We took the ferry to Nantucket and had a wonder day in Nantucket bicycling around and exploring. We found out that if you have bicycles you will be first on board coming and going, the line does get long this was a wonderful treat. The other plus with your bicycle instead of eating at the restaurants once you come off the ferry, but we bicycle for 15 minutes and we had a breakfast without the crowds.... the island is not that huge so taking the taxis or tour vans we found bicycling was able to get us to where we wanted to see I found the ferry very clean and clean bathrooms! read more

Disappointing service at Vineyard Haven. Tickets for people with cars are hard to come by unless booked months early as there is only one ferry service. . We had an emergency so came 3 hours early to get the ferry on stand by. The ticket booth agent placed us in a lane which he said was standby. We knew we had a good chance since no other car was there. We also checked inside the terminal twice to confirm the standby lane and our standby status. However, when the ferry came 2 hours later, we realized we were not placed in the right standby lane and it now had a huge line. I talked to three different terminal agents including the person I had checked with originally and was ignored. All told me to talk to someone else. Cars in the real standby lane got on. We did not. read more

The Steamship Authority, Lifeline to the Vineyard. You can take a car to and from Martha's Vineyard from Woods Hole. No matter what boat you take, it usally takes 35-45 minutes side to side. They just retired the Islander, which was decades old. It was a fantastic ship and I'll miss it. In its place, we have a new MASSIVE ferry where you drive your car on, and then the floor elevates to allow more cars to come on underneath! All of the vessels have snack bars except the freight boats. The chowder and boat hot dogs kick ASS! Seriously, I've ridden the boat round trip just to enjoy the food. Is that insane? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. You can make reservations for a car online, or you can just walk on as a pedestrian. There's an extra fee for bringing a bicycle on board. The boat docks in Vineyard Haven (also Oak Bluffs in the summer). Both locations have access to public transportation, taxis, rental cars and bikes. My favorite boat is the Islander - though I have not had a ride yet on the new badass boat. I'm kind of excited. read more

Good indoor seating area. The staff is friendly and the ferry is always on time. The boat has a great choice of snacks and the price is great, $8 for a one way ticket. On weekends make sure you arrive to Woods Hole early to get a parking spot. read more

Friendly first aid after one of the kids scrapped his leg pretty badly. They even provided us extra tape and gauge for the night We were on the boat during the soccer game, and everybody was happy they had 2 TVs with them on The timing between getting tickets and boarding was fast Perfect way to get to Martha 's Vineyard. read more

The kids and I took a trip on the new version of the Islander and it was just like being back in the 70's. Top notch! Oh and go up on deck and feed the seagulls. read more

I had a very positive experience taking the ferry to and from cape cod to Martha's Vineyard. The ferry both times were punctual and no hassle. My kids enjoyed the experience too. The views are beautiful. One ferry had food bar area another did not. I would ride again with the Steamship Authority. read more

Easy, efficient and well run. Employees are courteous. It's a nice ride and a great way to get to Marthas vineyard. Very smooth ride. read more

Steamship Authority - On the ferry. - Transportation Near Me - Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Love this ferry! Not only does it offer beautiful views of the Sound and Martha's Vineyard, but they have upgraded the ferries to be more accommodating (more seats and more windows)! The drinks/snacks are pricey, but what can you really expect on a boat? The only reason I'm not giving the ferry service 5 stars is because of how long waiting times are to actually get on and off the boats. It's ridiculous to need to wait in line for 2-3 hours, then to wait another hour to get off the boat when it arrives. I guess in 2014 I would assume they would have figured out these long wait times by now. Very fun for the family and highly recommended! Oh, and wait times are only for cars - walk-on passengers get on really quick! read more

