You can book ferry travel either by:

• Phone – 02820769299
• Email – info@rathlinballycastleferry.com
• Online – www.rathlinballycastleferry.com
• In person – Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd, 18 Bayview Road, Ballycastle, BT546BT

Please note that if booking in person, by phone, by email or online then we require a lead name, the number of passengers, a contact phone number and the outward and return sailing times preferred. For bookings made in person, by phone or email no pre-payment is taken unless this is pre-arranged for an event. Payment can be made by cash or card when collecting your tickets on the day of travel and if you no longer require pre-booked tickets we appreciate a call or an email to cancel.

For bookings made online, payment is taken at the time of booking and you will receive confirmation which you are required to show at the Booking Office when you arrive on the day of travel to collect your tickets. Please note that the booking confirmation is not a ticket and any passenger who has pre-booked online is required to collect tickets from the booking office on the day of travel at least 30 minutes before departure are processed through the booking office. If you fail to collect tickets from the booking office then your spaces may be allocated to other passengers.

In order to complete a booking online the travel must not be within 24 hours of the required sailing time otherwise the booking must be made by phone, email or in person in the Booking Office. There are a limited number of spaces available online for each sailing, so if the sailing you prefer is not available online then the sailing may only be fully booked for online bookings and space may still be available if you contact the booking office direct by phone, email or in person.

You cannot book smart pass holders online, they must be booked through the booking office direct by phone, email or in person. If you are making a booking online for fare paying passengers and would like to include smartpass holders then you can add this information in the notes section of the online booking form. You cannot book bicycles online as we have limited space on both ferries. If you are making a booking online and would like to book bicycles then you can add this information in the notes section of the online booking form or contact the booking office direct by phone, email or in person to add bikes to your booking. An online booking is only complete once you receive your booking confirmation by email. If you do not receive the confirmation email please contact the booking office to confirm if we have received your booking and if it has been successful.

Please note that the booking confirmation is not a ticket and any passenger who has pre-booked online is required to collect tickets from the Booking Office on the day of travel at least 30 minutes before departure. It is not possible to use the confirmation email on the ferry to board as all passengers are processed through the Booking Office. If you fail to collect tickets from the booking office then your spaces may be allocated to other passengers.

We recommend booking your space on the ferry at least 1 week in advance to ensure travel on the preferred day and sailing. There may be availability for sailings the day before travel, however this may be limited. Booking may also be possible on the day you want to travel if spaces are still available and should be done by phone or in person in the Booking Office.

Please note that during peak times it may not be possible to book on the same day you want to travel as space is limited. In this instance if sailings are full we will take a standby list with a maximum of 20 passengers and if pre-booked tickets are not collected 30 minutes before the sailing departs then we will offer any available spaces to the people on standby.

Passengers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to collect tickets from the Booking Office and to board the ferry for the safety announcements. If pre-booked tickets are not collected 30 minutes before the departure time then we will offer spaces to passengers on standby. If you are unable to travel on a pre-booked sailing for an reason we will always try to book you on the next available sailing provided there are return sailings available.

Passengers are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to collect tickets from the Booking Office and to board the ferry for the safety announcements. If pre-booked tickets are not collected 30 minutes before the departure time then we will offer spaces to passengers on standby. We will always try to get you on another sailing if you miss your original ferry from Ballycastle but this is only possible if there are still spaces left on return sailings departing from Rathlin. It is very important that you do not miss your return sailing from Rathlin to Ballycastle as during peak times many sailings can be fully booked and there may be no availability on other sailings. Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd are not responsible for any costs incurred by passengers who miss their ferry.

If there are any disruptions or cancellations then we will contact anyone booked to advise them. This is why it is important that we have a contact number when making a booking. We also put travel updates on our website and Facebook page and we inform the local radio stations.