The Culebra Ferry sunk my plans to visit Culebra Island off of Puerto Rico. But, you don’t have to make the same mistakes as I did.
Planning a trip to Puerto Rico and want to visit the beautiful Culebra Island? So did I.
I heard…from a friend…the snorkeling on Culebra is stunning. Are you hoping to snorkel, too?
Culebra beaches are breathtaking. I’ve seen them in pictures. Hoping to put your toes in the sand?
In this guide, I’ll explain what happened and how, in hindsight, I could’ve avoided missing out on a gorgeous Culebra beach day so you don’t suffer the same travel mishap on your Puerto Rico trip!
5 Culebra Ferry Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Before breaking each of my mistakes down and explaining how you can avoid making them all over again, let’s cover a few basics to get you oriented.
Culebra Island is small & tranquil and home to the famous Flamenco Beach considered one of the top ten beaches in the world. Along with El Yunque National Forest, it’s one of the top day trips from San Juan. That’s why most travelers make this Caribbean gem part of their Puerto Rico itinerary.
Where is Culebra Puerto Rico?
Culebra Island is a municipality of Puerto Rico located 17 miles east off the big island and 9 miles north of Vieques. It’s also just 12 miles west of St Thomas making it geographically part of the Virgin Islands. As of the last census count, about 1,800 people live on Culebra.
During a Culebra trip, you can relax on the beautiful beaches and do activities like diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking. Scooter rentals are also available to explore the island. Hands down, it’s one of the most popular Puerto Rico day trips.
Given the island is a little sleepy, without the big elaborate hotels and resorts typical in and around San Juan, Culebra is also very popular with the locals who come for weekend excursions as well.
What’s going on with the Culebra Puerto Rico Ferry?
That being said, if you’re planning a day trip to Culebra Island (as you absolutely should!), then you need to be aware of the pitfalls and mistakes that plague the Culebra Ferries.
The short of it is that the government handed over ferry responsibilities to the Puerto Rico Maritime Transportation Authority (MTA) and nobody appears to hold anyone responsible. This was the opinion of my born-and-raised-on-Vieques snorkeling tour guide from a subsequent day trip to that island.
He & others explained this has been a long-running issue with a poorly run operation. Residents are given a priority position over tourists to purchase tickets but I spoke to several locals who reported even with that, it’s still messy.
In addition, before October 2018, Puerto Rico ferries to the two popular islands didn’t depart from Ceiba. The ferry from Fajardo to Culebra and Vieques was the norm. In chatting with some locals, no one seems to know why the change from the Fajardo Ferry Terminal was made.
I had a couple of hiccups to deal with, meanwhile, these frustrated residents deal with this on a regular basis.
And, prior to Hurricane Maria in 2017, many of the businesses that ran tours had their own boats so they could take tourists to and from the islands themselves. However, many of these people either lost their boats in the storm or had to sell them because of a slowdown in the tourism business right afterward. Ever since, locals have been rebuilding.
This brings us to each of my mistakes and what you should do instead if you’re planning a Puerto Rico vacation that includes a day trip to Culebra.
Mistake #1: Not Booking a Tour in Advance.
I considered doing this from the outset, researching Culebra Island snorkeling and bio bay tours on Vieques. I thought these 2 guided activities might be the perfect complement to the things I planned to do on my own, like going hiking in El Yunque National Rainforest.
While I did book the Vieques Bio Bay tour (more on that later), I’d read some pre-Hurricane Maria information about snorkeling on Culebra that seemed to show how it was easy to snorkel off the beaches without a guide or even book a short tour once on the island. I decided to keep my Culebra options open and this proved to be my biggest mistake.
What You Should Do Instead:
If your heart is set on a beach day or a particular Culebra excursion like snorkeling, book a tour in advance instead of relying on the Culebra Island ferry. Make sure the package includes the boat ride to and from the mainland, which many of the Culebra snorkeling tours do.
You could also opt for a half-day catamaran day trip to a deserted island for sailing, swimming, snorkeling, and beach time.
