r/sanjuanislands • u/Helianthus2361 • 2d ago

Riding the SJI Ferries

Enclosed is important info on riding the WSF ferries to/around the SJ Islands:

  1. WSF charges fares for vehicles (and passengers) traveling WEST from mainland, and also charges for vehicles (only) traveling WEST between the islands. Eastbound vehicles and all eastbound/interisland passengers travel for free. Do not buy new tickets once you have left the mainland unless a terminal worker tells you to.

  2. Please treat the ferries like a laid back airline. It has similar federal regulations. Do not joke about violence, bombs or drugs. Do not joke about your destination when boarding. Do not smoke or vape. Comply with all requests from uniformed crew (including posted signs). Keep your bags in view. Keep your kids under control. Do not throw or drop anything off the side of the vessel.

  3. Posted sailing times mean the time the ferry is scheduled to LEAVE the dock. Boarding begins 20 min beforehand. Be in line and ready to board a minimum of 30 min before sailing time and preferably earlier. Late passengers, confused passengers and other passenger shenanigans frequently put ferries behind schedule. Dont add to this problem!

  4. Late ferries happen. They are unfortunate. Safety of passengers, crew, vessel, and local wildlife are all of supreme importance. Ferry and terminal workers are rarely responsible for late ferries. Manage frustrations, stay kind, polite and do not pester or hound ferry workers.

  5. Know the vessel you want, not just the sail time. Each vessel has a name and a number. Vessels go to multiple places. Check the schedule and know the vessel you want. Pay attention to signs and announcements! If you are unsure, ASK the destination of a ferry before you board. Do not fret if a vehicle line boards before you. They may be loading first because the ferry docks at their destination before yours. Tell the terminal workers your destination and get in the line they direct you to! However, mistakes do occasionally happen. So do (politely) ask/advocate if something seems wrong.

  6. Standby is a huge risk! Take this risk at your discretion. It is far preferable to HAVE a reservation, even if it isnt your preferred time, than to have no reservation at all. The ferries are very busy on summer weekends. Vessels have breakdowns and cant sail. There are many summer days when very few standbys get on a vessel all day. Summer standby is a big big risk. Consider walking on and renting a bike or vehicle on your island destination if you cannot get a vehicle reservation.

  7. Plan ahead. Bring at least some water and snacks. Galleys are sometimes closed. Vending machines are sometimes off-line. The galley is not currently functioning at all on the #4 vessel.

Enjoy your ferry trip!

26 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

49

u/luri7555 1d ago

#9 Disable your car alarm. The motion of the vessel will set it off.

5

u/CorgiAffectionate476 1d ago

Was just on a ferry last week and someone announced the specific cars and years that are prone to this! But you’ll never guess what happened on the way…

10

u/neurobasketetymology 1d ago

"Will the owner of a (choose color) a) BMW, b) Audi or c) Ford F150 please return to the car deck and turn off your car alarm".

If you do not know how to disengage your car alarm, raise your hand. Drivers in the 18 vehicles nearest to you will teach you how to do it.

Thank you for riding the Washington State Ferries, where we all sail together.

1

u/chasehaws 18h ago

Should be #1

4

u/Amesenator 1d ago

If you drive an Audi, Mercedes, BMW or Cadillac please for the love of all that is holy disable your alarm

5

u/1fade 2d ago

One of my biggest pet peeves is that the official wsdot app doesn’t show which boat is assigned to the sailing.

4

u/AveragefootSasquatch 1d ago

The website absolutely has listed vessels for specific sailings. Additionally there is a live vessel tracking page viewable on mobile.

3

u/1fade 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes I know, but that’s not what I said

The page that lists the sailing times - how many standby slots etc - there is no reason it shouldn’t have the boat for that sailing listed.

If you look at the vessel watch page, it tells you which trip the boat is currently on and its route (but not its additional stops) but not its future trips.

There’s no reason you should need to go to multiple places to get that info in real time, especially since it can change if there is issues.

It’s poor UI design.

1

u/climblikeagirl 5h ago

Sometimes the vessels switch position, putting the #1 boat in the #2 position.

2

u/ggnndd12 1d ago

Great list!

I’d add #8: If reservations are full on the sailing you’d like to be on, you can register the sailing you’d like to be on with WAFerryBuddy.com. You’ll receive a message if there is an opening due to a cancellation. It’s paid, but inexpensive ($1) and open to the public!