Car and Passenger Ferry Service
There is no airport on St. John, so almost every visitor arrives by boat. Several separate services connect the U.S. Virgin Islands to each other and to the British Virgin Islands, and they run from docks that are easy to confuse. This page explains how each service works, who operates it and roughly what it costs. Fares and departure times change several times a year, so we link directly to each operator rather than reprinting timetables that go stale.
Going deeper
This page is the overview. If you are actually booking a crossing between St. Thomas and St. John, we have longer guides covering reservations, check-in, what happens at the dock and the mistakes first-timers make:
How to take the passenger ferry between St. Thomas and St. John
How to take the car barge from St. Thomas to St. John
Why you drive on the left in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Which dock is which
This trips up more visitors than fares do. Cruz Bay alone has three separate landings, and they are not walking distance from one another if you are carrying luggage.
St. John
Loredon L. Boynes Sr. Dock — the main passenger ferry dock in downtown Cruz Bay. This is where the Red Hook ferry and the seasonal Charlotte Amalie ferry come and go.
Victor William Sewer Marine Facility — known locally as the Creek or the bulkhead, a few minutes' walk around the harbour from the main dock. Inter Island Boat Services uses this one for the Crown Bay run and for its British Virgin Islands trips.
Theovald Moorehead Dock & Terminal at Enighed Pond — the car barge terminal, roughly half a mile south of town. No passenger ferries call here. If your taxi drops you at Enighed Pond and you are on foot, you are in the wrong place.
St. Thomas
Urman V. Fredericks Marine Terminal, Red Hook — the passenger ferry terminal on the east end, roughly 30 to 40 minutes by taxi from Cyril E. King Airport.
Red Hook car barge ramp — immediately adjacent to the passenger terminal but a separate queue with its own government fee booth. Vehicles only.
Edward W. Blyden IV Marine Terminal, Charlotte Amalie — the departure point for British Virgin Islands ferries and for the St. Croix ferry.
Crown Bay Marina — about five minutes from the airport, which is the whole reason the Crown Bay ferry exists.
St. Croix
Gallows Bay Marine Facility — just outside Christiansted, a short walk or a very short taxi ride from the boardwalk.
Passenger ferries between St. Thomas and St. John
Red Hook – Cruz Bay
Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures | +1 (340) 776-6282 and +1 (340) 776-6412 | varlack-ventures.com | tickets at stjohnticketing.com
The workhorse route, and the one nearly everyone uses. The crossing takes about 20 minutes. Two companies alternate departures, so from a passenger's point of view it is a single roughly hourly service. Your ticket is valid on whichever boat is next, but a round-trip ticket must be returned on the same company's vessel.
Fares, one way: non-resident adult $8.15, USVI resident adult $6.00, V.I. senior $1.50, child aged 2 to 11 $1.00, infants free. Bags are $4.00 each — anything that will not fit on your lap is a bag, and the airline definition of a carry-on does not apply here. A fuel surcharge of $0.66 was added to all fares in June 2026.
Schedule: broadly hourly in both directions, from around 6 a.m. until late evening, with the last boat out of Red Hook after 11 p.m. A reduced off-season timetable is in force from 26 July to 31 October 2026, which thins out the early morning and late night departures. Check the current schedule before you rely on a specific time.
For booking mechanics, ticket validity, what to expect at both terminals and how the two routes compare, see our full guide to taking the passenger ferry between St. Thomas and St. John.
Charlotte Amalie – Cruz Bay Seasonal
Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures | +1 (340) 776-6282 and +1 (340) 776-6412 | varlack-ventures.com
This route does not run year round. It operates roughly from the beginning of November to the end of May and is suspended for the rest of the year. As of September 2026 it is out of service and scheduled to resume on 1 November 2026.
When it runs it is three round trips a day and takes about 45 minutes. It is worth knowing about because it lands you downtown, within reach of shopping, the British Virgin Islands ferries at Blyden Terminal, and the west end of St. Thomas without crossing the island by road.
