Yankee Freedom III Dry Tortugas Ferry

It’s unfortunate that Yankee Freedom is your only option of getting here unless you fly the plane or know someone with a boat/​yacht. My daughter and I had this trip planned about 6 months in advanced, tried our best to find out everything we could because we were camping and the information on the website is outdated (such as the pricing per night, it says one thing on one page and when you get there find out it’s $ 15/​night).
That was the least of my concerns.
What was more concerning was how badly we were treated from the moment Captain Rick saw us. We were the first guests there on January 1^st, 2016. I made it a point to be extremely punctual in case there was anything I’d have to walk back to the car that we weren’t supposed to bring or if our bags weighed over 60 lbs each and had to be lightened. No one was upstairs in the office check in line even though they tell you to get there at a specific time. So I see the ship crew and ask where we are to go or what are we to do in regards to our items and checking in. They asked if we were camping, I say «yes», the woman hands me a cart to get my items from the check in area. As I’m going to get my items the captain yells at me that I’m not supposed to take that cart up there, the 1^st mate (which I realized later she was 1^st mate) soft spokenly said, «She took her bags up there» to which he mumbled, «Well why the hell she do that?» Please keep in mind there are no signs anywhere on where to keep your bags and that you are not to take them upstairs. Maybe they should put a sign or have someone greeting the campers since they expect us to be there no later than 6AM.
When I brought my bags back to the ferry, they immediately started boarding them on the ship and so I asked, «Well, do I need to check in or anything at the window when someone gets there?» To which she replied yes, I asked if they were going to need my ID, she said yes, I said I was going to have to dig it out of my bag then.
So Capt. Rick got upset that I had to get my ID out of one of my bags (I was about to go camping there was no need for a purse, I felt). So it takes me about 5 minutes to dig out my ID, he passes by, makes a rude remark about why I was still there. Then smirked and shook his head as if I was some child or some one that didn’t just pay over $ 300 of my hard earned money to take this trip. He then took us upstairs in the ferry to give us their gray trash bags and have us sign some forms. I asked a question when he became quiet and I felt he was done explaining and because I wanted to be sure I understood everything correctly. To which he replied, «Well if you’d be quiet and listen til I’m done talking…»
WHOA! I almost wanted to just go to the front desk and just get my money back. This was too much from this guy already. I thought about how many days we’d been driving just to get there and decided to just take this brutal treatment from this jerk because I knew as soon as we got to Dry Tortugas I’d forget all about him. Keep in mind my star ranking is not on the national park or Dry Tortugas itself but Yankee Freedom and it’s Captain with an awful attitude and character. The only reason I even gave 2 stars is because 2 of the other ship crew members actually lightened the mood a bit on the way there.
As someone mentioned not a whole lot of vegetarian, much less vegan options. Bring your own food if you have diet restrictions. And personally. I would never spend that much money to go for one day, camp out at least 2 nights in order to do and experience everything.

They know their business and it is clear their whole staff cares about giving a good experience, perfect for family, but a little cheesy for adults. I live in MD and will definitely be making the trip down to see them again.

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.
While roaming the marina area at Key West, the hubby sees a sign about Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson. Having no clue why either was he looks thru the brochure, decides we should go and books on the phone. You absolutely need reservations, so call ahead as far as possible. They fill up fast. Tickets $ 175 each.
You need to be at the ferry terminal around 7am to pick up tickets. Which is great because parking is easy at that time of day. Use the garage behind West Marine on Grinnell street for $ 12 for the day.
We arrive in the dark and were told it’s an opt out day. The waves were going to be harsh 9 foot swells, and you could rebook to another day. We couldn’t as we only had a day left in the area. So what the hell Gilligan let’s try it.
We get on board and they serve a light breakfast buffet of cereal, ham slices, bagels, fruit, and yogurt with guide and coffee. It’s a 2 ½ hour ride out with not a lot to see. When you arrive you can wander the fort and /​or take a guided tour. **See separate fort review under Dry Tortugas**. There are also a couple of areas around the island you can snorkel at and the company furnishes the equipment. They serve a sandwich lunch buffet where you can make your own with ham, turkey or tuna salad. Sides of chips, potato salad and fruit also available. Lunch is served from 11 – 1. You have around 4 ½ hours there. Then the ride back takes a little longer against the current.
Huge kudos to the staff. Because of the weather and waves there were several sick people on board– not me. They were flying around handing out and picking up bags and cleaning up small messes. The crew was friendly
It’s a great excursion on beautiful day. I don’t recommend it on cloudy windy days. They also sell round trip tickets if you are camping on the island, just let them know.

