Steamship Authority

Got here early for the 7:15 ferry back to woods hole. A ferry was already here boarding cars and a few passengers. At 6:30 my husband went inside to inquire about where this ferry was heading. The answer was, Woods Hole, it’s an extra ferry and not on the schedule, but it is now too late to board! Maybe an announcement could have been made for those of us who arrived early. How was anyone to know???

Unfortunately, we had no idea it was Tivoli Day. The Palmer lot filled up early so everyone was sent to the Thomas Landers lot that is quite far away. There were not nearly enough busses so we had to take an Über to make the boat. (The people at the front of the line had been waiting 45 minutes). We called to ask about parking and reservations and were hung up on multiple times.

3 stars for the great price, timely service, and beautiful ferry ride into Martha’s Vineyard.
The return (Saturday 8:30pm departure) ferry, however, was very inconvenient because they put us on a freight ferry so there was only enough seating for about 20 passengers, and most people had to sit on the floor.
The bus ride back to the parking lot was horrible because there was a group of 8 drunk adults who were rude, openly drinking on the bus, and screaming inappropriately (using profanities) to the other passengers (including kids) and even to the bus driver. I’m not sure why the driver didn’t authoritatively kick them out of the bus for being so disorderly on his bus.

I’ve had to call the Steamship Authority’s Mashpee office twice with questions regarding my wait listed car reservation, to get to and from Martha’s Vineyard. I couldn’t be more impressed with the high level of customer service provided. The guys I spoke with were not only incredibly helpful but also *pleasant*. What a nice surprise to talk with people who seem to actually like their jobs!

Couple of tips: the ferry service is cheap and good. However, the shuttle service for parking lots is bad. Use the motels closer to ferry for parking. You will pay more but you will get to your vehicle quicker. Not a good service!

Despite advice to just pay for passenger ferry $ 8.50/person and not bring our car for $ 68 each way, we did it anyway and don’t regret it! TIP: I’m not sure about parking during peak season — could be pretty hairy.
Our Day Trip with car: We got to Woods Hole just before 8am for our 8:30 reservation. After the 45 min ride, we disembarked and headed over to the Aquinnah Cliffs and lighthouse first on the west end of the island, then zipped to Menemsha to eat at Larsen’s Fish market. Next stop Lighthouse Beach in Edgartown, followed by a break in Oak Bluffs for a margarita at Sharky’s Cantina and shopping on Circuit Avenue. Drive along the beach road for a good spot on the beach and check out sea birds’ nests up on posts, gingerbread houses near the harbor, then up to East Chop Light to get pics. From here we drove back to Vineyard Haven and did a little shopping on Main Street. Then back to Oak Bluffs for dinner at Martha’s Vineyard Chowder Co. — best clam chowder around. We were tired by then and lucked out & got on an earlier boat instead of our 9:30pm reservation to return to Woods Hole.
No way to get to all this by foot or shuttle in one day.

I would’ve given this 4 – 5 stars. The ferry ride was great, the service on the ferry was great and the gentlemen assisting the people onto the ferry were great. But — there was the most rudest, unhelpful witch working the ticket counter (I wish I would’ve gotten her name so I can call her out: dry-​as-​hell straw blonde hair, bug eyed and a shit attitude; maybe there won’t be more than one and you can figure it out). She really shouldn’t be allowed to work with the general public. I now know the purpose of that glass partition blocking her off — so she can avoid the smack she so deserves for her nasty personality.

First trip over to Martha’s Vineyard. While the ferry was a decent, it was overpriced, not really well maintained and a little bit confusing in terms of timing. Do keep in mind that it will cost over $ 100 to get your car over to the island so most people will want to park in one of their garages which is farther away and take a shuttle to the ferry which will take you over.
The ferries take a little longer than expected but they do leave on the dot and are the most easily accessible way of making it to Martha’s Vineyard.

