Taking a Washington State Ferry with a baby, toddler or kids

WA Ferry Tracker › Taking a Washington State Ferry with a baby, toddler or kids

A ferry ride is one of the easiest "big outings" you can do with small kids around Seattle. Boats, water, snacks and a place to walk around. It's also where a few rules (free youth tickets, the car deck, which terminals have elevators) can trip you up with a stroller in tow. This guide sticks to what Washington State Ferries (WSF) and WSDOT actually publish. Where they don't say something, we tell you that instead of guessing.

Walk on or drive on with kids?

Both work. The trade-off is mostly about the line.

Walking on

• Fewer waits. WSDOT's best times to travel guides are "for vehicle traffic only." It adds that "in almost all cases there is room for walk-on passengers and bicyclists." On a busy summer Friday, that's the difference between catching the next boat and idling in a holding lane with a toddler.
• Timing. WSDOT's first-time rider page asks walk-ons to be aboard at least 5 minutes before the sailing. With a stroller, a diaper bag and a kid who wants to look at every seagull, give yourself a lot more than that.
• Getting aboard. WSDOT says walk-on passengers cross a ramp onto the boat. Some terminals have overhead walkways and elevators, some don't (see the terminal table below).
• The free youth ticket. If the terminal needs a ticket to walk on, the child must be present at the ticket booth to receive it (more below).

Driving on

• Your car is your base camp. Car seats, spare clothes, the nap. You also skip carrying everything up a ramp.
• Timing. WSDOT asks vehicles to be in line at the tollbooth at least 20 minutes before departure on most routes, or 30 minutes if you have a reservation. Your ticket "does not guarantee your spot." Outside the reservation routes, loading is first-come, first-served (WSDOT tickets page).
• Reservations exist only on some routes. According to WSDOT, those are Anacortes/San Juan Islands/Sidney BC and Port Townsend/Coupeville. Everywhere else you queue.
• Leaving the line costs you your spot. Do the bathroom run and snack stop before you join the holding lanes. Our Mukilteo–Clinton Whidbey weekend guide has more on planning around a long line with a toddler.

Rule of thumb: for a city-to-city day trip like Seattle–Bainbridge or Seattle–Bremerton, walking on is simpler. For an island weekend with gear, drive, and pick your sailing time carefully.

Strollers and car seats

Strollers. WSDOT's what you can bring aboard page covers bikes, kayaks, pets and similar items. It doesn't list strollers as restricted, and it doesn't publish a stroller policy. In practice, what matters is how you get from the terminal to the passenger deck. That depends on the terminal (overhead walkway or not, elevator or not) and on the boat (WSDOT lists an elevator on every vessel). WSDOT also says to "use caution when car decks are wet," which is worth remembering if you're pushing a stroller across one.

Car seats. WSF doesn't publish car-seat rules for the boat itself, so we won't make any up. What WSDOT does document is car-deck behavior (next section). That's what decides whether a sleeping baby can stay buckled in the car during the crossing.

Stay in the car or go up to the passenger deck?

This is the big question with a sleeping baby. Here's what WSDOT says:

• You may leave your vehicle, but you don't have to. WSDOT's first-time rider page: "Once you get on the boat you may leave your vehicle." Before you go upstairs, turn off your car alarm and set the emergency brake. Follow loudspeaker announcements and return to your car when asked.
• Non-emergency stops. WSDOT's riders with disabilities page explains that for non-emergency slowdowns (drills, whales, waiting for another ferry and so on) "you can stay in your vehicle."
• Emergencies. The same page says that in an emergency, crews evacuate the car deck to assembly stations in the main cabin. If you're staying down with a sleeping child, follow crew instructions right away.
• Don't leave belongings unattended. WSDOT's safety and security page says it plainly. That includes the diaper bag you set down in the cabin.
• Once loading starts, you can't just hop off. The safety page says you need the captain's permission to disembark once loading begins. If you realize the bottle is still in the terminal, it's too late.

Our take as parents: if the crossing is short and the baby is finally asleep, staying with the car is a perfectly normal choice. Just keep an adult with any child who stays in the vehicle. If you go upstairs, note which stairwell or elevator you used, because car decks all look alike. Then start back down when the announcement comes.

Need to park near an elevator? WSDOT's accessibility page says to arrive about 30 minutes early and tell the ticket seller if you need to park near an elevator or a car-deck restroom. It's a request, not a guarantee, and it's aimed at riders with disabilities. If that's your family's situation, ask.

Restrooms, changing tables and the galley

WSDOT publishes a details page for each vessel. We checked all 21 current vessel pages linked from WSDOT's ferries and terminals list. Here's what they say:

• Restrooms: every vessel page lists a main-cabin restroom.
• Car-deck restrooms: WSDOT lists an accessible car-deck restroom on Cathlamet, Chelan, Chimacum, Issaquah, Kaleetan, Kitsap, Kittitas, Samish, Suquamish and Yakima. That's handy if you're staying with the car. Vessel assignments change, so check which boat is running on the ferry tracker or WSDOT's VesselWatch.
• Changing tables: none of WSDOT's vessel or terminal pages mention changing tables or baby-changing facilities. We can't tell you they're there, so bring a portable changing pad and plan on improvising.
• Food: WSDOT says "many ferries have food and drinks in a dining area," plus vending machines. Almost every vessel page lists a galley, though hours vary. For example, WSDOT's Seattle terminal page posts fall 2026 galley hours for the Bainbridge and Bremerton boats. Pack snacks anyway, especially for late sailings.
• No public Wi-Fi. WSDOT's first-time rider page says so, and every vessel page lists "WiFi: No." Download a show before you leave.
• Terminal restrooms: most WSDOT terminal pages list restrooms. Lopez Island and Tahlequah list none, and WSDOT says Tahlequah also has no waiting room and no staff.