Depending on what time of year you visit, these tours fill up quickly given the Culebra ferry issues. You’ll need to get to a pickup location unless you’re staying at a hotel that can arrange transportation. Uber also works in Puerto Rico and is a much better option price-wise when compared to taxis.
Mistake #2: Not Buying Culebra Ferry Tickets in Advance.
Before leaving for my trip, I researched the ferries to Culebra Puerto Rico. Without any clue about the ferry logistics, I did the typical search for schedules, cost, and whether or not I’d be able to make a reservation online.
The search showed the scheduled ferry times for a passenger ferry and a cargo ferry. The cargo ferry can take over cars and a limited number of passengers while the passenger ferry is just for passengers.
Now to be fair, my research hinted at the possibility of “some bumps in the road” with regards to the ferry schedule. I made the judgment that nothing seemed overly worrisome, but some of the signs were there…
As I write this, you can’t make any advance ferry reservations online so you need to purchase tickets at the Ceiba ferry terminal in person.
Beware of just any websites claiming to sell tickets online, too! Don’t share any credit card details with an unofficial website because there are some out there.
What You Should Do Instead:
UPDATE: It appears the Porferry website is no longer operational! There are no other safe ways to purchase ferry tickets ahead of time online. All the more reason to book a tour ahead of time to secure your plans for visiting Culebra.
According to my contact at Discover Puerto Rico, the Offical Tourism Website for Puerto Rico, the only website you should consider buying ferry tickets ahead of time is Porferry.
And remember, buying tickets ahead of time is helpful but it doesn’t mean there won’t be ferry hiccups, like a canceled time slot or general disorganization and chaos at the ferry terminals.
If you have a rental car, you can go to the ferry terminal 1-2 days before your planned day trip to Culebra and purchase tickets. After what happened with Culebra, I purchased my Vieques tickets on Sunday for my Monday trip.
Again, if Culebra and Flamenco Beach are on your list of things to do in Puerto Rico, it’s worth a ride to the terminal to get those tickets, or just simplify and book a Culebra tour instead.
From Ceiba, the Culebra Ferry costs just $5.00 for a roundtrip. Actually, after you pay the $5.60 all-day parking rate at the ferry terminal in Ceiba, you’re up to $10.60 for a ferry ride, parking, and an unforgettable day of fun in the sun.
The ferry from Ceiba takes about 45 minutes so plan accordingly when choosing which ferry departure and return make sense for what you want to do on the island or back on Puerto Rico later in the evening.
Mistake #3: Getting Tickets too late on the Day of my Trip.
According to the Culebra ferry schedule online, I planned on the 10:30 a.m. ferry. My plan was to get there at about 9:30, which I thought should be enough time to park, get a ticket, maybe even grab a cup of coffee, and cue up for a ferry ride.
I planned my drive using the Waze app, which worked perfectly during my whole Puerto Rico trip I might add. It suggested I leave my hotel by 8 am so I left by 7:30…just in case.
The drive went pretty smoothly aside from some traffic and a burst of rain. By the time I parked, grabbed my stuff, and made my way over to the ticket booth, it was closer to 9:40. I remember thinking, “good thing I left a little earlier.” Little did I know what was in store!
Spoiler alert…I never made it onto that or any other Culebra ferry during my trip to Puerto Rico.
What You Should Do Instead:
If you can’t go 1-2 days in advance to buy your tickets in person as suggested earlier, get to the Ceiba Ferry Terminal as early as you can on the day you want to go to Culebra and target the passenger ferry schedule.
The passenger ferries fit more people than the cargo ferries which only take a limited number of people. Most of the space on the cargo ferries is for cars and when they say limited space, they mean LIMITED.
For what it’s worth, too, I never saw a single car aboard a ferry either. 🙁
But remember, arriving as early as possible will not guarantee you get ferry tickets for that day. Booking a Culebra tour is the only way to secure those plans.
Mistake #4: Not Avoiding Weekends.
I’m certain one of the issues that further complicated everything was I planned my day trip for a Sunday.
