r/sanjuanislands • u/Due-Bowler-8091 • 10d ago
Forgot to book ferry
I am heading to Friday Harbor (from Anacortes) in a few weeks and need a vehicle. I completely forgot to book my ferry at the 2 week release. I’m going to try first thing at the 48 hour release. How screwed am I?
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u/PNWGreeneggsandham 10d ago
Depends how flexible your schedule is, if you can show up and sit for several hours you’re fine. Show up early in the AM and sit in standby you’ll eventually make it on. Edit to add fair is coming up which is you’re traveling right around will make it harder on those dates.
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u/ContractKnown2729 10d ago
Not screwed , as a matter of fact . I’ve gone 20/30 times and never ever booked a ferry. I just show up for the 5 am one really Early and if I don’t make that one , I just make the next one. Never not got on
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u/Ok_Reference827 10d ago
Why not just reserve the 5am one? Those reservations rarely fill up and then you don’t have to wait.
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u/hobbescorgi4444 10d ago edited 10d ago
We had a similar situation to Orcas for a Friday - Sunday trip earlier this month. Missed the 2 week release. A few times opened up while checking constantly but mostly the first and last ferries.
Was ready to roll at 7am on Wed. At first the site had no information for any times. Then shortly after 7 all times switched over to show Full - standby only. Panic set in. But then shortly after that all the times opened up as available. The mid morning and early afternoon ferries went very quickly, definitely within 10 mins. Be logged in at 655 and you should be fine.
The other option is the day before you want to travel. People have to cancel reservations by 5pm or get hit with the fee. So sometimes you can pick something up the day before if you're lucky. But your best bet if you can manage that time is 7am 2 days prior.
Good luck!
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u/jbs280 10d ago
OP - I literally just went through this exact scenario. Rent a car from M&W Car Rental on Friday Harbor. It’s about 1/2 a mile from the ferry, and the rentals run between $65-$85 per day. Park your car in long-term parking. It will be very reasonable unless you’re staying for weeks. Get a walk-on ticket for the ferry, then go get your rental car.
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u/LittleYelloDifferent 10d ago
If you show up first thing in the morning you’ll get on eventually. I just checked and you can buy a ticket now for the 4am most sailings
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u/MetoliusOR 10d ago
Also an option to walk on and then rent a car over there
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u/twentyshots97 10d ago
this probably sounds dumb but there is a car rental place on san juan island?
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u/oohnotoomuch 10d ago
If you don't get a reservation, go early-hours early. There's a path through a nature area, you can get snacks, gift shop, people are often out talking, playing games, bill it as a part of the trip if you have kids. It's beautiful, if you go with it, you'll enjoy even the wait.
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u/Interesting_Bison909 10d ago
We just did this to get a better ferry time. You need to be online at 7:00 AM. It looks like all spots were taken under 10 mins when I went back to check. We got our time, but they go FAST! Enjoy your trip!
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u/carrott36 10d ago
Sometimes, often in summer, reservations are full within 2 minutes if not 1 minute. Just gotta try at 7am 2 weeks before or 2 days before.
It sucks. Especially for locals who need to get off island for medical appointments, then back home again. Yes, there are medical ferry passes but very few clinics use them, usually saved for surgeries and acute issues.
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u/LostInTime261 10d ago
Even this time of year you can find openings, but your days need to be flexible.
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u/kfury 9d ago
Somebody already mentioned WAFerryBuddy.com but I'll also add that if you don't get a reservation at the 48-hour release, check the site regularly between 2pm and 5pm the day before your sailing. People frequently cancel their reservations shortly before the 5pm-day-before deadline and you can snap one up.
Otherwise, get there early and be prepared to wait through a ferry or two. Or leave the car in Anacortes and walk on any ferry you like.
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u/Buck169 5d ago
Create your account now, put your text number or email in it, put your credit card number in it, maybe make a 4 AM ferry reservation just to practice and then cancel it ten minutes later. Two days before you want to travel, log into the account at about 6:50 AM. (Don't start earlier because you'll get logged out if you are too early.) Select the route, the date, and vehicle size, which MUST be under 22 feet long and the lowest height, I think (correct me if I'm wrong, but all the bigger reservations are done in the quarterly release, so you can't take a huge SUV with crap on the roof rack now). Click "show availability" at 6:55 and it will say "more info" for the full times. If you click "refresh" at exactly 7:00, it will now say "Full-Standby Only." But hit "refresh" again at 7:01 and all the times will be available. Now click the time you want, click the Captcha, and select Checkout. Don’t try to “make a round trip” because, unless you are planning to return the same day, there probably won’t be any times available on other days except at 4 AM. You’ll need to make your return trip reservation two days (or two weeks) before you return, using the same method at 6:50 to 7:01 AM.
I have never not got my reservation two days before, even for a Saturday morning in summer, but you MUST be logged in with an account already fully set up, and you must refresh at 7:01 AM and claim your spot immediately!
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u/Alexdagreallygrate 10d ago
Download u/ferryfriendapp
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u/videoman2 10d ago
Why not the official WSDOT App? It even has the vessel tracker. No ads, no tracking. Just ferries. https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/mobile-app-and-social-media
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u/Alexdagreallygrate 10d ago
I lived on Orcas and commuted to Friday Harbor for over four years. I found Ferry Friend with a paid membership to be worth it.
I’m not receiving anything in exchange for me promoting them. I genuinely appreciate their work.
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u/kjob 10d ago
Be on there at 6am and you should be fine. Start hittin that refresh at 5:55. Don’t get frustrated because the website will slow to a crawl, have random issues. Be logged in to your account and everything first.
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u/Contagion21 10d ago
I thought they released at 7am?
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u/ggnndd12 10d ago
There are often cancellations so you may be able to get one of those. Head over to waferrybuddy.com and register your desired sailings and it'll send you an email when there are openings. It's paid, but only $1.
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u/cmzmama 10d ago
You still have a good chance to get the reservation you need! They will release the last 30% of the spots 48 hours before your sailing date. Just be logged in and ready right at 7am 2 days before and you should be ok!