Smith Island Cruises

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Trish Woodward
7 months ago
I lived in Maryland for 51 years and never been to Smith Island. I was back in town for a visit so I decided to go. Booking and picking the tickets up were very easy. Everyone was very nice and helpful. The trip to and from the island was a great ride. The captain was pointing things out for us to look at on the way and explaining things as we went. Lunch on the island was awesome! It was a great experience from start to finish.

  Bruce Smith
7 months ago
Awesome experience! The staff are the ticket office are extremely friendly. The lunch on Smith Island was delicious! The Island itself is beautiful!Definitely one of Maryland's treasures!

  Elena
a year ago
Spectacular day with friends and family. Boat departs Point Lookout State Park approx 2 - 2.5 hours from DC. Boat cruise crew, restaurant and museum employees were helpful and welcoming. If it s a sunny day don t forget your sunscreen.

  Karolyn Morgan
a year ago
Can't beat the price for a day trip out in the water... great deal. Pick up at 12:30pm in Crisfield, arrived around 2ish. Couple of restaurants out on the island to eat at and a museum and some gift shops. 2 1/2 hrs to look around. Left at 4:30pm. Then a nice cruise back. Can sit inside or outside... take your pick

  Jim Burris
6 months ago
This is an excellent way to visit the disappearing Smith Island, in the "middle" of the Chesapeake Bay. We departed from St. Mary's County, not far south of Washington, DC. The boat ticket/website is very well organized, good parking, easy to access dock and a clean enjoyable 2-hour boat ride including air conditioning and bathroom. On Smith Island we enjoyed a delicious lunch, an interesting small museum about the island, several places to purchase gifts AND the Maryland State Cake, Smith Island Cake. Promptly as stated we took our return boat back to Ridge Maryland, near the tip of St. Mary's County. It was all worth the price. Smith Island has been settled for over 300 years, a real home for Maryland's fishermen.

  Dallas Fowler
3 years ago
My family and I went on a Smith Island Cruise on Sunday, July 5th. We were incredibly disappointed in the entire experience. When we called to make reservations and ask questions, we were told that golf cart rentals were available on the island on a first come, first service basis. This was incredibly important, because I have a special needs 6 year old who needed to be able to sit. We took the ferry out and the trip out was fine. We sat on the top of the boat, were met with a nice breeze. When we got to the island, we went straight to the rental counter for the golf carts. As soon as we told them we were there to rent one, the man behind the counter says "aint rentin em today." When questioned on why, he said that the tides were on the roads throughout the island. We asked why we werent notified that rentals would not be available with an email and he stated "we didnt know the tide was coming in until it got here"Tides are predictable. I grew up in a beach town and on the water and am not clueless when it comes to this. A quick email out to everyone who had reserved tickets for the trip that day notifying them that golf cart rentals wouldnt be available would have been a huge help. We went and had lunch at the Bayside Inn Restaurant. The food was mediocre and the service was even worse.After lunch, we walked around a bit (as much as we could with a special needs 6 year old) and found absoultely no flooding on the roads anywhere. Pictures of their "flooding" are attached. We ended up sitting at a picnic table in the sun for two hours while we waited for the ferry to come back.The entire ferry of people we rode over with were all just sitting there too, everyone was depending on the golf cart rentals. We spent $113, and 4 hours round trip (an hour car drive both ways and an hour ferry ride both ways) to sit on a picnic table in the sun for hours.It was a HUGE disappointment. No one on the island was friendly. The locals were not, and we were told that locals love when people come to their island and they get to talk about their culture.Further, the island is basically in shambles. There is nothing to see there. If you want generic, mildew smelling gifts, you can surely find something in their gift shop. It was terrible.We also told one of the men who worked on the ferry that we were unhappy with our experience and he told us he couldnt help us but "if y'all post a bad review on facebook, best hope I dont see it"Wasnt planning on posting a review because we thought maybe the day was just a fluke, but after that comment, here i am. I'll be posting everywhere. Dont go to Smith Island. Huge waste of money, huge waste of time, very falsely advertised, very poor experience.

  Rick C
2 years ago
This was a great excursion. The ride over and back was pleasant from Pt Lookout. The meal at Bayside Inn on Smith Island was great as was the Smith Island cake at the bakery on the island. Know that they rent bikes and golf carts on the island but you can take your own bikes.