Before I could make it to the ticket booth, I was told by someone who looked to be a ferry staff member that I could buy tickets for the 10:30 a.m. ferry to Culebra. “GREAT,” I said, feeling relieved as I continued on my way to the ticket window. What stopped me in my tracks was when the very next thing she said was, “but you can’t return today.”
“Ummm what?!”
I was told because of “too many passengers and a broken ferry” I could get to Culebra and “probably” return early the following day.
Ugh. Culebra was slipping thru my fingers.
The combination of tourists and locals returning from full weekend excursions to Culebra (remember it was a Sunday) and the number of people like me who wanted to visit for the day meant the return trips were full. In comparison, my Vieques day trip was on a Monday and the boat I returned on was nearly empty.
What You Should Do Instead:
Plan your Culebra day trip for a weekday, if possible.
There’ll likely still be a good number of tourists but, without a doubt, fewer locals vying for tickets. You might also want to consider a full weekend in Culebra if avoiding a weekend isn’t possible. This could eliminate the Sunday return trip issue as you’ll buy your roundtrip ticket 1-2 days before your actual return.
Forgive the pun, but there were plenty of other people in the same boat as me.
I was surrounded by other travelers who were confused and bewildered about what we should do next. Picture a scene from The Walking Dead where the zombies are planning a beach day with coolers, backpacks, towels, and sunhats in hand.
This doesn’t have to be you.
Again, back to my biggest mistake…not booking a Culebra tour. I was regretting this decision more and more as the debacle of my day unfolded.
Mistake #5: Not Considering the Flight Option.
Without a doubt, flights to Culebra are much more expensive than the ferry. The upside is, though, you’ll get there fast and without the hassle of the chaotic ferry terminal.
But, the difference in flight price versus the $5.00 roundtrip ferry leaves many tourists (including me) opting for the boat ride in a blink.
At $300 for a roundtrip ticket, before spending any money to eat, drink, and/or take a tour, I couldn’t justify it. After all, this was more expensive than my round trip tickets from Newark to Puerto Rico!
What You Should Do Instead:
There are only two ways to get to Culebra from the mainland of Puerto Rico, by sea or by air. If you want to fly, there are a few regional airlines that service the area. It may be possible to find a one-way ride starting at $99 but expect airfares to range depending on your travel dates so do your homework and search for the cheapest flights.
Think about how important it is for you to visit Culebra. Knowing what I know now, I would have reworked my Puerto Rico itinerary and definitely avoided a weekend day trip. I might have even planned a weekend there. There are Culebra hotels and amenities for a weekend trip and this could justify the price of the flight.
You might even consider flying one way and taking the ferry one way.
But, there’s a risk if the ferry isn’t running or is already full or you can’t get to the terminal ahead of time to guarantee the ferry ticket you need. Still, if you’re someone with flexibility, money to spend, and not intending to travel on a Saturday or Sunday, it’s a possibility.
Flights from San Juan to Culebra take 30 minutes. From Ceiba, the flight is just 15 minutes.
What happens when all else fails??
If you end up in a situation like I did and you’re stranded, have a backup plan. I went to Luquillo Beach and salvaged a beach day on a beautiful beach. This was just a short 35-40 minute ride from Ceiba.
And, what about the Vieques ferry?
Earlier, I mentioned my day trip to Vieques. You have the same travel options here as you do for Culebra. You can take the ferry from Ceiba or you can fly to Vieques from San Juan or Ceiba. There is a flight between the two islands but no ferry service between them.
All of my tips above apply if you’re planning a ferry trip to Vieques, too.
After the realization of no ferry to Culebra sunk in, it hit me. “Wait! Can I actually get to Vieques tomorrow for my bio bay tour?!?
