We were visiting friends and they suggested we take a cruise on the Miles River. It was Halloween and the weather was absolutely glorious. It was the perfect day to take a cruise. The Patriot Cruise ship is a 65-foot, United States Coast Guard-Inspected 149-passenger vessel. We boarded and were surprised to see the upper deck almost full. As she left the dock, we realized we could not stay up on the open deck as it was a little chilly for us. We went below deck and secured a nice sunny inside table. They take you on an 8-mile cruise along the Miles River completely narrated by the captain pointing out all the historic mansions and different wildlife that you might see along the way. They had a full bar offering snacks, beverages, etc., as well as restrooms and a climate controlled main deck. The entire cruise was about 70 minutes long. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Patriot. read more

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Very nice experience! We cruised on the miles River. The cruise is a total of 70 mins. Everyone was so nice. We also received good background history of St.Michael's. This cruise line has two levels. The lower deck which is closed in. It also has a small bar area for drinks as well as non- alcoholic beverages. They sell light snacks such as chips, hotdogs, etc. I tried the Miles River drink. It was delicious. She made it perfectly. We decided to let the wind blow in our hair. So we remained on the top level which was open windows. The views were amazing. Just bring a light jacket because it gets a little windy on the water. I would like to do this again. Maybe during warmer weather though. Even though I still enjoyed everything about it. If you're interested in learning St. Michael's history while enjoying the calming waters. This would be perfect. read more

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Decent 70 min cruise up/down the Miles River. For some reason I thought it would be a curated tour of the Chesapeake Bay giving us history and landmark info, but it was just 70/80s music except a few announcements from the captain. We ended up on the lower level where its air conditioned, several tables/chairs, bathroom, and snack bar. Staff was friendly read more

If you enjoy a relaxing boat ride, Patriot Cruises is for you! One a two-level boat that looks like a historic ferry, the cruise is 70 minutes and includes a tour pointing out historic sites and beautiful waterfront mansions. The final 20 minutes includes music and relaxation. There's a bar and snack area in the lower level and enclosed seating with tables. Upstairs is open air seating. To see most of the properties noted, sit on the right side of the boat. Bring cash so you can tip at the end. read more

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We decided on Patriot Cruises because they were dog friendly, and they weren't kidding. Our pups were even brought water bowls! The cruise itself was lovely, and it was staffed by the nicest people. They had drinks for sale on board which were also quite good, and someone even came around taking drink orders. The only thing is it was a tad hard to hear the recorded history they were sharing as we moved along the river. We highly recommend this cruise! read more

Patriot Cruises - Views from the boat! - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

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If the weather ins nice, you can't go wrong with trying this out while in St. Michaels. The $28 bucks (online) was a steal for a cruise along the water front. Captain Mike was kind and funny and he did a good job narrating the cruise. You can tell he does this several times a day yet he still was able to make our day. :) read more

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Strangely affordable. The captain was quite funny. We had a great time. It was very relaxed. read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

Nice little ride down the river. Not too pricey. Great views and a nice way to really see everything. read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

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We had a great time on the cruise. We did the historical narrated cruise which was nice however now after learning there are different types of tours, I think I would have gone for one of those. Don't get me wrong, I liked learning about the St. Michaels history but it was kinda more of an older crowd if you get what I'm saying. Either way the views were awesome and the captain was very knowledgeable about the history of the river. The tour was a little bit over an hour which is kinda short but for the price I think it was fine. They also had a bar on the boat which is always a plus! I would definitely recommend checking out the patriot tours. read more

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A fun way to see the River and enjoy a cruise. Captain Matt kept it interesting and the staff was attentive.

Very enjoyable cruise! We took the 2:30pm on Labor Day. Captain Matt was entertaining and the entire crew made the trip fun. The live narrative mixed with the recorded historical information was a nice blend. It was great to get out on the water, feel the breeze and the sun. Bonus that they had a bar and a good choice of cocktails and drinks. read more

Very disappointed. We are local people and saw the Caribbean Cocktail Cruise advertised, and we love Caribbean music, so we decided to treat ourselves to the Cruise. There was maybe 2-3 Caribbean songs played during the entire 1 1/2 hour cruise. There was a wedding party comprised of mostly young people who requested music that suited them. The Captain definitely favored those people vs the rest of us that thought we were going on a cruise with Caribbean music. Plus the non Caribbean music was so loud, it ruined the pleasant cruise we were looking forward to.... read more

Excellent way to use an afternoon. Affordable and full of views you wouldn't have otherwise. I think we paid attention to about 10 percent of the narration because we were just enjoying the views and focusing on some of the water front properties. There was even a good view of a couple Osprey nests. Highly recommend and would do again. read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