Have been traveling to MV for many years, and had a mixed experience yesterday. To start, the Landers parking lot is way too far from where the boats leave. Lately it seems that no matter when we go, we can never park in the much closer Palmer lot. Then, the shuttle busses from the Landers lot only have room for 2-4 bikes. Our group had to split up to get to the boat. Years ago there would be plenty of "bike busses" that had room for far more bikes. Then, three of the men driving the shuttles to Woods Hole from this lot in the morning were just rude and unfriendly. Coming back our group had to split up again--the shuttle only had room for two bikes, and the next one did not have a bike rack at all. The rest of our group had to wait for a third bus. BUT, the woman who drove our shuttle back to Landers was wonderful--friendly and helpful (didn't get her name) and the one driving the other shuttle, Luther, was amazing. Kudos to these two employees--it costs nothing to be nice to people, and I wish everyone--customers, workers, and bosses would treat one another with respect and kindness. read more

It might not be worth reviewing the Steamship Authority, it's like recommending Windows to someone with a PC, but I do think it is by far the most organized and reliable way to reach the island. You can park on Cape Cod for $10 a day and take a free bus over to Woods Hole. The ferry ride is about 45 minutes long, and goes to Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven in the summer, and only Vineyard Haven in the winter. If you want to bring your car over in the summer, you have to make reservations several months in advance. There is a stand-by option, but I've never tried it. read more

I only have good things to say about these people. Somehow, they manage to run an efficient, safe ferry system between Wood's Hole and MV. If you are not taking your car on board, the parking is extremely easy and the shuttles are convenient and regular (I'd recommend checking the website before you go to find out what lots are open-- at peak season, you can end up parking in Catumet, which is quite a distance from Wood's Hole. Better to find out in advance then to drive to WH and then have to drive back). So, thank you Steamship Authority. You might be one of the few efficient, friendly, and effective forms of mass transport left. read more

The staff is amazing. We recently had to get my brother off island in an emergency. He rushed across island but only arrived 5 min. before the boat was heading out. The boat was full but the crew did everything that was needed to somehow get his car onto the boat. Due to their efforts he was able to make it home in time to say goodbye to his father. We are eternally grateful! read more

There are several other ferries to Martha's Vineyard, but this is the cheapest because it is the shortest ride geographically. The others leave from points further east on the cape. Take my advice and find out which parking lot to use before you leave home. Their directions tell you to either listen to 1610 AM (which was not even broadcasting when I tuned in), or call an information number from your cell. Neither of these give you directions to the parking lot, so I ended up driving eight miles out of my way (4 extra miles to the ferry, then 4 miles back to the parking lot), and just missing the ferry I wanted. Otherwise, it was a nice ride. Quick and on-time. read more

I've sat in standby for over 3 hours. If they would have told me to come back at the reserved time, then maybe I'd have spent more money on Martha's Vineyard, but holding a carrot in front of me and then saying nothing is beyond frustrating. Very very poor customer service given the amount of money charged to get here. read more

The SSA is a well-oiled machine. They are organized, excellent at communicating with passengers about service delays and changes, and responsive to fluctuations in seasonal and holiday traffic. The ride from Wood's Hole to the MVY is exactly 45 minutes, and the passenger ferries have gotten way more comfortable over the years. I cannot understand the appeal of paying way more to take the "fast ferry" out of Hyannis unless you happen to be traveling from a convenient direction. Unless you own a private plane or intend to sail to the island, the Steam Ship Authority is the way to go! read more

The only way I will travel to get to the islands. The Steamship Authority Clam Chowder is as good as it gets!

They have lots of times. I just wish the Peterpan bus schedule would match up a little closer with Steamship Authority. The people are very nice and boats are on time. I have never had a hard time buying my ticket ahead of time. Taking the car across for the week is a little harded and more expensive. Need to book car a couple months in advance to make sure you have room on the boat. read more

Warning - watch out for the reservation/refund policy when trying to bring a car. If you need to change/cancel plans within 14 days (?) then kiss your hundred bux goodbye. Think you'd be able to apply a missed trip towards another trip in the future? "Sorry! The system won't let us do that". I just hope the same reservation/customer service 'system' isn't the same one that drives the ferry. What this company needs is some healthy competition. read more

No complaints with this transportation company. They were prompt and on time for all my travels. It was a pleasant experience overall. Remember, do not park in the parking lot at Woods Hole. It's only for handicap parking. Or you can pay a larger fee at a small lot across the street. Steamship has their own parking lot about 3 miles away. There is a shuttle service that takes you to and from Woods Hole and the daily charge is much more reasonable than any other parking I could find in the area. I would recommend it especially if you are planning to stay overnight at Martha's Vineyard. read more