I enjoyed the trip — weather was great, boat ride was smooth.
Breakfast and Lunch buffets are nothing to write home about for sure.
Bottled water should be offered for free during the entire trip.
Water was offered for free but tasted bad. Bottled was available for a price.
Lockers would have been greatly appreciated. I found it hard to relax when snorkeling when I had to keep one eye on my stuff on the beach.
Ft. Jefferson was great and I would probably opt to camp overnight the next time. A great way to unplug — obviously there was no wi-​fi on the boat but the as advertised wi-​fi on Ft. Jefferson was not working at all (but you don’t really go there expecting great wi-​fi I guess).

Came to Key West with some girlfriends from Wyoming, California, and South Carolina to celebrate a milestone birthday. Booked a couple of excursions through our hotel concierge and one of them was the Dry Tortugas National Park Ferry with promises of snorkeling and other primarily water-​based activities. We went on a different excursion yesterday with Fury Tours and they gave us a full disclosure about the higher than normal jellyfish population and gave us the option to cancel our excursion with a full refund no questions asked. We called our concierge to cancel this excursion last night but did not receive a call back. Since we were unable to cancel last night, we showed up to the the ferry this morning to cancel due to jellyfish and to get our refund. The front desk ticket clerk Angie was quite rude and informed us that a refund was not possible and that she could only give us a three year non-​transferrable rain check — which is of no value to us since we live all over the country. She gave me the phone number of the General Manager and I am currently waiting for a call back since he is the only one who can offer refunds. I cannot express how incredibly rude Angie was and I overheard her loudly complaining about us to her colleague at the ticket window where other customers could hear. Wildly unprofessional. Basically she thinks we’re crazy to not want to do water activities because the jellyfish «aren’t that bad» even though another tour company allowed us to cancel our tour with a full refund due to jellyfish. When I asked why there wasn’t a manager on site to resolve this issue she haughtily explained to me that in corporate America, General Managers don’t work on weekends. Umm… In the tourism industry where the bulk of your customers come on the weekend I would hope that there would be a manager on site to resolve customer service issues.
We still canceled our tour and are awaiting a call back from the GM. Hopefully we can get a refund. We would have loved to go on the tour but are completely irked by the lack of disclosure about the seasonally hazardous jellyfish conditions.

Even though the phone and online booking was unpleasant, the trip was great. The island is amazing!!! Totally worth the trip if you can deal with the impatient woman on the phone.

At first I was reluctant to book this because at 170 bucks a person it is a bit spendy. But halfway through the day I was glad I did. This trip was one of the highlights of my week in Key West and I definitely recommend it.
The morning starts early with check in and briefings from the crew. Be early because there are a lot of people and a few different briefings on procedures, safety etc. Next we boarded the boat and settled in as the crew set up the breakfast buffet. A nice selection of cereal, yogurt, boiled eggs, bagels, toast etc. along with juices to drink and of course coffee. Plenty of food for everyone and altogether a nice little buffet. Ditto for the lunch buffet they set up while at the fort. Plenty of sandwich fixings, chips, salad etc.. Then when the boat leaves to return to Key West they open up the bar and sell drinks and snacks. Drinks were strong and well-​priced and it was a good chance to socialize with folks you met throughout the day .
There is plenty to do at the park when you get there including tours of the fort (I am a history buff so that was interesting) along with swimming, sunning and snorkeling. You can bring your own snorkel gear or use theirs which is included with the overall price.
The scenery is beautiful. Sandy beach, crystal clear waters along with plenty of birds and other wildlife to check out.
Do bring Dramamine if there is even a remote chance you are going to get seasick. I generally do not but we had a choppy ride over in the morning and back in the afternoon so was glad I had taken some. The crew is standing by with «souvenir» bags if needed and they do not hesitate to assist you. In fact the crew was one of the best aspects of this trip. Can’t say enough about the service and the experience.

The crew of the Yankee Freedom III are great and so knowledgable. Jeff is so great at what he does and funny as well.

Best ferry ride ! The water was calm the day we left. The crew is very friendly. We had breakfast and lunch served by crew. I also won the raffle on the way back to Key West! I am looking forward to my next trip to dry tortugas. Worth every penny.

I’d go 5 stars but it just a little pricey for a day trip — worth it though. Both meals are served buffet style, works well for the crowd. The breakfast has a nice variety, yogurt, fruits, breads, cheese, hard-​boiled eggs served during the ride out to Dry Tortugas. The boat stays docked, you spend your time on island, come back when you are ready for lunch. Then later everyone re-​boards for the return trip, the bar opens which is welcome at that point, and everyone in my group (4) had a great time.
Tips: hit the bathroom before you get to the island, you will want to disembark quickly and head left from the dock to secure a table to leave your stuff. Plenty of tables, very few of them in the shade and the shade gets important as the day goes on. We downloaded the information pdf and walked around ourselves instead of waiting for the guided tour, worked well to avoid the group so we could head back and get snorkel equipment. Snorkeling: I’m not a strong swimmer had snorkeled only once before. but could do the swim around the fort, and they do have floats to help you out. There are small beaches on both sides of the fort, enter on one and come out on the other works great. The better swimmers in my group went on to the piling areas for more snorkeling. Major tip: if you sit outside, sunscreen, apply and re-​apply and re-​apply again it’s very easy to forget with all the swimming and drinks.

