Charleston to Savannah by water, the way it was meant to be seen.
Small ships on the East Coast and the Intracoastal Waterway: Charleston, Savannah, Amelia Island, Beaufort, Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson on American Cruise Lines and Lindblad; the Great Lakes on Viking, Pearl Seas, Ponant and HX, from Toronto and Milwaukee to Mackinac Island and Niagara; and big-ship coastal repositionings between New York and Florida in spring and fall. SmartCruiser shows every sailing with taxes and fees included, and puts the sailings with SmartCruiser bonus credit at the top.
Which coast, which lake?
Pick one and the list below filters to it.
Charleston, Savannah & the Intracoastal
- Charleston to Amelia Island or Jacksonville, 7 to 8 nights, calm inland waterway all the way
- Savannah, Beaufort, Hilton Head, St. Simons and Jekyll Island
- American Cruise Lines, 100 to 180 guests, excursions and the hotel night included
Best for: history and food, no-fly Southeast guests
Chesapeake, Hudson & New England
- Baltimore round trips to Annapolis, St. Michaels, Yorktown and Cambridge
- New York to Albany in October, Boston to Newport, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket
- American Cruise Lines in spring and fall
Best for: leaf peepers, crab lovers, Mid-Atlantic drive-to guests
The Great Lakes
- Toronto to Milwaukee or Duluth, 8 to 15 nights: Niagara, the Welland Canal, Mackinac Island, the Soo Locks, Georgian Bay
- Viking Octantis and Polaris, Pearl Mist, Ponant and HX
- May to October, with September color
Best for: scenery, geology, Viking fans
Atlantic Coastal & Great Lakes deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every East Coast, Intracoastal and Great Lakes sailing from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the public price. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Atlantic Coastal and Great Lakes sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Drive to the pier
Pick a port and the list above filters to it; most of these are an hour from home for East Coast guests.
Which line for the East Coast and the Great Lakes?
Small US-flagged ships own the coast and the rivers; Viking and the expedition lines own the lakes. Our one-line take on each.
When to go
Coastal cruises run spring and fall; the Great Lakes sail May to October.
Atlantic coastal and Great Lakes questions we answer every day
Do I need a passport?
Not for the US coastal, Intracoastal, Hudson or Chesapeake sailings; a government photo ID is enough. Great Lakes cruises that call in Canada, and any sailing starting in Toronto, require a valid passport.
What is included on American Cruise Lines?
A pre-cruise hotel night, excursions in every port, wine and beer with dinner, an open bar before dinner, Wi-Fi and all meals. Gratuities and flights are extra. Viking on the Great Lakes includes an excursion per port, Wi-Fi, and beer and wine with meals.
Is the Intracoastal Waterway calm?
Yes. The ships run inside the barrier islands on rivers, sounds and canals, so there is almost no motion; it is the smoothest cruise in North America. Great Lakes sailings can see a chop on Superior and Huron.
How big are the ships?
American Cruise Lines carries 100 to 180 guests, Lindblad about 100, Viking’s Great Lakes ships 378, Ponant 184. No casinos or big shows; the ports and the lecturers are the entertainment.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights and gratuities are extra; the hotel night and excursions are included where the line includes them.
Can I do the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence together?
Yes: Viking, Ponant and HX run 10 to 15 night voyages from Toronto or Montreal through the Welland Canal and all five lakes to Duluth or Milwaukee, or add Quebec City and the Saguenay. Book early; the ships are small and September sells out first.
Talk to a coastal cruise specialist
Tell us your home port and the season and we line up American Cruise Lines, Viking and the big ships side by side, hotel night included where it is. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.