Plan ahead to travel by ferry during Thanksgiving weekend

Posted 11/28/23

The Washington State Ferries system advises carving out some extra time if your Thanksgiving travel plans include a state ferry ride.

In addition to the long vehicle lines over holiday weekends, …

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Plan ahead to travel by ferry during Thanksgiving weekend

Posted

The Washington State Ferries system advises carving out some extra time if your Thanksgiving travel plans include a state ferry ride.

In addition to the long vehicle lines over holiday weekends, all passengers should prepare for possible last-minute schedule changes, according to Nicole McIntosh, deputy assistant secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division.

McIntosh specifically stipulated that Edmonds/Kingston route travelers should plan for reduced one-boat service due to limited vessel availability.

To avoid potentially long waits when boarding a vessel in a vehicle, McIntosh encourages customers to download and check the Washington State Ferries’ mobile app, before heading to the terminal for service updates and real-time conditions.

McIntosh predicted the busiest sailings for vehicles would likely be westbound, or onto an island, during Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 22-23, then eastbound, or off an island, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25.

To reduce or eliminate waiting, McIntosh suggested that riders might consider taking an early morning or late-night sailing, or use transit to walk or bike onto the ferry, if possible.

On Thanksgiving Day Thursday, Nov. 23, there will be a few schedule changes on some routes, and holiday sailings will be marked on the schedules for each route.