What a well-planned ferry weekend really costs, in plain terms

What to take away

The six lines, with numbers

Write the budget as lines, not one number. That is the form that survives a real weekend.

Date basis: these are typical published fares for the season named with each line, not live quotes. Operators reset fares about once a year, so a figure from two seasons back is stale.

Washington State Ferries publishes walk-on fares in the $9 to $20 range for most Puget Sound runs, with a vehicle and driver fare that starts near $30 and climbs with length. Casco Bay Lines charges roughly $8 to $15 for a round trip to the inner islands.

The Cape May-Lewes crossing runs about $10 to $18 on foot and $40 to $60 for a car, higher in summer. Alaska Marine Highway is the outlier: a cabin berth on a multi-day run can add several hundred dollars to a fare that already runs into the hundreds.

Two worked totals, for two people and two nights.

Casco Bay, walk-on, summer: crossing $16 to $30, parking $20 to $40, lodging $300 to $600, food $80 to $150, contingency $150 to $350. Total about $570 to $1,170.

Cape May-Lewes, car and two people, summer: crossing $100 to $160, fuel $40 to $80, lodging $300 to $600, food $100 to $180, contingency $150 to $350. Total about $690 to $1,370.

Where the money actually goes

Terminal parking is the quiet one. Two days at a coastal lot runs $20 to $40. A train that only runs hourly can cost you a night if you miss the last one.

Lodging is where weekends go over. An island with forty beds and one Saturday ferry prices accordingly.

Food splits by grocery access. A town with one store and three restaurants is a different budget from a mainland port. Eat the big meal before you cross.

Size the contingency from the record

A contingency line means nothing unless it reflects how often that coast disrupts in that month. Two public records help.

NOAA's Local Climatological Data reports are monthly summaries of hourly and daily station measurements. Count the disrupted days at the terminal's nearest station and price one extra night for each.

If your route ends at a low-lying terminal or a causeway, NOAA's annual high tide flooding outlook maps high tide flooding days at water level stations. Treat those days as forced rebookings and add a night for each.

Neither page tells you whether your boat will sail. Only the operator's current timetable and service notices do that.

What each line turns on

Why these figures are a starting point, not a quote

Fares move with season, vessel and demand. A figure published here is a starting point, not a quote. Get the current number from the operator on the day you book and keep the confirmation. Our budgeting guide for ferry travel shows how to gather comparable quotes without relying on someone else's stale numbers.

Travel as a foot passenger where the destination is walkable. Take the first boat, not the last. A missed first boat has a fallback; a missed last one does not.

Book refundable accommodation on exposed routes in shoulder season, and treat the small premium as insurance, not waste.

Common questions

How large should the contingency be?

Large enough to cover one unplanned night and one rebooked crossing. On exposed winter routes, plan for two nights. On a sheltered summer run, one night is usually enough.

Is a vehicle worth taking?

Only where the destination genuinely needs one. A vehicle raises the fare, the reservation pressure and the chance that a full boat leaves without you. Check the operator's vehicle fare page before you decide.

Do fares drop out of season?

Sometimes, but service frequency usually drops too, which raises your contingency. The saving is often smaller than it looks. Compare the off-season fare against the cost of an extra night.

Where do I start if I am building the whole trip?

Start with the crossing and work outward. Our practical U.S. ferry travel guide covers that sequence step by step.