Port McNeill - Alert Bay leg, timetable of 1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun shown; Mon/Thu and dangerous goods Tuesdays switch automatically; Sointula times in the notes)
Map – Alert Bay & Sointula Ferry (Port McNeill)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (12+), return ticket | $12.45 |
| Child aged 5 to 11, return ticket | $6.25 |
| Under 5 | Free |
| Senior BC resident (65+), Monday-Thursday outside BC Ferries' listed holidays | Free |
| Vehicle to 20 ft (6.1 m), return, occupants not included | $28.95 |
| Each extra foot of vehicle beyond 20 ft | $4.55 |
| Motorcycle, return, rider not included | $14.50 |
| Stowage such as a kayak or canoe (fuel charge not applied) | $2.00 |
| Bicycle | Free |
Prices are taken from Route 25 (Port McNeill - Alert Bay - Sointula) in the 26-05 edition of the BC Ferries fare guide, valid since 16 June 2026. Every price is a return, with taxes included according to BC Ferries. A 5% fuel charge is added on payment to all of them except stowage. Vehicle prices exclude the people inside, who each need a passenger ticket. Bikes are carried free. Seniors resident in BC ride free Monday to Thursday, except on the holidays BC Ferries lists (New Year's Day, BC Family Day, Victoria Day, Canada Day, BC Day, Labour Day, National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day). With a BC Ferries Experience Card the reductions are $4.10 (adult), $2.05 (child), $8.10 (car up to 20 ft) and $4.10 (motorcycle). Tickets are sold at Port McNeill, where BC Ferries mentions 'check-in and ticket sales'; its Alert Bay and Sointula pages mention check-in only. Terminals accept cash, debit, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and the Experience Card. All fares in Canadian dollars (CAD).
One BC Ferries vessel serves three communities off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island: Port McNeill, Alert Bay on Cormorant Island and Sointula on Malcolm Island. On 29 September 2026 the Port McNeill departures board showed the Island Aurora on every sailing. Rather than two separate shuttles, the boat runs a loop. Most rounds go Port McNeill to Sointula and back, then Port McNeill to Alert Bay and back, so almost everything passes through Port McNeill at 1626 Beach Drive. The day starts and finishes at Alert Bay: the first boat leaves Fir Street at 6:20 am, and the last one out of Port McNeill, at 10:35 pm, calls at Sointula before arriving at Alert Bay at 11:45 pm.
The direct Port McNeill - Alert Bay crossing is scheduled at 40 to 50 minutes, about 11 km on the charted line; Sointula is 25 to 30 minutes from Port McNeill. Between the two islands there are only a couple of direct evening runs. Otherwise you stay aboard while the ferry calls at Port McNeill, which turns a 35-minute hop into roughly an hour and a half.
Tuesdays need a second look. Each Tuesday one morning and one evening sailing carry dangerous goods only, and whether they are on the Alert Bay leg or the Sointula leg alternates week by week. Mondays and Thursdays shift the first Alert Bay round trip by a few minutes. The timetable itself runs from April 2026 to March 2027 with no autumn change.
Alert Bay is home to the U'mista Cultural Centre, which houses Kwakwaka'wakw masks and ceremonial objects taken away from 1922 under the law that banned the potlatch, and later brought home. U'mista's own history says the 'Namgis First Nation was induced in the 1870s to move from its village on the Nimpkish River to Alert Bay, to supply labour for a fish saltery. Sointula's name is recorded by the BC Geographical Names Office as Finnish. Neither island terminal has parking, and BC Ferries lists no public transport at either.
- Arrive at the terminal before the posted departure; vehicle lanes and ticket booths close earlier than the foot-passenger gate.
- Check the operator's current conditions or service notices on the day — wind, ice, vessel refits and dangerous-cargo sailings change the schedule.
- Find out how you can pay before you queue: some crossings are free, some sell tickets only at one end, and some take cards only.