Balboa Island Ferry — Attraction in Newport Beach

Balboa Island Ferry is a short ride; affords a nice view of the area as well as quick access between two beautiful areas, Balboa Island and the Newport Peninsula, both very gorgeous areas. I like to ride the Ferry to feel the cool breezes of the water and take in the fresh air.

I like both Balboa Island and Newport but I feel much more at home in Newport as the people there are more approachable for me... Newport Peninsula has a special Beach town atmosphere with a generous portion of party town vibing.

Newport Peninsula is the larger of the two areas. It has great Oceanfront sandy beaches that stretch north and south for over one mile. Also, Newport has two of SoCals nicest piers. Newport is well known for its many great restaurants, bars, pubs, coffeehouses, Marina's, parks, a great lengthy boardwalk, shopping of every sort, sports center, recreation, an amusement park, boat excursions, fishing, the bay and much, much more. All of this is a must visit when you are in this area. Also very close to Newport Beach and a million things to discover.

Balboa Island has a lot to offer also. It has a very nice business area which extends several blocks. The shopping is upscale and plenty of options. The Islands restaurants are popular; also lots of places for treats, coffees, teas, ice cream, for your pleasure. Homes on the island are generally very nice although the properties are very small... well, this is SoCal.

This small Ferry ride is a must for the memories and is great for taking photos. Remember the Ferry connects two of SoCal's great areas to visit, Newport Peninsula and Balboa Island. Both areas are fantastic to visit! Or maybe you will decide to buy a home there... you are worth the best!

I have visited this area several times in the last year. I like it!

Don't forget the weather is great all year round!

$ Very affordable

I hope this helps!

cmilton111 Google...

The first time I ever went on this ferry a couple of people outside the area that said you just hop on. So my partner and I got to the end of the dock and hoped on. I understand now what we did was dangerous, the gate was down and we just hoped over it to get on but there was nothing implied or anyone telling us otherwise. We even waved at the deck hand for instructions to which he just smiled and waved back at us.

When the deck hand came to collect his money we got quite the scolding and it was super threatening. We apologized and said we didn't know and emphasized how sorry we were and happy nothing bad happened. After we docked the captain came over to us and threatened us (worse than the deck hand) and said we were lucky she didn't turn the boat around and black list us. I was really upset and I'm a grown women and even got teary eyed. We kept saying it was all a misunderstanding and we were not trying to cause any trouble but it didn't seem to matter.

Let it be known I realize that Ferrying people is a serious business but if there was anything this business was to learn from this review is:

Be more professional.

Communication/Signage -There really need signs or a person at the end of the boat ramp that tells you to wait for the next ferry if the gate is down. A small sign would cost very little to produce and would eliminate any confusion from non locals.

Other than that it was less than 10 minutes to get across and only...

There’s really not a good reason to take this ferry, other than because you want to. But it’s definitely something worth doing. Your kids will think it is amazing!

So do this: go to Balboa Island and enjoy yourself. Like around the shops and grab a chocolate covered ice cream or banana.

Then, take the ferry across to the peninsula. There’s an arcade and small fair over there. $40 will allow you to look like a hero of a parent as your kids goof off. You get plenty of pictures that will last a lifetime.

Next, take a very short 3 minute drive over to public access and enjoy Newport Beach on the peninsula. It’s a full-day affair, but you’ll have the night to yourself and your spouse, because your kids will be sleeping with drool on their pillows.

Your welcome....