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The ferry to Vieques and Culebra: fares, vehicles and ticket rules

Last reviewed: August 17, 2026 — VerifiedDTOP

In short

The Maritime Transport Authority runs the passenger and cargo ferries from the Ceiba terminal to Vieques and Culebra. The Cayo Largo serves Culebra in about 55 minutes; the Isla Bonita serves Vieques in 35 to 45 minutes. Boarding closes 10 minutes before departure and ATI asks you to be at the terminal an hour ahead. An adult fare, ages 13 to 59, is $2.00 and children 4 to 12 pay $1.00, on either route; infants 0 to 3 and people 75 and over travel free, but those tickets must be bought at the port window with photo identification. Taking your car is charged separately: $13.00 for a compact one way, $22.00 round trip. And items carry their own charges — $2.00 a beach cooler, $6.00 a surfboard, $2.00 a caged animal. Two rules that surprise people: passenger tickets can be transferred to another sailing up to 24 hours after the original departure and only twice, and there are no refunds for any reason.

Fares, schedules and the vessels assigned to each route are set by ATI and change without notice. The metro ferry itinerary ATI publishes on this same page states it is effective through 31 December 2025, so confirm times directly with ATI before travelling.

External link

Go to the official site

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www.ati.pr.gov

What is it?

It is the public maritime service connecting the main island with the island municipalities. ATI describes a fleet of passenger and cargo vessels with routes from the Ceiba terminal to Vieques and Culebra, and in the metro area from Cataño to Old San Juan. Its own page carries an important notice: because of operational situations with the vessels, certain trips are being offered by land on a bus instead. Meaning the trip you bought as a ferry may end up being a bus ride.

Who can do it?

Anyone can buy a ticket. Two groups have their own rules. Residents of the island municipalities must present photo identification at boarding to confirm their identity, and the name on the ticket must match the name on the ID. And infants 0 to 3 and people 75 and over, who travel free, cannot get their ticket online: they must go to the port window with a photo identity document.

Requirements

Documents you need

Cost

Adult passenger (13-59) $2.00 · child (4-12) $1.00 · 60-74 $1.00 · infant (0-3) and 75 or over, free. Vehicles are charged separately: compact $13.00 one way, $22.00 round trip. Items brought aboard carry their own fares.

Verified against the official source · August 17, 2026

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Confirm the route and how long it takes

    Both island routes leave from the Ceiba terminal, which is on the main island with access to supermarkets and shops. The Cayo Largo serves Culebra in about 55 minutes. The Isla Bonita serves Vieques, taking roughly 35 to 45 minutes. The timetables for both routes sit behind the "Ver Horarios" links on ATI’s page, and this guide deliberately gives you no specific times: itineraries change and the only current one is ATI’s.

  2. Step 2: Work out what you will actually pay

    The fare is the cheap part. On both routes — Ceiba to Vieques and Ceiba to Culebra — an adult 13 to 59 pays $2.00, a child 4 to 12 pays $1.00, a person 60 to 74 pays $1.00, and infants 0 to 3 and people 75 and over travel free. What adds up is everything else. The car is charged separately: a compact up to 15 feet is $13.00 one way or $22.00 round trip; a mid-size or SUV up to 16 feet $17.00 or $32.00; a pickup up to 6 metres $20.00 or $55.00; a 250 pickup up to 22 feet $35.00 or $65.00. And items you bring aboard carry their own fares: beach cooler $2.00, beach chair $1.00, umbrella $1.00, sleeping bag $1.00, case of drinks $1.00, bicycle $2.00, camping tent $2.00, caged animal $2.00, bodyboard or sandboard $3.00, hand truck $5.00, surfboard $6.00.

  3. Step 3: Buy the ticket where you have to

    ATI says fares are available at the port window and through puertoricoferry.com, and additionally points to the City Experiences app to buy tickets, see schedules and service alerts, and track service in real time. But two tickets cannot be obtained online: the free infant (0–3) and 75-and-over tickets must be bought at the port window with a photo identity document.

