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Ferry Routes to Martha's Vineyard

Reaching this island in the Northeast requires a crossing from Cape Cod, with the Steamship Authority operating the only year-round car ferries from Woods Hole. For passenger-only travel, high-speed links are provided by Hy-Line Cruises and Seastreak, connecting the mainland to the docks at Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. Since vehicle reservations on the traditional ferry often sell out months ahead, most visitors rely on the fast ferry and local island transit.

Ferry connections to Martha’s Vineyard

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Showing all 9 services

Start in May

Falmouth, MA ↔ Oak Bluffs

Island Queen · 35m

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕From $35

prices and availability

Ends in Oct

Highlands NJ ↔ Nantucket

Seastreak · 7h 15mfast

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕Stopover: East 35th Street → Oak BluffsFrom $64

prices and availability

Hyannis ↔ Nantucket

Steamship Authority · 2h 5m

🚗 ✓🚐 ✓From ~$48.50 one way

prices and availability

Ends in Oct

Hyannis ↔ Nantucket

Steamship Authority · 1hfast

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕From ~$48.50 one way

prices and availability

Ends in Oct

Hyannis ↔ Nantucket

Hyline Cruises · 1hfast

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕From $44

prices and availability

Start in May

Hyannis ↔ Oak Bluffs

Hyline Cruises · 1hfast

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕From $36

prices and availability

Start in May

Oak Bluffs ↔ Nantucket

Hyline Cruises · 1h 10mfast

🚗 ✕🚐 ✕From $45

prices and availability

Ends in Oct

Woods Hole ↔ Oak Bluffs

Steamship Authority · 45m

🚗 ✓🚐 ✓From $10

prices and availability

Woods Hole ↔ Vineyard Haven

Steamship Authority · 45m

🚗 ✓🚐 ✓From $10

prices and availability

Vineyard Sound transit: Passenger & vehicle volume data

Martha’s Vineyard is served by the largest ferry fleet in New England, with the Steamship Authority alone transporting over 2.4 million passengers and 480,000 vehicles annually. Because this is a true island community (population swells from 20k to 200k in summer), the logistics are split between “Residents/Freight” and “Day Trippers.”

Departure Hub	Operator	Logistics Score
Woods Hole	Steamship Authority	The Monopoly: The only ferry that carries cars. Runs year-round. Warning: Vehicle slots for summer sell out in January.
Falmouth	Island Queen	Day Trip King: Passenger only. Parks you in Oak Bluffs (the social hub) rather than Vineyard Haven (the commercial hub). Cash-only parking lots often fill by 10 AM.
Quonset Point, RI	Vineyard Fast Ferry	Traffic Hack: Departing from Rhode Island allows you to completely bypass the nightmare of Cape Cod bridge traffic (Bourne/Sagamore bridges).

⚠️ Expert Alert: The “January Scramble”
Car reservations for the entire summer open on a specific Tuesday in late January. Tens of thousands of people log on simultaneously at 5:00 AM. By 8:00 AM, key weekends like July 4th and Labor Day are 100% sold out. If you miss this window, you are reliant on the “Waitlist” system, which clears automatically as cancellations occur.

Parking shuttles & luggage

Woods Hole Parking: There is almost no parking at the dock. You will be directed to the Palmer Avenue or Thomas B. Landers lots, which are miles away. You must take a free shuttle bus from the lot to the ferry. Factor in an extra 30–40 minutes for this transfer.
Luggage Carts: Unlike airports, you push your own luggage cart onto the ferry car deck. Bring a $1 bill (or quarter, depending on the terminal) to unlock the cart, similar to Aldi grocery carts.

Using this data helps you decide if bringing a car is worth the stress of the “January Lottery.” Check specialized maps to verify which town you are landing in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven are 3 miles apart.