Business & Tech
Cross Sound Ferry to Offer Easier High-Speed Service to Block Island
Cross Sound Ferry is changing its high-speed ferry service to offer a quicker ride to Block Island.
Long Island passengers wishing for a convienent, reasonably priced option for a day trip to Block Island will have a new option through this year.
According to Stanley Mickus, director of marketing and public relations for Cross Sound Ferry, the ferry company has decided to change the Sea Jet schedule to accomodate a better connection for passengers to catch the high speed Block Island ferry in New London. The new service will cost $45 for same day round trip service and $50.24 for a multi-day round trip from Orient.
"We think it will work. The price point is more than fair," Mickus said.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Mickus said the ferry business, as a whole, has been "off" since about 2007. He said the company was looking for different ways to bolster business. Cross Sound has been offering high speed ferry service to Block Island from New London since 2004, and passengers had been making the trek from Long Island to Block Island. Over the winter, Mickus said the company decided to make the easier connection available to customers
The change in schedule will allow passengers to take the Sea Jet from Orient Point at 7:30 a.m., connect in New London at 8:30 a.m. and be on Block Island by 9:45 a.m. If customers are making the round trip in the same day, they can leave Block Island at 4:55 p.m., and catch the 7 p.m. Sea Jet in New London. Mickus said the trip is a little bit longer, but it is still not a "terribly" long trip.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Passengers will not be limited to those departure times. Over the summer there will be three or four departures a day that will be able to connect to the Block Island ferry. The company anticipates being able to offer two to four departures from Block Island that will offer the connection to Orient.
The Sea Jet, in its 18th season, is undergoing an overhaul this year complete with new engines. Mickus said the Tier 2 Catepillar engines will be EPA emission controlled, and the company thinks they will boost the speed of the boat.
The new schedule at the $45 price point will start Memorial Day weekend.
Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.
