The ferry is the cheapest thing about a trip to these islands, and for the rest of 2026 it stays that way. The fare rise you may have read about was postponed the day before it was due. Here is what you pay now, what is on file for 31 December, and how to budget across the change.
The fares today
| Ceiba → Vieques | Ceiba → Culebra | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, 13–59 | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| Child, 4–12 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| Adult, 60–74 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| Baby, 0–3 | Free | Free |
| Senior, 75+ | Free | Free |
| Environmental fee, non-residents | — | $2.00 on top |
These are Puerto Rico Ferry’s own rates, read on 23 September 2026. Free does not mean no ticket:
“To purchase tickets for Infants and Seniors (over 75 years of age), please go to the ticket window at the ports and present a photo ID.”
So the free fares are counter-only, and on the Culebra route they still owe the $2 fee. The operator’s FAQ is explicit that every non-resident on that route pays “all applicable non-resident taxes and fees imposed by the Municipality of Culebra,” including passengers who used to travel free.
The rise that was postponed to 31 December
On its Culebra resident registry page the operator still announces:
“New Fare Structure for Non-Residents Effective May 5, 2026 — Under the direction of the Government of Puerto Rico and PRITA, fare increases for non-residents on inter-island routes will take effect on Puerto Rico Ferry on May 5, 2026.”
It did not happen. On 4 May, the day before, ATI’s executive director Josué Menéndez Agosto announced that Regulation 9682 was postponed to 31 December 2026, after the mayors of both islands asked for it, and that ATI would begin amending the regulation before putting it into effect (Metro Puerto Rico, 4 May 2026).
That is why the rates table never grew a residency column: the old fare is still the fare. The banner is the page that is out of date. This site reported the rise as live until 23 September, and the correction is logged on what changed. A crossing at Easter 2027 falls after the date, so Holy Week 2027 budgets for the new fare.
What Regulation 9682 would charge
The regulation was filed with Puerto Rico’s Department of State on 6 August 2025. Its fare table sets one price for everyone and then discounts registered residents back to today’s fare:
| One way | Non-resident | Registered resident |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, Ceiba ↔ Vieques | $11.25 | $2.00 |
| Adult, Ceiba ↔ Culebra | $11.25 | $2.25 |
| Child | $6.00 | $1.00 |
| 75 and over | Free | Free |
| Conservation fee, both islands | $2.00 | Exempt |
The $2 conservation fee in the regulation is charged to every non-exempt passenger who boards or leaves Vieques or Culebra, so it lands on both legs of a round trip. Adults 60 and over and passengers with disabilities keep the 50 percent discount Puerto Rico law already gives them.
It also reprices what you carry. One carry-on stays free; everything else is per item, per travel day:
| Item | Today | Under Regulation 9682 |
|---|---|---|
| Suitcase | — | $3.00 |
| Beach cooler | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Beach chair | $1.00 | $2.00 |
| Beach umbrella | $1.00 | $2.00 |
| Bicycle | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Surfboard (kayak, in the regulation) | $6.00 | $10.00 |
| Bodyboard | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Pet in a carrier | $2.00 | $5.00 |
| Hand truck | $5.00 | $10.00 |
The full current item list is on what you can take on the ferry.
What to budget
One non-resident adult, round trip:
| Until 31 December 2026 | From 31 December, as filed | |
|---|---|---|
| Vieques | $4.00 | $26.50 |
| Culebra | $4.50 in fares, plus the $2 fee | $26.50 |
| A suitcase, each way | Free as your carry-on | $3.00 |
If your trip straddles 31 December, budget the right-hand column for any crossing on or after that date, and check this page the week before. Four adults going to Culebra and back pay $18 in fares plus the fee today; as filed, the same trip is $106 before a single suitcase.
