Booking & Buying Ferry Tickets
Once you have navigated through the process of finding the ferry you want you normally need to book a ticket.
It is possible in many cases to buy a ticket on the quay side, most services have offices or agents in the port. Prices are normally similar wherever you buy them from. Buying at the port allows flexibility but not to be advised on busy routes in peak season and there can be queues which is not great if you are late arriving in the port.
If you are hopping from one island on to another you will almost always have to book separate tickets for each leg of a journey, similarly if you want a return ticket you can do this but each ticket is separate (you also need a Preboarding form for each leg of your trip)
There are several ways to buy tickets on line, there are numerous websites offering tickets, most are similar price but always check and be aware sites may not show all the different companies who sail that route, this is especially the case if you try to book early in the year when some schedules have still to be confirmed.
You can also book directly with most of the ferry companies one benefit of doing this is that the company will have contact details so may send you a message if there is a problem! If you book online, you can opt for an e-ticket or print off tickets or get ticket printed off at an agent as shown in example below:
You may visit our web site and issue your e-tickets conveniently from home or the office. Online Check-in is available 48 to 2 hours prior to scheduled time of the vessel’s departure. Enter the booking reference and one of the passengers’ last name and select Check-in. Once the Check-in is successful, you will receive your boarding pass either via email or smartphone in the form of Mobile boarding pass. This procedure will enable you to print it out without extra fees or get on board by providing your e-ticket via your mobile smart device.
Alternatively you may collect your tickets from Company’s authorized Port Agencies at the port of departure, at least 1 hour before the departure. In order to collect your ticket(s), you should present your Booking Reference, along with your ID card or Passport.
E Tickets have advantages, but I have seen people have problems when tickets are on one phone and members of the party get split up in the rush to board or the phone battery dies!
Currently you will need to fill in a paper Pre-Boarding Health Declaration form, if you book direct then some companies send you a partly prepopulated form. These need to be handed in during boarding, if this is not done you may be refused boarding of the ferry! Blank copies of the forms are on all the ferry websites, so it is a good idea to print off enough copies to take with you.