• The port of Baltimore, Maryland attracts cruise passengers from nearby cities.paddle boats image by Darian Dauterich from Fotolia.com
  
  Since Baltimore is an airline hub and within easy driving distance of many other major cities, its port attracts cruise passengers from all over the country. For these vacation-goers, three major cruise lines offer trips from Baltimore. The Carnival Pride sails year-round. The Enchantment of the Seas, belonging to the Royal Caribbean, spends 10 months a year in Baltimore. The Celebrity Mercury offers a dozen trips a year from October to February. These ships visit the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and even Canada and New England.
  
  

Carnival Pride

• The Pride is dedicated to the port of Baltimore year-round. The most popular trip it offers is a seven-day sailing to the Bahamas. This trip features port stops in Port Canaveral, Florida and Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.
  
  The ship was built in 2002 with a passenger capacity of over 2,600. The Pride has earned a four-star rating from the Cruise Outlet.This rating ensures guests that they will receive "...very good service and food quality." The ship has a club for teens and a camp for younger kids. Adults can make a reservation at David's, the ship's steak and seafood house.
  
  Carnival Cruise Lines
  
  3655 NW 87th Ave.
  
  Miami, FL 33178-2428
  
  888-CARNIVAL
  
  carnival.com
  
  

Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas

• The Enchantment of the Seas offers passengers traditional trips to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Bahamas, as well as Canada and New England cruises each autumn. The nine-day trip to Canada includes port calls in Portland and Bar Harbor Maine; Saint John and Halifax, Canada and Boston, Massachusetts.
  
  The four-star-rated ship was built in 1997, and stretched and updated in 2005 to include a solarium with a glass roof and a rock climbing wall. The passenger capacity of this vessel is over 2,400.
  
  Royal Caribbean International
  
  1050 Caribbean Way
  
  Miami, FL 33132
  
  800-256-6649
  
  royalcaribbean.com
  
  

Celebrity Mercury

• The Mercury sails from Baltimore from October through February. The ship alternates between two itineraries. Once a month it does a nine-day Bahamas sailing. Ports of call include Charleston, South Carolina; Key West, Florida and CocoCay and Nassau in the Bahamas. The second option is 11-, 12- or 14-day sailings through the Caribbean. These trips visit ports such as Labadee, Haiti; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, St. Kitts; St. Maarten, St. Croix and Antigua.
  
  The ship was built in 1997 and updated in 2007, with a capacity of 1,870 passengers. This ship has a four-star rating from the Cruise Outlet.
  
  Celebrity Cruises
  
  1080 Caribbean Way
  
  Miami, FL 33132
  
  800-647-2251
  
  celebritycruises.com