Not necessarily the Barge's fault, but the ticket and website says to show up 1 hr ahead of time. When we arrived in Red Hook, security turned us away saying we could not be there until 15 mins before departure. We went and got coffee and came back 30 mins before departure, and glad we did because there were already 2 rows of cars waiting. They then let several semi's and box trucks on before the cars. Of course they ran out of space before we got on. Not to fear, because there was another barge on the way, 5 mins out. We were able to catch that one. A 10am departure time and we finally got to St. John around 11. The guys were great--helping guide the cars in backwards. The one barge we took to St. John had a bathroom and a viewing area above. It was fun to watch the travels across the channel. That one was Virginia Pride (I think). But the actual Big Red Barge we took back did not have a bathroom or viewing platform. It was ok. We were in line again 1 hr before 5:30 departure and we got on the barge early this time. So, be aware the departure times are "suggested" based on our experience. Overall, it was a fun experience to take the car to St. John and explore. It would be helpful to have better communication about the departure times, and knowledge that the barge not only takes cars, but all vehicles--if it's full, you have to wait for the next one. One of the locals said they have to come back and get all cars that purchased a round trip ticket, but I would not want to test that out, especially if you fly out the next morning. read more

This operation needs some adult supervision. Several young people chatting on their phones, no information provided when they canceled our time slot, sat on the ferry for almost an hour waiting to leave, several people showed up after the announced departure time. It was almost like they were waiting for some friends to show up read more

Before using this service I read all the reviews and I had hope to not encounter the same problems. I also reviewed Love City Ferry and found the same bad issues. It's bad whichever barge service you use. For an island that relies in tourism for economic growth these businesses do not value the opinions of tourists! The workers on Big Red Barge overtly discriminate against tourists. My car was the last in line to get loaded and then another car comes speeding down the parking lot and the worker stopped me to load up HIS buddy. They were all smile and giving him fives and pointing at me. Really funny. The female worker argued with him and pointed at my car but to no avail. I was pushed away. So I waited over 1.5 hours until the last barge came at 1700. If I didn't buy the round trip ticket then I would have simply gone with the next company. My advice, even though the round trip is $80 and one way is $65. It's not worth saving $50 to get discriminated and wasted at least 1 hour of time. Also to pick the lesser of 2 evils, I recommend Love City Ferry because at least they have 2 barge so that if you get screwed over then their next one is only15-30 minutes away. Business owners you should really read and consider what your tourist customers are complaining about if you truly want to improve your customer service and attract more tourism. You wouldn't want to be treat like this on the mainland. It's not American. read more

Great service for car ferry. You can get out and walk around during the 20 minute ride to St. John's. Cheaper than a taxi if you have multiple people. read more

I don't know why the reviews on here are so bad. Pull up your big girl panties!! It was a bit intimidating having to back up the ramp on the barge but the guys were so helpful. One could tell I was a bit nervous to get it in the right spot and he came over and helped me, even took the wheel from my window for the last few feet. We bought a round trip tix for $65 and came back on a different barge and they accepted the tix and said "of course". The crew getting you lined up may be a little impatient yes, but they have a lot of cars to get on in a short time so just pay attention when they are asking you to start moving and follow their instructions and you'll be fine. All this was easier than learning to drive on the left side of the road!! Do it! You'll be so glad you have your own car on St John's, we did the whole island, even swam in Trunk Bay in one day. read more

Big Red Barge - Vehicle Shipping Near Me - Anna's Retreat, Virgin Islands

Had absolutely no issues with our roundtrip fare with the BRB. Both times we pulled up within 5-8 minutes of departure and we easily got a spot onboard in early August. They were very good about waiting for people until the final second, so I appreciated that they didn't turn someone away just cause they wanted to get out early. Bought a roundtrip ticket onboard leaving St. Thomas and was able to use it no problem on the return trip a few days later. read more

See all

This business is very very poor with communication on when people pay for a time slot and have to book another ride at a different time. This is highly inconvenient for people trying to make flights at certain times. They need to do better. If I were you, I'd recommend booking a different barge or get here at least 2 hours early to get in before the "contractors" that have special privilege to get on before you do. read more

