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Steamship Authority reservation period opens smoothly for Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard residents

Ferry Woods Hole steams in to Woods Hole harbor.
S Junker
Ferry Woods Hole steams in to Woods Hole harbor.

The Steamship Authority’s Head Start Program reservation period for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard residents opened Tuesday, Jan. 14 without a hitch.

Steamship Authority spokesman Sean Driscoll said there were none of the problems that have plagued the online reservations system at times in the past.

“All the servers and everything on the back end worked as expected. So we had a pretty smooth opening as far as that goes.”

But, he said the true test is still to come.

“This is just a pretty limited scope compared to what is going to come with the Nantucket and Vineyard general openings in a couple of weeks.”

The Head Start program allows year-round and seasonal residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket the opportunity to make up to 10 summer reservations per customer prior to the openings to the public.

Head Start also allows them to make a limited number of reservations either directly in another person’s name or designate a reservation as being able to be transferred to another individual, to aid their friends and family with their summer travel needs. 

In a release, the Authority said it implemented this split in the Head Start period, “based on suggestions and recommendations received by island residents. The policy’s aim is to make it easier for islanders to make advance vehicle reservations during the busy summer season for their own vacations and mainland commitments.”

There will be two general online openings – one for Nantucket and one for Martha’s Vineyard.

The Nantucket general opening begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The Martha’s Vineyard general opening begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Reservations for travel from May 13, 2025 through Oct. 21, 2025 can be made at those times.

"If anyone’s going to be booking, be sure to go online. We’ve got reservation tips links from the home page. So if you are planning to book at one of the general openings check those out to make sure you have as good a process as possible,” Driscoll said.

The Authority announced it will have extra technical support on site and the reservation office will be available to provide customers with assistance with login passwords or PINs.

The Authority will also continue to use a virtual waiting room that allows customers to see their “place” in line and the approximate wait time until they can make a transaction, eliminating the need for refreshing the website.

Visit www.steamshipauthority.com/reservationtips for more information.

 

 

John Basile is the local host of Morning Edition.