Cruise from Charleston SCSpiritLine Dinner Cruise: The Spirit of Carolina From Patriots Point
The SpiritLine dinner cruise is a 2.5-hour evening on the Spirit of Carolina, a dinner ship that sails from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. The ticket is $120 per person and includes a 4-course dinner made to order, live music and a climate-controlled dining deck. Boarding starts at 6:30 pm and the ship is out from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm, passing Fort Sumter, the Battery and the Ravenel Bridge. It is the priciest cruise on this site and the only one with a full plated meal. This page explains what the price covers, what you pay extra on the night, and when a cheaper harbor cruise or a sunset cruise might suit you better. See all cruises from Charleston side by side.
About This Tour
SpiritLine Cruises runs this dinner cruise on the Spirit of Carolina, a ship with a climate-controlled dining deck that sails from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. The listing calls it the only true waterfront fine dining experience in Charleston. The cruise lasts 2.5 hours and passes Fort Sumter, the Battery and the Ravenel Bridge.
Boarding begins at 6:30 pm at the ticket window outside the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, and the sail time runs 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. The dress code is resort casual, tables seat 4 to 6, and the cruise is rated 4.3 from 872 verified GetYourGuide bookings. It is marked likely to sell out, so book ahead and keep the 24-hour free cancellation in mind.
$120 per person, priced per person with tables of 4-6 so guests may share. Reserve now and pay later is available.
2.5 hours on the water. Boarding from 6:30 pm, sailing 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Departs from Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464, outside the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Pick up your boarding pass at the ticket window. Parking is not included. One reviewer reports $27 for the lot.
The Spirit of Carolina, a dinner cruise ship with a climate-controlled dining deck. Tables seat 4-6 guests and you may share a table.
Included: the 2.5-hour cruise, a 4-course dinner made to order from local seasonal ingredients, live music, sunset views in the summer months and a full service bar on board. Not included: drinks from the bar and parking. No shots are offered at any of the bars.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
Boarding starts at 6:30 pm with a 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm sail time. The listing flags it as likely to sell out, so check dates early.
Quick answer Dinner cruise at a glance
The SpiritLine dinner cruise costs $120 per person and runs 2.5 hours, sailing from Patriots Point from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm with boarding at 6:30 pm. The ticket includes a 4-course made-to-order dinner, live music and a climate-controlled dining deck. Drinks from the full service bar and parking are extra.
Key takeaways
- Cancel free up to 24 hours before departure, and reserve now and pay later. Details in what the price covers.
- In winter the sun sets before the 7:00 pm sailing, as early as 5:14 p.m. in early December. See what the day is like.
- Want sunset without the $120 dinner? The Charleston Harbor Sunset Cruise is $60 for 2 hours.
- Comparing every boat that sails Charleston Harbor? Start at the cruises from Charleston.
What the Price Actually Covers
The verified includes list on the GetYourGuide listing is short and clear. Everything else you might spend on the night is separate.
In the $120
The ticket covers the 2.5-hour luxury dinner cruise of Charleston Harbor, a 4-course dinner made to order from local seasonal ingredients, live music entertainment as you dine, and sunset views of the harbor during the summer months. The ship passes top sites such as Fort Sumter and the Battery. Tables seat 4-6 and guests may share. The dining deck is climate controlled and a full service bar is on board, though nothing from the bar is included in the fare.
One honest note on the sunset: the listing sells sunset views as a summer month feature. Charleston's earliest sunset is December 3 at 5:14 p.m., so in winter it will be dark well before the 7:00 pm departure. If a sunset on the water is the point of your evening, book in the summer months or pick a boat with an earlier departure time.
- 2.5-hour dinner cruise of Charleston Harbor
- 4-course dinner, made to order, local seasonal ingredients
- Live music entertainment as you dine
- Sunset views of the harbor during the summer months
- Cruise by Fort Sumter and the Battery
- Table of 4-6 guests
- Climate-controlled dining deck and full service bar on board
Paid on the Day
Drinks from the full service bar are the obvious extra. No shots are offered at any of the bars, and all major credit cards are accepted. Parking is not included either. One reviewer reports paying $27 for the Patriots Point lot, so budget for it. Tips are not mentioned in the listing either way.