  4. Step 4: Understand the ticket policy before buying

    This is where people get burned. Only passenger tickets are transferable to another sailing, and only up to 24 hours after the original departure; a ticket may be transferred twice. A cargo ticket can be changed to another sailing up to 48 hours after the original departure. If the transfer does not happen within that window, it cannot be completed and a new ticket must be bought. And the rule with no exception: refunds are not given for any reason.

  5. Step 5: Arrive early and expect the plan to change

    ATI asks you to be at the terminal an hour before departure and warns that boarding closes 10 minutes before the scheduled time. And it carries a notice of its own worth reading twice: because of operational situations with the vessels, certain trips are being offered by land on a bus. If you are going to Vieques or Culebra that does not apply — no bus crosses the water — but it does explain why service can vary. Check the service alerts before leaving home.

Where to do it

The terminal for the Vieques and Culebra routes is in Ceiba. Tickets are bought at the port window, on puertoricoferry.com or through the City Experiences app.

How long it takes

Usually resolved on the spot.

What to do if something goes wrong

If you missed the ferry, do not ask for money back: there are no refunds for any reason. What you can do, if it is a passenger ticket, is transfer it to another sailing within 24 hours of the original departure, and only twice. For a cargo ticket you have 48 hours. If you are a resident of the island municipalities, check that the name on the ticket is exactly the one on your photo ID: ATI verifies it at boarding. If you are travelling with someone 75 or over or with an infant, do not try to get that ticket online — it is free but only at the window, with ID. If you are taking the car, budget the return leg too: the round-trip fare is not double the one-way, it prices differently. And if you need timetables, go straight to ATI’s page: itineraries change and one of the published ones has already expired.

Common mistakes

  • Counting on a refund: refunds are not given for any reason.
  • Letting the 24 hours to transfer a passenger ticket lapse, or the 48 for a cargo ticket.
  • Trying to buy an infant or 75-and-over free ticket online: those are window-only, with photo ID.
  • Arriving at departure time: boarding closes 10 minutes before, and ATI asks you at the terminal an hour ahead.
  • Budgeting only the fare: the car, the cooler, the bicycle and the surfboard each carry a charge.
  • Buying the ticket under a different name from your ID if you are an island-municipality resident.
  • Trusting an old itinerary: the published metro ferry one states it is effective through 31 December 2025.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the ferry to Vieques or Culebra?

On both routes, an adult 13 to 59 pays $2.00 and a child 4 to 12 pays $1.00. People 60 to 74 pay $1.00, and infants 0 to 3 and people 75 and over travel free. A note about the source: ATI’s table prints that bracket as "Adulto (60-7 años)", plainly a typo — the San Juan–Cataño table on the same page writes it as 60 to 74, and the Ceiba table’s own next row is 75 and over.

Can I take my car?

Yes, and it is charged separately from the fare. One way: compact up to 15 feet $13.00, mid-size up to 16 feet $17.00, SUV or van up to 16 feet $17.00, pickup up to 6 metres $20.00, 250 pickup up to 22 feet $35.00. Round trip: $22.00, $32.00, $32.00, $55.00 and $65.00 respectively. ATI also publishes round-trip fares for larger trucks and flatbeds.

Can I cancel or change the ticket?

Changing, yes, within a window; cancelling for money back, no. Only passenger tickets are transferable to another sailing, up to 24 hours after the original departure, and up to twice. A cargo ticket can be changed up to 48 hours after. Past that window a new ticket is required, and ATI is explicit that refunds are not given for any reason.

Do Vieques and Culebra residents get anything special?

What ATI publishes is an identification requirement, not a separate fare: photo identification is required at boarding to confirm the identity of an island-municipality resident, and the name on the ticket must match the ID. The page does not describe boarding priority or a reserved allocation for residents, so this guide asserts neither.

How long is the crossing and when must I arrive?

To Culebra, about 55 minutes on the Cayo Largo. To Vieques, roughly 35 to 45 minutes on the Isla Bonita. ATI asks you to be at the terminal an hour before departure, and boarding closes 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 17, 2026

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