Isle of Man TT fans are facing 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 2026 is slated to take place between May 25 and May 31 next year while race week will be staged the week after, from Monday, June 1 to Sunday, June 7.

But many TT fans this morning hoping to visit the Isle of Man for the next year’s races are 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.

Majority of 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 are 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.

While others commented on social media saying the process was 'seamless' for them.

One frustrated customer commented: 'I've been waiting since 7.30am and it's not changed, it's still a four hour wait. It needs to be improved.'

Another, who had a very different experience, added: 'All sorted for next year, the lady on the phone was very useful and the website didn't crash like last year!'

This year's Isle of Man TT is just days away.