Necessary Suggestions for Using the Ferry to Culebra

One of many prime locations to go to in Puerto Rico is Culebra Island, which is situated round 20 miles off the east coast of Fajardo. To get there you may both take a brief 15 minute flight from Ceiba, or you may trip the Culebra Ferry, which takes anyplace from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. 

Since my good friend didn’t need to fly in a small airplane, we determined to take the ferry as an alternative. To get there it takes some planning and it was undoubtedly a tiring day, however there are issues you are able to do to make the journey go rather a lot smoother.

Under are my prime ideas for driving the ferry to Culebra:

Important Suggestions for the Culebra Ferry Journey

Purchase Your Tickets On-line 

One of the best ways to get your Culebra ferry tickets is to buy them on-line on the official Puerto Rico ferry web site earlier than you go. Attempt to do that a number of weeks prematurely, as they promote out quick. Tickets go surfing a month prematurely and so they’re tremendous low-cost – costing simply $2.25 every method for non-resident adults. 

Cost will be made along with your debit or bank card, so long as it’s a Mastercard or Visa card. Puerto Rico ferry doesn’t settle for American Categorical. As soon as tickets have been bought, you’ll obtain a affirmation electronic mail along with your reserving reference and a QR code. If you wish to make life simpler, you can even obtain the Metropolis Experiences app and buy them by way of the app.

After we went to Culebra, a lot of the ferries have been bought out, so we ended up having to purchase a ticket for the three.30am ferry. This wasn’t ultimate, since we arrived in Culebra at 5am and needed to wait 2 hours on the ferry terminal till dawn. Nothing was open and the breakfast locations didn’t open until 7 or 7.30am.

In the event you’re planning on doing a day journey to Culebra, ideally you need to catch the 6am, 6.30am, 7.30am or 9am ferry from Ceiba to maximise your time on the island. Then you may take the 5.30pm or 9.30pm ferry again from Culebra.

If the Ferry You Need is Offered Out, Hold Checking

If the ferry time you need is bought out, maintain visiting the app or the web site to see in the event that they launch new tickets on-line. Initially we booked the 9.30pm ferry again as that was the one time accessible, however the day earlier than our journey I checked once more and there have been a couple of tickets accessible for the 5.30pm ferry. 

So maintain checking again from time to time to see if tickets develop into accessible. 

If You Do Wish to Purchase From the Field Workplace, Go Early

When in search of tickets you’ll discover that it additionally tells you what number of tickets can be found on the field workplace. If the ferry you need is bought out on-line, you may drive to the field workplace in Ceiba. Field workplace tickets additionally promote out rapidly, and desire is given to native residents. 

In the event you do need to attempt your luck on the field workplace, attempt to go down the evening earlier than you need to journey, or present up at the least a couple of hours earlier than the ferry you need to take. You’ll have higher luck on weekdays than you’ll on weekends. 

Pay for Baggage and Gear

When buying a ferry ticket to Culebra, you may pay for extras like coolers, baggage, surf boards, umbrellas and different items of apparatus. Be sure you add and pay for any further gadgets you want to carry. 

Park Your Automotive on the Ferry Terminal

The ferry to Culebra goes from Ceiba close to Fajardo, which is on the east coast of Puerto Rico. 

One of the best ways to get there’s by renting a automotive from San Juan and driving your self to the ferry terminal. There’s a car parking zone close to the Ceiba ferry terminal, which prices round $11 per day. When you’ve paid for parking, you’ll be given a ticket to show in your dashboard after which you may park wherever within the car parking zone. There’s a shuttle that may take you to the ferry terminal, or you may stroll (the stroll takes round 7 minutes). 

Convey money to pay for the parking, and to pay for taxis/snacks if you get to Culebra island. 

Rental automotive corporations in Puerto Rico don’t permit guests to take rental automobiles on the ferries, so that you’ll want to go away your automotive in Ceiba and choose it up on the way in which again. 

Test Your Boarding Time

When you’ve bought your ferry ticket you’ll be given a boarding time. The passenger and cargo ferry begins boarding roughly an hour earlier than departure, however should you don’t have a automobile, it’s fantastic to indicate up about half-hour earlier than departure. 

The ferry workers will scan your tickets utilizing the QR code and then you definitely’ll be invited into the pre-boarding space. This part is separated into residents and non-residents. Residents board the ferry first, adopted by vacationers and non-residents. 

The ferry terminal in Ceiba has merchandising machines promoting snacks and drinks, plus porta potty-style bathrooms in case you want to go to the toilet. 