Fares, one way, when in season: non-resident adult $13.00, USVI resident adult $12.00, V.I. senior $6.00, bags $4.00 each, plus the $0.66 fuel surcharge. Reduced child fares apply.
Departures, when in season: Cruz Bay at 8:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 3:45 p.m.; Charlotte Amalie at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Crown Bay – Cruz Bay Creek
Inter Island Boat Services | +1 (340) 776-6597 or +1 (340) 201-6311 | interislandboatservices.com
The airport shortcut. Crown Bay Marina is about five minutes from Cyril E. King Airport, so you trade a long taxi ride across St. Thomas for a longer and more pleasant 35-minute boat ride. The trade-off is frequency: this is a handful of sailings a day, not an hourly service, so it only works if your flight times line up. Check in 30 minutes before departure.
Fares, one way: adult $20, senior $15, child under 12 $10, bags $5 each.
Crown Bay to Cruz Bay: 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily, plus 2:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cruz Bay to Crown Bay: 11:00 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. daily, plus 1:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Car barges between St. Thomas and St. John
Private companies run vehicle barges between Enighed Pond on St. John and the Red Hook car barge ramp on St. Thomas. The crossing takes 25 to 30 minutes. Passengers and luggage travel free with the vehicle, which is why a family of four with bags often pays less on a barge than on the passenger ferry.
- Tickets are not interchangeable between companies. Ask the security guard at the dock which vessel your ticket is for.
- Booking online does not guarantee you a place on a specific sailing. Loading is first come, first served from the queue regardless of reservations.
- Arrive 30 to 60 minutes early, and longer in high season or before a holiday.
- There is a Port Authority use fee collected only at the Red Hook end, in cash, at a booth before you reach the loading area. It is charged by vehicle type, it is separate from your barge ticket, and it was revised upward in 2026. Bring more cash than you expect to need.
- Round-trip return tickets generally do not expire, so buying a return is worthwhile even on an open-ended trip.
What it costs. Non-resident rates for a car, small truck or SUV currently sit at around $65 one way and $80 round trip. USVI residents and seniors pay materially less with valid identification, and motorcycles are cheaper again. After-hours sailings carry a premium. Oversized and commercial vehicles are priced on application. Rates have risen more than once in recent years and the companies do not always move together, so confirm with the operator you intend to use.
Big Red Barge
+1 (340) 227-0918 | bigredbarge.co
Capacity of about 24 vehicles, with a stern loading ramp. Sails daily from around 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with the earliest departures dropped on Sundays. Also carries commercial cargo and is equipped for marine firefighting.
Published rates are $65 one way and $80 round trip for a car, small truck or SUV; $15 and $25 for motorcycles; and $60 for seniors aged 65 and over with valid identification. Return tickets do not expire.
Love City Car Ferries
+1 (340) 779-4000 | lovecitycarferries.com
The longest-established operator, running two vessels. Sailings from about 6:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. The earliest morning departures do not run at weekends or on major holidays, and several evening sailings are seasonal. Reservations can be made on the hour but not for half-past times. Reduced service on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Published rates are $65 one way, $80 round trip and $100 after hours for a car, SUV or small truck. Passengers and luggage ride free with the vehicle, and return tickets do not expire.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority publishes a consolidated barge and ferry schedule at viport.com, which is a useful cross-check, though it can lag the operators' own published rates.
Reservations, the queue, check-in windows and the things first-timers get wrong are covered in detail in our guide to taking the car barge from St. Thomas to St. John. If you are bringing a vehicle across, also read why you drive on the left here before you get behind the wheel.
Ferries between St. Croix and St. Thomas
St. Croix sits roughly 40 miles south of the St. Thomas and St. John pair, across open water. The crossing is genuinely rough on a windy day. If you are prone to seasickness, take something an hour before departure or fly instead — the flight is about 20 minutes.
