The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9[1] and is the final crossing of the Delaware River-Delaware Bay waterway before it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Both with toll booths, vehicle staging areas, parking lots, and a terminal building with ticket counters for walk on passengers, restroooms and dining facilities.

Subsequent renovations changed these plans on the vessels third decks with an exterior bar and an additional passenger lounge up forward on the MV Delaware.

An outdoor canopy was added to the third deck in 1996 and in 1999 she received upgraded finishes and seating to the interior passenger lounge.

It was replaced with new propulsion systems, new stacks, new windows and doors to the passenger lounge, a new console in the pilot house and a fresh coat of paint giving the MV New Jersey many more years of reliable, safe, and comfortable service.

[4] The original fleet of four steamships and two diesel-powered ships was purchased in 1964 from the defunct Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry in Virginia, replaced by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel.

The vessel was then marked as a miniature cruise ship, complete with two sets of elevators, a sweeping interior staircase, interior areas on four different decks, an enlarged retail shop, a food court with a brick pizza oven, four different bars, and a buffet restaurant in a two-deck-tall, glass-enclosed atrium.

Although the restaurant was shut down in 2000 after U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors found numerous violations in the galleys of all five vessels, the ship remained an attraction.

The renovation added a fourth-deck buffet restaurant, bars, an enlarged gift shop, an elevator, and additional interior seating.

In 2007, in order to help close an operating deficit, the DRBA removed the Cape May from service and announced that the vessel was up for sale.

The vessel's added expense of operation and low use—it had made only fifteen crossings in 2007—were additional factors leading to its removal from service.

In 2013, the Cape May was sold to Northstar Marine Services for $750,000, to be converted to a support vessel for offshore wind farms.

[18] The ferry was constructed with transportation as its primary use, providing a connection between the south Jersey Shore towns and the Delaware Beaches and Ocean City, Maryland, on the Delmarva Peninsula.

[19] The ferry fleet was substantially overhauled during the 1990s, adding several amenities—including buffet restaurants, bars, and lounges—intended to promote the ride as a draw in itself.

The DRBA operates a shuttle bus service on both sides of the bay in the summer months, giving foot passengers both a ride on the ferry and round-trip transportation from the terminals into Cape May and Lewes for one combined rate.

In Delaware, the shuttle operates from the ferry to the Tanger Outlets and a park and ride lot in Rehoboth Beach.

DART First State operates the Route 204 bus which connects the ferry terminal with downtown Lewes and the Lewes Transit Center park and ride, where transfers can be made to DART First State's Beach Bus routes that serve the Delaware Beaches and provide connections to Ocean City Transportation's Coastal Highway Beach Bus in Ocean City, Maryland.

A private operator also runs a coach bus that connects the ferry in Cape May to the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City; the package includes round-trip ferry service, round-trip coach service, and free play for slots.

In addition to these promotions, the ferry also offers special holiday excursions, including the annual fireworks cruise on the Fourth of July.

[22] On the evening of December 10, 2009, the New Jersey ran aground on a sandbar near the mouth of the Cape May Canal during an unusually low tide.