Home / Routes / Sea-Tac to Anacortes Ferry Terminal
Route · Sea-Tac ↔ Anacortes Ferry TerminalPrivate car service from Sea-Tac Airport to the Anacortes ferry terminal covers 92 miles in 95 to 125 minutes. Starting fares are $320 for a standard sedan, $480 for a luxury SUV, and $720 for a Ford Transit van. We time the trip against your Washington State Ferries sailing to Friday Harbor, Orcas, Lopez, or Shaw — not against a clock.
Flying in and sailing out? Read how much buffer a sailing actually needs and why walking on beats bringing a car.
Private car service from Sea-Tac to the ferry terminal at Ship Harbor starts at $320 for a standard sedan carrying two passengers, $480 for a luxury SUV carrying six, and $935 for a Mercedes Sprinter van carrying fourteen. Fares are quoted per vehicle rather than per person.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | One way from | Round trip from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Sedan | 2 | 2 | $320 | $575 |
| Premium Sedan | 3 | 3 | $345 | $620 |
| Mini Van | 4 | 4 | $400 | $720 |
| Luxury SUV | 6 | 6 | $480 | $865 |
| Ford Transit Van | 10 | 10 | $720 | $1,295 |
| Mercedes Sprinter Van | 14 | 14 | $935 | $1,685 |
This fare covers the road leg only. Your WSF ferry ticket is purchased separately from Washington State Ferries.
Ship Harbor sits about four miles past downtown Anacortes, and these trips are scheduled against a sailing rather than a drop-off time. The fare reflects the extra distance and the tighter timing tolerance.
Every other route we run ends when you arrive. This one ends when you board a boat that leaves without you if you are late, and the next one may be hours away.
So the planning runs in reverse. You tell us the sailing you intend to make; we work back through terminal check-in, the drive, and your flight arrival to set a pickup time with real margin in it.
Washington State Ferries asks vehicle-reservation holders to arrive well ahead of the sailing, and a late check-in forfeits the reservation to standby. Walk-on passengers have more latitude but still need to be aboard before departure. Either way, arriving as the ramp comes up is not a plan.
We track your flight. If you land late enough that your intended sailing becomes unrealistic, you will hear that from us on the ground rather than discover it at the tollbooth.
Ship Harbor, Anacortes
This is the single most useful thing we can tell a visitor flying into Sea-Tac and heading for the islands, and most people work it out only after the trip.
Vehicle space on the Anacortes–San Juans route is the constraint. Reservations open roughly two months ahead and fill fast, summer sailings sell out weeks in advance, and turning up without one in July can mean waiting through two or three sailings. Standby on a holiday weekend is a gamble.
Walk-on passengers need no reservation at all. Foot passengers board before vehicles, on every sailing, year-round. There is no line to lose and no space to run out of.
So the clean version of this trip is: we collect you at Sea-Tac, deliver you to the terminal door, and you walk on. On the island you take a taxi, a shuttle, a rental, or the resort pickup that many properties provide. No ferry reservation, no vehicle queue, and a cheaper crossing.
| Walk on | Bring a vehicle | |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation needed | No | Strongly recommended, books out early |
| Boarding order | Before vehicles | After foot passengers |
| Terminal arrival | Modest buffer | Well ahead, or forfeit to standby |
| Summer risk | Minimal | Real chance of missing sailings |
| Crossing cost | Passenger fare only | Vehicle plus driver, considerably more |
| On the island | Taxi, shuttle, rental, or resort pickup | Your own vehicle |
Sailing times change seasonally and fares adjust periodically. We plan around your specific sailing, but book the crossing itself with Washington State Ferries and confirm the timetable close to your travel date.
The drive covers 92 miles and typically takes 95 to 125 minutes — the Anacortes run plus about four miles beyond downtown to Ship Harbor.
Collection at the pre-arranged pickup area, or baggage claim with meet-and-greet.
The bottleneck, and the main reason the range is thirty minutes wide.
North past Marysville and Mount Vernon to the SR-20 junction.
West on SR-20 across the flats and onto Fidalgo Island.
Four miles past downtown. Dropped at the terminal door with your luggage.
An illustration of how the pieces stack up. Your actual timings depend on the sailing, the season, and whether you are walking on or bringing a vehicle — we confirm them when you book.
| Stage | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Your sailing | The departure you have chosen from Ship Harbor |
| Terminal check-in | Substantially more if you are bringing a vehicle; less as a foot passenger |
| The drive | 95 to 125 minutes, depending on the hour and the Everett corridor |
| Airport exit | Deplaning, baggage claim, and reaching the vehicle |
| Your flight lands | Tracked by us, so a delay reaches us before it reaches you |
If your target sailing leaves in the morning, there is often no same-day flight arrival that connects safely. Most travellers fly in the day before and stay in Anacortes or Mount Vernon. We will say so plainly rather than sell you a connection that cannot work.
The return works the same way in reverse. Tell us the sailing you are on and we meet it at Ship Harbor when it docks, then run you to Sea-Tac for your flight.
Give us your sailing the way you would give us a flight number. If the boat runs late, we know before you dock, and your driver is there rather than gone.
Build more margin than feels necessary on this leg. A delayed sailing eats directly into your check-in window at Sea-Tac, and unlike a delayed flight, nobody is holding your seat.
Booking both directions together applies the round-trip discount and reserves the vehicle for a return that is frequently harder to arrange at short notice than the outbound.
Island trips tend to run long, and people pack accordingly. Size on luggage as much as passengers.
Two passengers with two checked bags. Fine for a walk-on pair travelling light.
More space for a two-hour run, and the vehicle we assign for executive travel.
Sliding doors for car seats, with real luggage room behind the rear row.
Our most-booked vehicle on this route, and the one we recommend for a week's island luggage.
Wedding parties and family groups heading to the islands together.
Large groups arriving on one flight and walking onto one sailing together.
Private car service starts at $320 for a standard sedan, $480 for a luxury SUV, and $720 for a Ford Transit van, one way. That covers the road leg only — your ferry ticket is purchased separately from Washington State Ferries.
Ninety-two miles, typically 95 to 125 minutes. Ship Harbor is about four miles past downtown Anacortes.
Only if you are bringing a vehicle. Walk-on passengers need no reservation and board before vehicles on every sailing. Since we drop you at the terminal door, walking on is usually the simpler and cheaper option.
Usually not, if you are flying in. Vehicle space is the constraint on this route, reservations fill weeks ahead in summer, and standby is a genuine gamble on holiday weekends. Walking on and using island taxis, rentals, or resort pickups avoids all of it.
Often, but it depends on your flight and your sailing. Early sailings frequently have no safe same-day connection, in which case most travellers fly in the day before and stay in Anacortes or Mount Vernon. Tell us both times and we will be honest about whether it works.
We track it. If a delay makes your intended sailing unrealistic, you will hear that from us while you are still on the ground rather than at the tollbooth.
Ferry cancellations are outside anyone's control. We will work with you on the alternative, which is exactly why we build margin into these trips rather than timing them tightly.
Yes. Give us the sailing you are on and we will be at Ship Harbor when it docks, with the run to Sea-Tac already planned.
San Juan Island (Friday Harbor), Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw, with seasonal service toward Sidney, BC. Confirm current routes and times with Washington State Ferries close to your travel date.
As early as you can, particularly June through September. Our availability is rarely the constraint on this route — the boat is.
Give us your flight and the sailing you are aiming for. We will build the timing around the boat.
