Ferry From St Thomas to St Croix: What Actually Runs

Yes, but only one, and it is nothing like the St Thomas to St John shuttle. The QE IV runs a scheduled passenger service across the open water between the two islands. It is a booked crossing on set days, not an hourly service you can turn up for.

Treat it as a planned leg of the trip. The operator lists service Wednesday through Monday, with no Tuesday sailing. The Port Authority page lists a narrower Thursday-to-Monday week. When two official sources disagree, the operator's booking page is the one that sells the seat.

This route carries passengers, not cars. Nothing on this crossing resembles the car barge between St Thomas and St John. Plan to rent a vehicle on arrival, or to use taxis, once you reach St Croix.

The published pattern is one crossing in each direction on operating days. The ferry leaves Gallows Bay on St Croix at 8:00 am and reaches the Blyden Terminal in Charlotte Amalie at 10:10 am. It turns around and leaves St Thomas at 3:00 pm, arriving back at Gallows Bay at 5:10 pm.

That shape decides your day, and it is not symmetrical. Starting on St Croix, the 8:00 am sailing and the 3:00 pm return give you a few hours on St Thomas. Starting on St Thomas, the only departure is at 3:00 pm. A visit therefore means at least one night on St Croix, unless you fly a leg.

The two official pages disagree on price. Checked on September 16, 2026, the operator lists $85 one way with discounted round trips, while the Port Authority page lists $60. Book through the operator and treat its figure as the current one.

The operator asks passengers to arrive 30 minutes before departure and closes check-in 15 minutes before. Identification is required for every passenger, including children.

The seaplane is the reason many residents skip the ferry. Seaborne Airlines flies between the Charles F. Blair Jr. Seaplane Terminal in downtown Charlotte Amalie and the Svend Aage Ovesen Jr. Seaplane Terminal in Christiansted. The airline describes the hop as about 25 minutes, downtown to downtown, and the Port Authority lists it as daily service.

The seaplane terminal on St Thomas sits next to the Blyden ferry terminal, so both options leave from the same stretch of Charlotte Amalie waterfront. That matters if your hotel is in town. Neither option requires the drive out to the airport, and both land you in central Christiansted.

Ordinary flights are the third option. They connect Cyril E. King Airport on St Thomas with Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St Croix, and the Port Authority lists Fly the Whale as flying the route daily, with Sea Flight VI offering on-demand service. Add the two airport transfers before comparing that door to door against the seaplane.

The Port Authority's schedule lists no direct ferry between St Croix and St John. The trip is made in two legs through St Thomas. Those legs use different terminals: the Charlotte Amalie waterfront downtown, or Red Hook at the east end. Allow for the transfer rather than treating it as one journey.

Coming from St Croix, the QE IV lands you at the Blyden Terminal in Charlotte Amalie. From there, one option is the downtown sailing to Cruz Bay, where departures are few and seasonal. The other is a taxi east to Red Hook for the frequent service. The St Thomas to St John ferry guide covers both.

In the other direction, the same math applies in reverse, with a harder deadline. The St Croix ferry leaves St Thomas in the mid afternoon, so a morning that starts on St John leaves little room for delay. Travelers who want that day to work usually fly one leg instead.

This is an open-water crossing, and the boat is at sea for about two hours against roughly 15 minutes on the St John run. We have not found an official sea-state guide for the route, so treat that difference as the planning signal. Passengers who are sensitive to motion should prepare before boarding rather than after.

Weather can move or cancel a sailing. Because the service does not run every day, a cancelled crossing is not a short wait for the next boat. Leave slack before a flight home, and know which airline seats exist as a fallback on the day you must travel.

Book directly, keep the confirmation reachable offline, and check the departure again the day before. The operator sends boarding passes by email close to departure and allows changes up to an hour ahead. No-shows and same-day cancellations are not refunded.