St. Thomas to St. John Ferry Planner

The ferry to St. John leaves Red Hook, St. Thomas, about every hour, and the last boat back from Cruz Bay leaves at 11:00 PM. Until October 31, 2026 it runs 6:00 AM (5:30 AM on weekdays) to 8:00 PM, then 10:00 PM and 11:30 PM. It takes about 20 minutes; a visitor pays $8.15 each way, a child $1.00.

How to use it

Pick the crossing — the Red Hook or the Charlotte Amalie passenger ferry to Cruz Bay, the car barge, or the ferry to St. Croix — and the island you start on. Then pick the day, a boat out and a boat back: the same day for a day trip, or up to 14 nights later. The planner gives the time to be at the dock, when you land, how long you have on the island before you are due back at its dock, when you are back, and the round-trip fare for your party and your bags (on the barge, for your vehicle). Below the answer is the day’s whole timetable, with your boats marked. The trip stays in the link, so a copied link reopens it.

Red Hook ↔ Cruz Bay: the timetables

The passenger ferry between Red Hook and Cruz Bay is run by Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures and sold by St. John Ferry Ticketing Co. Until October 31 the companies run their “Temporary Off-Season Ferry Schedule Modification” (“Effective Sunday, July 26 – Saturday, October 31, 2026”). From November 1 the table shows their regular schedule, as their own page printed it until the off-season began (the Internet Archive’s copy of June 10, 2026); under it they write “(Call to confirm services)”. Times are Atlantic Standard Time, which does not change during the year.

* Monday to Friday only (“5:30 AM (M-F)”).

Charlotte Amalie ↔ Cruz Bay

The longer ferry leaves downtown Charlotte Amalie, which the Port Authority notes is “only 10 minutes from the St. Thomas airport”; the crossing is about 45 minutes. It is not running this autumn: “Ferry between Cruz Bay and Charlotte Amalie are suspended Effective Sunday, August 30, 2026 , and is schedule to resume on Sunday, November 1, 2026.” From November 1 the regular schedule, as the companies printed it before the off-season, is:

The car barges: Red Hook ↔ Enighed Pond

“Three private companies offer daily car ferry transportation service between the Theovald Moorehead Dock and Terminal at Enighed Pond in Cruz Bay, St. John, and the Urman V. Fredericks Marine Terminal in Red Hook, St. Thomas for vehicles.” Two of them publish their times, and both charge $65 one way and $80 round trip for a car, SUV or small truck. The Port Authority adds its fee at the Red Hook ramp: “Cars, small & medium SUVs or Motorcycles…..$3 each”. Love City gives the crossing as about 25 minutes. The third company, Global Marine’s Tug Life, is left out: its times appear only on the Port Authority’s page, whose prices for the other two are out of date.

* Big Red Barge: “(except on Sundays)”. ** Love City: “Departures from 6:15 AM to 7:30 AM do not run on weekends or major holidays.” † Love City: “Evening departures at 4:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 6:30 PM, and 7:30 PM are seasonal and may vary throughout the year.”

St. Thomas ↔ St. Croix

QE IV Ferry sails between the Blyden Terminal on the Charlotte Amalie waterfront and Gallows Bay, St. Croix, every day but Tuesday (“It DOES not operate on tuesday.”): 8:00 AM from Gallows Bay, landing at 10:10 AM, and 3:00 PM from St. Thomas, landing at 5:10 PM. A seat is $85 each way, and “We don’t offer any discounts for passengers or cargo.” “Arrive 30 minutes before departure – check-in ends 15 mins before departure”.

The fares, one way

Resident and senior fares need a Virgin Islands ID. On the St. John ferries, “*All small bags and personal effects must be able to fit in your lap or baggage fees will apply.” On the St. Croix ferry, “Each passenger is allowed one (1) small carry-on bag at No Charge. Each additional bag will be charged a fee of $15 per bag.” On the car barges the fare is per vehicle, and Love City says “Passengers ride free with your vehicle, and luggage is included at no extra charge.”

Worked examples

• A day on St. John for two adults and a child (Wednesday, October 14): be at the Red Hook dock by 8:45 AM for the 9:00 AM boat, land in Cruz Bay at 9:20 AM, and take the 4:00 PM boat back: 6 h 25 min on St. John before you are due at the Cruz Bay dock, back at Red Hook at 4:20 PM, $34.60 round trip.
• A car for a week on St. John (Saturday, October 17 to Saturday, October 24): Big Red Barge’s 8:30 AM from Red Hook lands at about 8:55 AM; its 5:00 PM back a week later makes the round trip $80 plus the $3 ramp fee, $83. Coming back on Love City’s 4:00 PM instead means two one-way tickets: $133.
• From the airport side, in November (Wednesday, November 4, two adults): the 10:00 AM from Charlotte Amalie lands at 10:45 AM; the 3:45 PM back leaves 4 h 45 min on St. John and has you downtown at 4:30 PM, for $52.00.
• St. Croix from St. Thomas (Thursday, October 15, two adults): the 3:00 PM from Charlotte Amalie lands at Gallows Bay at 5:10 PM, and the only boat back leaves St. Croix at 8:00 AM, so a visit is at least one night; back on Sunday, October 18, you land at 10:10 AM, $340 round trip. From St. Croix the day trip works: 4 h 20 min in Charlotte Amalie.

Common mistakes

• Trusting the Port Authority’s passenger timetable. Its page announces “the temporary off-season passenger ferry schedule, which shows departure times from Red Hook, St. Thomas, and Cruz Bay, St. John, from July 26, 2026, through October 31, 2026”, but the times under it are the list it showed in November 2025, and they differ from the ferry companies’ own sheet (it leaves out the weekday 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM boats from Cruz Bay). The planner uses the companies’ sheet.
• Counting on a barge reservation. “Passengers must get in line and will be allowed to board the car ferry on a first-come/first-load basis, regardless of prior reservations made.” Be in line 30 minutes to an hour ahead.
• Coming back on another barge company. “Car ferry tickets are not interchangeable between the ferry companies.” A round trip is $80 only on one company’s boats.
• Bringing airline carry-ons onto the St. John ferry. “Remember the description for a carry-on bag for the V.I. Ferry is not the same as regulated by the airlines.” A bag that does not fit on your lap is $4 each way.
• Planning a St. Croix day trip from St. Thomas. The boat from St. Thomas lands at 5:10 PM and the only one back leaves at 8:00 AM.
• Treating Tortola like St. John. The ferries to the British Virgin Islands cross a border: see the BVI Ports Authority’s ferry schedules and check whether you need a passport.

Plan the rest of the trip

• Are the US Virgin Islands worth visiting?
• What to do in the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Are the British Virgin Islands worth visiting?
• Caribbean islands you can visit without a passport
• Vieques & Culebra Ferry Planner: the Puerto Rico island ferries