Cargo ships have been escorted to port frequently this year by their kissing cousins, cruise ships. Vacation vessels with evocative names like Saga Ruby and Grandeur of the Seas have visited the new cruise terminal at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. Located at the Port’s South Locust Point Terminal, the dedicated passenger terminal has welcomed cruisers with a full schedule of floating getaways, including sold-out excursions to the Western Caribbean and Bermuda.

Recently, Baltimore’s cruise terminal won a national award for Project of the Year in the Design Category. The tribute was one of seven awards given out by the STV Group, a national leader in the planning and design of facilities, infrastructure and transportation systems.

“We are exceedingly proud to have received this recognition for our new passenger cruise terminal,” Brooks Royster, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration, said in a statement. “With this cruise terminal, the Port of Baltimore has taken a giant step forward to being known as a cruise port.” Strategic location is a main ingredient to the terminal’s successful inaugural season. Positioned right off Interstate 95 and less than 10 minutes from downtown, drop-off and pick-up are a snap for visitors. The 60,000-square-foot cruise terminal accommodates up to 2,900 people, and offers more than 500 parking spaces. No longer do cruisers in the Baltimore-Washington area have to make the long drive to other ports or pay airfare to depart from cities like Miami, the busiest cruise port on the East Coast. Baltimore is within a six-hour drive for 36 million people.

The cruise season in Baltimore ends Nov. 19. An earnest interest for 2007 vacation destinations has already been received, according to the port administration. Cruise ships cast off again in May and include added sailings to New England and Canada.