Baltimore sailaway

[cruisercrazy69]

How long in time is it until we reach the ocean near Virginia Beach?

[cruisenfever]

How long in time is it until we reach the ocean near Virginia Beach?

If sail away is at 4PM it should be around 11PM.

[Janet524]

How long in time is it until we reach the ocean near Virginia Beach?

 

Patti is correct. It's a long, slow trip down the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay so you really won't see anything of Virginia Beach except the lights.

[Lou_70]

It is awesome going under the key bridge. They make a big deal about it and blow their horns. It looks like the ship won't fit but there is plenty of room when u go under it.

It is a lot of fun !

[BND]

You actually cross over the Bay Bridge Tunnel around 11-11:30 and it's a bit farther til you actually enter the ocean.

[LarryL]

That must be an awesome experience, sailing down the Chesapeake Bay. I'd like to start a cruise there or maybe out of NOLA on the Mississippi.

[read52]

That must be an awesome experience, sailing down the Chesapeake Bay. I'd like to start a cruise there or maybe out of NOLA on the Mississippi.

 

I have done both. Our first cruise was out of New Orleans. We have sailed out of Baltimore a couple of times since we are only 45 min. away. As you leave, you also get to see Fort McHenry. The battle at Fort McHenry inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.

[Tony O]

If you look over to the port side of the ship near the Key Bridge you will see a bouy that is painted red white and blue. This is the approximate spot that Francis Scott Key wrote the national athem on his ship.

[bmore cruiser]

I really enjoy the trip down the Chesapeake Bay. I know some people say it takes to long to reach the ocean but I enjoy all the sites in the bay. If you go during the summer, you get to see alot of sights going down the bay since the sun sets so much later.

[Lou_70]

The only issue with sailing down the atlantic is the seas are ALOT rougher than the calm caribbean.

 

I seem to remember going under the bay bridge around 9pm right as it was getting dark.. or just got dark because you could still see that bouy that the eariler post mentioned.

 

I could be wrong I hit the bar early into that cruise and didnt seem to stop!!!

[DanJ]

The Key Bridge was about 45 minutes after sailaway and the Bay Bridge was about 2 -2 1/2 hours in. Not sure when we went by the Bridge/Tunnel, but some people here have posted that it's pretty interesting when you go across the tunnel, because the channel is only about a mile wide, so you can see the traffic coming from both sides, and then going down into the tunnels.

 

As said above, it's nice in the summer since it's still light a couple hours after sailing, and you get lots of people in boats out in the Bay with you. Here's a couple pics of the Bay Bridge.

 

 

[dolittle]

It was close to 1:a.m. when we did it in 06 very few people stayed up.

[PittsburghGirlee]

What time does the casino open????

I know it's when you are in International Waters, but unsure of what time that would be?

[DanJ]

Definitely before International waters. I'm not sure exactly when it opened, but it was before we hit the Bay Bridge a couple hours after sailing.

[Chesterpeake]

I'm not certain, but I believe Dan is correct. It makes sense that the State of Maryland would make an exception for cruise ships. It can take as long as nine hours to sail down the Bay, and the cruise lines don't want to lose all that gambling revenue. So the State would make an exception to keep the ships coming to Baltimore.

[vavasmom]

Casino opens 1 hour after ship sails - both the Pride and Enchantment.

 

You cross over the tunnel about 11:30 - midnight with a 4pm sail-a-way.

 

If the EN sails on a Saturday - the Pride will pass her in the bay coming back up

 

I love my pics of the underside of the bridges and between the two spans.

 

 

Pics at the Tunnel at night do not come out from my camera

[nybumpkin]

We stayed awake on the return to the Bay to take pictures of the bridge-tunnel. They didn't come out too well, but the sail over the tunnel was worth staying awake:

 

This was our view approaching the Chesapeake Channel, which is the channel you use is you're sailing to Baltimore. The other channel is Thimble Shoal, which you use for Norfolk/Newport News.

 

This was our view of Bay Bridge, about two hours after sailing.

 

Sailing the Bay is a lot of fun. When we did this cruise in 2010, we had the good fortune to be sailing on July 4. We had fireworks going all along the Bay transit.:cool:

[vavasmom]

nybumpkin - you must have boarded the Pride the day we disembarked on July 4, 2010. I would love to sail down the bay on the evening of July 4th.

 

You night picture is so much better than any of mine.

[nybumpkin]

nybumpkin - you must have boarded the Pride the day we disembarked on July 4, 2010. I would love to sail down the bay on the evening of July 4th.

 

You night picture is so much better than any of mine.

We had such a fantastic sailaway! We had fireworks all the way down the bay.:cool:

[Carbri]

That must be an awesome experience, sailing down the Chesapeake Bay. I'd like to start a cruise there or maybe out of NOLA on the Mississippi.

 

Sailed the old Carnival Celebration out of NOLA in 1998. It was AWESOME sailing down the MS River. It took all night to reach the Gulf of Mexico. We actually had to make a 180 degree turn to leave the port. I looked up the deck while we were turning and the people along the rail from me were at about a 45 degree angle while we turned. During the night the ship listed so much one time (going down the RIVER ) that all our stuff slid off the vanity! We had a blast. New Orleans is an incredible place and great port of sail from. Great experience!:o