I ran back to the ticket window and asked for round trip tickets to Vieques for the next day and held my breath. I asked for the 9:30 a.m. ferry and since my bio bay tour would end around 8:30 p.m, I needed a return ticket for the last ferry which was scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
The person at the ticket booth said no problem except that he couldn’t book me on the last ferry “because the computer wouldn’t let him” but I could buy a ticket for the 6:30 p.m. return and easily exchange it to the 9:30 when I arrived on Vieques. I was already weary given the chaos but I went along with it. I’m not sure I had another choice.
Turns out, my suspicions were validated.
I made it to Vieques the following day but when I went to exchange my 6:30 p.m. ticket for a 9:30 p.m. ticket, I was told the 9:30 ferry wasn’t running because it…broke.
In short, I had to quickly rearrange my plans on the island. I rented a golf cart to explore a bit and did a snorkeling tour with the same company I had planned to use for the bio bay tour.
Luckily, all was not lost, as I salvaged a bio bay tour back on the mainland in Fajardo after taking an earlier ferry back.
And just in case you’re wondering if I’m the unluckiest traveler ever…while having lunch on Vieques. a waitress overheard me talking about my predicament and told me about the mess that transpired the night before.
Nearly 200 people were left stranded at the ferry terminal because the last ferry off the island, yup you guessed it, broke. She just looked at me with a serious expression and said, “This ferry thing is bad.”
The Bottom Line…
My plan was to spend some chill time on the beach in Culebra and play it by ear without a real itinerary. Maybe I’d do some snorkeling.
From a distance, it all appears normal. There’s a ferry schedule online, a ticket booth at the terminal, and a parking lot. No sweat.
Lesson learned in hindsight for me. Next time, I’ll just book a Culebra tour. Hopefully for you, how to get to Culebra, with all the pitfalls and options laid out, will be the difference.
Are you planning a Puerto Rico trip with time in Culebra?
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Great Post !! Time for a promotion and a pay raise…
Thanks for reading, Dad! 😉
This was an interesting article. I hope things ironed itself out? Going to Culebra for Christmas vacation. We are flying in the night before and staying near the airport. Next day going to catch the Ferry. We are renting airbnb on the Small island.
Thank you for reading, Erin. I hope your trip to Culebra goes smoothly!
Thank you for the heads-up! I really appreciate very honest posts like this. In fact, as a traveler, we should never really book any trip that’s last minute.
Thanks for reading, Agness. Hope the guide will be helpful for any Puerto Rico travel you have coming up.
This recounting mirrored my experience so much. With the current infrastructure, it seems it’s just not feasible to do a weekend day-trip to these islands.
Thanks for reading, Anthony. Yes, it seems like the only way to do it would be with a tour group or if you want to spend the money on a flight.
Great post! Really helpful. Question – do you know if you actually can buy tickets a few days in advanced like you said vs the day of? We have some things booked in Vieques soon (an overnight) and I just emailed our Airbnb host asking for advice on the ticket situation (we were planning to go down to Ceiba Terminal a few days before to buy tix like you suggest), and his response was : “Hola they are not selling tickets in advance you just need to show up and stand in line their is no other way to do it”
-what do you think? Did you hear of anyone booking in advance? I’m so confused. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for reading, Jules. The Puerto Rico ferry situation is very confusing! What I can say is we bought round trip ferry tickets to Vieques the day before the trip at Ceiba Terminal in February 2019. We asked because of the Culebra debacle and were able to purchase them while we were there. It could be worth a trip to the terminal 1-2 days before (I wouldn’t do anything more than that.) to see if you can get tickets. It’s definitely a chaotic situation at the terminal so if you aren’t successful or can’t get there 1-2 days before, I’d arrive at the ferry terminal as early as possible the day of. I hope this helps a little and I wish I could give you more of a guarantee. Good luck! And if you have a moment, leave a comment to let us know what happened. We can update the post and also inform other readers. 🙂
Buddy, writing this while in the midst of a massive cluster F here at the Culebra ferry. We too got caught in the advertised psychotic beauty of this place (it is beautiful). But….our ferry too from Culebra “broke”. It’s now close to 4 hours past our scheduled Ferry
I now understand this has been a frequent problem. Ticked at myself for not doing more homework.
