrooms are not large enough for a wheelchair to turn around. There are grab bars in one of the two restrooms with approximately five square feet (2.5’x2′) of open space.
Assistive Equipment: PATRIOT can accommodate walkers and transport wheelchairs.
Prohibited Equipment: We cannot accommodate scooters, motorized wheelchairs, or oversized wheelchairs. Guests with motorized wheelchairs or scooters are welcome to leave their wheelchair/scooter in the ticketing area, off the vessel for the duration of the cruise.
Questions: Email patriotcruises@cbmm.org with additional questions.

There are 70 shaded seats and 20 seats in the sun on the upper deck, along with about 60 seats in the climate-controlled main salon.

All individuals must be aboard five minutes prior to departure.

You and your well-behaved pup are welcome to join us on any of our cruises! To make sure everyone has a tail-waggin’ good time, we ask that your doggo can relax comfortably in your lap or in front of your seat, keeping the aisles clear for all our two-legged guests. You’re welcome to choose a spot on either deck. Just a heads-up that our upper deck can get a little toasty on sunny days, and our cocktail and live music cruises can be a bit loud for your pup’s sensitive ears. Before you book, just double-check that your fur-baby will be comfy with the environment!

Restrooms are available while the boat is operational in open water.

We have space on our main deck for you to store your stroller as strollers are not allowed on the top deck.

We have a full snack bar that serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, and hot dogs. Passengers are prohibited from bringing food and beverages on board.

Patriot Cruises welcomes your photographs and videos aboard PATRIOT, taken for personal use, and sharing and tagging CBMM through your social media channels. Commercial photography is prohibited, without prior, written permission from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Communications Department.

Please note: CBMM staff and volunteers frequently take photographs and videos aboard PATRIOT, that may include our guests, that are used to promote Patriot Cruises and CBMM in a number of formats. Permission is implied by your visit.