The Gulf Islands National Seashore master plan always included a ferry service. The city of Pensacola and Pensacola Beach will finally see the launch of the National Park Service, Pensacola Bay passenger ferry service in March of 2017. The ferry service will provide beach goers with a fun means of traveling to Pensacola Beach, the Gulf Islands National Seashore and also to Fort Pickens.

This service will also allow visitors to board in Pensacola Beach providing them a fun way access downtown Pensacola and all the restaurants, shops, pubs, the ballpark and other attractions that Pensacola's revitalized downtown offers. The Park Service estimated that over 65,000 passengers will annually use the ferry system. The ride is expected to take approximately 40 minutes for each leg of the journey. The ferry boats will have food and beverage service, restrooms, flat screen TVs and a sound system for onboard presentations provided by the Park Service Rangers.

The ferry service will operate between three landing, including Plaza de Luna at Palafox Pier, Fort Pickens, and Quietwater Beach at Pensacola Beach. The Quietwater Beach site is currently undergoing improvements to make the area more accommodating to passengers and will include a shaded platform for passengers to purchase tickets and wait for the next boat.

The double-decker boats will have a climate-controlled enclosed main deck and a shaded upper deck for observation. The boats will be fully accessible and will have bike racks and passenger storage for people wanting to explore the fort and Santa Rosa Island. The catamaran ferries will be operated by a private company under the direction of the National Park Service and will each service 150 passengers. Current plans are for the service to ferry passengers seasonally from mid-March through the end of October with reduced service during the winter season.

The National Park Service estimates the cost of a ticket to ride round trip will be $10 to $15 and will offer "hop on, hop off" privileges for the day.