Washington State Ferries predicts increase of 50,000 passengers over holiday weekend

Washington State Ferries is asking ferry travelers to plan ahead for holiday travel on state ferries, and said nearly 350,000 people are expected to ride a state ferry Wednesday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Dec. 1.

That’s an increase of 50,000 people on state ferries over the five-day holiday period, when compared to a typical Wednesday through Sunday in November.

For people driving onto a state ferry, oh what a wait it will be.

WSF said travelers driving a vehicle onto a vessel should plan for lengthy wait times during the long holiday weekend.

To reduce or eliminate waiting, officials said riders should consider walking onto the ferry instead of bringing a vehicle, or taking an early morning or late evening sailing.

The busiest travel times are expected on westbound sailings Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 27, through Thursday morning, Nov. 28, and then eastbound sailings Thursday afternoon through Friday, Nov. 29.

Historically, ridership is much lower on Sunday than the other days of Thanksgiving weekend, officials added.

Vehicle wait times of one hour or more are likely during peak travel times on the Bainbridge-Seattle route, both at the Winslow terminal and Colman Dock.

One-hour wait times are also forecast for the Edmonds, Kingston, Mukilteo, Clinton, and Fauntleroy. People planning to drive on a ferry should sign up for ferry travel alerts for updates on vehicle wait times and check terminal conditions — at bit.ly/WSFTerminals — before leaving.

Vehicle wait times should be minimal on routes with vehicle reservations, WSF officials said.

The Bainbridge-Seattle route will operate on a weekend timetable on Thursday, Nov. 28.

Holiday sailings are marked on the schedule page for each route, including information on best times to travel.