Warining to all. Beware the Fajardo/Culebra ferry.
Oh man! Sorry Paul! I hope everything worked itself out eventually but I know just how confusing and chaotic these ferries are. Thanks for reading and sharing your experience.
What a helpful article. We (2 71-yr-old Grannies) are heading to PR in July with our 11-yr-old Granddaughters. If we enjoy the trip, I hope to take my family for Spring break. I was thinking of Culebra, and this tells me I should probably plan to fly!
I am struggling with which tour company to use for our snorkel trip to Culebra. I like the idea of a smaller group, but am concerned about going on a 50-ft boat vs a larger catamaran. Any thoughts on bumpiness of the ride or likelihood of seasickness on small boat vs larger boat?
Perhaps some of your readers have experience.
Thanks!
Thanks for reading, Sylvia. If Culebra is an absolute must, flying or reserving an arranged snorkeling tour from the mainland to Culebra is best. It’s hard to say about the bumpiness because seasickness can hit on any type of boat, large or small. If you decide to fly, you can also arrange a snorkeling tour from Culebra itself. Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences as well! 🙂
Hi,
This post was very helpful as we are headed to PR this Saturday and Culebra was a planned day trip. I did see tickets for sale via a website but after reading this I am extremely skeptical. Any other tips to offer on PR&San Juan area? Places to dine…tours….
Thanks for reading. 🙂 We were skeptical, too, of the websites offering ticket sales online. In fact, every person we asked in Puerto Rico said the only way was to buy them in person in Ceiba. For more Puerto Rico ideas, check out our El Yunque and San Juan guides. Have a great trip to Puerto Rico.
ohhh man… we already got our ferry tickets online going to vieques. and our tour will be the same day. out ferry leaving 12pm and our bio bay at 7pm. you think we’re going to make it? now im thinking! we’re leaving tomorrow. or you think we can just buy bio bay tour when we get there?
Thanks for reading, Joanna. Doing the Bio Bay tour wasn’t the problem. That was easily booked in advance. The problem came in when the latest Vieques ferry to leave the island was suddenly canceled on the day we were there. Meaning we had to cancel the bio bay tour on Vieques, take an earlier ferry back and got lucky by booking another bio bay tour on the mainland that night. Also, when we were there, there was no legit way to purchase tickets online. We know a few sites have popped up since then selling ferry tickets. We are waiting to hear back about the validity of these sites from the Puerto Rico Department of Tourism.
Hello..Can u update the ferry problem /?? Its October now..I am going to Puerto Rico and I do want to go to culebra as well Is this still a problem with the ferry terminal?
Thanks for reading, Roxanne. I’ve just heard back from a contact at Discover Puerto Rico, the Offical Tourism Website for Puerto Rico. She says the only reputable place to buy tickets online for the ferry to Culebra or Vieques is through Porferry. This still doesn’t mean ferries couldn’t get canceled or the process at the terminal won’t be chaotic. But it seems like a step in the right direction. Good luck!
Wow! This is really disappointing. I am planning a trip for my family (two very young kids included!) and now I’m wondering if a two night stay at either of these islands is out of the question. Not only would we have our children, but our luggage as well. It sounds like hell!
Thanks for reading, Nancy. The ferry issues are rough. I did recently update the article after I speaking with a contact at Discover Puerto Rico, the tourism board for the island. There is 1 approved website to buy tickets online. However, keep in mind, this doesn’t prevent ferries from going out of service or being canceled. Good luck!
Great Article! My husband and I took the flight over to Vieques and then the ferry back the next day with no problems back in February. The ferry issues have been around a long time. I had issues 20 years ago with the ferry when it was out of Fijardo. I’m heading back to PR in December and trying to make it back to Culebra? The first time I used a tour company with no problems. This time I’m going to try the ferry…Fingers crossed : )
Thanks for reading, Melissa. Thanks for sharing your experiences. They’ll be helpful for others. Good luck on the ferry in December.