  GABRILLA MORELAND
8 months ago
Ok, so the cruise was very relaxing this is my second time visiting Smith Island. This time I went with a group of students through my job. What would enhance the hour long ferry ride would be information from the captain. Him stating some history or interesting facts along the ride would have been great. The last captain I had did this.Do not go to the island hungry! Although the crab cake was delicious, nearly everything given felt like we were eating from a dirty kitchen. String beans were dumped straight out of the can and the roll had MOLD.The museum would have been nice if someone was there who actually knew the history and importance of it.

  Karl no
8 months ago
My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful day with Smith Island Cruises out of Point Lookout Marina. The trip was smooth and the captain and mate very attentive to passenger needs. My only suggestion (and this is in no way SIC's fault) is maybe an update to the website and some signage to the Marina. I mistakenly assumed it would be near Point Lookout State Park, but it is actually about 3.5 miles north near Ridge, MD. There isn't great signage off the main highway which would help. If I used my GPS it would have not been an issue, but this was my mistake.

  Rachel Lambert
9 months ago
Smith Island Cruises was a fantastic experience. From booking, to communication about the day to the actual ride. It s the perfect amount of time. The captain and first mate were beyond pleasant and showed interesting birds and animals throughout the ride. Would highly recommend

  denny newborn
4 years ago
They did a great job of getting all the kayaks and kayakers on the boat. Gave us a reasonable price and safe passage yo smith island.

  Denise Canter
9 months ago
Took a wonderful cruise to Smith Island with Captain Greg. Capt. Greg is very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information as well as answering questions and pointing out points of interest as we moved along. His is a well-run ship, and I felt safe and secure throughout the journey. I highly recommend cruising with Capt. Greg!

  Charlayne Armentrout
a year ago
What a great value to enjoy a MD treasure. The directions were clear, the staff friendly and professional, and an outstanding scenic ride.

  Sue Graff
2 years ago
What a great day! Although it was incredibly hot (almost 99 degrees), the boat ride was wonderful and very comfortable, with a nice breeze to help cool us off. People say there is not much to do there, but if you rent a golf cart or bikes you can really enjoy just puttering around the island and enjoying the sites. Be sure to go to the bakery- you can get a slice of the Maryland State Cake (Smith Island cake) or buy one and have it shipped (which I did). It's a great little island, and provides a nice setting to just wander with family.

  Ronbo A
2 years ago
Everything about the excursion was fabulous. The boat ride over was nice and the Captain kept us informed about local landmarks and wildlife. Once at the Island, the boat docks right at the Inn. We ate lunch, which was very good and the departed on a golf cart to explore the island. Overall it was a fantastic time

  Valerie Bansleben
4 years ago
What a lovely day! The boat ride was wonderful, and Smith Island is very sweet. The only thing I would do differently, is to allow an extra hour on the island. After we ate (that took nearly 90 minutes) we only had a little over an hour left to explore. We never made it to the other small village. The bakery is lovely, and so are the people who live on the island. Every single one of them talked to us, and answered questions. A memorable day indeed!

  JK DeGraff Photography
2 years ago
We took the cruise out of Point Lookout. Captain Jack and crew were terrific. Genuine and welcoming Captain Jack and his crew were exceptional - truly they were the best part of the day! Overall it was a nice family outing. We took out sons (19 and 15) they were good sports. Getting a different perspective is always interesting though from what we learned at the museum the residents are very religious and there appears to be little to no diversity (in religion, race, or social economics).We read the reviews going in so our expectations were low. We got a couple of cool photos and the boat ride was pleasant. If you have a free day and are looking for something different to do - try this.

  DeAnna Hudson
4 years ago
Boat ride is very relaxing and the scenery is beautiful. Have your choice of sitting on top the boat for a vast open view or inside the boat if your not into excess sun. The captain is very pleasant and knowledgeable of the various sites along the way. The Island is very quaint and peaceful. You can either walk or rent a golf cart to get around. Great for a laid back day trip. Around 5 hours total.

  Eli Gonzalez
6 years ago
On August 17 we (A group of 38 people) booked a trip through Smith Island Cruises to visit Smith Island. We had a terrific time, the boat was very accommodating. The best thing was the food at Bayside Family Restaurant. The service was incredible, for a group our size they had the food out in less than 20 min. The meals were great and none from our group were disappointed with what they ordered. Servers were friendly and overall was a great trip.

