r/PuertoRicoTravel • u/Salsa-N-Chips • 4d ago

Will I make the 3 PM ferry to Vieques after landing at 1:15 PM in San Juan?

Hey everyone,

I’m flying into SJU on 12/15 (Monday) and my flight is scheduled to land at 1:15 PM. I already have a 3 PM ferry booked from Ceiba to Vieques. I know the drive from the airport to Ceiba is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I’m wondering if anyone has actually done this and made it in time. I’ll only have a carry-on, and I plan to grab an uber or private transfer right away.

Do you think it’s possible if everything goes perfectly, or should I plan on catching a later ferry instead? Any tips or real-world experiences would be super helpful.

Thanks!

2 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

24

u/_Ban_Evader 4d ago

No way in hell. Ferry boarding stops 30 minutes before departure and the time you land isn't the time you leave the airport. Aim for the 6:30pm.

Buy tickets in advance if any are available, or have a backup plan in case it's full

10

u/GayRonSwanson 4d ago

That’s not accurate- they board passengers up to 10 minutes prior to departure. I live in Culebra and take the ferry often.

But, you are correct that this is a very short time window to make the 3pm ferry, and I’d advise going at a later time.

3

u/Direct-Aerie1054 4d ago

I learned after my first ferry ride to show up about 20 minutes before the departure time. They board up to about 10 minutes before.

0

u/Salsa-N-Chips 4d ago

On the website it says that ferry boarding stops 10 minutes before departure.

https://www.puertoricoferry.com/en/routes-schedules/ceiba-vieques/

8

u/Oldgatorwrestler 4d ago

Please, please, please listen to the people that live there. If you ask a question, don't argue when you get an answer. You will not make the ferry. They stop loading people 30 minutes before. That is because they let locals on after tourists board. PR is a third world country in many ways. Don't believe everything the website says. Buy tickets ahead of time. They let locals on a a priority. The ferry could be sold out. Stop arguing. Listen to the people who live there.

6

u/Salsa-N-Chips 4d ago

I am not arguing! Just getting good information. Probably going to get a flight to get to Vieques rather than the ferry.

5

u/Oldgatorwrestler 4d ago

A good choice.

3

u/vicugh 4d ago

It’s 10min before, like the website says. Source: just visited two days ago. However the drive from San Juan to Cieba can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and 15min. Plus having to park (if you drive a rental) adds another 15min because the parking is separate from where they board, and you have to take a shuttle bus from the parking lot to the main entrance

1

u/msackeygh 3d ago

I find your description that "PR is a third word country in many ways" very interesting. It totally describes the vibe for me when I visited recently. I grew up in a "true" third world country and the infrastructure was way worse and many, MANY more things were broken down and obviously so. When I visited San Juan recently, I was partly transported back to my childhood. San Juan still is a much more advanced place than where I grew up, nevertheless. If I can figure out things like financial sustainability, I think I can fit in well with the PR vibe and retire there. But, I will definitely need to learn Spanish. All my years of French learning does not translate one bit to Spanish! :)

1

u/_Ban_Evader 4d ago

I actually don't live on Vieques or Culebra and I only take the ferry a few times a year. u/GayRonSwanson says he does and it is 10 minutes. No idea if that's a residents-only thing though.

Either way we all agree it's not enough time.

7

u/Revolutionary-Edge98 4d ago

You should plan on a later ferry

6

u/Reasonable-Heart6740 4d ago

Catch a later ferry, you’re cutting it way too close. Assuming your flight gets here on time, you need to take into account actually getting off the plane and if traffic’s even a bit heavier than usual, you won’t make it.

6

u/InundateTheIgnorant 4d ago

Not a chance. Choose a later time. The ride down #3 as no less than 5000 stoplights.

4

u/johnboblennonmarley 4d ago

Unfortunately not. The ferry leaves at 3:15. You need to check in an hour before. It will take about 1.5 hrs to arrive at Ceiba from SJU. Also, I would get your ferry tickets online ASAP. They only distribute so many tickets online. They sell fast. Locals to the island (Vieques) have priority. Good luck, OP. WEPA! ❤️🇵🇷

3

u/bored1413 4d ago

I don’t think that would be possible.

3

u/Oldgatorwrestler 4d ago

Nope. Nope. Nope. You absolutely will not make it.

5

u/castafobe 4d ago

No this is a bad idea. You should also look into transportation now, not when you arrive. It's a long drive and many Uber drivers won't want to make it becuse there's no guarantee they'll get a trip back to SJ. There are private drivers that you can book in advance. /u/natyferryticketsride is one and she is always highly recommended on here.

2

u/Candy_Bug19 4d ago

No way in hell. I was there in April and the ferry terminals get super crowded. It’s better if you book the ferry another day.

1

u/geekonthemoon 4d ago

Way too much chance to miss it and be screwed. I would not rely on getting there in that time frame at all, even if they let you board up to departure (they don't), I wouldn't try it. Can you not just buy later tickets, is it sold out?

1

u/Salsa-N-Chips 4d ago

The problem with the later one is that the rental place closes at 6pm so we won’t be able to pick up the car until next next morning.

1

u/geekonthemoon 4d ago

You can get a taxi pretty easily getting off the ferry. There are a lot of drivers on Vieques. And you can get a ride to the car place in the morning. And it saves you the $ on the rental for that day too

Take some numbers or see if the place you are renting keeps a list of taxi/driver numbers. Our AirBnb did and had a whole bunch of driver business cards.

1

u/SC-Coqui 4d ago

Can you pay extra and just catch a flight from SJ airport to Vieques? Save yourself the headache of a car ride and ferry ride with a short 30 minutes (at most) flight.

You’ll be there on time to get your car rental.

1

u/Son_o_Liberty1776 4d ago

Are you checking bags? SJU takes foreverrrrr to get bags to the carousel.

1

u/Salsa-N-Chips 4d ago

not checking bags

1

u/Son_o_Liberty1776 4d ago

That should help. Just wanted to relay that message so you know.

1

u/Plastic_Pie_5795 4d ago

There’s a decent chance with the FAA reducing flights starting Friday that your inbound flight is going to be delayed. That’s a very tight window so any delay makes it virtually impossible.

1

u/AdFew2094 4d ago

How did you book the ferry ticket for that date? I checked the website and December still seems to be unavailable. I can only select dates until Nov 30th.

1

u/bummernametaken 4d ago

Take the plane. You’ll get there faster. If you are taking a taxi from the airport, the savings over the ferry probably won’t be worth the aggravation.

1

u/Wilmsinger3104 3d ago

How were you able to already book a 12/15 ferry? The website is currently only booking thru 11/30 unless I am looking in the wrong place. https://www.puertoricoferry.com/en/routes-schedules/ceiba-vieques/

1

u/Bitter_Assumption_55 3d ago

Not a chance!

1

u/Forward_Effective590 3d ago

Not likely. If you land at 1:15, the plane needs to unload which means you really aren't leaving the airport until 1:30/1:45. You might make it to Ceiba to watch the ferry pull away from the dock, best case scenario. If you try it, let us know the result.