Culebra Ferry Schedules 

(Fast ferry PASSENGERS ONLY -40min)

You can get your Culebra ferry tickets at www.viequesferrytickets.com. Voyage between Ceiba and Culebra is about 40 minutes with fast ferries (2021). Most car rental companies in Puerto Rico do not allow their vehicles to be taken on the ferry. It is recommended to park your rental car in Fajardo and rent another in Culebra.

If you happen to miss the ferry at Ceiba, an alternative is to fly from the Ceiba airport. Vieques Air Link and Air Flamenco fly between Ceiba and Culebra. But if you get the tickets on www.viequesferrytickets.com you will get your ride.

The Culebra Ferry: Make It Part Of The Adventure

The Culebra Ferry is one of most commonly used methods to get to Culebra. Follow our advice and make this trip part of the fun and the adventure you will have during your best Culebra Beach Vacations.

There are two types of ferries: the passenger ferry and the cargo ferry. On this page I will concentrate on the passenger ferry wich we puertorricans call ‘La Lancha’.

The CARGO ferries (Cars and Passengers ) but slow than fast ferries are run by the government, by the ‘Autoridad de Transporte Marítimo. These prices are very low, taking into consideration that the Culebra ferry ride takes about 1 hour and 15  minutes to arrive. .The ferry’s port is located on an eastern city of Puerto Rico called Fajardo. It is about an hour drive from the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan.

https://www.puertoricoferry.com/buy-tickets/

On The Ferry Terminal

They start selling the tickets around one hour before the departure time. For example, if you want to take the 9:00 am Culebra ferry they will start to sell the tickets at around 8:00 am. Some people are standing in the line even earlier than that. However if you get the tickets at www.viequesferrytickets.com you do not have to do the big line!

At The Ferry Terminal

Once you have bought your tickets you will be waiting on the ferry terminal for the announcement that it is time to aboard the culebra ferry. These announcements are made in Spanish.

If you don’t speak spanish make sure and ask someone in the crowd or the supervisor who is taking your ticket if you are boarding the ferry to Culebra. Remember, from this terminal you can choose to go to Vieques island or Culebra island.

I have personally met people that have ended on Vieques island instead of Culebra!

Basically what they say on these announcements is that those heading to Culebra please use exit number… and that elderly people and persons with disabilities will go first, following the Culebra residents and then the visitors or tourists.

The gate for the elderly people is a different one from the gate that the residents and tourists use. Please, be kind and let the Culebra residents go first, they have to take this ferry again and again.

How do you tell who is a resident and who is a visitor? Is not that difficult. Culebra’s residents are not in the spirit of going to the beach but of returning home, so they might be dressing differently than the visitors. We might be carrying a grocery cart, shopping bags or even a small suitcase because we sometimes need to stay in Puerto Rico for a few days.

Culebra has a very small population and we pretty much know each other, even if it is only by sight. The ferry terminal workers are also familiar with the Vieques and Culebra residents from their frequent rides back and forth during many years.

For now, if you don’t want to make a very long line very early in the morning, just get the tickets at www.viequesferrytickets.com

Inside The Ferry

Once you are aboard the vessel follow the directions of the ferry workers, or sailors, as we usually call them, on were to put your things if you are carrying a lot of packages or anything else they tell you. They are usually dressed in navy blue.

If you need to go to the bathroom, it will be better if you go at the ferry terminal, before boarding the Culebra ferry. If you didn’t had time, then you can go inside the ferry, there are bathrooms in it too. But it will be better if you go before the ferry starts its journey. Is not easy to go to the bathroom with all that ocean movement :).

By the way, before I forget, these ferries are air conditioned. I have seen so many times people with very light clothing feeling cold inside the ferry. If you are accustomed to lower temperatures you won’t have a problem. But if you live on a warmer climate, like me!, this is something you should take into consideration for you to have a more comfortable trip.

It’s not that you have to wear a coat or anything. You can also sit on the outside area, which is smaller. There’s no air conditioner there.

While navigating to Culebra some people enjoy watching the ocean, the keys, Vieques island (which will be to your right while traveling to Culebra), the clouds, the birds, all the nature. Some people have seen during these trips whales – from February to April – and some have also seen dolphins and other sea creatures.

The Culebra ferry: such a hard worker

This ferry is a hard worker. It travels 7 days a week and does 6 trips per day. Three of those trips from Fajardo to Culebra and three are from Culebra back to Fajardo. That’s a total of around 7.5 to 9 hours of work per day!

So, if on that very special day that you decide to visit our beautiful Culebra there is some delay or something happens to the Culebra ferry, remain calm. The diligent people that work there on all aspects of the ferry will do everything they can to keep things moving.

Arriving to Culebra: Hooray!

When the ferry is getting close to Culebra the tendency of many people is to get up and stand in a line to get out even before the ferry stops moving.

This is not permitted and it is for your own safety. The ferry makes some sudden movements when the sailors are tying it on the port and someone may fall down because of this. So, please remain seated until the vessel stops completely.

Culebra’s Port

Well, this is it. Culebra at last! Hope you enjoy our small jewel and have the greatest beach vacations!

Cargo Ferry Basics

For the record, I have never tried to take our car on the cargo ferry. But I wanted to publish this information, just so that people have it. The information I have gathered here came from many different sources like the Port Authority website, info posted in the ferry terminals, and even TripAdvisor.com reviews.

The cargo ferry between the main island of Puerto Rico and the out islands of Culebra and Vieques is the main life-line for people living on those islands. It is the way the islanders get all their supplies (gas, food, building materials, etc.). Cargo trucks will get priority on the ferry, so the people who live on those islands can get the supplies they need.

Copyright © 2018 Ray Bentz. All rights reserved.

Culebra ferry

 

Passengers are also allowed on the cargo ferries, though they are usually slower boats than the passenger ferries and there are fewer seats. The trip can take 1.15 hours. depending on which ferry and the weather. Adverse weather conditions will alter the schedule.