Great tour. When we went out to Dry Tortugas, the ride was pretty smooth. The worse part about the tour was the 2-​hour commute. Thank goodness I packed my tablet loaded with movies and TV shows to stay entertained. They have TV’s on board, but it was used mainly for advertisements.
The tour includes complimentary breakfast and lunch. the menu items are as follows:
Breakfast options
1. cereal assortments
2. milk in cartons
3. yogurt
4. certain assortments of bagles
5. fruit
6. juice
7. deli ham
8. hard boiled eggs
9. soft cheeses and coffee
Lunch options:
1. Bread (white, rye or wheat)
2. Deli meat
3. Lettuce and tomato
4. Peanut butter and jelly
5. Tuna salad
6. Sweet potato salad
7. Fruits
8. Chips assortment
9. Cookies
10. And canned sodas which are Pepsi products
They are very prompt with their boarding, departure and arrival time, so don’t be late.
To find out more information about this tour, visit their website and book yours at

Excellent tour. Would do it again. The fort and beaches are beautiful and the 2 hour boat ride each way was very relaxing. Take the self guided tour of the fort to maximize your limited time on the island. Snorkel gear, breakfast and lunch are included. They open the bar at 2pm.

The ferry was comfortable and had good snacks (and take credit cards). The breakfast and lunch was good. We had a great tour guide, I think his name is Ryan, we enjoyed his guided tour!
The site is beautiful and the snorkeling was great! Overall we had a great time. The only reason that I didn’t give it 5 stars is that by the time we took the guided tour, ate lunch, went snorkeling for a bit, there was no time left to explore on our own or visit the gift shop/​visitors center. Another hour on the island would have made it perfect. It just seemed a bit rushed and like most of our day was spent on the ferry (I didn’t realize it would be a 2+ hour ride each way-​half the day!)
Tip-​take your own reusable water bottle. You can’t take disposables on the island and it gets super hot walking around. Otherwise, you’ll have to buy the $ 10 aluminum bottle from the ferry, another for the collection!

Awesome once in a lifetime experience. I planned this months in advance and saved for it, as it is expensive. But you get breakfast and lunch. The soda is only $ 1 at any other time, and you are welcome to bring your own stuff. I explored the island independently. The water is crystal clear and beautiful. Lots of reef fish! I would love to visit again!

Can’t say enough great things about the Ferry. From check-​in to leaving the boat late afternoon, everything was top notch. Our tour guide Jeff was excellent. The other crew members were pleasant and helpful as well.
Make sure you bring Dramamine or you can purchase some before departing. Seas can be rough. Our trip out was pretty rough with a lot of folks not looking so hot. Coming back into Key West was a lot smoother.
The breakfast was great and lunch was nice as well. There are plenty of snacks and beverages to purchase if you aren’t full on the meals that are already included. The boat is comfortable and air conditioned.
Maximize your time on the island; we opted to take the self guided tour around the fort. After the tour we hopped back on the boat for our lunch and then head down to the water for snorkeling.
Again, the trip was well worth the price and we had a great time.

Wow… what a great trip! Yankee freedom really have a top notch professional operation and my son and i were so happy to have done this. Clearly there are two parts to the trip. Seeing as roughly equal time is spent on the boat compared to time on the island, its important to look at both parts. We arrived at 7:15am and check in took about 2 minutes. A short time later, we boarded the boat. A few announcements were made and breakfast was served as we got under way. There were bagels, ham, fruit, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cereal, orange juice and a few other things. Overall, it was a nice selection of food.
The boat is a high speed catamaran style hull and was very stable. It was clean, well maintained an the seating arrangement is such that chairs face each other with a table in the middle. There are some outdoor seats on the upper deck. My son and i had an upper deck seat inside, but we ended up spending an hour or so on the bow of the boat which was fun. The few questions i had for the staff were answered in a helpful friendly manner.
About 2 hours and 15 minutes after leaving Key West, we arrived at the Fort and yes, its impressive. Considering its location without a drop of fresh water to be found makes it really a marvel of engineering. 16 miilion bricks, plus lumber, canon, home furnishings… i mean everything… had to be brought in by boat. We did the «self tour» following signs around the Fort, which i really liked as i barely saw anyone else. It had that cool eerie, holy crap im in the middle of nowhere feeling. There were also a number of guided tours by Park Rangers and the Yankee Freedom staff.
The snorkeling was quite good and we saw many species of fish. The time on shore is about 4 hours before the boat returns to Key West and we found the time to be adequate. The sun is relentless so bring a hat and plenty of sunscreen. My son and i each brought a t-​shirt to snorkel in to avoid burned backs. We also brought our own mask and snorkel. Yankee freedom supplies masks, snorkels and fins if you want, but i prefer to use my own. Make sure you bring your own towel!
Lunch is served from 11am to 1pm on the boat and we chose to eat our food at the picnic tables on the dock. It was buffet style, i made a chicken salad sandwich on wheat with cucumbers, lettuce, tomato and banana peppers. Yeah… its was good. I grabbed a soda and some cookies and feeling re-​energized, we wondered around the fort. There are some amazing photo ops from the top of the fort, be careful as there are no guardrails.
When i booked the trip, it seemed a little expensive, but on the way back, i didnt feel that way at all. We saw something that few others get to see. It was the best thing we did on our entire Key West vacation. The pictures and memories will last a lifetime. This is a very cool way to spend a day. Book it now, you wont regret it.