Horrible!!! Both ferries operate from the same pier. The lines are run in total chaos. Staff put "their people" (limos from the resorts) ahead of you regardless whether you bought your timed ticket online or paying cash. There is a good chance you may stay there overnight until the morning shift. We bought our tickets online and arrived at 2:30pm but spent 4 hours being sent from one line to another by staff who was very rude. The manager offered us a refund when he realized we were recording on the phone that was going on, the refund was never issued. The whole vacation experience was ruined. Staff makes you park unreasonably close to other vehicles with a high risk of being damaged when car's shift on waves during the trip. We noted a lot of dents on the cars. read more

The staff were a little rude, but I got two and from St. Thomas with no problem and in one piece so I guess that's a win. It's $50 one way which I think is a little ridiculous, but there are no other options to get to St. Thomas in your car. I wish we could have gotten out to walk around, but we were unfortunately stuck in our car. read more

DO NOT PREPAY, DO NOT PURCHASE ROUND TRIP. Pay IN CASH at the barge, it is more expensive but it will save you the frustra we went through. One way ride is $65, round trip $80 and you can use the return ticket whenever. We were staying in St. John for a week so it was a no brainer to pay for a roundtrip in advance. The day of our return we went to the dock, the security guard told is where to line up and we brought the car into the barge only to realize that this was a different company that would not honor the Big Red Barbe ticket!!! So we had to pay $65 to cross back to St. Thomas. The problem is that there are no signs that let you know which barge you are boarding. The security guard just tells you where to line up but he does not check that your ticket matches the barge company that sold it. read more

Listen and listen closely do not I repeat do not take this ferry. So I booked this ferry on Tuesday 12/9 for my birthday. The first problem I scheduled for 10 AM but when we arrived. I was told the next ferry isn't going until 10:30. Because they don't have a 10 AM ferry OK fine we came back at 10:30. We took the ferry over all was well, but when it was time to come back, we got to the dock and was told the ferry is not running and we have to pay another $50 to take another ferry back to Saint Thomas Mind you we paid for a round-trip ticket from big red. I tried calling several times no answer no employees at the dock. So if you want to be guaranteed a ferry ride back to St. Thomas avoid Big Red at all cost.!! read more

showed up an hour ahead for an 8 o'clock ferry and they have you pay$5 at the security shack even after paying online $90 for a round trip ticket. then we got turned away because they said the big red barge just left and won't be back until 8:30. waiting around for the 8:30 one now and will have to pay for parking for an hour . I guess we'll have to show up even earlier for the return because we can't miss that one or we'll be stuck on St. John. Don't list times online and not adhere to them. read more

Extremely rude. Do not recommend. They did not give good directions and they were rude about directing us on the boat.

We usually get one angry deck hand per trip but this particular asshole deserves a shout out. He incorrectly didn't know his left from his right and when 4 people called him out he backed the cars ahead of us onto our bumper and walked away laughing. He then said "you wanna play?" and challenged me to a fight if I didn't like his attitude. Complete failure of this service to allow this employee to remain employed read more

Big Red Barge - Angry Asshole - Vehicle Shipping Near Me - Anna's Retreat, Virgin Islands

It's unfortunate that so many other travelers have not had great experiences catching the barge over to St.John from St.Thomas. Our experience was also not the best due to lack of customer service and instructions mixed with some of the crew having the worst attitude I've seen in a while. For example we weren't told until parking the boat on the barge that it was cash only ... only to find out when speaking to another crew member that they do actually take card but the original girl wanted to give us a hard time and tell us cash only. Here are some tips for anyone hoping to take the car ferry over to St.John because it is a wonderful island that you must visit, + I would recommend getting to the dock 15-30 mins before they take off + don't worry about a reservation because there's different companies that come through + once you get on the boat and pay you'll get their schedule. + it almost might be better to pay a one way there and a one way back in case you need to switch companies on the way back because a boat arrived on the time that you were ready + you'll need to loop around so that you can back onto the boat + they do take cards but maybe bring cash just in case too, it's $65 round trip + while the barge is pricey you will at least have the freedom to get around st.John without catching a safari and really explore the island + they are going to pack the boat so be ready to squeeze in right + be patient + for the big red barge last boat back to st.thomas is 5:30 pm and if you miss it you'll be stuck Hope that BRB steps it up with their customer service so more people feel welcomed as they visit. Other than the interaction we had the ride itself was fine. read more

