Although it’s been said many times, many ways — expect crowds and lines during peak ferry travel times this weekend.
Officials with Washington State Ferries, however, note that this will be no ordinary weekend. Thousands more will be sailing for Christmas with reduced vehicle capacity on two routes.
The busiest days are expected to be Friday, Dec. 22; Monday, Dec. 25; and Tuesday, Dec. 26.
WSF expects many holiday passengers to sail westbound on Friday, Dec. 22. The big crush of eastbound travelers is expected throughout the day Monday, Dec. 25, and Tuesday, Dec. 26.
Ferry officials suggest that riders can reduce or eliminate wait times by walking on the ferry.
Even though there will be a spike in travel over the Christmas weekend, vehicle traffic during this period is forecast to be far less compared to what’s seen during the summer.
But here’s the kicker: To minimize possible summertime service disruptions, several vessels are undergoing wintertime maintenance and as a result, the following vehicle capacity reductions will be in place through early 2018:
• Edmonds-Kingston: 144-vehicle Hyak substituting for 202-vehicle Puyallup; and
• Mukilteo-Clinton: 124-vehicle Kitsap substituting for 144-vehicle Tokitae.
Customers will need to plan ahead as the reduction in vehicle space could contribute to longer wait times. To help holiday travelers get to and from Whidbey Island, an extra 8:55 p.m. Clinton departure and 9:25 p.m. sailing out of Mukilteo on Friday, Dec. 22, may be added if there is significant demand.
Historically, far fewer people catch a ferry over the New Year’s holiday weekend.
There will be a few holiday schedule changes on some ferry routes Monday, Dec. 25, and Monday, Jan. 1. The Bainbridge Island-Seattle and Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth routes will operate on a weekend timetable on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Other travel tips from WSF:
• Check terminal conditions before leaving.
• Sign up for ferry travel alerts.
• Follow WSF’s Twitter account for automatic updates on travel conditions.
• Review the fall sailing schedule for best times to travel and holiday service.
• Make a vehicle reservation for the San Juan Islands, Sidney, British Columbia or Port Townsend-Coupeville routes.
Drivers can also plan ahead for increased congestion on highways as they make their way to the ferry terminals with real-time traffic information on the WSDOT traffic app for their mobile device.
The winter sailing schedule begins Jan. 7.
There will be a new schedule on many routes starting Sunday, Jan. 7.
For the first time in several years, times for Bainbridge Island and Bremerton will change.
Due to construction on Colman Dock, several sailings to and from the Seattle ferry terminal will depart 5 to 15 minutes earlier or later than they currently do. There will also be fewer sailings on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route and service to Sidney, British Columbia will be suspended until spring.