  Deborah Besmen
4 years ago
Wonderful day trip. Friendly crew, relaxing but still interesting especially the target ship. Once on the island we had a good lunch, nice walk around town, be sure to visit the museum. Smith Island Cake to take home. Trip back also relaxing. Even got a close up of a car carrier ship passing. Didn t hurt that the weather was perfect.

  BobB
2 years ago
Our visit from to Smith Island was very enjoyable. The food and hospitality at the Bayside Restaurant were great. We enjoyed a couple hours walking around Ewell and taking in the sights of a working town on the water. The museum in Ewell was first-class, a must-visit place! Definitely recommend.

  John Franke
a year ago
This was a second trip for us to Smith Island from Crisfield and we could not have been more pleased with the ease of travel (50 minutes) to the Island, Extremely helpful staff on board, excellent capital and mate -- very willing to share historical notes of interest inclusive of how the Island is changing, due to tidal actions, each day. The Island was easy to transgress, the restaurant at dockside was excellent and the Crisfield Museum was superb.John and Kathleen Franke 8/24/22

  David W.
a year ago
A very enjoyable day trip hosted by the captain and his equally helpful and informative co-worker. Being on the Bay, with its cooling breezes, is a terrific idea when the temperatures rise on land. Highly recommended.

  Brooke Fallon
2 years ago
We really enjoyed the Smith Island Cruise! Very informative but also relaxing! Great family event, esp. for families with kids 10 years and older. The food at Bayside Inn was delicious. Be sure to buy a Smith Island Cake to pick up on your way out!

  Mary Camp
2 years ago
Had a wonderful trip to Smith Island with Captain Tyler and first mate Tucker Davis! Friendly experience and Tucker provided historical information about Smith Island and the Crisfield area! The restaurant served the best Crab Cake and Smith Island cake anyone could ask for! Highly recommend making this wonderful cruise!

  Becca Melito
2 years ago
Great trip to Smith Island! Ferry was very punctual both ways. They shared some information about things we saw along the way and some interesting facts about the local area. Crew was very polite and helpful.

  dave smith
a year ago
If your expectations for the cruise was to have a pleasant and informative boat ride and see birds, then your expectations probably would've been satisfied. But if any of your expectations was to have the "best crapcake in the world", as told when booking the reservation, then you would've been sadlydisappointed...mushy, mostly filler and no backfin lumps. being

  Sheila Samaddar
4 years ago
Having done this cruise before, and having a previous great experience, I was really excited about bringing my out-of-town family to experience a little bit of Maryland and the amazing history it possesses. We purchased 12 tickets, which including tip, was just short of $600. Imagine our surprise when we were told the speakers didn't work on most of the boat. We essentially paid that amount of money to learn nothing, sit in silence and take a ferry to Smith Island and back. I emailed the company and got no response. Apparently, the "owner" does not want to spend the money to fix. We spent 9 hours of that day driving and riding to an island and back with nothing to show for it. The people of Smith Island and their plight will definitely be forgotten at this rate. If they don't remedy this issue, spend this money to rent a boat instead of this cruise. You will have a more private experience and someone who will give you some local history.

  Dawn Trotter
2 years ago
Great experience but not enough time to explore. Would do it again.

  Sharon Dulaney
4 years ago
It was a beautiful warm summer August day with low humidity when we left Point Lookout State Park on our boat ride to Smith Island, Maryland. The crew and captain were courteous. The ride was informative and we learned about pound net fishing, pointed out the military target ship, geographic details about our surroundings and interacted with the guests with humor. They were very prompt.We got off at a dock next to a restaurant with a gift shop and indoor and outdoor seating on a shaded screened in porch.It was a short walk to rent our beach cruiser bicycles.Next stop was the museum to watch a video about life on the island. We did a little shopping in the gift shop as well. I came home with a beautiful stainlessSteel crab knife, sterling silver crab earrings. And a jar of fig preserves made on the island. The fig trees grow right on the island along with pomegranate trees.We took a bicycle ride toward Ewell and the next thing we saw was a little soft shell crab operation, salt marshes, and residential communities. The next thing we knew, it was time to return the bikes and get lunch.I had the best fried oysters I ve ever eaten! Maryland crab soup, Cole slaw and of ourse, 8 layer Smith Island Cake! I picked the orange cake that was moist and delicious!We boarded the boat and the first mate called my name. I asked how he knew it was me and he replied you re the last one and we ve been waiting for you. Not that I was late boarding, but they paid attention to the guest list and left no e behind. I d like to back and maybe stay overnight!