Catalina Island Ferry Avalon to Newport Beach
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 15 minutes
Mobile ticket
Departing from the iconic Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach daily. Departing times vary depending on time of year see all times available when booking. Travel time is approximately 75 minutes from Newport Beach to Avalon, Catalina Island. This is one of the most easily accessible ports for residents/visitors of Orange County, Greater Los Angeles, Inland Empire and San Diego County to travel by boat from the mainland to Avalon, Catalina Island.
This is the "largest" catamaran to Catalina Island and is state of the art, with three decks. The first deck is enclosed with plenty of seating and a snack bar. The second deck offers a full bar and additional indoor seating. The third deck is open air with seating in the California sunshine and offers stunning views during the trip. Enjoy “Speed – Service – Comfort”.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
All Fees and Taxes
Air-conditioned vehicle
Restroom on board
Both are available for purchase onboard at the beverage center.
Both are available for purchase onboard at the beverage center.
Snacks are available for purchase onboard.
What To Expect
This is a one-way ticket from Avalon to Newport Beach. For round trip ferry service, you must book the first leg from Newport Beach to Avalon. Once you purchase your Catalina Island Ferry tickets with date and ferry time you will need to get boarding passes when checking in day of your ferry trip. Please arrive 45-60 minutes before departure.
Options
Catalina Island Ferry Avalon to Newport Beach
Reviews
10 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Love Newport
ThomasJ,
Oct 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Staff is nice and helpful. Best way to get to Catalina from Newport. (met the minimum character number)
Pleasant, easy crossing on the Ferry
Tracy B,
Jul 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Our crossing on this trip was smooth and easy. Luggage was handled efficiently, boarding and debarkation was smooth. Service was as expected and a pleasant experience overall.
Gaslit. Hung up on. 👎
jackquelinel2021,
Jun 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Beware! Staff at Catalina Flyer have no compassion and will side with their own people, if if they're wrong. They look down on Groupon holders and punish them for not paying full price on their site. The day before I checked their site to confirm my departure time and it clearly states "8:00 am or 9:00 am", we arrived before 9 but we could not board. When I called, the woman on the phone said they are leaving at 8:45 am on the dot. I asked if there were other options, I was already on the way and had been driving for 40 minutes. She would not give me any options and gave me cold, short responses "no more boats today" "nothing we can do". I was frustrated and asked about afternoon or other dates and she said I could talk to the manager Dan and hung up. Since I was almost there, I drove to the office and was met by a slightly more friendly person but was still gaslit. He told me I could rebook but they would not honor my Groupon (which I spent over $100 for) and I would need to pay full price. When I explained about the woman on the phone and her attitude he said "we're human too and you probably were being rude to her". Wow, the flippant attitudes and inability to accommodate any other requests, even though I am still a paying customer, Groupon or not, confirms I will never patronize or recommend a company like this. This is not the way to attract or retain customers. Wish I could make this review 0 stars. Shame on Catalina Flyer.
Worth the ride
Barbara R,
May 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Get in line early if you want best seating. May want to Bomine (motion sickness ) Take jacket anytime of year. Worth the money and time to get there. Best part was the captain veered off to see dolphins both ways. 🐬
A perfect smooth sailing...
Tracy M,
Jan 20, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A perfect smooth sailing ride. VIP is the way to go. I have recommended this to many friends already
A Ride to Remember.
Anna G,
Aug 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00The Catalina Island Ferry crew members were informative and friendly. I also loved that you could schedule activities tours on the Ferry prior to to Carolina Island.
$50 all day Parking is on E. EBay avenue and Adams Street
Michelle C,
Jul 1, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Highly recommended ! Excellent customer service ! Give yourself at least three hours to get there. Make sure you pack everything and what you’re going to wear. Make sure you have enough cash for parking $50 should be good enough, or can use Lyft ride sharing To take you there and drop you off.
Don't bother with VIP upgrade
Jeanmarc3,
May 27, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Toddlers pay full price and do not get any discount on VIP upgrade. We still got it but did not think it was worth it. The VIP launge is playing loud bad music which did not help with motion sickness. The fresh air outside was actually much better.
We would do it again, except we didn’t get to see any Buffalo on the tour. I guess it’s hit or miss on that.
Ann C,
May 8, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00Being with my family, who came to visit me from my hometown of Cincinnati. We met many people there from Cincinnati as well. It was kind of surreal.
From $47.00
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Operated by Catalina Flyer