Getting to Orcas
Page updated on June 28
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Orcas is one of the San Juan Islands in Washington, several hours away drive and a ferry ride away from Seattle. This document will help you sort through the many transportation options available to you, including taking a shuttlebus directly from Sea-Tac airport (our recommendation), carpooling with other guests, renting a car, or taking a small plane from Boeing Field (near Sea-Tac) or a seaplane from Seattle.
Flying to Seattle:
Guests who are coming from outside of the Seattle area should book flights to Seattleʼs Sea-Tac airport. We recommend arriving as early in the morning as possible, as getting to Orcas can take half a day. Sea-Tac is about thirty minutes south of Seattle — you will drive through Seattle on your way to the Orcas ferry. Orcas is several hours drive and an hour-long ferry ride from Seattle, or an hour-long flight on a small plane. Sea-Tac to Orcas Island: easy six step plan!
Easy car-free plan: arrive Friday morning, leave on Sunday. Details below…
1. Arrive Sea-Tac on Friday, Aug 1, before 10am or so
2. Take the Airporter shuttle to San Juan ferry at 11am
3. Walk on to the 2:45pm ferry to Orcas (buy a walk-on ticket at ferry)
4. Take our shuttle to your hotel on Orcas
5. Relax and get ready for the…
6. BBQ dinner at 6:30pm!
Sea-Tac to Orcas: by shuttle
This is the option we imagine most people will choose; itʼs the most cost-effective, itʼs the easiest logistically if you arenʼt a local, and you get to see the beautiful San Juan Islands from a great vantage point — a Washington State ferry. We will do our best to make it easy for you to leave your car behind for the weekend. For those who choose to go car-free, we will meet the Friday 2:45pm ferry from Anacortes with a private shuttle bus on Orcas to take you to your hotel. There is a shuttle that leaves Sea-Tac at noon and arrives at the Anacortes ferry at 2:45pm, but we advise you to take the earlier 11am shuttle if possible. You might not be able to catch the ferry in time and we don’t want you to miss the BBQ! For walk-ons arriving on other ferries, let us know in advance, and we should be able to meet you with a van pickup — although there is a chance you may have to take a taxi or other shuttle to your hotel. (Tip for people staying at Doe Bay: for $15 they will pick you up from the ferry) Once youʼre set up at your hotel, we will arrange transportation to and from the wedding, and back to the ferry terminal.
Airporter shuttle information:
• Pickup point: Sea-Tac Airport. Dropoff point: San Juan Ferry Terminal in Anacortes (~2 hr drive).
• Cost: ~$61 round trip
• Requires minimum 24 hour advance reservations
• Book online: http://www.airporter.com/shuttle/reservations
• Book by phone: 1-866-235-5247
Airporter Shuttle and San Juan ferry schedule for Friday Aug 1 and Saturday Aug 2:
FYI: try to arrive at the ferry terminal with some time to spare…i.e., if you take the Friday 12pm shuttle, you might not arrive in time to catch the 2:45pm ferry!
Ferry information:
Buy walk-on tickets at the ferry terminal for your trip to Orcas (~$13). Your return trip is free and you donʼt need a ticket. If possible, please try to plan your trip to take the Friday 2:45pm sailing (or earlier) for Orcas — we will have a shuttle bus meet that boat from the Orcas side to take people to their hotels. That way you can be assured of making it to our Friday evening BBQ dinner! If you are on the 2:45pm Friday boat, look for the Orcas Shuttle bus which will be waiting somewhere obvious for you.
If you are on any other ferry, you have a couple options:
• Call one of the people listed at the end of this page to see if you can be picked up by someone involved with the wedding (we will have two roving vans available).
• Orcas Shuttle offers regularly scheduled shuttle service from the Orcas ferry to Eastsound: (360) 376-RIDE. Shuttles leave from the ferry for Eastsound daily at 10am, 11:50am, 1:10pm, 4:10pm, and 6:50pm. Shuttle fare is $6.00. For those staying at Doe Bay: the shuttle will only be able to take you as far as Moran State Park. http://www.orcasshuttle.com
• Call Orcas Taxi (360) 376-TAXI
More ferry information:
• Online ferry schedule: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Schedule/
• Anacortes San Juan Ferry Terminal phone number: 360-239-8166
• Orcas Island Ferry Terminal phone number: 360-376-6253
Sea-Tac to Orcas: by car
First off, if youʼre planning on driving, consider taking a shuttle instead, carpooling, and DEFINITELY consider parking your car for the weekend at the Anacortes terminal so you can be a walk-on passenger on the ferry. Having a car is very useful on Orcas, but it is a pain to get there and back in the busy summer months — weʼre talking waiting in line at the ferry terminal for 2-3 hours each way.