For context, the dinner cruise is the most expensive ticket on the cruises from Charleston. The narrated history cruise on the Carolina Belle is $47.50 for 1.5 hours, and the Fort Sumter ferry with fort entry is $43 for about 2 hours including an hour on the island. Neither includes any food. The SpiritLine ticket buys you the meal, the music and the evening slot, and that is what the gap in price represents.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5-hour dinner cruise | Yes | Sails 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm from Patriots Point |
| 4-course dinner | Yes | Made to order, local seasonal ingredients, tables of 4-6 |
| Live music | Yes | Entertainment as you dine, cruise director and musician on board |
| Bar drinks | No | Full service bar on board, all drinks paid separately, no shots served |
| Parking | No | One reviewer reports $27 for the Patriots Point lot |
| Tips | Not stated | The listing does not mention gratuities |
| Hotel pickup | No | Not offered |
Food Limits to Know
The listing states plainly that the food is not prepared in a nut-free, shellfish-free or gluten-free facility. If you or someone at your table has a serious allergy, that is a reason to call the operator before booking or to pick a cruise where you control your own food. The listing states no children's price and no minimum age.
If the per-person cost for a family is the sticking point, the SpiritLine harbor tour and dolphin watch at $50 lets up to two children ride free per paying adult and adds live narration of Fort Sumter and the Battery.
The USS Yorktown aircraft carrier is moored at Patriots Point across the harbor. Photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The evening runs to a fixed schedule. Arrive early enough to pick up your boarding pass, because you cannot board without it.
Before Boarding
Make your way to Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Rd in Mount Pleasant. Your meeting point is outside the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, and you must pick up your boarding pass at the ticket window there even though your ticket is a mobile ticket in the app. Boarding begins at 6:30 pm.
The dress code is resort casual. Baby strollers are not allowed and this is a non-smoking cruise with no concealed weapons permitted. If you are driving, the lot is paid, with one reviewer reporting $27, so leave buffer time for parking.
Sailing 7:00 Pm to 9:30 Pm
The Spirit of Carolina sails from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. As it glides through the historic harbor the listing says you get views of the sunset in the summer months, the Ravenel Bridge, Fort Sumter and the homes of the Battery. Your cruise director and live musician are on board, and dinner comes course by course, made to order from local seasonal ingredients. Tables seat 4 to 6 and guests may share, so a couple may be seated with other guests.
The dining deck is climate controlled, which matters in a Charleston summer, and one reviewer mentions the cabin temperature varying between decks, so bring a light layer if you run cold. A full service bar is on board, drinks are paid separately and no shots are served at any of the bars.
The Seasonal Catch
The sunset promise in the listing is tied to the summer months, and that is accurate. Charleston's latest sunset is June 29 at 8:33 p.m., so on June 29 the sun sets inside the 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm sailing. The earliest sunset is December 3 at 5:14 p.m., which means a winter sailing leaves in full darkness and the city lights do the work instead.
If you specifically want daylight or dusk on the water in the cooler months, look at the 2-hour sunset cruise or a daytime history cruise, and save this one for the meal.
Back at the Dock
The sail window ends at 9:30 pm at Patriots Point. The listing does not state an exact return-to-dock time, so plan onward transport with that endpoint in mind. Rideshare is the straightforward option from Mount Pleasant, or you can drive back over the Ravenel Bridge into downtown Charleston.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a dinner ship with shared tables, a pay-at-the-bar drinks policy and a stated set of limits. Some travellers will be better served by a different boat entirely.
Allergy and Accessibility Limits
The listing states that the food is not prepared in a nut-free, shellfish-free or gluten-free facility, so travellers with serious allergies should think carefully. The ship is marked wheelchair accessible, but the same listing says accessibility is limited, so contact the operator before you book if a wheelchair user is in your party. Baby strollers are not allowed on board, which rules the cruise out for parents of very small children who would otherwise bring one.