Want to go to Martha’s Vineyard? The Steamship Authority has an affordable ferry from Woods Hole to one of two ports on the island — Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.
For adults, it is $ 8 each way, or a $ 16 round trip for your outing. If you’re going often during the year, or traveling with a group, consider the 10 ride ticket book that you can pick up at a ticket office for $ 65, but head’s up — I think you have to let the ticket taker rip out the proper tickets.
They use a handful of satellite parking lots (ranging in price from $ 8 – 13 per calendar day depending on the season, payment accepted as you depart the lot) and offer free bus shuttles to the terminal.
The ride from the Palmer Lot was about 10 – 15 minutes once the bus was filled. The terminal wasn’t all that big, but it had a few seats inside, a coffee shop with some food options, and bathrooms. What more do you need?
The ship was actually pretty big. We got on the early morning boat on the early side, so our group of 12 meandered a few floors and was actually able to find a circle of 12 seats just waiting for us by the stern.
During the 45 min trip, we walked about and got windblown outside. Comfy enough a ride.
The trip back was a bit more packed, so we had to divvy up our group in terms of our car rides back. I tried to use their wi-​fi, but was quite unsuccessful.
Jump on the appropriate bus — remember which lot you parked at? — and get ferried back… but there may be more than one bus stop at your particular lot… did you remember where you parked at your lot? This is key to finding your car in the relative dark.
Official word from their website:
«Calling our Woods Hole Parking Information Line at (508) 457-​PARK (7275)
Visiting our mobile site at
Tuning into 1610 AM radio
Watching for road signs on approaching highways
511 Massachusetts from your mobile phone*»
«We recommend that passengers arrive 1 hour prior to scheduled departure time to allow time for parking in our off-​site parking lots during our busy summer season.»

First trip. Nice ride, nice folks running the ship, felt safe, seems maintained well.

So you know if you plan on going to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket you have to take a ferry over. After all, it is an island. LOL!
You will have to depend on these folks to get you there, whether you are taking just yourself and family or your vehicle as well .
On this particular day, we were going to Martha’s Vineyard for the whole day. You have to leave from Woods hole, MA, which was not far from our hotel. The actual steamship terminal is nice and has a nice waiting area. The people are very informative. They offer a shuttle to take you back and forth to their parking area where you leave your car, so you don’t have to walk. It’s a long walk .
From their website :
«Please be advised that there is no parking available at the Woods Hole terminal. We offer off-​site parking and free shuttle service directly to our terminals. We have a number of parking lots convenient to our terminals, which are opened based on space availability and passenger demand. Current/​real-​time parking lot information is readily available as you approach the terminal».
Upon boarding the ship, this steamship was not the most attractive compared to the other, but I think we missed one ferry, and the people were being nice to let us on this more «industrial/​cargo» ship so we would get to the vineyard on time. I’m pretty sure this was not the normal boat, as we rode a different one on the way back. But, at only $ 12 a person, I’m not complaining. We did not take a vehicle. If you do, I believe it’s $ 100 or more .
I rode on the deck of the ferry, and it was sooo beautiful to watch and see the beautiful views. It’s a quick 30 minute ride, but definitely take in the view! These ships leave promptly. Be on time or you will get left! LOL!
After our stay at the vineyard, we boarded back on a much nicer boat with a concession area for food and drinks, comfortable chairs with tables, and the most beautiful view you could imagine. If you want to watch tv, sit upstairs. Oh, and awesome wifi !

Overall a good experience but this time a woman at Vineyard Haven had a serious attitude problem when I asked her a simple question.

You can be early and still wait. But if your late for the ferry– your out of luck. Like they say early bird gets the worm! Be early– also to account for traffic and summer steamship workers that are here for the summer and clueless. Arrive early and if your walk on by both your tickets at the same time –instead of on the main land and on the island. One less line to deal with.
If you attempt at reservations for a car in the summer book online and print out your receipt– I tell you those some workers become rude if you don’t have your confirmation number with you or better yet make you go inside to the ticket booth. Note if boat in dock you cant make advanced reservations. Make reservations early! Oh and a sneaky thing is there is two docks on mv so make sure you make it to the right dock (OB and VH).
Driving on to the ferry with a car can be a trip. Left and right side of the boat are very tight fitting — note loosing mirrors. Bring your own food with you a parfait goes for $ 5.50.
It’s a life line for islanders but a hassle. If you have to get off island before 6 am look into the patriot ferry or other options.
On a gorgeous summer day sitting on the deck it’s worth it.