The Dry Tortugas is an excellent stop for NPS aficionados, but there’s not many ways to get there… fortunately, Yankee Freedom is fun, well-​run, and totally worth spending the day to see the fort & learn some of the history of the «Gibraltar of the Gulf.»
Pro tip: when you check in, if the guide starts mentioning words like «chop» and «Dramamine,» PAY ATTENTION. We had a rough crossing on the way out, and it overcame many who had boasted, «Oh, I never get seasick.» The crew is quite capable of handling a boatful of sick tourists, and they were a wonder of efficiency, standing ready with the paper bags & the ginger ale, watching to see who was going to hurl next. It wasn’t a pleasant journey, but they made it the least unpleasant it could be.
I skipped breakfast because I knew it wasn’t going to sit well, but it looked fine.
Reaching the island, the sun came out, the water calmed down, and lunch was pretty good — unimaginative sandwich buffet, but everything was tasty.
The guided tour was informative — but you can also wander off & do your own exploration, as long as you are mindful of the signs. (Parts of the fort’s masonry is unstable & being remediated, so don’t wander into closed areas.) We were fortunate to see the sooty tern nesting mob on the adjacent key; again, the area’s closed to protect the animals, but you could hear them from (literally) a mile away.
The return crossing was much more enjoyable, and the crew could relax & talk with us a bit more. They were all very knowledgeable & told us interesting stories about turtles & crocodiles & all sorts of marine life.
Definitely worth it!

Yankee freedom took us to an amazing adventure! So? is it worth the price? totally!!! We arrived at 7 am for check in, and the crew member who was given instructions was very informative and thorough. he suggested untied motion sickness medicine and gave us tips on how to have the best of times on the trip. they offered breakfast and lunch and it was delicious for a cold breakfast, which I guess is needed so you don’t throw up in the 2 ½hr hour trip to the island. The ferry was not over crowded, and we even had chairs to lay on. During the trip, historic events and historic landmarks were pointed out. Everyone was very friendly. Of course the island, which is a whole different review, was spectacular. I was very pleased with the service and transportation this company offered. The only thing I would suggest, is that for those members who have trouble with motion sickness, and spent all trip, literally, throwing up, to be given a separate room or area because for those who were eating, it was not pleasing at all. Nevertheless it was a lot of fun. A must do adventure!

Excellent tour
Boat ride was fun
Great history
Food was excellent and fresh
Crew members nice and helpful
We had a great day!

Dramamine. yep. And a ton of sunscreen.
I am sure I would not be giving this 4 stars if it were the high season. I went during the low season, so the boat wasn’t even half full. A full boat would have been a nightmare, I think. The process to get on the boat was just fine and efficient. We sat up top both there and back — meaning lots and lots of sunscreen should have been applied. I was arrogant and thought the spray-​on kind would be enough for my pale, ghostly skin. HA! I couldn’t wear a bra for a week.
Anyway…the ride out was pretty fun. I enjoyed watching some sealife along the boat and watching the ocean. It wasn’t too choppy headed out there, so life was good. Breakfast was OK — bagels and the like, but it was sufficient.
I do wish the served lunch either on the way back or JUST when you land — not half an hour after landing. You get excited and start wandering around… and then miss lunch like I did. Oh well, I had an absolute BLAST snorkeling, so I don’t mind!
The snorkel gear they provided was perfect for what I needed. They give you a quick tutorial, then tell you about the specific water conditions for that day and where best to head out for snorkeling. I’m a wuss, so I stayed pretty damn close to the fort. I didn’t care — there was PLENTY to see underwater!
Coming back… oh coming back. It was very choppy, and that boat doesn’t do choppy very well. At first I was riding backwards, but I had to move seats so I could face forwards. Good thing the boat wasn’t full to the brim, so that was possible.
I would take this boat again, just because it is the most convenient way to get out there — and whatever it takes to get out there is worth it, because that island is a very special and amazing place.