St. Thomas to St. John Ferry Schedule

The passenger ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay is the most popular way to reach St. John. Varlack Ventures and Transportation Services alternate departures roughly every hour from the UVF Marine Terminal at Red Hook, starting in the early morning and running until late at night. The crossing takes about 20 minutes.

No passport is needed — St. John is part of the US Virgin Islands. Tickets can be purchased online through stjohnticketing.com (via FareHarbor) or at the terminal window. Baggage costs $4 per bag — bags are loaded onto a rolling cart by the crew before departure, and you collect them dockside on arrival in Cruz Bay. Keep your day bag with you on board.

Red Hook has a VIPA parking garage near the terminal. The garage is open from 5:30 AM to 10:30 PM daily. If you're parking for a day trip to St. John, the garage works well. For longer trips, consider taking a taxi to the terminal — Red Hook is about 25 minutes from the airport.

The terminal has a covered open-air waiting area with bench seating where passengers queue before boarding. There's a small snack window and restrooms inside. On busy mornings and weekends, lines can build up 15–20 minutes before departure, so arrive with some buffer if you want a seat on the upper deck.

The 20-minute crossing through Pillsbury Sound is one of the most scenic short ferry rides in the Caribbean. As you pull away from Red Hook, the green hillsides of St. John grow steadily larger across the water. On a clear day you can see all the way to the British Virgin Islands beyond. The ferry rounds the point into Cruz Bay harbor, passing moored sailboats and the National Park Service dock before tying up at the main pier. It's a beautiful introduction to St. John — even regulars who make the trip weekly never get tired of it.

Ferries run frequently throughout the day, with departures roughly every hour from early morning until around 11:00 PM. The high frequency means you have plenty of flexibility — if you miss one boat, the next is never far behind.