WSF Weekly Report | From every corner of our fleet, happy holidays and cheers to an amazing 2026

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

The holiday season is a time when many pause and reflect on those who matter most. Everything we do at Washington State Ferries is possible because of people. This includes the communities that rely on and support us, and the workforce that keeps us moving every day of the year. To our customers, thank you for choosing us and trusting us with your plans, both big and small. To our vessel crews, terminal employees, maintenance teams and support staff, thank you for your dedication. I know many of you are sacrificing time with loved ones so others can get where they need to go. We are grateful for your commitment, as well as everyone’s patience during this busy travel time.

Spreading holiday cheer, one window at a time! Terminal employee Antoinette Hippe’s festive artwork brightened Mukilteo and eventually made its way aboard Suquamish and Tokitae at the request of the crews working on those ferries

We know reliable service is important, even more so during the holiday season. That’s why we want to keep you updated while Kaleetan is out of service. The 58-year-old ferry suffered major engine damage on Dec. 5. Emergency repairs at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes are expected to be finished soon. Until then, we are running a modified Anacortes/San Juan Islands route schedule with reduced capacity. New vehicle reservations are blocked through Monday, Dec. 22. Existing reservation holders will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis, and will not be charged a fee if they don’t sail. Our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route also remains on its two-boat schedule until Kaleetan returns. We plan to share more information early next week about any additional service changes through rider alerts and our social media channels.

From every corner of our fleet, happy holidays and cheers to an amazing 2026!

Holiday season ferry travel

We expect about 700,000 people on our ferries tomorrow, Dec. 19, through Wednesday, Dec. 31. Those boarding in a vehicle should plan for long waits. Customers are encouraged to download and use the WSDOT mobile app or visit our website to view terminal conditions, rider alerts and a real-time map to track our vessels. On Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, there will be a few schedule changes on some routes. Holiday sailings are marked on the schedules for each route.

The busiest sailings will likely be centered around the weekends before and after Christmas Day. We usually see much lighter traffic for the New Year’s holiday.

Winter sailing schedule starts Sunday, Dec. 28

Sunday, Dec. 28, marks the beginning of our winter sailing season. There will be schedule changes for two routes. On our Seattle/Bremerton route, construction at Bremerton terminal in January will prevent two vessels from docking there overnight. The No. 1 boat will dock in Seattle instead until the season ends on March 21, 2026. During this time, there will be no 4:50 a.m. Bremerton departure. The 3 p.m. out of Bremerton will be at 2:40 p.m. instead. We’re also adding a 10:15 p.m. Bremerton to Seattle sailing. On Sundays, the 8:35 a.m. Seattle and 9:50 a.m. Bremerton departures will not operate. On our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route, we will switch to the two-boat weekend schedule used each winter. This winter sailing season will also be the first in more than 20 years that our Anacortes/San Juan Islands timetables will stay the same as the fall. Earlier this year, the route moved to an improved, two-season schedule – one for summer peak season and another that runs nine months from fall through spring.

This winter, schedule changes are needed so we can replace the two outer dolphins at slip 2 at our Bremerton terminal. The project was condensed into a single sailing season. This makes changes easier for customers and simplifies crew and fueling adjustments.

Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge to close temporarily starting Monday, Jan. 5

A big, but temporary change is coming in the new year for our walk-on and roll-on passengers at Colman Dock. Starting Monday, Jan. 5, the Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge will be closed around the clock for about four weeks. The closure is due to a city of Seattle building demolition project alongside the elevated walkway. All access to and from Colman Dock will be at street level. Pedestrians must use the elevators or stairs in the entry building or next to the passenger-only terminal, and crosswalks and city streets to cross Alaskan Way. We know this will add extra time for many of our customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Project details are still being finalized. We’ll share any updates as they become available. Sign up for rider alerts to get the latest information.

Recognizing our life-saving employees

This past year, our employees went above and beyond to save lives across the Salish Sea. They rescued people from the water, helped with medical emergencies and supported first responders. Our vessel crews and terminal staff are trained and ready to act in critical moments. These incidents show not just skill, but heart. They show quick thinking, teamwork and dedication. We are proud to recognize our employees’ life-saving efforts with the Life Ring Award. Over the past 14 months, our teams have saved lives on dozens of occasions. You can learn more about some of these events in our recent blog post. Finally, I thank our entire workforce for the care and attention they bring to keeping everyone safe.

Seattle Terminal Supervisor Matthew Perry (right) presented Colman Dock Security Guard Luke Goergen with a Life Ring Award in July. Luke was one of five recognized for their work in a medical emergency.

Sailing stats for week of Dec. 8-14

For the week of Dec. 8-14, we completed 96.8% of our 3,059 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 97 cancellations, 69 were for vessel-related issues, 14 due to crewing, 12 because of other miscellaneous reasons and two for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers).

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Dec. 9-15, 2024), we completed 96.2% of our 2,789 scheduled sailings. Of the 119 cancellations that week, 74 were due to vessel-related issues, 16 because of weather, 12 for tidal currents, 11 due to schedule resets, four because of other miscellaneous reasons and two for crewing.

Customer kudos

“Thank you so much for the student stars on the Whidbey ferry, their messages are so big a lift! Truly wonderful, thank you”

-Mukilteo/Clinton route customer

Next Weekly Update will be Thursday, Jan. 8

There will be no Weekly Update on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1. Wishing you a safe, joyful and relaxing holiday season! We’ll catch up in our next Weekly Update on Thursday, Jan. 8.