City Cruises Ends Baltimore Operations April 25, 2026; 51 Employees Notified

City Cruises will end all Baltimore operations on April 25, 2026, and plans to relocate the Spirit of Baltimore to a Washington, D.C. port in March 2026, the company said after notifying 51 Baltimore employees on Feb. 18. The Majesty will continue scheduled Baltimore sailings until the April 25 cutoff, after which all Inner Harbor cruises operated by City Cruises will be canceled.

Through April 25, customers holding reservations for dining, brunch, sightseeing and charter cruises will see the current schedule maintained; passengers with bookings can request refunds or elect to shift reservations to other City Cruises ports. The company said it will keep regular sailings running through the wind-down date while it coordinates customer remedies and logistics for affected charters.

City Cruises framed the withdrawal as a business decision and expressed gratitude to staff and partners. "While this is a strategic decision that will position our business for a sustainable future, it was not a choice that was made lightly," the company said. The operator added, "We recognize that people are the heart of our business. During our years of operations, we have been honored to help thousands of guests celebrate milestones and create wonderful memories on the water. We want to thank them for trusting us to deliver an excellent experience for them in the heart of Baltimore City." The company also pledged to "work with crew, guests, and the community to ensure the end of operations is smooth and not disruptive."

City Cruises' Baltimore operations carried significant seasonal traffic: the fleet hosted more than 64,000 passengers on about 675 cruises last year. The Spirit of Baltimore, described by the company as an Inner Harbor fixture, was renovated and reintroduced in 2021; the Majesty joined the Baltimore fleet in 2023. The Majesty also carries a pop-culture footnote: Billy Joel married Christie Brinkley aboard the Majesty in 1985, a detail the operator has noted in fleet histories.

The move is part of a wider corporate footprint. City Cruises operates under the City Experiences banner within the Hornblower Group, which owns more than 80 boats and runs operations in 10 countries and more than 50 U.S. cities. City Cruises operates 10 ships in Washington, D.C., offering dinner cruises, water taxi service and live music events, the company intends for the Spirit of Baltimore to join that D.C. presence in March 2026.

City officials and waterfront stakeholders have not all released detailed responses; WMAR reported that Dan Taylor, president of the Waterfront Partnership, released a statement. City Cruises explicitly said the decision was not related to the planned $900 million Harborplace overhaul, a redevelopment project that aims to replace aging retail pavilions with new apartments, shops and offices and is slated to begin construction later this year. With the final Baltimore sailings set for April 25, the Inner Harbor will lose an operator that carried tens of thousands of riders into Baltimore's waterfront last year.