west ship island

Having been to a few mainland beaches in Mississippi, I was pleasantly surprised by Ship Island. The water was relatively clear and good for swimming and wading. It would be nice if you didn't have to fool with the ferry (and steep price of the ticket), but we felt it was overall worth the trip.

We saw so many blue crabs and hermit crabs! We were within 100 yards of dolphins swimming around us. You could actually hear the dolphins take a breath when they surfaced. Three big sting rays swam around us. Three horseshoe crabs scurries by our feet, one got a little closer than we expected - nuzzling my husband's sandal. We rented chairs and an umbrella and Gavin took great care of us and those around us. Very friendly attendant indeed! Great day!

We had an excellent time at Ship Island today! We were able to find a nice spot. The water was nice. Bring lots of sunscreen and reapply often. It is worth packing in your on umbrella so you don't have to sit with the crowd.

I brought five boys to ship Island national seashore yesterday. If you wish to purchase tickets online you must do it 48 hours in advance before the ferry leaves. We drove to Gulfport and boarded the ferry. We rode on the Capt. Pete. It was a nice boat ride it takes about an hour to get to the island which is 11 or 12 miles off land. Once you arrive you see Fort Massachusetts on the island. We explored the fort for a few minutes on our arrival. Then we headed to the beach where I had rented an umbrella and two chairs for $25. The water is clear and green – brown in color. There is a concession stand and bathroom with showers. Otherwise it's just a natural beach. We saw a lot of fish in the water, hermit crabs, a few dolphins, & and many shore birds. The boys loved running around the island. It was a really great day.

Found ship island while looking for a beach beat NOLA. Was well worth the drive to Gulfport. Very relaxing way to spend the day. Ferry ride to island is a bit slow, and kind of drags on way back. Rent the chair and umbrella, well worth the money. Bring snacks, there are some available in island for a reasonable price, but not much selection for real food.

This beach is so much better than the one in front of the condo we rented in Gulfport. The water was crystal clear. The boat ride is about an hour long but goes by fast due to the beautiful scenery. We saw a couple dolphins too. Be advised that the pier is very long. Next time we go, we'll bring one of those rolling beach carts. The crew is very friendly everyone greeted us as we entered and left the ship. The tickets are $27 per adult (10+) and $17 per child. It was sunny but not too hot. On our way there, it started raining back in Gulfport and the skies were a bit dark and the wind was high. All of that changed after about 15 minutes on the island and from then on it was pretty and bright. There are two ferries in the summer 9am and 12pm to the island and 2pm and 5pm return. We went and came back early. The ferry there was full (not over crowded) and the return ferry was probably half full.

Great boat ride to West Ship Island in Gulfport, MS. We saw a few dolphins and enjoyed the smooth boat trip. Once there we had to walk across the entire island which we knew due to reviews we had read. So we were not surprised. We walked along the beach which was okay for a beach, but no Anna Marie clear blue water and white sands. We basically wanted to just see Ft. Massachusetts which was small and easy to see. Since it was very hot and humid, it was perfect and we took the earlier boat trip back. All in all, had a nice time. If you plan on enjoying the beach, take a cooler with wheels, umbrella, unless you want to pay $25 to rent 2 chairs and umbrella for the day, food can be purchased as well as floats if you do not take your own.

Ship Island is a Mississippi gem! Beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, rich history.... The boat ride over is quite enjoyable as well and I have seen dolphins on all 3 trips I have made. Great way to spend the day! Definitely splurge for the umbrella - it made our most recent trip all the more enjoyable. Snacks and drinks are reasonable as well. Great job National Park Service!!

This is one amazing little place full of wildlife, sun, sand, water and beautiful views. But wait there is more how about a historical Civil War Fort thrown in! This is defiantly a unique place to visit. I know I will be coming back!

Just an extrodinary place, there was more marine life than people. In the gorgeous Emerald waters I counted at least 30 Sting Rays not to mention the fish jumping out of the water(my nephew called them Mullets) Having him with us made my trip even better(Masters in Marine Biology). The water was beautiful and we even seen dolphins off shore. The boat ride to the island was informative as well as the whole crew being friendly. Bring Sunscreen the islands are much hotter than the mainland but otherwise a great trip.

It is incredible to see the wildlife and history on this little island. Definitally worth a visit. Make sure to wear lots of sunblock.

Was fun for our boys to go out on a boat in the ocean. The island has beautiful clean beaches and the fort was very interesting. If you tend to get seasick I recommend riding on the bottom deck close to the water. Was a bit pricey for family of 4 ($100) but we will do it again, all around great experience!

One hour ship ride out to the island was enjoyable. You can get discounts on the fare on Mondays and Tuesdays in the summer (at least in 2012) The tour of Fort Massachusetts was excellent and they have done a great job restoring it since Hurricane K. Guest services on the island are great and relatively inexpensive. Nice free bathrooms, picnic pavilions, and showers. If you are planning on making a day of it, taking your own food, beach stuff, chairs etc., it would be an excellent, if expensive day at the beach. If you are just making the trip as an excursion, then the 4.5 hours on the island are about 2.5 hours too much.

The boat ride was excellent, however, after renting an umbrella and two chairs and not being able to enjoy them due to the rain, I would have thought a reinbursement would have been given. Really disappointed that my family had to spend the day under the pavillion because the rangers could not decide whether to close the beach or not due to the weather. We became tired of hauling our stuff from the sand to the pavillion, and we ended up leaving at the 2:30 departure.

What a wonderful little island getaway! My husband and I along with our 6 year old son had a great time here. The boat ride to the island was a fun experience. Dolphins love to play along side the boat and we were able to see them. The sand and water were gorgeous on the island! The fort was flooded when we were there so we didn't tour it. That was ok because we were to excited about combing the beach. We definitely plan on going back!