Wow, I’ve heard about people plans going down south as well. Yet my experience I need to say worked out with positive results. I purchased my tickets online with Porferry. I got ticket’s for my trip with an over night stay at Vieques and return tickets for the following day with no problems at all. I’ve done Culebra once via Catamaran, Vieques two times via ferry. I cancel myself a Culebra trip once due to the weather as it called for rain and I didn’t want to spend the day under a palm tree hiding. lol
Flights are not an option for my budget at $ 200 to $300 a pop round trip. So I lay that aside from the beginning. I also did the excursion trip to Culebra at $115 a pop but felt it not as long as I would have liked it to last for the price. You get about 45 minutes to snorkel, a cold cut deli style lunch with all the water down drinks you can consume, about 2 1/2 hours day trip on Flaminco Beach and your heading back to the main land. Oh yeah, you also need to swim to get to the beach, so about 1/3 of the passengers just stayed on the Catamaran and never touched the sand. Yet they got first picking at the food and made the best of it. So we, who took the swim to get to the beach got a few morsels left over. The ride was bumpy and a few passengers did get seasick. I held off on it as good enough as I could but it was starting to get to me also. Take medication ahead of time and it should help out somewhat, let’s just hope.
I’m going for Spring Break and already have a two night stay at an Airbnb at Culebra. Yet this time I’m going with family who are locals there. Gives me a small advantage for the family to purchase tickets for us a head of time. For now I can only hope for the best.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jose. Yes, Discover Puerto Rico, the tourism board for the island confirmed Porferry as the only reputable website to buy ferry tickets. Even so, ferry problems can still happen, though. Have a great time for Spring Break.
Thank you for such an informative yet humorist post. Here’s to hoping my family & I can purchase to & from tickets to Culebra for our trip this June. I noticed we can purchase a max of 5 tickets online. Fingers crossed we are able to purchase all 8 in 2 purchases without issue. I’m worried! You’d think with all the negative posts and comments about the ferry, they would get it together.
Thanks so much for reading, Unique. I hope you’re able to get your tickets and enjoy Culebra!
Thanks. We are stuck here currently in Culebra. I think I’d rather be stuck here than anywhere else in the world!
Thanks for reading, Darren. Hope you were able to get your situation worked out. But yes, not a bad place to be stuck.
The Porferry website now lets you buy advanced purchase tickets with a service fee. A little over $22 got us round trip tickets to Culebra the day before and soared us a lot of nail-biting. The tickets give you QR codes which can’t be scanned until the hour of your ferry’s departure. There is parking in a huge lot with a shuttle about a half mile down the road for $8 a day.
After Maria, there’s very little to do around the ferry, so buy your ticket in advance and time your arrival and parking to be there an hour early.
Thanks for reading, Claudio. I updated the article a while ago with information about Porferry as that’s the only website endorsed by the Puerto Rico tourism board. Glad to hear it worked out for you.
Thank you for all of the useful information. I just wanted to share my experience I had going to Culebra on Thursday. I purchased my tickets online for the 11:00 Ceibe and the 3:00pm Culebra at 8:45 pm on Wednesday. I arrived at the ferry and was dropped off at the gate by my friends at 10:45am and walked right onto the ferry. The water was very chopper and multiple people became sick. The captain assured us that the ride back would be much smoother. I walked off the ferry at 4:05 hopped on a bus that was 10 steps from the exit and took a $3 ride to Flamenco Beach. After the 8 minute bus ride we arrived at this very pleasant area where there were kiosks for food, places to purchase chairs, umbrellas, tropical drinks, snorkle gear, shopping, etc. Upon walking over a cute wooden bridge onto the beach in paradise I felt as if I was in heaven, it was so beautiful. I thought the beach to be similar to a beach in Hawaii without the mountains in the back ground. Going back to the ferry was similarly as easy on the return. We boarded around 2:45 and arrived at Ceibe at 3:45. I had no prearranged transportation back to my hotel but was easily able to catch a cab. Seeing that I was doing this by myself, I was initially a little apprehensive after all I had read but I took my chances and couldn’t have been more pleased.