Traveling with the dog as well? WSDOT's pets page keeps pets out of the galley, off seats and tables, and out of roughly half of the indoor cabin on the galley end. That can help you pick a seat.

Kid fares: what WSF actually says

We're not reprinting fare tables (they change). Here are the rules that matter for families, from WSDOT's ticket information page and its terminal pages:

• Under 19 rides free as a passenger. Every WSDOT terminal page we checked says: "Children and youth under the age of 19 travel free, although teenagers behind the wheel of a motor vehicle must pay the adult vehicle and driver fare."
• The child must be present for the free walk-on ticket. WSDOT: "At terminals where a ticket is needed for walk-on travel, the youth must be present at the ticket booth to receive a free youth ticket, which is valid for six hours and needed to pass the turnstile." Other tickets are valid for 90 days, but free youth tickets last six hours. Don't pick one up in the morning for an evening sailing.
• Teen drivers pay. A 17-year-old driving the family car pays the adult vehicle and driver fare.
• Card surcharge. WSDOT notes a 3% surcharge on card payments since March 1, 2026. WSDOT says you can avoid it by paying cash or using an ORCA card that wasn't loaded at a WSF facility.
• Summer vehicle surcharge. WSDOT applies a peak-season surcharge to vehicle fares from May 1 to September 30.

For everything else (senior, disability and school-group rates, round-trip vs one-way collection points), see our walk-on passenger guide and WSDOT's ticket pages.

Timing around naps: avoiding long vehicle waits

A long holding-lane wait is a lot harder with a kid who was due for a nap 20 minutes ago. We cover peak patterns route by route in our best time to take the ferry guide, built from WSDOT's own best-time charts (fall 2026 runs Sept 20–Dec 26). A few kid-specific points:

• Use the charts to pick a sailing that lines up with the nap. A car-seat nap in a short, moving line beats one stuck in a long, hot line.
• Before you leave home, check WSDOT's travel alerts for cancellations and delays. During a service disruption, WSDOT's service contingency plan describes how routes are reduced.
• If the line is huge, consider parking and walking on, since walk-ons almost always fit.

What to pack

This is a parent's checklist, not WSDOT rules:

• Diaper bag with a portable changing pad (changing tables aren't documented on WSF boats)
• Snacks and water, even if the boat has a galley
• Layers and a hat. You'll want to go out on the deck for the views, and Puget Sound wind is part of the fun
• Downloaded shows or audiobooks (no public Wi-Fi on board)
• A carrier, if your terminal has no elevator
• Your free youth ticket, kept with your own ticket until you're through the turnstile
• Everything you need from the car before you go upstairs

Motion and weather

WSF doesn't publish seasickness advice, so we won't either. What it does publish is service information. Delays, cancellations and elevator or restroom outages go on WSDOT's travel alerts page. You can also sign up there for free alerts by route. Check before you leave. If it's blowy, the indoor cabin is the obvious place for little ones, and outer decks and car decks can be wet (WSDOT: "Use caution when car decks are wet").

Accessibility and elevators: terminal by terminal

WSDOT notes that accessibility "varies by terminal and ferry." Elevator and accessible-restroom outages are posted on the travel alerts page. As of early November 2026, for example, WSDOT posted temporary elevator outages on the M/V Sealth and the M/V Suquamish. Here's what WSDOT's terminal pages list for overhead passenger loading and elevators on the routes most Seattle families use:

Walk-ons can ask terminal staff for boarding help, according to WSDOT. Anyone helping another rider board must tell staff. On board, WSDOT lists an elevator on every vessel. The newest boats (Tokitae, Samish, Chimacum, Suquamish) have two elevators and wide staircases from both car decks.

Kid-friendly destinations (our day-trip guides)

• Seattle ↔ Bainbridge: the classic walk-on. The Kids Discovery Museum (KiDiMu) is on Ravine Lane next to BIMA, aimed at young children. Our Bainbridge terminal page has the walking details.
• Seattle ↔ Bremerton: WSF or the Kitsap Fast Ferry. The free Puget Sound Navy Museum, the fountains and the boardwalk are all right by the terminal.
• Edmonds ↔ Kingston: walk-on or car, with notes on the long Edmonds ramp.
• Mukilteo ↔ Clinton (Whidbey): a weekend with a car, including how to time the line around a toddler.

Want a heads-up before you load the family into the car? WA Ferry Tracker shows live boats and can send free WhatsApp alerts.

FAQ

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Sources

• WSDOT – First-time riders
• WSDOT – Ticket information (youth tickets)
• WSDOT – Tickets (first-come, first-served)
• WSDOT – Riders with disabilities
• WSDOT – Safety and security
• WSDOT – What you can bring aboard
• WSDOT – Pets
• WSDOT – Best times to travel
• WSDOT – Service contingency plan
• WSDOT – Travel alerts
• WSDOT – Ferries and terminals (vessel and terminal details)
• WSDOT – Seattle terminal details
• WSDOT – Edmonds terminal details
• WSDOT – Mukilteo terminal details
• WSDOT – M/V Suquamish details
• WSDOT – M/V Kaleetan details

Independent guide, not affiliated with Washington State Ferries or WSDOT. Schedules, fares, holiday timetables and line rules change, so confirm on wsdot.wa.gov before you travel. Last updated November 5, 2026.