There is no stated minimum age.
Shared Tables and a Bar You Pay for
Tables seat 4 to 6 and the pricing is built around guests sharing, so this is not the cruise for a private romantic table unless the operator arranges one. Drinks are never included and no shots are served at any of the bars, so a party crowd looking for a boozy night should look at the BYOB sunset cruise from Shem Creek instead, where you bring your own alcohol for a $45 ticket. If you want a small boat rather than a big dinner ship, the Morris Island eco boat cruise caps at 21 guests with a naturalist captain, or the Schooner Pride sail lets you help raise the sails.
No Narration, No Dolphins Promised
This is a dining cruise, not a guided tour. The cruise director and live musician provide entertainment, but there is no stated historical narration of the fort or the harbor. Travellers who want the story behind Fort Sumter and the Battery should book the $43 Fort Sumter ferry with a ranger talk on the island, or the $50 SpiritLine dolphin watch cruise with live narration from a licensed guide.
And a note on wildlife: no Charleston cruise guarantees dolphins, this one included, so do not book it expecting animal sightings. The dress code is resort casual, which most travellers meet without thinking, but it is a stated rule.
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is lit at night above the Mount Pleasant marsh. Photo: Juliancolton, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Could You See It Without This Cruise?
For far less you can get onto the same harbor. What you give up is the meal, the table service and the evening slot.
The Cheap Version of the Same Water
The Charleston Water Taxi all-day pass costs $17 and runs hourly between Waterfront Park, the Aquarium and Maritime Center, Patriots Point and the Charleston Harbor Resort, with a dolphin cruise on every trip. It is the honest answer for anyone who wants time on Charleston Harbor without a tour price. The Fort Sumter ferry at $43 gets you within sight of the same fort the dinner cruise passes, and it puts you on the island for about an hour with a park ranger.
The Mount Pleasant Pier sits at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge. It is 1,250 feet long, free to walk, with swings and harbor views, and parking at Memorial Waterfront Park is free. Walking it costs nothing.
What the Shore Cannot Give You
None of the free options serve you a 4-course made-to-order dinner at a table while a musician plays. None put you out on the water at sunset in the summer months with drinks from a full bar. The Battery seawall, Waterfront Park with its Vendue Wharf swings and the Ravenel Bridge walkway all give you harbor views on foot for nothing, and Waterfront Park is open daily 6 a.m. to midnight, but they are stationary. The dinner cruise is really a restaurant that moves, and no pier replaces that.
If the meal is not the point, take the $17 water taxi pass or the $47.50 narrated history cruise and spend the difference on dinner on land. If a sunset on the water without dinner is the point, the 2-hour sunset cruise is $60. The pages on free things to do in Charleston and 2 days in Charleston fold these options into a fuller plan, and you can browse every boat on cruises from Charleston.
Shore and transit figures: Charleston Water Taxi, City of Charleston parks
The Evening, Step by Step
The listing fixes the clock times for boarding and sailing. Everything between departs from Patriots Point and returns there.
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6:30 pm
Boarding begins
Arrive at Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Rd, and pick up your boarding pass at the ticket window outside the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Mobile tickets are shown in the app but the boarding pass is still required. Parking at the lot is paid, with one reviewer reporting $27.
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Before boarding
Settle in
Find your table. Seats are set for 4-6 guests per table and you may share. The dining deck is climate controlled, the dress code is resort casual, and this is a non-smoking cruise.
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7:00 pm
Departure
The Spirit of Carolina casts off for a 2.5-hour loop of Charleston Harbor. In the summer months the listing promises sunset views.
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On the water
Dinner and the sights
The 4-course dinner comes made to order from local seasonal ingredients while the live musician plays. The ship passes Fort Sumter and the Battery, with views of the Ravenel Bridge along the way.
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On the water
Bar rounds
The full service bar stays open through the cruise. Drinks are paid separately, cards are accepted, and no shots are served at any of the bars.