Had a blast with Patriot Cruises! We brought our pups to St Michaels for a day trip and read that dogs were allowed on this cruise - sure enough we were able to bring our furbabies aboard to enjoy the beautiful weather and amazing views! The hour-long cruise was so relaxing, I wish I could stay on the boat for days. The captain was very friendly and information he was relaying to us during the tour was actually very interesting. I was so thrilled that our pups were able to enjoy the cruise with us, they seemed to love being out on the water :) read more

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We had our wedding on the Patriot and Robin was such an amazing help and host! She helped plan every aspect and made sure everything went so smooth. Capt John was great and officiated the ceremony better than anyone out there. We had a great time and it was all thanks to the help from the Marrah's! read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

We had a wonderful time. The cruise is folksy and they do a nice job mixing a relaxing cruise with giving bits of info on the area and history. They let kids have a turn at the wheel for show which is fun. Drinks and snacks are very reasonably priced. You get a discount at the museum if you let them know you cruised on the Patriot. We went first for a wedding cruise and returned for a historical cruise on a Sunday afternoon. read more

Patriot Cruises - A turn at the wheel - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

Love cruising on the Patriot..very friendly staff and knowledgeable about the area..great time

Most enjoyable and relaxing cruise. Great historical tour of st michaels. Highly recommend this excursion very awesome!

If I could give a zero, I would. Moral of the story- NEVER pre-purchase your ticket from this place AND expect for management to error on the side of economic gain rather than safety and great customer service. As everyone knows, hurricane Harvey was devastating to the residents in Houston. What I didn't expect is for the storm to affect us here in the D.C. area. On September 1, my girlfriend and I decided to take a spare of the moment trip to St. Michaels for the night - Saturday to Sunday. Once the hotel was booked- which by the way was a miracle- i immediately purchased two tickets to the evening cruise thinking we will absolutely be there before 5pm. What I didn't expect was the horrible rain we got on our end. The rain was so bad it took us longer to get to St. Michaels than expected. Once I realized that we may not make it in time- I immediately contacted the company and said that we were stuck in the rain and that we may not make it in time. We were told that they were going to still sail even in the rain and that I could not get a refund but I could take the next cruise. I informed them that we were leaving Sunday during the day. She informed me that the "terms and conditions " state that they don't give refunds unless they cancel. Well, the terms and conditions didn't have a clause for acts of God. Meaning - we all can plan, but in the end Mother Nature will always have the last say. And for us , we got caught in the rain and didnt check into our bed and breakfast until 7pm. Management of the B&B had to leave the key. I contacted the cruise and management indicated that we were NOT the only ones who got caught in the remnants of the hurricane. They still will not issue a refund - only a credit for future travel (oh btw before the season ends which is in a few weeks). 1. Our schedule is so busy we cannot go back (before the end of the season); AND 2. Why would I come back to poor customer service? Management's only concern is for financial gain rather than great customer service and safety . We were late because of hurricane Harvey. I will make sure I let everyone I know about the poor customer service we received from this organization. A bit of advice- the $60 refund is a small price to pay for repeat customers and excellent referrals. Unfortunately, I will NEVER return and will make sure that my experience is noted and documented for all of my friends and colleagues who visit St. MicheAl's often. Signed, Disappointed & Confused read more

Patriot Cruises - Going over the Bay Bridge in the rain... scary - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

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Reserved the 1 hour tour online and it was a seamless experience from the start: purchased online, quick check in where they give you a boarding pass number and found a great spot on the top deck with my furbaby. Relaxing ride and great tidbits of interesting information about the area. Staff was friendly, boat was clean and overall a great experience. The furbaby gives it a Paws Up. Definitely worth doing if you are in the area, on the way or from the beach or want to take a day trip. read more

Disappointing is the best way we can describe this cruise. First of all, it was supposed to run for 90 minutes, but our cruise lasted barely over 60. The staff were all friendly and welcoming however the narration for the cruise itself is very dry and at times not particularly interesting. My wife and I both tried very hard to pay attention to it but by the end it proved too difficult. Most of the buildings they talked about were just too far away to really get a good look at them. Overall for $50 for 2 I cannot endorse this as value for money. read more

Great cruise only $24 for adults. The cruise was a little over an hour. They have a bar, lite food. The captain was friendly and made the ride fun. Spectacular views of waterfront property. A must when spending the day in St. Michaels, MD. read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

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What a lovely way to enjoy the water and learn the history of the bay and Miles River. I suggest sitting on the right side up front for great views and breezes. The Captain was super friendly and invited little kids to steer the boat and take photos. There is food and beverages for purchase on board. Fun! read more

Patriot Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Saint Michaels, Maryland

My daughter and I went and for an hour tour, it was totally worth it. We sat on the top deck and was able to get panoramic views of the harbor and surrounding estates. The director was informative and funny. Plus, it's just a hop, skip and jump from The Crab Claw Restaurant. It made for a perfect St. Michaels day trip. read more