Yeah, pretty much what everyone else said. I will add though that I HATE HATE HATE taking shuttle buses with a passion; however, the employees of SA made it as painless as possible. read more

Fiasco.. 6 hours and 15 minutes on standby.. never one bit of advice to leave.. asked before I came and any number of times while in the ferry terminal or lines.. will think twice before I use this service.. finally told to leave per the reservation.. lousy customer service.. read more

Very disappointed with SSA. We had a 7am reservation but with the bad weather, the first four ferrys were cancelled. So instead of letting the 6am group of cars on the first ferry that finally came they let THAT group of cars go. On their scheduled ferry. So, here we sit at 3pm, still not on a ferry, while everyone else gets to ride. You would think after 8.5 hours of everyone stuck in their car, SOMEONE who works here would come around and inform us when we are going to be able to leave! Every worker I talk to tells me different things. One said we would leave by 12pm, another by 330pm.... A very unprofessional and aggravating day to say the least, and no ones even sure when it's going to end. Won't be making reservations with this ferry ever again. read more

Rude very ride employee that could care less about customer service or professionalism. We booked a trip from wood hole to oaks bluffs ... They took us to vineyard Haven. They failed to tell us at anytime that the ferry was deverted because of repairs going on at oaks bluffs .this had been going on for days. When we asked how were we going to get to oaks bluffs we were told there was a shuttle... We found the shuttle was the local bus and it was going g to cost $5.00 . I asked employees in the office about this and was told that they do not have to make arrangements for us I. They told us that it says on the ticket they do not even have to take us to the vineyard and can cancel at anytime without refund or credit . The chalice attitude and rude way we're were treated was apparently consider normal by regular travelers on it. Simply put they are the only game in town. read more

Absolutely awful. I have reservations and have been sitting here for almost two hours past my reservation time and I can't get anyone to help me. Apparently no one knows what is going on and I keep being told I have to wait for the next ferry, only for one to come and leave without me. There are so many employees walking around not doing anything. Very frustrating. Not worth visiting the island read more

Smooth ferry process. Ticket counter was swift. Kiosk available, but doesn't indicate the sail time. We boarded the 19:30 Oak Bluff ferry after a day of traveling. The 45 minute ride was misty and smooth sailing. Sitting on the boat with luggage was fine. Oversized luggage is a beast up the thin stairwell, but can be accomplished. Left the ferry and grabbed an uber to get to the final destination. read more

We took the ferry from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole with our vehicle . I can't say enough on how professional and organized everyone was. It went so smoothly! The crew working was outstanding and made it the trip back wonderful. This was a totally different experience than we came over from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven on the ferry with our vehicle which was not a pleasant experience at all. I did write a review on that too. read more

It got us there a s back safely! Ship departed and arrived on time. Would be nicer in summer. One could really enjoy the ride as opposed to getting sea sick read more

For our return trip back to the mainland, we usually depart from the ferry terminals in Oak Bluffs. But due to high winds on our departure date, the Steamship Authority called and left an automated message informing us that we had to catch the ferry at Vineyard Haven which is just 10 minutes away from Oak Bluffs. The Steamship Authority is a fairly organized organization. Our trip to the mainland went smoothly. read more

Good! They know what they're doing. No complaints at all (didn't eat anything - we were with our car and had tons of our own supplies). HINT: we arrived 1 hour early and were able to get on the earlier trip. How nice is that - start your vacation our an hour earlier an expected!! read more

Apparently, printed schedules on a Labor Dy weekend mean nothing. We took the ferry over and were waiting to go back on the scheduled 6:15 from Oak Bluff. Another person that had been waiting came by and said the ferry had been canceled from Oak Bluff and diverted to Vineyard Haven. Seriously? We want off the island. The only notice was a sign taped on the ticket sales window. Everyone had RT tickets. Hello! No notice at the waiting area nothing. We had to go to VH and ride a cargo freighter back. Us and about a 100 folks. We arrived at 530 by the way. Not like we were running late and missed something. FN kidnapping is what it felt like. Feel sorry for the families with small kids. Pure BS. Oh, weather was NOT an issue! read more

