Breathtaking Morning Views & Smooth Sailing to Orcas Island!…read more ​We booked our reservation in advance for the 7:30 AM ferry to Orcas Island on a Friday. Reservations are mandatory, so you definitely need to book ahead. As required, make sure to arrive at the ferry terminal at least one hour before departure (the same applies for the return trip). The round-trip fare for two adults and a standard vehicle was around $90. The journey takes about an hour, and taking this early morning ferry is perfect for catching a gorgeous sunrise over the water. ​Once you park your car, you can relax in one of the comfortable booth seats inside, or head out to the deck to take in the stunning views of the surrounding islands. The ferry features a snack bar and vending machines, as well as a wide selection of travel brochures and maps to help you plan your island adventure.

I made online ferry reservations ahead of schedule back on 7/21/26 for a round trip day trip from…read moreAnacortes to Orcas Island on 9/16/26. I chose a midweek (Wednesday) and post Labor Day, so much less high season/summer traffic. Last time I was on Orcas Island was back in 2011 and for The Homie, he and his friends went last June 2025. I was last on San Juan Island back in Oct 2020. Note: this ferry terminal serves the following routes *Friday Harbor/San Juan Island *Lopez Island *Shaw Island and Orcas Island To give ample time and to guarantee getting on the scheduled 725am departure, we left Shoreline at 430am. We arrived at the ferry terminal without issue by 6am. We were the second car in the Orcas Island car lane. Bonus for us, nice sunrise, and great view of Mt. Baker. Pro tips: Give yourself extra time - especially on commuter weekdays and especially weekends. No speeding heading to Anacortes, WSP can and will pull you over on I-5 and Hwy 20. Retain your reservation email - this will have your bar code that will be scanned at the ticket booth. Payment is also completed at the booth. For example, round trip car & driver, plus an adult passenger, plus fee using a debit card cost me under $100. Retain your printed receipt as proof of payment during your sailings to and from. Bring snacks, food, and beverages in an ice cooler. There's two onsite cafes by the terminal, as well as, restrooms. These have basic stuff like breakfast sandwiches, but it seems hot coffee & espresso are popular. Decent selection of travel brochures, flyers, and magazines on board. Surprisingly, there are also puzzles you can work on during your sailing. Bathrooms are clean, plenty of seating, but the galley may or may not be open. There are limited vending machines onboard. It takes about an hour or so, depends if there's a stop at Shaw Island also within this sailing. The ferry personnel are friendly. Big signage and announcements are made prior to each ferry boarding. Just make sure you and your passengers are all in your vehicle well before boarding for departure. Enjoy your ferry ride - one of the most scenic destinations in Washington State!

We had a Wonderful experience and the staff is friendly with great service! Would definitely…read morerecommend them!

Oh my! This ferry is just lovely! There is an adventurer area for kids, a gift shop filled w neat…read moreclothes and high end quality items. The ferry is upscale and very comfortable. Windows are easy to see out of. They have delis and bars, lots to choose from. Time flew as we enjoyed the boat...so sad to get off!

I really enjoy visiting the San Juan Islands. Our favorite thing to do is to take the ferry and…read moreisland hop for a day. The Washington State Ferry is interisland and takes locals and visitors from one island to the next. The ferries run year-round and will take you to each of the four main islands - Lopez, Orcas, San Juan, and Shaw. We drive to Anacortes and start our day on the ferry there. Then we usually go to Orcas or San Juan and grab lunch at Friday Harbor. There are also snacks and drinks available to purchase on the ferry. I love the view of the islands from the ferry window or outside on the deck above. It is a nice relaxing ride. We like to play cards while we island hop. Sometimes you can catch some marine life in the waters. The San Juans are home to a variety of wildlife and one of the best places in the world to witness whales in the wild. I usually keep a paper schedule on me so that I can plan out my ferry route and make sure that I am at the dock for the next ferry out. Sometimes they run a little behind, but usually they are on time.

Comfortable boats, scenic views, decent facilities-- but always late. If you're on any kind of…read moreschedule and are bringing a car, I wouldn't count on getting to your destination within a reasonable time frame. Especially in the peak summer season without a reservation -- and even then, no guarantees.

