SEATTLE — Approximately 300,000 passengers are expected to board Washington State Ferries (WSF) from Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 26, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Officials are advising travelers to include extra time in their transportation plans over the holiday weekend, as well as to prepare for last-minute changes to the ferry schedule. These may include canceled or delayed arrivals due to a lack of personnel or mechanical issues within the fleet, which WSF has faced in recent months.
The busiest travel times will be on Nov. 22 to Nov. 23, in the westbound direction, or onto the islands, and Nov. 24-25 eastbound, or off the island. WSDOT is recommending riders take an early morning or later in the night ferry trip. In addition, it suggests riders walk or bike onto the ferry, instead of driving, to reduce congestion.
To avoid the long waits, officials are also highly recommending riders use the WSDOT mobile app.
“Our online tools, including our WSDOT mobile app, are the best ways to get the latest service information like our rider alerts and real-time map," said WSF Deputy Assistant Secretary Nicole McIntosh in a statement.
The busy holiday weekend comes as the Washington state ferry system is already troubled by malfunctioning vessels. Last month, the Chimacum ferry, which serviced the Seattle/Bremerton route, experienced engine failure. There is no timeline for when the ferry will be back in service, but it will be "out for an extensive time," according to WSF.
As for holiday schedule changes on Thanksgiving day, the Seattle/Bainbridge Island route is operating on a Saturday timetable and the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is running on two-boat weekday timetables.
In addition, the Edmonds/Kingston route will only have one boat servicing the route, instead of the usual two. This is due to the fact the WSF fleet is down one-third of all ferries because of mechanical issues. With the loss of the Chimacum ferry, there are now only 14 vessels available to use during the busy holiday weekend in a fleet of 21.
Furthermore, if you are traveling the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes, you can also get a vehicle reservation to reduce wait time.
For one couple, they said their trip to Whidbey Island is to relax and the ferries add a dimension of anxiety.
"We can tell by where we are on the hill whether or not we're going to make it on the ferry," said Paul Shipman. Shipman said he and his wife are constantly looking at Washington State Ferries app to see wait times and potential cancellations.
"It's frustrating for us and we know it's frustrating for the users of the ferry system, but we're working on it," said Dana Warr with Washington State Ferries.
Four vessels are getting work done and three are in Eagle Harbor for maintenance. "There's not a lot of shipyards in this area that can get a ferry in and if they can, they might be filled with other large military vessels," said Warr.
While Shipman and his wife were able to get to Whidbey Island, they’ll be checking to see the return times. “We tend to stay up there and avoid Sundays. Sundays coming off Whidbey Island is a big challenge,” said Shipman.
For travelers using state highways to get to the ferry terminal, WSDOT says they should plan for possible holiday travel backups and delays and to always check conditions on the app before leaving.
For a full list of holiday schedule changes, visit the WSDOT website.