On opening day, thousands of travelers booked Martha’s Vineyard ferry reservations for summer

The average wait time peaked at about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

A Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard in May 2018. David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe, File

February 15, 2024

1 minute to read

Thousands of Steamship Authority customers booked summer ferry reservations to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday, some waiting more than two hours to snag a spot.

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Reservations opened at 8 a.m. on Wednesday for travel to Martha’s Vineyard between May 15 and Oct. 20, after a two-week delay due to technical issues.

By about 3:45 p.m., the Authority had processed 23,442 transactions — defined as either a one-way or a round-trip vehicle reservation — resulting in more than $6.3 million in revenue, according to the agency.

There were more than 21,300 active sessions per minute in the online waiting room during its peak just before 8:40 a.m., according to the Authority, which noted that that number was likely higher than the number of people actually waiting due to folks using multiple devices. The average wait time for customers peaked at 2 hours and 15 minutes at 10:15 a.m.

Last week, travelers booked reservations to Nantucket during opening day, with 7,800 transactions processed by 3 p.m. The average wait time that day peaked at about 2 hours and 20 minutes and users had mixed reviews on social media, with some posting that they booked their desired dates after waiting patiently, and others complaining about the wait. The Authority reported more than $4.2 million in revenue on that day.

For the Martha’s Vineyard opening, the agency once again said it “closely monitored and actively managed” the number of users allowed on the website. Customers were managed through a virtual waiting room where they could see both their place in line and wait time and didn’t need to refresh their browser.

In 2023, the Authority processed 24,609 reservations during opening day of Martha’s Vineyard reservations and in 2022 it processed 24,508 transactions.

Customers can begin making summer reservations via phone or in-person for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Feb. 20 at 8 a.m.

The Steamship Authority, the largest ferry service to the islands, brought 2.9 million passengers and more than 690,000 vehicles to and from the islands in 2023.

Kristi Palma

Travel writer

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.