Very poor customer service. It was if they were getting off on being unhelpful. The fat heavy girl waited until she was done arguing with the other fat girl about who would have the fan before she even addressed me. I guess there's nothing you can do when they are the only ones who can get your car back and forth from the island. I wish there was another option even if just to make these people treat their customers better. read more

took the ferry back to woods hole from vineyard haven. everything went well. already had my ticket purchased before I left for the day from woods hole. took one of the last boats, so it was pretty empty. up on the snack counter level they had a flat screen TV and the red sox game was on. I think everyone on the whole boat was there in that little area watching. I love how they have tables, booths, individuals comfy seats, etc. lots of places and different set ups to choose for seating. the bathrooms were clean too. used the bathrooms at the ticket office in vineyard haven as well and they were great. nice and clean. read more

Called in advance to make reservation and was told none was needed. Was told to call back on day of trip to be directed to right parking lot. Called day of and was directed to Palmer ave lot. Once got there, was told to go to cataumet parking which is about 25 min from palmers lot. This should be more organized and the person on the phone could have advised me of this . read more

We took the SSA from Woods Hole. We drove to their parking lot in Falmouth and took a commuter bus to the ferry since there is no parking down in WH. Lots of busses, we didn't have to wait longer than 5 minutes for the bus to fill up and us to be on our way. Once we got there we got our tickets quickly and efficiently. They had a 10 roundtrip pass and for our family of 5 it was cheaper to buy that instead ($69.00). We boarded and were on our way quickly. Lots of seating and an enjoyable ride. We chose to ride the ferry over and rent a car there as it was cheaper. We rented a car for $75 and it would have cost $137 to take our car plus whatever the passenger rate would have been. read more

I was scheduled to leave this morning on an 11 am boat and they lost the reservation somehow. When I showed them the email with the reservation (too late--the boat had already left) Kathy, aka the rudest lady on the planet, got pissy and said "well they lose the reservations sometimes!" And laughed like I had these over the top expectations of them. They wouldn't refund my $77 for the standby ticket and I've been sitting here for hours doing standby because of THEIR mistake. Really stellar customer service, Kathy! (Not.) read more

Well I have been traveling here for over 30 years. Use to be a resident but sold our properties and just visit a few weeks now. I arrived this am at 6:30am. Heavy set woman to the far left walking in was my " Customer service " agent. She was extremely rude, dismissive and deliberately would not put me on an earlier ferry. She did put three people on standby. So you have to ask the question -Why ? They were not residents and it was obvious she felt the need to not be of assisted of helpful. There is always space with a small car. The nice gentlemen loading the boat stated there was room. When I mentioned that " she questioned - what men? It was very transparent and somewhat humorous when you think about it. Bridgette , Bryan , Judy they are wonderful but some of the locals who are physically behind the counter - need better training and development. You just never know who you may run up against. I will write a personal note to Bridgette and elaborate. She hid her name tag. I think her description says it all. Usually the ferry staff are wonderful and over accommodating. read more

Amazing, affordable, easy, and calming. I enjoyed the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Nothing bad to say about it

I haven't had a lot experience using your ferry to Martha's Vineyard but I know someone who has had bad experiences this season. He lives on the island and goes home once every 3 months to see his family in New York but because of his work, has a hard time making a reservation. He always ends up spending a majority of his day in the stand by line. Most recently, March 28, he went to the standby line to find out 2 ferries were not in use. Now I can't imagine that many people live on the island where he would have to wait all day but he has been. All the people who had reservations for those ferries got moved to other boats. Now, I know this is an off season for travelers but it is not fair for the people who live on the island since this is there only way of getting off the island. Yes, sometimes there are mechanical issues but something should be done to take better care of the ferry's or make it easier for the islanders to get off. That could include a discounted price? Or even priority in the standby line if they have something that proves they live on the island? Those are just some ideas but it is very frustrating to have these "ferry issues" occurring every week when some people just want to get home for the weekend. read more