Carpooling: Bethʼs mom will be helping to coordinate carpools. If you have space in your car and are willing to carpool, or you need a ride, feel free to call Linda (818-422-2314) or email her — lkgmft AT socal.rr.com
Driving information:
Anacortes is approximately two hours north of Seattle. Take I-5 (thatʼs “The 5,” to those of you from California) to Burlington, then take Route 20 west to Anacortes and follow the signs to the San Juan Ferry Terminal. Remember, even if you buy tickets in advance, you still have to wait in line there if youʼre taking your car across. Your driving time will look something like this:
1. Seattle to Anacortes ferry terminal, 78 miles, about 1.5-2.5 hours depending on traffic
2. Wait in line for the ferry in Anacortes – 1-4 hours
3. Ride the ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island – 1 hour
4. Drive from Orcas ferry terminal to Eastsound/Doe Bay – ~20-45 minutes
Driving directions: Sea-Tac to Anacortes ferry terminal
We recommend taking the following ferries in order to make it to all the wedding events on time. See above for ferry schedule:
• Friday: 2:45pm ferry or earlier. Walk-ons: the 2:45pm boat from Anacortes is the only
ferry we will meet with a shuttle bus on Orcas!
• Saturday: 11:50am ferry or earlier. (Wedding ceremony starts at 5pm)
Driving directions: Orcas Island ferry terminal to Eastsound
Driving directions: Eastsound to wedding site (36 Culver Rd, 98279)
Driving directions: Eastsound to Doe Bay
• Three miles past Olga, instead of turning right onto Shorewood Drive to go to the wed-
ding site, stay on the main road for another half-mile. Doe Bay will be on your right.
Sea-Tac to Orcas: by air
Flying to Orcas Island is more expensive than driving, but is quick, convenient, and offers gorgeous aerial views of the San Juan Islands and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Roundtrip flights on a seaplane or regular plane cost ~$250 and take ~35 minutes. When you add up the cost of all the items you are NOT purchasing (shuttle, ferry tickets, parking, etc.), the flights start looking pretty reasonably priced.
Option A: Small plane from Boeing Field, near Sea-Tac
Small planes depart for the San Juan Islands from Boeing Field, a short drive from Sea-Tac. A complimentary shuttle is provided for transfers between Sea-Tac Intl. Airport and Boeing Field. Advance reservations are required for shuttles. For reservations call: 1-800-543-9595
• Kenmore Air offers daily scheduled flights from Boeing Field to Eastsound on Orcas Island (reservations are highly recommended). www.kenmoreair.com
• San Juan Airlines offers charter service from Boeing Field to Eastsound on Orcas Island. www.sanjuanairlines.com. Call for reservations: 1-800-874-4434
Option B: Seaplane from Lake Union in downtown Seattle
If you want to leave from Seattle, rather than Sea-Tac/Boeing Field, you can take a seaplane from Lake Union in Seattle directly to Orcas.
• Kenmore Air offers daily scheduled flights from Lake Union in Downtown Seattle to Rosario Resort on Orcas Island. www.kenmoreair.com, 1-800-543-9595
Let us know when you will be arriving by plane and we will arrange someone to pick you up.
Leaving Orcas:
We expect most people will leave Sunday morning, so we have no formal events on Sunday. Weʼll probably have an informal brunch at Doe Bay for whoever is around and awake! You can head to the ferry on Sunday morning or feel free to lounge on Orcas a while longer.
Car-free folks:
We will provide a shuttle on Sunday morning at ~10:30am to meet the 12:05pm ferry to Anacortes. You will be able to meet the 2:55pm Airporter shuttle there, to arrive at Sea-Tac by 5:45pm. No ferry ticket is needed for this return trip. You should arrange a shuttle in advance to take you from Anacortes to Seattle/Sea-Tac. Keep in mind if you need to fly out earlier than 7pm or so from Sea-Tac, you will need to take the 9:20am ferry, or make alternative transportation arrangements. We will have two vans and some carpooling capabilities, so transportation to the ferry Sunday AM shouldnʼt be a problem.
San Juan Ferry and Airporter Shuttle service for Sunday, August 3, 2008:
For those staying at the Landmark Inn in Eastsound, another alternative way to get to the ferry is taking the “public bus” scheduled shuttles. The shuttles are timed to get you to the ferry with time to spare. Pickups from Eastsound are at 9:10am and 11:50am.
People with cars:
Sundays in the summer are the busiest time of the year for the ferry system, so you will want to arrive at the ferry terminal at least 1-3 hours before the ferry you want to catch.
FYI:
Hereʼs a Google Map of Orcas Island with sites like our wedding location, the ferry landing, and nearby hotels marked on it.
Contact info:
Numbers to call (in order)
1. David Conlin, general transportation / need to be picked up / Iʼm lost: 509-293-3414
2. Desiree Sideroff, other wedding-related Qs: 415-516-2156
3. Linda Glick, carpooling issues: 818-422-2314
4. Chris: 510-381-4989
5. Beth: 415-710-9970