I’ve been riding these ferries for my entire life, and the Steamship Authority will always be there for you/​me/​us. But it’s a bit like the crass cousin that has to be invited to family reunions — they’ll tell it like it is and give you a lot of character at the party, but some people may be grumbling or wondering why they are there.
Admittedly they are a lifeline for MV and Nantucket year round residents, and discounts are accordingly available. But, again, the staff will probably give you some attitude if you need to make a special reservation or want to change your reservation.
For many years their phone system was notoriously unreliable, and they were slow to adapt to the ease of online reservations; I feel like it is only in the last 2 – 3 years that they have finally caught up with the modern era on this.
They aren’t always transparent about changes or adjustments to the system, which can take the form of reserving the back lot in Woods Hole essentially for subscription-​based customers or opening up VERY FAR AWAY parking lots during the high season. Perhaps recent expansion to the Palmer Avenue lot (RIP Falmouth Ice Rink) will change this practice.
Parking is efficient, though watch out for those schoolbus-​like buses in the summer months backed up along Woods Hole Road. I remember when the main staging area in Woods Hole was also a parking area… but now it’s just cars. Similarly, on the other side, they absorb a good portion of Vineyard Haven Harbor — and spill right into Five Corners — but they get the job done.
In recent years they have taken steps to offer more comfortable and modern facilities, with the introduction of the very large «Island Home» ferry in 2007, renovations to the aging Oak Bluffs summer terminal, and a planned renovation of the small and also aging Woods Hole terminal. But some aspects remain old-​fashioned; you can count on the bursar telling you the safety features of the boat over a patchy loudspeaker as you settle in to your voyage to «Maaaarthaaa’s Vineyaaaard.»
Some peop[e may not be aware that the SSA governs all the other ferry services to the Islands — they decide if/​how often competitors such as the Island Queen and Hy-​Line can run.
So, again, the Steamship Authority will always be there for you, and for a good chunk of the year they are the only game in town, and they are a character of their own in the mosaic of the Cape and Islands.

The price was fine. Used their Ferry service to get to Oaks Bluff in Martha’s Vineyard. Left our car in their parking lot for our overnight getaway. The car was safe and sound the next day so no complaints there. The ferry ride was okay. A little bumpy, but we did not get sick.
Overall, they are worthy of 3 stars. I would certainly use them again in the future. Just don’t expect anything fancy. It is a no frills ride. It is just fine.

My friend and I decided to head to the Vineyard to spend a day exploring the island, which is very do-​able thanks to the buses that run around the island. So, we ponied up and made the trip to the Cape and to Falmouth.
Parking was really easy to find, and even though it was $ 10, so what?
Taking the shuttle to the docks and getting RT tickets was rather simple and easy to do.
We found seating on the boat and enjoyed the people-​watching.
So why 2 stars? Well, we were on a scheduled boat from Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs, but we sailed to Vineyard Haven. Say whaaaaaat? Yeah, you heard right. However, we were never once told that we would sail to Vineyard Haven once we were on the boat. If we were meeting friends to pick us up in Oak Bluffs, we would have been seriously SOL.
Yeah, it was an easy ride both to and from the Vineyard, but it would have been nice to know that the Oak Bluffs terminal was closed for the day due to rough seas.

The Steamship Authority gets you to and from Martha’s Vineyard just fine. It’s a large boat that floats. It’s clean, it’s spacious, and the bathrooms are sufficient. It’s more convenient than swimming 8 – 9 miles and considerably cheaper than chartering your own flight or boat (not that I could afford either of those options!). My only real complaint is the parking situation — it adds 45-​min to an hour each way once you include waiting for the bus, getting to/​from your car and the impossible exit from the lot. We were sent from one lot to the next on busier than usual Tuesday afternoon, which was a little frustrating.

I made my reservation for the Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole to the Vineyard online — it was easy & painless. Every time I called, they have been very helpful. I was also able to easily change the time of my reservation online just a few days before with no charge (I think you get 1 change for free).
A+ for customer service!
The boats themselves are clean and the schedule was followed to a T.
Boarding and unloading (we took our car) were quick and they had plenty of employees around to help you squeeeeeze into the space onboard. They give you step-​by-​step turn directions, so you don’t crash!
It’s obviously pricier to bring your car, as opposed to just walking on, but it’s still a deal!

You’re going to have to take other reviews with a grain of salt or chalk some up to individual moments of imperfection. This review comes from a seasoned steamship authority customer… 32 year long customer to be exact. In 32 years, steamship authority has NEVER been off schedule, made it easy to transition to other forms of transportation (hertz rental just a block from the vineyard haven dock, bus lines to boston and other points just a few paces from the woods hole dock), consistently easy rides — a high sea here or there notwithstanding), and a lot of space.
In the past few years, the system has added new vessels which hold more cars, have improved am entities, and free wii fii. Our family agrees that our vacations do not start when we reach Martha’s Vineyard. Rather, they begin when we get on the ferry. If you look at it that way, the $ 8 passenger fare is a small price to pay for a ride with scenic views, a 45 minute bee line to the mainland, and the reminder that it will always be there for you when you need to escape to the Vineyard in a pinch.
My retirement years will revolve around the ferry schedule, and I’m fine with that.

This ferry service is super-​efficient, fast and as easy and uncomplicated as you can get.
Parking in the Palmer Lot seems like a pain, but with ample parking and very regular (and free) bussing to the ferry terminal, it’s actually a breeze.
The ferrys themselves are always well-​kept and comfortable, serving local beers and other savory and sweet items at the snak bar.
Since it’s the only (reasonably priced) way to get to the island, I’m glad it’s so pleasant!