Isle of Man TT fans faced hours stuck in an online queue to book ferry journeys today.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company released tickets for all of its planned sailings ahead of next year’s two week motorsport spectacular.

Practice and qualifying week for the Isle of Man TT 2025 is slated to take place between May 26 and May 30 next year while race week will be staged the week after, from Monday, May 26 to Saturday, June 7.

But TT fans hoping to visit the Isle of Man for the next year’s races are now facing an anxious wait to find out if they’d be able to book passage to the island on one of the Steam Packet’s ferries.

Many visitors to the Steam Packet’s online booking portal this morning (Monday) were sent to a ‘virtual waiting room’.

Once there, they were greeted by a white screen with text displaying a bespoke ‘estimated wait time’ to book ferry tickets, which went on sale at 8.30am.

Text accompanying the estimated wait time explained: ‘You are now in line. Thank you for your patience.

‘We are experiencing a high volume of traffic and using a virtual queue to limit the amount of users on the website at the same time.

‘This will ensure you have the best possible online experience.’

Some eager Steam Packet customers complained of having to endure wait times of up to four hours this morning.

And many of those hoping to sail to the island for next year’s Isle of Man TT took to social media to vent their frustration at the situation.

One said: ‘They’re making it harder for TT visitors every single year!’

Another added: ‘Tried all morning but very frustrating experience’.

‘I’ve waited for over two hours and then the website crashed on me, whenever I get as far as putting crossings in it flashes up options then times out instantly,’ one TT hopeful fumed.

Other potential Steam Packet customers hoping to book ferries outside of the Isle of Man TT race window were also hit by the traffic surge to the site.

Over the weekend, the Steam Packet announced it had made improvements to its online queuing system in anticipation of the annual rush for ferry tickets during the TT. The ferry firm, an arms-length government company, said it had enhanced the website’s queuing mechanism and brought in additional staff to facilitate a smoother booking experience for fans.

Earlier today, the Steam Packet issued a statement online asking customers to ‘be patient’ while they worked to make bookings ‘as quick and simple as possible’.

Airlines operating out of Isle of Man airport, including easyJet and Loganair are yet to release their flight tickets and timetables for the Isle of Man TT 2025.