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The North Carolina Ferry Division has released its 2025 schedule for all seven vehicle routes and the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry.

The division, which is part of the N.C. Department of Transportation, provides ferry service year-round for all routes except for the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry.

The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry, which provides service between Hatteras and the heart of Ocracoke Island (Silver Lake), is scheduled to run next year from May 13-Sept. 15. The passenger ferry will have four daily round-trip departures (eight total trips) from Tuesday-Thursday when ridership is highest, and three daily round-trip departures (six total trips) during its lower ridership days of Friday, Saturday and Monday. “The ferry will not operate on Sunday when ridership is lowest and will instead dedicate Sundays to vessel maintenance. This will help minimize any departure schedule impacts,” noted news release from NCDOT.

The Ocracoke Express passenger ferry and the vehicle ferries that travel between Ocracoke and Swan Quarter and Ocracoke and Cedar Island offer reservations 90 days prior to departure. People are encouraged to make reservations for those routes as soon as possible.

The Hatteras-Ocracoke, Southport-Fort Fisher, Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, Currituck-Knotts Island and Bayview-Aurora vehicle ferries operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. To avoid traffic, passengers are encouraged to travel on weekends, late afternoons or early mornings. For Hatteras-Ocracoke travel tips, visit the recommended travel time site.

Most vehicle ferries are free, except for the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry and the Cedar Island-Ocracoke, Swan Quarter-Ocracoke and Southport-Fort Fisher vehicle ferries, which require a fee.

People can receive text or email notifications about schedule changes by signing up through the system’s Ferry Information Notification System (FINS) at ncdot.gov/fins.

For the complete 2025 schedule and other ferry information, go to bit.ly/3VyLwtH.

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