Ferry Boat
Transportation to the Fajardo Ferry Dock
Casa de Kathy recommends Travel with Padin shuttle service to take you from San Juan International Airport (or anywhere in San Juan) and bring you to Fajardo to get the ferry boat. Call Ilca, who is bi-lingual, and will take away all your worries about the commute to Vieques. Please tell her I referred you. They are willing to take calls almost anytime of the day or night.
Travel with Padin: 787-644-3091 (vconpadin_04@hotmail.com)
Padin’s charges for the trip from San Juan to Fajardo ferry dock: 1 person = $60.00, 2-4 people = $70.00, 5-6 people = $75.00. An extra $5.00 is charged to go to the Ceiba airport. If you decide to take a taxi waiting at the curb at the airport, the price will be about $90 per couple and $2 per bag.
The ride from the San Juan airport to the Fajardo ferry dock takes about an hour and ten minutes depending on the traffic. So keep this in mind when planning what ferry to take. Ilca will tell you a good estimate of what time you will get to the dock. Ferry Schedule.
Padin’s drivers are willing to stop on the way if you want to eat something and sometimes will take you on the scenic route (along the coast). Travel with Padin can also take you from Fajardo back to the San Juan airport or to a San Juan hotel.
You should plan to be at the dock about an hour before the ferry leaves. Your one-way ticket will cost $2.00. The ferry service can have delays. Rarely (for example, weekend mornings during the summer months), it will be full and you would have to wait for the next boat. Residents are given preference in this case. Again, this very rarely happens.
The alternative to the ferry is to take a taxi to the Ceiba airport which is nearby. The last flight is at 5:30 PM. They usually will run as many flights as necessary to get all the standby passengers to Vieques.
The ferry trip to Vieques takes about one and a quarter hours (an hour if you are on the newer boats). The flight from San Juan International or the San Juan city airport takes about 30 minutes to arrive in Vieques. The flight from Ceiba airport takes about 8 minutes.
Map of the ferry route from Fajardo to Vieques
There are public vans (carros publicos in Spanish) waiting at the dock or airport in Vieques to take you to my place. The fare is $3 per person to Esperanza or $9-10 for two people if you hire the van to take you directly with no other passengers. An additional 50 cents per bag may be charged. Tell your driver you are going to Casa de Kathy in Esperanza. The address is 367 Bromelias Street and says “Casa de Kathy” on the front of the house. My house is a turquoise green with yellow trim.
More about transportation around Vieques.
Driving directions from the ferry boat to Casa de Kathy
For many reasons, you CANNOT bring a rental car from Fajardo to Vieques. Car rental companies do not allow it and the cargo ferry must be reserved sometimes weeks in advance.
Flying directly to Vieques from San Juan is an alternative to the ferry boat. More info.
Ferry Schedule (“la lancha”)
You may have read elsewhere that we have problems with our ferry system: ferries sometimes leave late or trips can be cancelled (cancellations happen only a small percentage of the time). Because the 8:00 PM ferry trip is at the end of the day, it often leaves late or sometimes is cancelled. When you arrive at the Vieques ferry dock after 9:00 PM, it can be difficult to find a taxi. I suggest pre-arranging the taxi in that case.
Passenger fee is $2.00 per person one way. Round trip tickets are sold only at the ticket window in Vieques. You can buy your tickets in advance but usually this is not necessary. The exception to this is weekend mornings leaving Fajardo when the ticket line can be long and tedious
The passenger ferry carries only passengers. The cargo boat carries passengers and cargo and runs during weekdays only.
Passenger Ferry Schedule (IMPORTANT: Note that, as of December 1, 2010, the passenger schedule is the same SEVEN days per week)
- Departs Vieques: 6:30 am, 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm
- Departs Fajardo: 9:30 am, 1:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 8:00 pm
Cargo Ferry Schedule (also takes passengers)
- Departs Vieques: 6:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm
- Departs Fajardo: 4:00 am, 9:30 am, 4:30 pm
The cargo ferry might leave earlier if all car reservations are on board.
The Vieques ferry office run by the Maritime Transportation Authority (ATM) is rarely answered. You must go in person to make reservations or to buy tickets. ATM/ Vieques Port: 800-981-2005 or 787-741-5018.