This was really well done and very enjoyable. The weather we had was amazing, so that helped. But over all the cruise was very enjoyable. The captain was very friendly and even invited people to come and take a look at the cockpit. A member of our group did and even got a sticker that said captain for the day! The seating up on the top deck was abundant, and the audio with all of the local information that was played to help us understand what we were seeing, was really well done. They made a pretty reasonable spicy bloody Mary, and a pretty good hot dog, keeping my tummy occupied. This was a really great activity for a family, even with kids. read more

The island cruise was so much fun!! Great drinks and music. Staff was helpful and friendly

My husband and I took a Patriot cruise with our dog during the 4th of July holiday week. We were greeted at the ticket booth and bought tickets. They gentleman was very friendly and welcoming to our dog, who was also allowed on the cruise. We boarded and immediately were bombarded by a female staff member who went on and on and on about how tickets were sold to another passenger who had two little dogs and how they only usually accept one dog per cruise and this was a mistake, but since we bought our tickets first, we would all be able to go. Ok, fine. Thanks. THEN she found where we sat and kept going on and on and on about how to keep our dog away from the other passenger's dogs and if they notice each other that we should move seats. At this point, we felt very uncomfortable. She was ruining our experience and making it more stressful than it was worth BEFORE the ship set sail. The cruise itself was good-very informative and a good amount of time (approx. 90 min.). It was the annoyance of the one crew member that was really making our trip not that great. While they advertise that they are dog friendly, they apparently only allow one dog per cruise-it should be advertised as such. read more

[Party of 6] We took the 11am cruise on the Patriot as our first stop in Saint Michael. None of our party had been to this area before so we figured it would be a nice way to learn a little bit. The cruise ran just about an hour and essentially goes up the Miles river into Bay and then comes back down. Going out of the dock we quickly realized that most of the commentary was on sites to the right (starboard) of the ship. But don't worry, you get pretty much the same views on the way back. The narration is a mix of live banter by the Captain and pre-recorded bits by him. All of it was very good and the day was lovely. Drinks (soft and hard) were available on the ship, there is a $10 minimum to use credit cards (of which I did not see a sign for). Binoculars are also available for rental at $1. Not sure if I would go back again unless I was visiting with people who had not gone before, but we did enjoy it. read more

This cruise was awesome! It was over 100 degrees so the air-conditioning was amazing to have. Capt. John and his wife were so hospitable and filled with knowledge. The boat drinks were delicious. The cruise was the highlight of our trip to St. Michaels. I will definitely return with a group of friends or family. read more

Excellent afternoon cruise combining history, ecosystem insights and simple gawking at several large waterfront estates. The well made recorded narration was expertly augmented by live comments from the Captain. Will repeat if ever in the area again. Our cruise ran about 10 minutes more than advertised which simply means we spent more time in Paradise! Boarding dock is near Crab Claw Restaurant and Maritime Museum if you want to just park once (free) in the museum lot and combine the cruise with waterfront dining and/or museum visit. read more

Sich an enjoyable cruise! Both as a tourist criise and an educational and historic tour of the Chesapeake Bay.

We took the one hour round trip ferry ride this weekend and had a great time with Capt John. We were given the opportunity to steer the boat for a few minutes each and received a great local historical narrative of the areas as we passed by. Beers on the boat were reasonably priced, but did not partake in any mixed drinks. A little bit longer ride would be nice, but 60 minutes was a good length. read more

Perfect water excursion for a family with little kids. The Captain even let them steer the boat, which they loved. 65-minute tour was the right amount time for the kids to enjoy the beautiful Miles River. read more

Don't miss this great experience on the water while visiting St. Michaels. The narrated cruise clear and easy to enjoy and packed with information and historical tidbits. The vessel is well maintained, the Captain and crew are friendly and knowledgeable and the refreshment/snack bar is meticulously clean. Climb aboard! read more

Our company rented the Patriot for a two-hour cruise and everyone had a wonderful time. The staff were very attentive and quick to make adjustments so that our catered event on the boat would go smoothly. The captain and staff were also very humorous and kept guests entertained (though the scenery was entertainment enough)! Highly recommend the Patriot as an event space. read more

Great way to spend an hour and a half learning the cool history of St. Michaels! The Miles River was influential to the development of the Eastern Shore and this cruise gives you a glimpse of it. The captain is very energetic and the info given is very interesting! We will go again just for the fun of it! read more

Basically, this is a good cruise for older people who are very interested in history. It is not a good cruise if you are looking for general sight-seeing or have kids -- the crew was extremely "shushy" throughout and even ordered some nice groups talking in normal tones to go below decks. Fine as a quiet, history-specifc activity but NOT a good fit for families or for any group looking for a fun day on the water -- this one is ALL about the history. read more

Fantastic. The Captain, his wife, and crew run a great operation. Very family friendly. The beer, wine, and cocktails at the concession are a welcome addition. A must do when in St. Michael's. read more

Great cruise. Well worth the price. Captain was fantastic - he lets all the kids steer the boat (even my 60 something sister).