*AVOID* RED BARGE- Never have my family and I been so insulted, yelled at, belittled - etc. by the Thugs working the boat deck for R/Barge. I was backing up just fine but being told to hurry up, look in the mirror, grab the steering wheel a different way, whatever- Had Skinny legs Johnson all up in my face, insulting us even more saying our paid in advance round/trip was not valid since we didn't save the paper receipt from the initial trip- This WAS never told to us, mind you. Telling us we were going to be kicked off the boat- Paid $75 and had the email receipt but talking to these people was next to useless. Guy kept harassing us to no end saying we needed to pay another $50 now or be physically removed from the vessel. I didn't know extortion and pirate ships still existed, but they do @ Red/Barge- Never been as close to a fight in forever thanks to these people. Thanks for ruining our last day in St John. We are travelers not tourists and did nothing to deserve this level of disrespect. If you hate your job that much, do us all a favor and quit- Reservations here are useless, avoid pre-paying- You don't get a reserved spot at all. What a joke. I will say that the gal that runs the phones/office functions for R/B was great and got our cash back but still what an awful experience to go through. Love City has more boats and probably doesn't try and take hostages. read more

Rude and completely uncaring. Typical business where you don't have a choice of who to use. Expensive for what you get too.

FYI, Your email receipt is only good for the first leg of the roundtrip. Lose the yellow ticket they give you for the second leg of your roundtrip and they will make you pay an additional one way fare. We booked an 11am return, but upon arrival the schedule was only11:30 am from Cruz Bay to Red Hook - not a big deal, unless you didn't allow enough time to get where you need to be. Just be aware. Also note that you may not have enough room to exit your vehicle - so pee first!! LoL What y'all think of their website FCOL!! Of course it was much better than swimming ;) read more

The challenge here is the instruction. There isn't any! Here's the actual scoop on taking the ferry: there are three ferry companies traveling between st Thomas and St. John. They all leave from the same port and there is no preference given to reservations. The way to take the ferry is simply drive to the ferry port and get in line and tben pay one way once you're loaded on (in cash). We did not know this, so my husband reserved a spot (or so he thought) on the 8:30 ferry with big red barge. They say to arrive 45 minutes early, which we did. We told the woman at the entrance that we had a reservation and she said "okay, tell them on the boat." When the boat arrived, they loaded commercial trucks first, and then the rows of cars in random order (or so it seemed to us, as some of the rows that arrived after us were loaded and we were not). The ferry then pulled away and we were told we'd be first in line for the next boat, but since that one wouldn't be big red barge, but rather one of the other companies, we'd have to buy a new ticket. We tried contacting the company by phone and text with no response. We explained our situation to the security guard, and she said that although the tickets are listed as being for a specific day, they are not, you can use them any time, so she said she was working the following day and if we came back she would be sure we got on. Long story here, but summary is that the ferries are all first come first served and if you don't get on one, the next to come will be from a different company, so it's best not to make a reservation. read more

Big Red Barge made vehicle transport between islands easy! Round trip travel with a discount, friendly staff, and reliable schedule. They recommend arriving one hour in advance and that served us well every time (even though the port/marina staff thought we were there too early). And it was super cool to ride on a barge! :) Go Big Red! read more

See all

The barge was On time. Dock officials did not give clear instructions. Trip was smooth sailing

Our experience was horrible. Do not use this company - use the other barge company (Love City) that leaves from the same place. When we arrived at the dock for our trip back to St Thomas we were informed the barge broke down. We had to wait awhile for the next one from Love City to take us back and we needed to pay them in cash. Submitted all my paperwork to get a refund and Big Red has not responded. Just use the other company. read more

Terrible experience with the employees they are belittling angry and dispise their clients. One employees yelled at each person who drove on the barge. This turned me off to St Thomas and St John. I would not come back. read more

