(Cape May, NJ) Today, Cape May – Lewes Ferry (CMLF) officials introduced the operation’s new website, which contains real time vehicle-space availability information, more details on ferry programs and events, links to area tourism partner sites, and a soon-to-be launched on-line gift shop. One of the goals of the new website, www.cmlf.com, is to seamlessly intertwine both tourism and transportation aspects of the business while making the site fun for CMLF customers to visit.

According to Heath Gehrke, Director of Ferry Operations, the new online reservation module provides for greater customer convenience and accessibility. “A customer can now obtain real time space availability information for any scheduled departure, which helps our customers’ decision-making process,” Gehrke said, noting that nearly 171,000 call-centre and on-line reservations were completed in 2007. “Reservations are now free and discounts are available for booking online so it’s in the customer’s best interest to reserve their place onboard the vessel.” The new system also provides for enhanced booking routines through the website – features the previous system did not have. The new system also better organizes customer reservation data, including email addresses, which can now be used to send customers instant confirmation information.

On the home page, customers have easy access to make a reservation, to find feature programs, information and events at the Ferry, and to surf other areas on the site using the straightforward drop-down menu portals. The home page includes a graphic simulation of a ferry crossing on the Delaware Bay, accompanied by a dolphin and intermittent sounds of rippling waves, buoys signals, and the call of a passing seagull. “We wanted to create a fresh look for the operation and better organize the information presented on the site while making it more fun and interesting for our customers,” Gehrke noted. “Most importantly, the entire website can now be maintained and updated internally – making changes and additions to the new site easy to do.” In 2007, the CMLF website handled more than 1,565,000 unique visitations and processed nearly 65,000 online reservations.

The new site also contains the following pull-down menu options on the home page: Schedules and Fares; Programs and Events; Points of Interest; Ferry Info; Shuttle Bus; Gift Shop; and Book an Event. The Program and Events section contains an overview map of twin capes region complete with icons illustrating various CMLF programs and events. The e-Gift Shop, which is expected to be completed by the end of July, will offer the top selling items now available only at the terminal locations to CMLF customers on-line.

Using the Points of Interest menu option on the site, visitors are directed to New Jersey and Delaware resort city destinations and area attractions, which are arranged both alphabetically and by State. “While we are always focused on providing a safe, reliable, and professionally run marine transportation system, we also recognize that the Ferry is an integral component in the twin capes tourism region,” remarked Gehrke. “It is a natural to link up with things to do and places to see on both sides of the Bay.”

The Cape May - Lewes Ferry (CMLF) operates year round and has carried more than thirtyfive million passengers since its inception on July 1, 1964. In 2007, the ferry service, which connects Victorian Cape May, New Jersey, and historic Lewes, Delaware, transported approximately 350,000 vehicles and more than one million passengers.