Washington State Ferries (WSF), Kennewick vessel, Friday, August, 16, 2024, 9:30 am. We were on a…read moreroad trip in a Class B RV (which is van-sized), and needed to travel from Port Townsend, WA to Coupeville, WA. In investigating our options on a mapping app, we found that we had two options -- to drive about 215 miles (4 hours, 45 minutes, plus toll) OR take a ferry (about 8 miles, 45 minutes plus wait time). With some apprehension about how it would work with our oversized and tall vehicle, we decided to take the ferry. We made a reservation online about two weeks before our planned trip, and many of the time slots for our preferred travel date were already taken but we were still able to get a slot at 9:30 am. The reservation "no show" fee was $10, charged only if the reservation is not used. We were pleased to find that there was a category to identify our vehicle as being "under 22' in length, and 7'6" to 13' tall." (There are also options to ride standby when vessel space is available). Washington State Ferries has loading down to a science. On our travel day, we were warmly greeted by the attendant at the entrance tollbooth. One senior (my husband) with vehicle under 22' was $15.30, while I was counted as an adult passenger for $4.10, for a total of $19.40 for two people and the RV. After paying, we were directed by staff to park in a specific lane (with other RVs) and allowed to disembark from our vehicle to grab a coffee or use the restrooms. The process of loading the ferry was highly organized. Every inch of space seemed to be used -- without unused space but also without there being vehicles that didn't fit. We were most impressed in seeing how easily an 18-wheeler semi also fit! After all of the vehicles were parked, the ferry left the dock and many passengers left their vehicles to move upstairs for the water views or to grab a snack. Disembarking in Coupeville was equally efficient. Overall, we had a great experience -- smooth sailing, efficient operations -- but also recognize that service disruptions may occur due to adverse weather conditions or emergency repairs. On this particular day, we were fortunate to have saved hundreds of miles and hours of driving, and nice smooth sailing. One small quibble. We found the WSF's website to be confusing for newcomers to ferry operations. .

Not a fan of this one. When your service is so volatile that high winds can cancel most, if not all…read moreof the ferries in a single day, just build a bridge. Also, the guy standing on the curb near the entrance, who informed us of the cancellations, told us that there were no reservations available for any other crossings, even later in the evening. This proved to be completely false, as we booked a reservation five minutes afterward, and by mid afternoon, the winds had subsided enough that we were able to board and cross without any issue. Government incompetence at its finest!

As any Washington resident can tell you, Ferry Docks (hell, the Ferry Service itself) are hardly…read moreworthy of rating. For the most part, they're all the same: well-trained support personnel to ticket, assist and direct drivers as they line up their vehicles to board the next ferry; adequate waiting and parking facilities to accommodate vehicles with reservations, as well as those who may need to standby for another ferry; clean (not quite rest stop quality) restrooms; and dry, serviceable, no-frills walk-on passenger waiting areas equipped with self-serve ticketing kiosks. That said, located in a wildlife preserve next to Whidbey Island's historic Fort Casey, the Keystone-Coupeville Ferry Dock features an absolutely gorgeous backdrop -- especially at dawn, sunset and during the evening twilight hours.

This is the ferry check in station on Whidbey island. It goes across to Port Townsend. Very busy…read moretransfer station. Highly recommend reservation, and if it's standby, keep checking cause someone may cancel theirs. They only allow a certain amount of standby vehicles. You can walk on, bike and even motorcycle on. I even saw a semi coming off of it! We took the 1:15 ferry and wow so busy! About a 30 minute ride and so smooth we took a nap in our car. You are allowed to leave your car and head up to the top deck for a nice view. They also have a galley for snacks too. And restrooms available.

The BC Ferries Swartz Bay Terminal is located near Victoria on Vancouver Island (specifically on…read morethe Saanich Peninsula, about 30 minutes north of downtown Victoria).  It forms the island end of the major ferry route connecting Vancouver Island to Tsawwassen, which is the terminal located south of Metro Vancouver.