QE IV Ferry
+1 (340) 473-1322 | qe4ferry.com
The year-round service, running six days a week — Wednesday through Monday, with no sailings on Tuesday. Two hours each way. Port fees, security fees and departure taxes are included in the ticket price.
Departing Gallows Bay, St. Croix: 8 a.m., arriving Blyden Terminal, Charlotte Amalie at 10:10 a.m.
Departing Blyden Terminal, Charlotte Amalie: 3 p.m., arriving Gallows Bay at 5:10 p.m.
Fare: around $85 each way. Arrive 30 minutes before departure; check-in closes 15 minutes before. The Coast Guard requires photo identification or birth documentation for every passenger, children included. No-shows and same-day cancellations are not refunded.
Note that the schedule permits a day trip in one direction only: you can leave St. Croix in the morning and return in the afternoon, but not the reverse.
Native Son
+1 (340) 774-8685 | nativesonferry.com
Primarily a British Virgin Islands operator, Native Son also runs a limited weekend service between Charlotte Amalie and Gallows Bay, departing St. Thomas in the morning and St. Croix in the afternoon and taking about two hours. Port fees, security fees and departure taxes are not included in the ticket price on this service. Operating days have changed more than once, so confirm current days and fares directly with the company.
Ferries to the British Virgin Islands
Several ferry companies connect St. Thomas and St. John to Tortola, and one runs day trips deeper into the British Virgin Islands from St. John. The BVI Ports Authority publishes a consolidated schedule at bviports.org/ferry.
Tortola from St. Thomas
Three companies run the Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook routes to Road Town and West End, Tortola, generally two or three sailings a day in each direction with a rotating pattern of which company sails when. The crossing is around 45 to 50 minutes direct from Charlotte Amalie to Road Town, or about 30 minutes on the shorter Red Hook to West End hop.
Native Son — +1 (340) 774-8685 | nativesonferry.com
Road Town Fast Ferry
Smith's Ferry, also trading as Tortola Fast Ferry
Fares vary by operator, route and season. Native Son includes BVI port fees in tickets sold from St. Thomas; fees in the reverse direction are charged separately and differ for BVI residents and visitors.
Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Anegada from St. John
Inter Island Boat Services | +1 (340) 776-6597 | interislandboatservices.com
The same company that runs the Crown Bay ferry operates day trips out of Cruz Bay Creek, picking up at Red Hook first. These are the practical way to reach the outer British Virgin Islands without chartering a boat.
Jost Van Dyke — about 35 minutes, for White Bay and Great Harbour.
Virgin Gorda — about 90 minutes, for The Baths.
Anegada — about two hours, the flat coral island at the top of the chain.
Round trip and one way options are offered on all three, with a discount for booking a day ahead. Check in 45 minutes before departure.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring a car to St. John?
Not necessarily. If you are staying more than three or four days and plan to move around the island, a vehicle pays for itself against taxi fares. For a short stay based near Cruz Bay, renting on St. John or using taxis is usually simpler and avoids the barge queue entirely.
Can I take a rental car on the barge?
Check your rental agreement first. Some St. Thomas agencies prohibit taking their vehicles off island, and doing so anyway can void your coverage.
Is the passenger ferry or the car barge cheaper?
For one or two people travelling light, the passenger ferry. For a family with luggage, the barge is often cheaper because passengers and bags ride free with the vehicle — but only if you already have a car.
Which ferry gets me closest to the airport?
Crown Bay, about five minutes away. Red Hook is 30 to 40 minutes by taxi from the airport but runs far more often, so it usually wins on total travel time.
Do the ferries take credit cards?
The main terminals do, and most operators sell online. Smaller operations and the Port Authority fee booth at Red Hook are cash only. Carry cash.
Do I need a passport for the British Virgin Islands?
Yes, for every traveller including infants and U.S. citizens. The British Virgin Islands are a separate country.
Where do I find the detail on a specific crossing?
This page is the overview. For St. Thomas to St. John, see our guides to the passenger ferry and the car barge, which cover booking, check-in and what happens at the dock.