FAQs & Other Info

As regular travelers on the SJIs route, we islanders know there are challenges, but we also see improvements and overall stability; we’re able to get where we need to go. Here are some ways to help make sailing easier:

• Make a vehicle reservation (portions released seasonally, 2 weeks, and then 2 days before sailing)
• Park at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal and walk on to the next sailing for your destination
  • As of 2024, parking rates start at $8 per day and decrease based on total length of stay
• Pack some patience: all staff are working hard to meet the needs of riders, working with aging vessels and occasional crew shortages

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau has additional helpful information. Washington State Ferries also has information for first time users of the system.

When WSF convened the “Partnership Group” to design the reservation system it was stated that eventually all of the runs would have reservations. The San Juan Islands and Port Townsend were the first stage of the roll out with other routes getting reservations in the future. All ferry served islands have the ability to make westbound reservations. Only Friday Harbor and Orcas are able to accommodate eastbound reservations. The Long Range Plan calls for eastbound reservations for Lopez and Shaw by 2027.

Ferry service reliability and on-time performance have three main drivers: crew availability, route schedule, and vessel availability. WSF is making progress on its shortage of crew with a strong hiring program and fast-track training and scholarship program. Additionally, the State Legislature has funded an extra crew member for each crew above Coast Guard minimums. 

Crew scheduling is complex: there are two different shift schedules to coordinate and there are Coast Guard limits to the number of service hours per 24-hour period for a crew person.

Currently, WSF and key stakeholders in San Juan County are going through of process of updating the service schedule for the San Juan Island Route. The new schedule, due to come online Winter 2024/2025, will reflect more realistic dwell and crossing times for each vessel, leading to fewer disruptions.

Cancellations due to breakdowns on our aging vessels may increase in the coming years. WSF is currently working through a bidding process to build new boats. New boats are not expected to be added to the fleet by 2028. 

You're welcome to provide feedback to Washington State Ferries and/or San Juan County and its Ferry Advisory Committee.

While you probably will not receive a direct response, your input is important in helping to identify trends set priorities.

Route/boat numbers (1–4) stay consistent even when a particular vessel needs to be swapped in due to mechanical failure. Each of the boats on these routes will follow different runs throughout the day. At the start of the service day, the boat is assigned the number of its route. If a boat is taken out of service, any replacement vessel will be assigned the same route number. 

FAC is the acronym for Ferry Advisory Committee. For more detailed information, please see information below. San Juan County has its own FAC. 

FROG is an acronym for Ferry Riders Opinion Group. The FROG provides an outlet where you can share your travel behaviors, opinions, and preferences as well as provide feedback on a number of operational and pricing strategies.

WSF is the acronym for Washington State Ferries, part of the state's highway system and its Department of Transportation. It is the operator of the largest ferry system in the US, providing the San Juan Islands with four-boat passenger and vehicle service 365 days a year.

Ferry Advisory Committees

Under state law, Ferry Advisory Committees are appointed by local elected officials to:

• Provide us input on problems experienced by riders and by ferry communities (RCW 47.60.310)
• Participate in reviews of allocation of vessels to runs, schedules, and the adequacy of terminals (RCW 47.60.310 and RCW 47.60.300)
• Participate in developing fares and fare policies (RCW 47.60.290 and RCW 47.60.300)
• Review plans for changes to route service levels (RCW 47.60.330)
• Participate in developing rider surveys with the Washington State Transportation Commission (RCW 47.60.286)
• Review rider survey responses (RCW 47.60.290)
• Participate in developing plans for capital and operating investments (RCW 47.06.050)
• Meet with us twice each year as an executive committee to review ferry system issues (RCW 47.60.310)

Priority access for San Juan County residents is a subject that has been brought up for decades, with various methods being presented to achieve that goal. The short answer is that the Attorney General has ruled that priority access would be illegal, as the ferry system is part of the state highway system.

The reservation system has built into it a form of priority access for local people with its tiered release system, with the idea being that the two-day release, and to some extent the 2-week release, of reservations would favor locals over tourists. That was the intent behind the tiered release when it was developed.

Further, medical preferential loading is available following specific requirements and guidelines.