Staff makes you feel like an idiot when it is your first time. The guy who ticketed us on the way to St John was very nice but the staff that lines you up to wait for the ferry were consistently rude on both sides of the ferry. Backing up onto the ferry wastes an enormous amount of time and creates stress and confusion. The communication from the staff is poor, like simply where you are supposed to go once you get into the parking lot is unclear. I decided I would just ask a bunch of "stupid" questions like "what lane should I be in?" Just to be sure I wouldn't be yelled at by the staff. The islands are beautiful and the staff are generally nice on the island, but the red barge experience was not great for how much you spend. I recommend taking the passenger ferry and then taking cabs read more

Used recently and will never use again - between the yelling about the ticket as someone else is telling you to back up and the hand raising and frustration from these folks is an unpleasant experience. That asked us to provide input and never heard back. Most are not comfortable with this process and with some folks having hearing issues the yelling is not solving any problems so would not suggest anyone use unless you want to be yelled at and humiliated. read more

We bought tickets online, we were there early, and were allowed to go on the boat early! We didn't have any issues and the staff was great. The only harder part was that you had to back in! read more

Coming back from St. John's Island we had a very rude , ugly employee trying to direct us to drive on forward on the end and we wouldn't fit. He then proceeded to curse in front of my granddaughter. Totally unacceptable behavior! read more

On 01/27/2025 we bought a round-trip ticket on the car barge (Big Red Barge) from St. Thomas to St. John. On 02/01/2025 we got in line at 11;05 to board the 11;30 boat. At 11:20 we were told that the boat was full and the next Big Red Barge boat would leave in 2 hours. We were forced to pay the Love City Car Barge for the return trip to avoid missing our flight. DO NOT USE THE BIG RED BARGE FERRY! read more

VERY DANGEROUS, unsafe practices. Employees directly threatened our safety. Very unprofessional, including the CAPTAIN!. We had to contact Marine police, who needed to escort us off the barge for our own safety. This has happened to others.. read the reviews . They will attempt to extort an additional $50 from you once you are on board the ferry. Do not hesitate to call 911 on board if you have any difficulties. The emergency services office is aware of the problem and ready to help you. Hard to imagine this occurring in a US territory. You have been warned. Use the company at your own risk. RIP read more

Great experience- took ferry over to St John from St Thomas and back. Staff were friendly and helpful. read more

See all

i would give 0 stars if i could. The attitude of the people asking you to back up the cars on the ferry is obnoxious. will not recommend

Paid for round trip from st Thomas to Saint John. $65. On the way back the boat "was broken" and we had to pay all over again on another ferry $50. $115 total , 115. I guarantee they saw we were out of turners and took advantage. No refund. No other options. If you need to get back to saint thomas, you have to pay read more

This company has potential, but between it's terrible customer service and horrid scheduling service, dealing with this customer isn't worth the burden. We booked a 5:30pm return from SJ to ST. To our surprise and disappointment, the company overbooked their rides. When I asked the employee how that was possible, he started giving me all sort of flack saying we arrived after 5pm. When I asked his arrival times replaced overbooking the barge, he said: the longer than he was explaining things to me, the longer it would take them to leave and return to grab us (an hour later). Just awful service. Terrible customer service. read more

What a crock of . I am well aware that efficiency is NOT a thing here but the online tickets are an absolute sham and all the people at the dock do are bark at you and expect you to be psychic. read more

