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FerryRez automatically monitors WSDOT's ferry reservation system for trips you're interested in. Here's how it works:

• You search for a ferry trip and add it to your tracking list
• FerryRez checks WSDOT's system regularly for availability changes
• When vehicle space opens up on a trip you're tracking, we send you a notification
• You can also opt in to notifications when a trip becomes unavailable
• You head to WSDOT to make your reservation

FerryRez checks your tracked trips regularly. This strikes a balance between timely notifications and being a good citizen of WSDOT's systems. When availability changes, you'll typically receive a notification shortly after.

No. FerryRez only monitors availability and sends notifications. You must make your reservation directly on the WSDOT website. We provide a "Reserve Now" link that takes you directly to WSDOT's reservation page to make this as quick as possible.

No. FerryRez is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Washington State Ferries or the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). We simply monitor their public reservation information to help travelers plan their ferry trips.

Yes! FerryRez is completely free to use and always will be. It's a community project built to help fellow ferry travelers.

FerryRez uses registration codes to manage new accounts. They help us keep the service reliable and prevent abuse.

To get a registration code, you'll need to know someone who already uses FerryRez, or contact us through the contact form to request access. New users can sign up through the FerryRez website or the FerryRez iOS app. Both use the same account.

Open Invitations from the account menu and enter a recipient's email to send them a personal Join link. You can send up to 10 invitations per account. Each invitation is single-use and only works for the email it was sent to.

Invitations expire after 7 days. You can resend a pending invitation once, but resending doesn't extend the 7-day expiry.

Yes! You can track as many trips as you'd like. This is useful when:

• You're flexible on which sailing time you take
• You're planning a round trip and need reservations in both directions
• You're considering multiple travel dates

All your tracked trips appear on your Trips page for easy management.

Open your Trips page (or the Trips tab in the iOS app) and stop tracking any sailing you no longer want to monitor. You can also remove a trip entirely from your list. Trips for past dates stop tracking automatically.

You'll receive a notification when:

• Space becomes available on a trip you're tracking (always enabled)
• Space becomes unavailable on a trip you're tracking (optional, can be enabled in Settings)

We only notify you when the status changes. You won't receive repeated notifications if availability stays the same between checks.

• Email: Sent to your registered email address. Always enabled and includes a direct link to reserve. Best if you check email frequently.
• iOS push: Native push notifications delivered to the FerryRez iOS app. Enable them when you first open the app, or any time later from Settings → Notifications. No third-party account required.
• Pushover: Push notifications via the Pushover app. Offers custom sounds, priority levels, and works on iOS, Android, and desktop. Requires a Pushover account and user key.

For the best chance of catching a reservation, we recommend enabling more than one channel.

Go to Settings to configure notifications:

• Enable iOS push and choose which events alert you
• Enable or disable Pushover notifications and add your user key
• Choose whether to be notified when trips become unavailable

This usually means someone else reserved the space before you could. Ferry reservations are in high demand, especially for:

• Popular routes (like San Juan Islands)
• Peak travel times (weekends, holidays, summer)
• Morning and evening sailings

When space opens up (usually from cancellations), multiple people may be watching for the same trip. We recommend acting within minutes of receiving a notification for the best chance of success.

This is normal. Availability fluctuates: someone reserves the space, then cancels, and the trip becomes available again. Each opening is a fresh chance for you to grab a spot, and we don't know whether you've already reserved, so we alert you every time.

If you don't have "unavailable" notifications turned on, you won't see when the trip fills back up between alerts. That's why a second "Space Available" can feel like a duplicate.

Once you've reserved, open your Trips page and stop tracking that trip. You'll stop receiving notifications immediately.

When you're ready to reserve:

• Tap the reserve button on FerryRez (or the link in your notification)
• This takes you to WSDOT's reservation website
• Select your route, date, and sailing time
• Choose your vehicle type and complete the reservation
• Pay the reservation fee with a credit card

You'll receive a confirmation email from WSDOT with your reservation details.

WSDOT's website doesn't let us pre-select the sailing for you. When you tap reserve, we take you straight to their reservation page, but you'll need to enter your route, date, and sailing time again. If WSDOT ever lets external sites pre-fill that form, we'll send you directly to the right sailing.

FerryRez supports all routes that accept reservations through WSDOT, including:

• Anacortes - San Juan Islands (Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, Friday Harbor)
• Port Townsend - Coupeville
• Mukilteo - Clinton

Routes without reservation systems (standby only) aren't available in FerryRez since there's nothing to track.

WSDOT has strict policies about missed reservations:

• You must be through the tollbooth at least 30 minutes before departure
• If you miss this deadline, your reservation is forfeited and given to standby vehicles
• WSDOT charges a no-show fee if you don't cancel in advance, and a late-cancellation fee for cancelling close to departure
• Both fees vary by route; check WSDOT's website for current amounts

If your plans change, always cancel your reservation in advance through WSDOT's website.

If you're not receiving notifications, check the following:

• Make sure you have at least one trip being actively tracked
• Check your spam/junk folder, and consider adding alert@ferryrez.com to your contacts so future alerts don't get filtered
• Ensure your email address is confirmed (check for a confirmation banner)
• iOS users: open the FerryRez iOS app's Settings → Notifications and confirm push is enabled. If push was previously denied at the system prompt, you'll also need to enable FerryRez under Settings → Notifications in iOS
• Pushover users: confirm your user key is valid

If issues persist, contact us for help.

Since we check availability periodically, there can be a brief delay between when WSDOT's status changes and when FerryRez reflects that change. Additionally:

• High-demand trips may change status rapidly as people reserve and cancel
• WSDOT may have temporary outages that affect our data
• Browser caching can sometimes show older data (try a hard refresh)

For the most accurate real-time information, always verify directly on WSDOT's website.

We're happy to help! Use the contact form to send us your question and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.