Domestic Cruises From Florida
The Sunshine State’s quiet, all-American cruises.
Get Free Domestic Cruise QuotesFlorida is America’s cruise capital, but almost every ship that leaves its ports heads abroad. Domestic cruises from Florida do exist — they are just small, quiet and easy to miss.
Truly Domestic Cruises in Florida
American Cruise Lines has offered several Florida itineraries on its U.S.-flagged small ships, including:
- Great Rivers of Florida — a round trip from Jacksonville on the St. Johns River and the Intracoastal Waterway, with calls such as St. Augustine and Amelia Island.
- Florida Gulf Coast and Keys — the state’s west coast and the Keys by small ship.
- Historic South and Golden Isles — between northeast Florida and Charleston, through Georgia’s sea islands and Savannah.
- Gulf Coast — between New Orleans and Pensacola.
Schedules and names change, so ask us what is sailing on your dates. These cruises mostly run in the cooler months, when Florida is at its best.
Florida Cruises That Only Look Domestic
From PortMiami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Port Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Palm Beach, the big lines sail to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Mexico. These are closed-loop cruises: they start and end in Florida but visit at least one foreign port, so they are not domestic. They are, however, often the easiest no-passport cruises for U.S. citizens. Our sister sites cover two of those ports: Cruise From Palm Beach and Cruise From Tampa Bay.
Key West is the classic example of the rule. A big ship can include it, but only alongside a foreign stop such as Cozumel or Nassau.
Florida Cruise Questions
Can I cruise from Miami to Key West only?
Not on a foreign-flagged ship. A big ship that calls at Key West must also call at a foreign port, which is why Key West usually appears on itineraries with Mexico or the Bahamas.
Are Bahamas cruises from Florida domestic?
No. The Bahamas are a foreign country, but on closed-loop cruises U.S. citizens can often sail with a birth certificate and photo ID rather than a passport.
What a Florida Small-Ship Cruise Is Like
Expect a ship of a hundred or so guests, a relaxed pace and ports reached by walking down the gangway into town. On the St. Johns River that means small riverside communities and nature; on the Atlantic side it means St. Augustine’s Spanish colonial streets and Amelia Island’s Victorian district. Lectures on board often cover the region’s history and wildlife. It is a very different holiday from a big-ship Bahamas weekend, and it suits travelers who want Florida itself rather than the open sea.
Which to choose? If you want beaches, casinos and a big pool deck, a closed-loop Bahamas or Caribbean cruise from Florida is hard to beat on price. If you want to see the real Florida — old towns, rivers, manatee country and quiet harbors — and would rather skip the border altogether, a domestic small-ship cruise is the one.
Driving to the pier is part of the appeal of both: Jacksonville, Tampa, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and Miami are all within a day’s drive for much of the Southeast.
Domestic or Closed-Loop From Florida?
Tell us your dates. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will show you both: small-ship domestic cruises and big-ship sailings from Florida ports.
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