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The turn
City lights or sunset
In summer the listing promises sunset views. In winter the sun has set before departure, as early as 5:14 p.m. in early December, so the city lights carry the view instead.
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9:30 pm
Back at the dock
The sail window closes at 9:30 pm at Patriots Point. Rideshare or the drive over the Ravenel Bridge gets you back into downtown Charleston from Mount Pleasant.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the 2.5-hour SpiritLine dinner cruise, drawn only from the listing and the facts around it.
What we genuinely like
- The only cruise on this site with a full 4-course plated dinner made to order in the fare
- Climate-controlled dining deck, which helps in summer heat
- Live music and a cruise director included, not an added extra
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now, pay later
- Departs from Patriots Point, so you can pair it with the USS Yorktown earlier in the day, where admission runs $28 for adults
The honest downsides
- At $120 per person it is the most expensive ticket on the comparison table
- No drinks are included and no shots are served at any of the bars
- Parking is not included and one reviewer reports $27 at the Patriots Point lot
- In winter the sunset falls before the 7:00 pm sailing, as early as 5:14 p.m. in early December
- Tables seat 4-6, so couples may share
- Food is not prepared in a nut-free, shellfish-free or gluten-free facility, and accessibility is stated as limited
Who it's NOT for: Not for travellers who want narration, small boats, guaranteed dolphins, a cheap hour on the water or their own private table, all of which other Charleston cruises do better.
SpiritLine Dinner Cruise Questions
How much does the SpiritLine dinner cruise cost?
The ticket is $120 per person for the 2.5-hour cruise, with tables of 4-6 so guests may share. The listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now, pay later. For a cheaper way onto the same harbor, the all-day water taxi pass is $17, as the water taxi page explains.
What is included in the price of the Spirit of Carolina dinner cruise?
The fare covers the 2.5-hour cruise, a 4-course dinner made to order from local seasonal ingredients, live music, sunset views in the summer months and a climate-controlled dining deck with a full service bar on board. Drinks from the bar and parking are not included. The full split is in what the price covers.
Where does the SpiritLine dinner cruise leave from?
It departs from Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant, with boarding outside the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. You must pick up a boarding pass at the ticket window. The guide to where the harbor cruises leave from compares all the docks.
What time does the dinner cruise sail?
Boarding begins at 6:30 pm and the sail time runs 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. Remember that in winter Charleston's sun sets before departure, as early as 5:14 p.m. in early December, so the cruise is an after-dark city lights trip in winter.
Is the SpiritLine dinner cruise worth it in winter?
The dinner, the music and the climate-controlled deck are the same year round, but the sunset is a summer months feature per the listing, so winter sailings lose that element. If a sunset on the water is what you want, the 2-hour Charleston Harbor Sunset Cruise at $60 goes out at sunset.
Is there a dress code and can I bring my own drinks?
The dress code is resort casual, and the listing does not offer BYOB, so drinks come from the full service bar and are paid separately, with no shots served. If bringing your own drinks matters, the Shem Creek BYOB Sunset Cruise is built around exactly that.
How does this compare with the cheaper Charleston harbor cruises?
The $47.50 history cruise on the Carolina Belle is 1.5 hours with narration and no food, while this is 2.5 hours with a plated dinner and no stated narration. You are paying the difference for the meal, the music and the evening slot. The full side-by-side is on the cruises from Charleston.
What Travelers Said
I loved it a lot everyone was so kind our waiter found out those our anniversary so she gave us a free dessert and when we couldn’t afford our pictures, these two guys gave us our pictures for free and said have a great anniversary I felt so loved and appreciated during the whole thing!!
We enjoyed the entertainment, food was delicious My family all said there is not one thing we can complain about We give a 10 out of 10 rating.
The menu for entreé choice and beverages was very good. The food was excellent. The staff did a wonderful job, and our server, Belinda, went above and beyond. It was a delightful experience right down to the vocalist/keyboardist who provided the entertainment. I highly recommend this dinner cruise for an enjoyable evening.
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