The Baltimore cruise terminal: address, directions and check-in

Baltimore has one cruise terminal, so there is no question of which one your ship uses. Every Carnival and Royal Caribbean sailing from the city leaves the Cruise Maryland Terminal:

Cruise Maryland Terminal, 2001 East McComas Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

The Maryland Port Administration runs it inside its South Locust Point marine terminal. It opened in 2006 in a converted paper shed, and the port lists a single 1,139-foot berth. Carnival calls it the Cruise Maryland Terminal at South Locust Point, and Royal Caribbean calls it the South Locust Point Cruise Terminal. They are the same building.

The port's own cruise site, cruise.maryland.gov, refused our automated checks when this guide was written, so the port's rules below come from its pages as they were published between February and July 2026. If you can open its site, check them there before you sail.

How do you get to the Baltimore cruise terminal?

By road it is just off Interstate 95, at Exit 55 for Key Highway. The port gives these directions:

• From the south, take I-95 North to Exit 55, Key Highway. Stay straight on East McComas Street, and the entrance is just ahead.
• From the north, take I-95 South through the Fort McHenry Tunnel in the far right lane, the bore the port calls #1. Take Exit 55, turn left at the traffic light under the overpass onto East McComas Street, and the entrance is about 350 feet on the right.
• From the west, take I-70 East, then I-695 South at Exit 91A for 5.2 miles, then I-95 North at Exit 11A to Exit 55.

Royal Caribbean warns that the drive from the port's main gate to the terminal doors can take up to 25 minutes on a busy morning.

The port puts the terminal 5.5 miles from Baltimore Penn Station and about 10 miles from BWI Airport. The Maryland Port Administration gives 2.5 miles to the Inner Harbor. There is no public transport to the door, so arrive by car, taxi or rideshare. Our airport guide covers getting here from BWI, and the parking guide covers leaving a car.

What time should you arrive at the Baltimore cruise terminal?

At the time on your ticket, not before. The port says the terminal entrance opens at 8am, or two hours after the ship arrives if that is later, and asks passengers not to turn up before their embarkation time.

Both lines now give you an arrival time when you check in online:

• Carnival closes online check-in at midnight Eastern time the night before you sail. You pick an arrival appointment as you do it. Checked bags are taken only until two hours before the ship's published departure, and anyone not on board by the final boarding time on the boarding pass doesn't sail.
• Royal Caribbean asks you to arrive in the slot you chose at check-in. It says early arrivals can't start boarding, and everyone must be on board 90 minutes before port operations close.

The port's own rule of thumb is to reach the pier at least 90 minutes to two hours before departure, and to be on board an hour before the ship sails.

Bags, security and ID

Put the cruise line's luggage tags on every bag before you leave home. If you don't have them, the port has a tent marked "Cruise Luggage Tags" on your left as you enter. You leave checked bags in the port's luggage boxes for screening and handling, and are then directed to the parking lot.

Everyone over 18 has to show government photo ID to enter, and only passengers with a ticket can go into the terminal building. Bags, cameras and recording equipment are X-rayed. The port's own list of banned items covers firearms and ammunition, replica weapons, explosives and fireworks, knives, Tasers, pepper spray and batons. Your cruise line's list applies on top of that.

Carnival says curbside porters at its terminals, who don't work for the line, are customarily tipped $1 a bag. Its luggage rules are 50 pounds a bag at most.

Accessibility

There is accessible parking on site. The port links to MTA Maryland's Mobility paratransit service for getting to the terminal, and sends accessibility questions to the Maryland Port Administration at mpacompliance@marylandports.com. For help on board, Carnival's Guest Access Desk is on 800-438-6744, extension 70025, and Royal Caribbean's accessibility line is 866-592-7225.

Getting off the ship in Baltimore

Nobody leaves the ship until federal inspection and customs clearance are done, which the port says takes about two to three hours after the ship arrives. Once you are off, federal rules stop you from going back into the terminal's seated waiting area, so you go straight to your car, a taxi or a coach. Dress for waiting outside.

Taxis, limousines and car services collect passengers from a designated line at the terminal. Up to four passengers can share a taxi. The port says taxis from the terminal to BWI charge a flat $30, a rate the Maryland Public Service Commission approved in 2008. Taxis from BWI to the terminal run on the meter, because BWI doesn't let its own cabs charge flat rates.

If someone is collecting you, the port sends them to a "Pick Up" lot to wait, and opens the gates for pick-ups at 8:30am. Lost luggage is handled by Intercruises, on 443-421-5651.

Who to call

The Cruise Maryland Terminal's number is (866) 427-8963. On the day you sail with Royal Caribbean, the line's own page gives its local representative, Destination New England, on +1 866 646 3263.