Put on Heat Garments and Convey Blankets

One rookie error we made was not sporting heat garments. Wearing bikinis, sundresses and flip flops, we weren’t ready for the arctic situations contained in the ferry. We couldn’t actually sit on deck as a result of it was the nighttime (and moist), so we have been compelled to sit down inside. 

The AC is absolutely actually chilly, and the locals have been all sporting sweatpants and hoodies. Clearly they knew what to anticipate, and had even introduced pillows and blankets. 

So come ready sporting at the least a comfy sweater.

Journey the Passenger Ferry

The web site advertises a ferry time of 45 minutes, however what it doesn’t point out is that the cargo ferry takes for much longer. The passenger ferry takes round 45 minutes, however a lot of the ferries are passenger/cargo ferries, which take round 1 hour half-hour to succeed in Culebra. 

When the ocean is tough, 1 hour half-hour seems like a lifetime, so attempt to get a ticket on the passenger ferry if you wish to get there rapidly. 

Take into account Dramamine

I gained’t lie, the ferry journey on the way in which to Culebra was fairly tough and we felt tremendous sea sick. Because it was the nighttime we couldn’t sit on deck, and the rocking motion inside made us really feel actually nauseous. In the event you get sea sick and don’t need to throw up, take into account taking dramamine earlier than you go. On Culebra island, quite a few retailers by the terminal promote dramamine.

Pack Snacks & Line Your Abdomen

We had empty stomachs after we boarded the ferry, which made us really feel fairly nauseous when the ocean acquired tough. I’d advocate packing some snacks and a few ginger sweet to forestall movement illness. 

Sit on Deck

In the event you undergo fairly badly from movement illness, attempt to sit exterior on deck, particularly if it’s a pleasant sunny day. You’ll really feel rather a lot higher should you can see the horizon and get some recent air. It’s additionally a lot hotter exterior than inside – simply ensure to place some sunscreen on so that you don’t get burnt earlier than you get there. 

We sat on the highest deck on the way in which again from Culebra and had a gorgeous view of the sundown. 

Is Taking the Ferry to Culebra Value It?

If I have been to trip the Culebra ferry once more I might undoubtedly do issues a bit in another way. I’d purchase tickets on-line effectively prematurely so I might catch probably the most handy ferry. I’d additionally decide to take the passenger ferry over the pax/cargo ferry because it takes solely 45 minutes to get there. 1.5 hours felt a bit too lengthy, particularly with the 1 hour 15 min drive to/from San Juan. 

Our day journey to Culebra was fairly tiring, involving a really early begin and a late end. It was an extended day, and subsequent time I’d most likely take the flight over the ferry for comfort. An alternative choice can be to take a flight there and the ferry again, though you’d should organise a taxi between the ferry terminal and airport to choose up your automotive afterwards. 

Culebra was cool, however I felt like Flamenco Seashore was a bit overhyped. Sure it’s a beautiful seashore with lovely turquoise water, however I’ve seen even whiter sands and bluer waters in locations just like the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. A day journey to Culebra was sufficient for me, and I undoubtedly wouldn’t keep on the island for multiple evening. Lodging/restaurant choices are restricted and there’s simply not rather a lot occurring there in comparison with San Juan.

Puerto Rico’s primary island has tons of lovely seashores and cities to find, so I most likely wouldn’t head over to Culebra a second time. It’s a type of locations I’m blissful to have ticked off my bucket checklist for the expertise, however it may be expensive and includes numerous effort to get there. 

We picked our rental automotive up at 2pm on a Wednesday and returned it round 9pm the next day. The whole was $120 with insurance coverage, plus round $12 in gasoline, $11 in parking and the ferry ticket of $4.50 every spherical journey. If we took a airplane it will have price round $120 every spherical journey. 

The automotive journey from Isla Verde took round 1 hour quarter-hour, then we waited round 1 hour on the ferry terminal, and spent round 1.5 hours on the ferry. In order that’s a complete of round 3 hours 45 minutes in journey time in every path. 

In the event you get seasick. I like to recommend flying to Culebra or ensuring you sit on the highest deck. The water will be uneven and the boat strikes round rather a lot, so should you’re sitting inside it would most likely make you’re feeling sick!

I hope these Culebra ferry ideas assist! Additionally take a look at a few of my different Puerto Rico articles, together with this 3 day Puerto Rico itinerary and a listing of all of the issues Puerto Rico is known for! 

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