I've taken this ferry from Victoria to Vancouver a handful of times over the years. This was the…read morefirst time I had reservations. Because of an accident, I had to change my reservation to a day earlier. We needed to get off the island ASAP and get back to the states in case my wife needed to see a doctor or be hospitalized. Customer service was good to work with. They listened to my story and helped me change my reservation a couple of times. No waiving of fees, not that I was hoping for fee waiver. They did their job and was able to make reservations on the ferry that my wife wanted. Car boarding instructions was a little unclear. I wanted to keep my wife in the car as we made our crossing. I was told that we were supposed to go up to the seating area. Later on I found out that she could've stayed in the car. It was a nice ferry ride from Victoria to Vancouver. It was very smooth compared to the Port Angeles to Victoria ferry ride where it was a little rough. Also, the BC Ferry to/from Victoria and Vancouver is scheduled for almost every hour. BC Ferries is like a well oiled machine. I most likely will take it again to make up for what our medical emergency made us miss.

Cool experience love the view and efficiency of the ferry . It's always a nice ride for sure and…read moreespecially if you are a tourist .

I love love taking the ferry! It always feels like I'm going on an adventure. The ferry terminal…read morehere is always a great place to drive into and the people so nice. Easy and simple to do. Just listen to the drive into the correct aisle of cars. They have a system and you just need to pay attention. The ferry itself is clean and warm. I love going outside for the views. On this trip to I did not as the temperature had dropped a bit. So I stayed inside. The cost is not much as I have a small vehicle. Great way to get to Whidbey island. Do it! Go in adventures. SYOY!

Easy to get to and load our car onto the ferry. Quick ride over to the other side and very smooth.read more

- long wait,stay in right lane -…read more Came here around 9:50 am on a Sunday and stayed in the ferry waiting line at the right lane. Got in the waiting-to-board area around 10:45 am and boarded the 11 am ferry. The decision to skip Langley is right since many shops weren't open at this time and the ferry wait will only get worse when time progresses. It costs $13.30 for our car with two passengers, but I'm not sure if the number of passengers matter here or not for the price. My guess is that they charge per car. The ferry ride from Clinton to Mukilteo only takes about 20 min, and there was a broadcast to make everyone return to their car at 11:14 am. There is a cafeteria on board but it's tiny. They do have warm options like pretzels with cheese dip or clam chowder. The bathrooms on board have like 15 toilets. Pro tip: the ferry on the hour (or 5 min after) fits 144 cars whereas the other one fits 90 cars. It might help with estimating whether you can make a certain ferry or not lol.

This ferry provides the means of getting from the mainland from I-5/Ferndale, traversing across the…read moreLummi Tribal land, to reach Lummi Island. I have used this critical link preC19 in October 2018, June 2019, and during the pandemic October 2020, and hopefully again in June 2021. I have wandered the island, loved the beauty and tranquility, and especially enjoyed visiting Sunset Beach and The Willows Inn. Ferry crew are efficient, professional, and have safety in mind. I have travelled across in sunny/calm, foggy, and stormy conditions. Google and check their site for the current conditions, schedule, and fare information. PreC19 it was cash only, during the pandemic masks required and debit/credit cards allowed.

It's a really quick several minute trip between the mainland (Gooseberry Point in Bellingham) and…read moreLummi Island. The service is pretty frequent: 2~3 times an hour on weekdays and once an hour on the weekend. Here's a link to the official schedule page: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/562/Ferry-Schedule. I think it's very inexpensive. We took our car (a small SUV). It was only $20 round trip ($13 for the vehicle and the driver and $7 for the additional passenger). Here's a link to the official fare page: http://wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/12671 Things to know: -There's no public transportation on Lummi Island; you either take your car on the ferry or hitchhike there (which does not seem uncommon there) -It's a very small ferry. Cars will be very close to each other on the ferry; they are so close that you cannot open the door to get out of your car. -You pay for roundtrip when you go to Lummi Island; it's "free" to go back to Gooseberry Point. -You pay on the ferry. They accept credit cards. Other than the (almost) uncomfortably tight situation on the ferry, I'm very happy with this ferry service to Lummi Island. ****************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" so that I can improve my reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! Thank you and happy Yelping!