Island Hopping Made Easy on the New Passenger Ferry

06/20/2019

Island hopping over to the nearby Ocracoke Island just got a lot easier thanks to the newly added passenger ferry, better known as the “Ocracoke Express”. This new transportation option shuttles guests from the Hatteras Ferry Terminal to Silver Lake on Ocracoke Island in a matter of 70 minutes. Traveling at 26-30 knots, there is both indoor and outdoor seating as well as an onboard snack bar. Once you arrive in Hatteras or Ocracoke, you can walk or bike to your destination, or if traveling to Ocracoke, you can utilize the trolley system that has 8 stops throughout the village, picking you up and dropping you off at various destinations of your choice. The official press release is below.

*Note: the ferry schedule has since been updated. The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry departs from Hatteras ferry terminal at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Departures from Ocracoke Silver Lake Terminal are scheduled for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. For up-to-date schedule information or to make a reservation online, please visit https://ferry.ncdot.gov/#/.

Ocracoke Express Passenger Ferry Service Launches May 20

HATTERAS – Starting Monday, people traveling between Hatteras and Ocracoke Village will have a new travel option. In addition to the car ferries that already serve the popular route, visitors will have the Ocracoke Express passenger-only ferry as an option.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this service between Hatteras and Ocracoke villages,” said the state’s Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas. “It will give summer travelers a quicker, wait-free, stress-free transportation option between the two islands, and provide a big boost to the local tourist economy.”

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division announced today that after two free preview days on May 20-21, the passenger ferry service will run seven days a week from May 22 through Sept. 5. The division is leasing the ferry, the M/V Martha’s Vineyard Express, from the New Jersey-based ferry company Seastreak Marine. This week, the vessel successfully completed test runs of the route in the Pamlico Sound between the two Outer Banks islands.

The ferry will make three round trips daily through the summer, departing from the Hatteras terminal at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m., and departing the Ocracoke Silver Lake Terminal at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. A one-way trip takes approximately 70 minutes.

On May 20-21, the ferry service will be free as a preview to passengers. An initial cost of $1 each way will begin May 22. There will be no extra charge for bicycles.

Passengers who would like to walk on to the passenger ferry should proceed to the Hatteras Terminal at least 20 minutes before departure time. When reservations become available at a later date, they can be made online at www.ncferry.org or by calling 1-800-BY-FERRY (1-800-293-3779).