Thanks for reading, Jennifer. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Glad it all worked out.
Wow this post was so helpful! I couldn’t thank you enough for all that advice. I wish there were more articles like this one for travel advice and avoiding common booking/excursion planning mistakes.
Thanks for reading, Catherine.
Hi – I couldn’t tell from this article – Are you saying that the ferries to Culebra ONLY depart from Ceiba now and not Fajardo???
I understand that the tourism board said the only reputable website to purchase ferry tickets in advance is the Porferry one, which appears to be in Ceiba. But I am trying to understand if Fajardo is even an option (understood not online). Is there a way to check this?
Thank you!
Hi Lauren –
Thanks so much for reading!
Fajardo is NOT an option. Ferries now depart from Ceiba.
I believe it used to be Fajardo until that port was damaged in the hurricane.
Thank you for writing this. Definitely helped us a lot to plan our trip!
Thanks so much for reading, Hamid. Glad the guide was helpful. 🙂
Loved this post ☺️ Planning to visit culebra tomorrow. Wish me luck lol! #YOLO
Thanks for reading and good luck!!! 🙂
Wow! This was amazing. Thank you so much for this great information. Now I feel prepared!!!
Thanks for reading, Melisa. So glad it was helpful. 🙂
Your blog was extremely helpful! Thank you so much for sharing all this very valuable information. You led me to take a catamaran tour to Culebra, which I’m now looking very forward to. And we’ll continue to fly to Vieques to like I had originally planned. Thanks again! Much appreciated! Happy Travels, Ali
Thanks so much for reading, Allison! So glad the info was helpful and hope you have amazing travels in Puerto Rico! 🙂
Hi Allison, I was wondering if your catamaran tour actually took you to Culebra? I’m looking to book one, but it seems from the reviews that they rarely ever even make it to Culebra (they take to other islands due to choppy conditions) so I’m hesitant to book one.
Thank you for all the advice !
Thank you for reading, Theo! 🙂 Enjoy your trip.
Hello,
Lovely article and provided so much info 🙂 But Im trying to go onto porferry.com and it looks like its not working anymore!! Any recommendation ?? Says the website can be bought through GoDaddy. Thank you again
Thank you so much for reading the blog. I’m sorry to hear about Porferry! I’ve got no update about that website at this time and will edit the article accordingly. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Aside from flying to Culebra (which is pricey), I’d book one of the tours to get to the island. It’s the most sure-fire way to guarantee a Culebra visit. Otherwise, I’d recommend going to the ferry terminal in Ceiba ahead of time and trying to purchase ferry tickets in advance of the day you want to visit the island. I hope you have a great trip to Puerto Rico and make it to Culebra!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write all that down and to answer people’s questions. My family and I would like to visit Culebra on Dec 24, stay 2 nights , and come back Dec 26. Yes, the busiest time of the year! So we need tickets in advance. Porferry is no longer working. But puertoricoferry(dot)com and the attendant app (City Experiences) both look pretty darn reputable. It’s currently selling tickets through November, but not December. So my plan is to check back every day and hopefully snatch 4 tickets in advance. Am I crazy for thinking this will work?
Thanks for reading, Gabe. You are right the website looks reputable and is run by Hornblower, a known name for ferries and sightseeing cruises. However, after doing a little research, I don’t have much direct information right now. But, what I did learn is that they sell a limited number of available tickets, and not surprisingly, tickets sell out quickly. So if you decide to give this a go, I’d have a Plan B at the ready in case they are sold out before you can buy them. I hope that helps a little! Good luck and have a great trip to Puerto Rico!
We came to the Ceiba terminal at 9am on a sunday and got tickets for the 11am ferry. I do not recommend going to Culebra on a sunday since everything closes early and most places don’t even open. Matter of fact, most restaurants only open from Wednesday to saturday.
Thanks for reading, Milushka. I’m glad everything worked out for you in Ceiba! Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Is this the case even for the kiosks on Flamenco beach?