AVOID BY ALL MEANS .. THEY WILL LEAVE YOU STRANDED & STEAL UR MONEY .. IF I CAN GIVE 0 STARS .. We pay a lot of money to enjoy the few days we are here & the RED Barge sucks! Nasty owner & employee attitude They ruined my last moment at St John .. lots of stress for their unprofessionalism & irresponsibility .. and the shocking curse I got from their filthy skinny guy with long braids at the end! unfortunately not an option here ..Today the 25th of May was a disaster for the 5:30 PM ferry .. there schedule clearly mentions the times & they advise you to arrive 30 minutes earlier .. I got ahead even the 30 minutes to find out that "the owner" as the workers say decided to run the last ferry from Cruz Bay ST John to Red Hook at 5PM! Not 5:30! they didn't let us know .. they didn't pay us refund to cover their fault & they didn't run the ferry to get us back! I had to go back to ST Thomas as traveling already from the airport .. I was speaking to the employees and they were like just go to the other ferry! Really like they took all my money "65$" round trip .. no refund that covers the pay for a one way with the other company ferry & I got a nasty attitude from the skinny long hair braided guy .. he said the F word After throwing me 15 bucks !! Nasty filthy company .. owner and nasty vulgar employee barking at their customer! I had no cash left .. I was scared to be left alone as the other ferry might get full with their round trip customers too and it was the last one .. I was in a really really terrible & embarrassing situation with only credit card & few bucks left .. & I just had a talk with a very kind woman who without hesitation helped me out of this disaster .. by the way she also paid round trip and came 30 minutes ahead of time & they had a baby in the car .. when I got in the other ferry I found out A LOT of The red barge stranded customers that paid roundtrip fare & were forced to board the other ferry & pay 50 bucks to get back! For this RED BARGE fault .. I guess it's their greediness of collecting money & not give a damn .. they sell roundtrip 65 .. oneway 50! So they sell a lot of round trips and leave their customers suffer later By the way the other company "called Captain Vic" white & black huge ferry is way much better! Bigger room for a lot of cars .. better schedule .. bathroom in ferry & top deck seats to set & watch the sailing .. TIP: always bring more Cash just in case any thing happens "not used to cash , always credit cards so had a little more but not enough to cover this disaster " And always always always avoid the RED BARGE .. by the way even the employees of the captain VIC commented that's a usual issue not the 1st time ! read more

A tourist trap - DO NOT make reservations or pay ahead. Completely meaningless. Find out where the barges leave from and show up about an hour earlier than you expect to leave. Bring cash and pay whatever barge is going to your destination when it is clear that there is room for your vehicle to get on. There is no advantage to paying ahead of time and you are likely to lose that money for good. read more

Very efficient service. This was our first time riding a car barge, so we had no idea what to expect. It is cash only, so make sure you have enough cash! We purchased round-trip tickets, and asked how early to arrive at the barge before the departure time. We were told 30 minutes. However, by the time we got to the barge 30 min early, we were in a very long line, and unfortunately didn't make it on the barge. I recommend arriving 1 hour prior to the barge leaving! If it's the last barge, they are an honest business that will get you back if you had already paid. So since we had paid for round-trip, they actually came back to get us! I commend them for being an honest and trustworthy business. read more

Absolutely the worst experience ever. The staff could not have been any more rude. If you want to be treated like an enemy instead of a paying customer then go ahead, otherwise use the other ferry service Dolphin Water Taxi. My wife and kids arrived 45 minutes early and were completely Ignored and were provided zero direction from the staff. Then when I began to back up as it was my turn the staff got mad and kicked us off because we were not reversing in a manner that satisfied the staff and we were kicked off the boat and told to request a refund. When we called to request the refund. They gave us another number to call and have not heard back as it goes straight to voice mail. If you value your time and money do not use this so called business. read more

this was the worst experience...not only did I have to wait 2 hours on the way out (I had arrived 45 minutes early on the way out to St John's) but was met with rude and barely helpful staff when I tried to get a sense of what the delay was about. the process is beyond chaotic and multiple local trucks were being let on before us even though we were there ahead of them. on the return I arrived 1:15hours ahead of time and also was bet with a chaotic boarding process, no one offering any information or instructions and trucks and vans going in ahead of us. once more waited another hour to get on board...missing a dinner reservation and unfortunately marring what was an otherwise incredible experience beach hopping on St John. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! read more

Attempted to enjoy my first stay at St John. The company does not give great information. They did not list clearly hours of operation or cost for service. When I landed at the shore they give me no information on where to look for details about the trip. Many questions were asked on the way over for clarity which I would hope gave insight that I was annoying this experience for the first time. I was seeking as much information on my own to make this enjoyable. The additional attentive customer service I would have liked was not there. When I returned I was unaware I needed to arrive 30 minutes ahead to board. This was not explained. This ultimately left me with no opportunity to return on the barge after purchasing a round trip ticket. Then they allowed another individual to cut the line and board ahead of me. The first step was lack of info but the second act was blatant disregard for my attempt to receive the service I already prepaid for. When I attempted to discuss the fact that they allowed someone to cut the line m, ultimately taking my spot, they simply turned me away and declined a refund. The business is not run with the customer in mind. I would not recommend and if you do chance be sure to know you are on your own for securing your space. Please be mindful for your sake and your time. read more