The $2 conservation fee, and the law behind it
The fee is set by Commonwealth statute, not by a municipal ordinance — which is why nothing about it is on the municipality’s website. Article 3 of Ley Núm. 293 de 2004, as amended, reads:
“una tarifa adicional de dos (2) dólares a cualquier visitante que ingrese a Culebra o Vieques vía mar”
Adicional. An additional two dollars, charged on top of the fare rather than included in the $2.25. The 25-cent gap between the two routes is just the fare, and the $2 sits above it for anyone who is not exempt.
Who is exempt:
“Los residentes y comerciantes de dichas islas municipio estarán exentos del pago de esta tarifa.”
When you pay it:
“El visitante pagará su arancel al momento de adquirir su boleto de la lancha”
And what the operator does with the money: it collects the fee and remits it “intacto … libre de cargos trimestralmente” — whole, quarterly, with nothing deducted. The operator’s own FAQ says the same from its side:
“All non-resident fares collected under this tax will be distributed to the Municipality of Culebra. Funds collected under this tax are not used or paid to HMS Ferries — Puerto Rico.”
Vieques is in the law now. Ley Núm. 149 of 12 August 2024 brought Vieques into the fund and renamed it for Culebra y Vieques, and Ley Núm. 58 of 15 July 2025 split the money into two accounts, so each island keeps what is collected there. The Vieques Municipal Legislature approved the island’s regulation for the fund on 13 November 2025. The operator’s rates page and FAQ still describe only the Culebra charge, so budget $2 on the Vieques route as well and count it as a saving if checkout does not add it.
When the Culebra fee started depends on who you ask. Discover Puerto Rico says “As of May 2023” on one page and “As of March 2025” on another. The operator, which collects it, says discounted resident fares began on 1 December 2023 and that every purchase from 2 January 2024 carries the applicable fees. Go by the operator: it runs the till.
How old is a baby
The rates table: “Babies (0–3 years old) Free.”
The FAQ, same site: “Tickets for infants aged 0 to 2 and adults aged 75 and over will only be available at the terminal ticket counters.”
If your child is three, the answer depends on which page the person at the counter read. Bring the child’s ID.
The third-party numbers are worse
Discover Puerto Rico:
“The ferry tickets from Ceiba to Vieques and Culebra typically range from $2 to $4 per passenger one-way. If you’re bringing a vehicle, there’s an additional fee, which can range from $20 to $40 depending on the size of the vehicle.”
Against the operator’s actual vehicle table, where a compact up to 15 feet is $13.00 one way, $22.00 round trip. And the same page sends readers to buy from the “Autoridad de Transporte Marítimo (ATM)” — an entity that is not the seller. Tickets come from puertoricoferry.com and the City Experiences app.
Vehicles, for completeness
| Vehicle | One way | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| Compact, up to 15 ft | $13.00 | $22.00 |
| Midsize / SUV / van, up to 16 ft | $17.00 | $32.00 |
| Pick-up, up to 6 m | $30.00 | $55.00 |
| Up to 22 ft | $35.00 | $65.00 |
| Up to 25 ft | $40.00 | $75.00 |
| Digger | $173.00 | $346.00 |
Almost certainly academic for you. Vehicles can only be brought aboard if they belong to a resident of Vieques or Culebra, and never a rental. Vehicle tickets are counter-only.
Who actually sets this
“All ticket prices for the Puerto Rico Ferry operated by HMS Ferries are set by the Government of Puerto Rico (ATI).”
“All ticket revenue from Puerto Rico Ferry is remitted by HMS Ferries to the Government of Puerto Rico (ATI).”
Which is the same arrangement as the timetable — the operator runs the boats and sets neither the times nor the prices. Worth knowing before you email them about either.
What to do
Before 31 December, the fare is a rounding error: buy online, arrive an hour early, and if anyone in your party is under 4 or over 74, go to the counter with ID. From 31 December, budget $26.50 round trip per adult and $3 per suitcase each way, and pack so that one bag each is your carry-on.
The timetable is here. If the bio bay is why you are crossing to Vieques, the date matters more than the fare: the Mosquito Bay page has the next new-moon nights and the tours that leave from the island itself.
