Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry

I really enjoyed the RI Lighthouse & Newport Harbor Tour. The tour was aboard their fast ferry, it had open seating on 3 levels with interior and exterior seating so regardless of the weather you can enjoy your time. It was warm and sunny, so I was happy to be able to choose when I was in the shade. There is a snack and drinks bar serving beer, wine, and cocktails. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and had great RI history to share. Next time I have friends/family visit, I’ll be taking them on this tour. Parking was convenient (and free for tour attendees) although it was gravel. Overall, great way to see and learn so much in only 90 minutes.

First time on catermaran...i loved it. The staff was really great and I didn't drink or anything. But I just enjoyed the full experience.

The “Lighthouse Tour” was fantastic and a good value. The boat was large and safe. The route takes you around the southern half of Narragansett Bay and all of Newport harbor. The historical narration was also top notch. Do it!

Really an excellent tour on a quality vessel. The narration was well done and informative. Felt like a good value and though full there was lots of additional room to move about for photo opportunities etc. The boat has a good mix of covered and exposed seating to handle a mix of weather.

I'm so glad I booked the lighthouse tour for my family and I! The boat was so nice; there was an AC section as well as 2 open air sections. I got some amazing photos of the lighthouses and learned more about them from the guide. Also, the staff was very friendly. Thank you for a wonderful time!

First time traveling on the Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry!! What a great way to travel to & from the Vineyard without bringing our car. No crowds, easy parking & wonderful staff.

Office personnel(one) not very friendly. On the ferry, personal very helpful and happy to assist.There was an infant on board and they (personal) were like family.

Despite the rain the lighthouse cruise was great. The commentator was so knowledgeable and enjoyable!

The ticket office is a tiny little Trailer next to the ocean. The speed boat was fast, a little bumpy ride from the waves, but got the job done. The bar had a specialist alcohol drink menu. But no real food on the ferry or wifi in 2021 for an almost 2-hour boat ride.

Our first time using the Quonset RI based service to get to Martha's Vineyard. For us, it shaves an hour off the drive to the main ferry at Woods Hole on Cape Cod. The trip takes 1 hour 45 minutes. While this may seem too long, it's an extra hour to sit, read, watch TV, sleep, eat or drink rather than battle traffic! Please note that no cars are transported - only people, luggage, and bicycles. It's more expensive, and there are far fewer choices for travel time, and the ride might be a challenge in poor weather for those who are prone to seasickness, but the rest is all upside. Clean vessels, ample dockside parking and a choice of seating inside or topside (covered or in the weather). Luggage is checked and tagged for you upon boarding, and lined up for you to grab upon arrival. Fresh bagels (toasted or not), yogurt, snacks, coffee, tea, soda and beer are available after you get underway. TVs are mounted in the below deck seating area. Seating is comfortable, and restrooms are clean. You pay in advance for parking - CASH ONLY. You then check in a "trailer", and cue up for boarding. This would be five stars except for two items - (1) gravel parking lot and getting your luggage from car to dock. This will be an olympic event next year (2) no public restroom at check in, so if you drive four hours and did not stop, you'll be praying for boarding to start. We were really happy with the whole process (except the gravel) and would definitely use them again.

My friend and I took this ferry from Quonset to spend the day on Martha's Vineyard. I booked our reservations online, which was a very simple process and when I made an error, called and spoke to a very helpful staff member who pleasantly corrected my mistake. When we arrived early as recommended, for the first ferry, there was a short line to park in the large lot, but it moved quickly. The boarding process was quick and easy, the staff was friendly and helpful, the boat was very nice and cleanliness seemed a top priority. The 1hour, 45 minute ride was great, scenic and fast! The disembarking was easy and the return trip process easy. I highly recommend this well run company. I'm sure that circumstances such as weather can interfere with a service like this, but my experience was very pleasant!

We take this ferry over to the Vineyard every summer, and have for a number of years. Its expensive for a ferry ride, $79-$84 RT, but its quick and convenient and a whole bunch less than booking a flight from TF Green ($200 RT). The quality of the experience depends mightily however on the weather. We have been lucky enough that its been 2 years in a row that we have been able to take the ride round-trip. Before that, I had been on an awful streak, 3 trips each with the return sailing cancelled. When the weather gets bad, this ferry will not run. Instead, they cancel the trip an hour before departure and will send a text or phone call. They have some arrangement with the Island Queen to take passengers to Falmouth, from there they book private coaches, and bus you back to Quonset Point. It can make for a long night. It is understandable, the ride out to MV includes 30+ miles on the open ocean. Seas out there of 3'-6'+ are standard fare. If you're not comfortable with boating, I wouldn't recommend this trip. The ferries from Woods Hole travel in the protected passage of Vineyard Sound, and offer a much smoother ride. But I like it. The boat is small, stable and fast, has comfortable seats, air conditioning, a bar and even a TV or two. Plus, its less than 10 min from the house, making a trip to MV as easy as could be.

