Steamship Vows "Error-Free" Bookings As It Prepares To Open Summer Reservations

After several years of painfully challenging opening dates for summer reservations, the Steamship Authority is vowing to improve that experience for customers logging on to its website to book trips in 2025.

"To ensure the most performative and error-free experience for the traveling public during the 2025 reservation openings, the Authority’s IT Department and external vendors have been conducting increasingly demanding load tests in preparation for the upcoming reservation opening period," the Steamship Authority announced on Wednesday. "The results of those tests show the website is capable of processing more than the peak number of reservations per minute experienced in 2024."

The Steamship just announced the key dates and information for the upcoming opening days for summer reservations for year-round and seasonal island residents, as well as the general public. Here's what you need to know:

NANTUCKET HEAD START RESERVATIONS OPENING DATE: 8 a.m. Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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 is open to all year-round residents (who qualify for the Excursion Program) and seasonal homeowners (who qualify for the Preferred Program). The first week of Head Start – January 14-20, 2025 –will be exclusively for qualified Preferred or Excursion customers to book for their account only. Reservations made during that week cannot be made in another individual’s name and are non-transferable.

• Starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Head Start customers may make reservations online and via U.S. mail for travel from May 13, 2025, through October 21, 2025. These reservations can be made in the account holder’s name only.
• Starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, January 21, 2025, up to five reservations of the 10 allotted can be made directly into another person’s name for personal use. Three of those five reservations can be requested as a transferable reservation, which can be transferred to another individual at a later date.

NANTUCKET GENERAL PUBLIC RESERVATIONS OPENING DATE: 8 a.m. Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Reservations for travel from May 13, 2025, through October 21, 2025, can be made starting at 8 a.m. EST on January 28, 2025. Reservations submitted via U.S. mail (up to five one-way or round-trip reservations will be accepted per mailing) will be processed as received beginning on this date.

The Authority 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.