Kinda annoying, they cancelled my trip last minute and instead had to take a stinky bus an hour and a half to Massachusetts to take a ferry that costs a quarter of the price I was charged. Looking at other reviews it looks like their boat breaks down so they aren't super reliable. I came from out of state on the train so I didn't have any other options and can't get my money back now. I'm only giving them two stars because they set up alternative transportation but I won't be using them again

CLEAN, 1.5 hour ride. Comfortable, great staff, wide fast catamaran that glides on the water. LOVED IT! Pricey.

The fast ferry is GREAT!! If you live in Rhode Island or CT and don't want to drive out to the Cape I HIGHLY suggest taking the Fast Ferry. It's so easy. You drive down to Quonset. You pay to park. Depending on how long you are going determines the price. You check in at the desk. Then hop in line. They'll take your ticket and you grab a spot! The ferry is clean and comfortable. They have seating inside and out. There is covered and uncovered seating on the deck upstairs. Inside downstairs there are seats and some tables. There is a bar with snacks. There are two restrooms and a place to store your luggage. On the way home, it is a little confusing. They take your tickets when you get off of the ferry back at Quonset. Just make sure you have your tickets!

The ferry itself was nice enough, but there were some timing/scheduling issues that really bothered me. The schedule online is incorrect - it's not 90 minutes, it's really closer to 2 hours dock to dock. That was a bit frustrating as I was almost half an hour late for a dinner reservation. More importantly, the return ferry actually left EARLY, causing me to miss it and having to wait four hours until the next one. This is unacceptable - if it's scheduled to leave at 3:15 and it's not even visible from the dock at 3:15, that's not okay. Sure, I was running a few minutes late, but if you have a schedule, follow it! They clearly have some scheduling issues to work out, so in the future I would prefer to drive to the Cape and get a ferry from there rather than take this ferry again.

Clean, efficient, well run service. Super friendly team on the boat and easiest way to get to/from RI to MV! Kinda pricy and they totally get you for parking (by the day) but worth the easy convenience.

AVOID...... and save yourself aggravation. I purchased tickets for the fast ferry to Marthas vineyard due to the fact that it will be less driving for me on the way home because I live on Long Island and I had a tour scheduled for 10:30 when the ferry arrived at MV . I booked a hotel right near the ferry. That morning I get a text saying the ferry is cancelled 1 hour before the ferry was supposed to leave . I thought this was some bad joke, but It was'nt . They said they would take me on a shuttle bus to woods hole terminal that's an hour and a half away, and If I choose this option I would not get a refund. I said I paid $105 for the ticket ,Why would I still pay that If The woods hole ferry is 25 dollars, and I can drive myself, So I drove my self , and I will NEVER use fast ferry again. Such a terrible experience.

I am appalled by the customer service received after a recent ride on the "Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry" from North Kingstown, RI to Oak Bluffs, MA. Upon getting on the ferry my bag was taken from me by an attendant "Ken". The handle of my suitcase was having trouble going down as something inside must have been lodged in the way. Instead of asking for my assistance, he proceed to jam down the handle hard numerous times until eventually just giving up and putting it with the handle sticking out on the shelf. Annoyed, but having had a long day I let it go and sat down for the ferry ride. As we approached Oak Bluffs, I went to find my bag which he had taken off the shelf and was in a row with other bags. My handle was now broken with only 1 of the 2 metal arms which go to the handle still connected. This being a nice, Tumi piece of luggage, I was very annoyed and said something to him about it. He immediately brushed me off and told me that it was "already broken" to which a man behind me said, "no I saw you get on the ferry and it wasn't broken earlier". When I called to speak to a manager, "Ben" he told me basically that Ken told me it was broken already so I must be lying to him about it and there was nothing they were going to do about it. Wow!!!!!!! Apparently, they don't go by the "customer is always right" motto and did absolutely nothing to rectify the situation. No offer to fix it, no offer to discount or cover the cost of my ferry ticket, not even a real apology. I would not recommend this business to anyone looking to travel to or from Martha's Vineyard!!

The ferry was great. The shuttle service was horrible. One shuttle arrived to accommodate the 40 or so people that disembarked the ferry and had paid for tickets to the airport. We waited 45 minutes (and others were still waiting) for the shuttle to take a load of passengers to the airport and then return for us. The driver suggested this happens all the time. Staff in the ferry office told anyone who asked that a shuttle was five minutes away. We would never use this service again, and suspect they have very few - if any - repeat customers.

I think the Fast Ferry is great - if you don't need your car on the Vineyard. It's easy to get to from Boston or Connecticut (definitely easier than competing with the Cape traffic for the Woods Hole ferry), super fast (does like 45mph / takes about 1-1/2 hours), and kind of fun. The ferry leaves from Quanset Point near North Kingston, RI and goes to either Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. The boat itself is a wide catamaran with 4 jet propelled engines = speed. Traveling is nice and smooth while in the bays, but in the open water, after you pass Newport it rolls pretty considerably, occasionally catching a little air on the backside of waves. Luckily I don't get sea sick, but I saw a few people hurtin pretty bad - the dramamine pills were a-poppin, it was pretty funny. The boat has a decent snack bar with some booze, but nothing extravagant. The price was a little steep as they get you for parking in their lot ($10 a day) and for carrying a bicycle ($20 roundtrip). All in all I say it was a pretty fun experience.