psuboater

The Courtyard by Marriott South Lake Union is newly renovated and close to what you're interested in. And while Seattle was a bit squirley in 2020/2021, it's back to pre pandemic in terms of safety. I commute downtown and I don't feel unsafe walking around. Seattle is also pushing return to office so even more people downtown is going to continue to help. We have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the country for a city our size- our issue is mainly property crime.

Just booked 6/9/24 on the Joy next year and the first thing we did is purchase Vibe passes 🙂

Ha! Too much time at the Vibe. 🙂 150.

On the Joy (in the Vibe typing this 🙂 )Stalked the website daily for 4 months for Vibe passes after we booked. When we embarked I figured to head down to Teppenaki to check. The guy told me 130 passes are sold- 90 are online and 60 are for embarkation day. We were one of the last few to get it, boarding group 2, got on around 11:15am.

On the Joy here currently and I've seen the Chocolate Cowboy with his hat at sugarcane walking by. Thinking of stopping in- what makes him so beloved?

Honestly if it's important to you, I would do the upgrade over the phone- it seems like the Joy is going out at full capacity. I think $2400 guaranteed saves you the stress of waiting on bids!

For our sailing in a MA Club Balcony Suite the difference between MA and the lowest Haven was around $3000 total. However, as we got closer, Haven sold out. I put a max bid of $1000pp for the lowest Haven and did not get it.

Space saver is for non-TSA precheck (General) only, you can't reserve for TSAPre.

You're cutting it close. The Ovation is also disembarking that day, so you're looking at 6,000pax trying to get home. 8/4 is a Friday, so you have to go North to South through the city on rush hour. Figure 45 minutes to get to the airport and that's after you're able to get your ride. Now since your flight is before noon, you can't use port valet. Checking bags for me on Friday when both of those ships disembarked took me 35 minutes with Delta Priority. If you have CLEAR and Precheck, it's been a max of 15 minutes. Precheck can be 15-45 minutes, general can be way longer on busy days. Boarding will start around 10:40. If your ship like mine last year was customs delayed and didn't start disembarkation until 9am, you're out of luck. Can it be done? Sure. Do you want to ruin your cruise with the stress of this, knowing that flights are at full capacity and you might not have options until much later in the day or the next? Up to you.

If you're afraid of heights I wouldn't recommend it, even my husband who isn't that nervous with heights wanted to come down fairly shortly after getting up there. For free views- head on to the Columbia Tower and take the elevator to floor 40/Sky Bridge. There's a Starbucks that's open to the public and has views of the city. That way you feel a bit more in control, and if you still think you're too high, you can leave without spending $!

Just flew out of SEA (home airport) yesterday - I don't normally check bags, but heading on my own cruise out of NYC. The Delta lines were packed to check bags. Even in the self-tagged bag drop and having Sky Priority, it was over 30 minutes to get my bag through. I would be extremely nervous with an 11am flight.

It can vary widly. Typically, category upgrades from interior to oceanview or balcony can be processed earlier, but Haven suites they like to let us all sweat it out until the end. Makes sense because inventory of oceanview/balcony are greater than Suites/Havens.

I don't care if you're in an interior cabin, or the owner's suite in the Haven, it costs nothing to be kind to the hard working crew and staff. The cuts that are being made to headcount, food quality, etc, the staff has no control over. I have been fortunate enough to be cruising with my family since 2005. Has things been drastically cut, on all lines that I've been on? Absolutely (Man do I miss the fried chicken wings at O'Sheenahans!) . But I would never take this out on any crew member, unless someone was actively rude to me (which they never have been). Either I choose to vote with my wallet next time, going on a different line (which we did switch from Celebrity to NCL for next week's cruise) or a land-based trip instead, or I accept cruising where it is today, and I pack my patience and expectations as such. Our last cruise I saw a woman at the A-list Bar getting irate with a bartender who was manning the bar all by himself, the additional staff didn't come on shift yet. He was making drinks for those at the bar, those at Cagney's and those at Le Bistro. He was obviously overwhelmed and doing the best he could and she was making everyone uncomfortable. Sure, waiting 15-20 minutes for a drink is not ideal, but it's not life or death. At the end of the day, we've all worked hard to take a week or two with our family and friends to enjoy the moments that make those long work days worth while. And it is frustrating to see the cuts coming from corporate and they should absolutely hear about it-- but not your room steward or bartender or activities manager-- they're doing the best they absolutely can.

We booked on board for a cruise less than 120 days out (paid in full) and we were offered to chance to upgrade.

Premium internet works more like basic internet in my experience. Also, because of the metal cabins, it's almost impossible to get good signal in your room, which is where I'd imagine you'd want to take the call.

By the time you land, deplane, walk to baggage claim, wait for an Uber, and get downtown; you're looking around getting to Pier91 around noon. It would be one thing if you didn't have your bags, but as others have mentioned, it's going to be very very crowded, and not to mention hilly, so not too fun to do much. There is a shopping plaza near Pier 91 with a Whole Foods and Total Wine- as most cruise lines you can take 2 bottles of wine a cabin, so that might be something. About 10 minutes by Uber is the neighborhood of Ballard. The Ballard Locks and park is gorgeous and interesting, but again, not sure how much you want to lug your bags around, unless you go to Pier 91, check your luggage with the porter and get another Uber. There's also great breweries around (Reuben's is my personal favorite) that might be able to get your luggage in a corner while upon have a local brew. Just keep in mind the last check in time of 3pm is a hard stop and you will be denied boarding after that final check in hour.

No problem! Yes, Celebrity will always leave from Pier 91.

Celebrity departs from Pier 91.

Also adding you can purchase bus tickets via Amtrak; they partner with another company that services Seattle to Vancouver in between the two train departures. Last month we took the bus up and the train back. Highly recommend the train over the bus. The bus is safe and clean, but the train is highly more scenic and you're not dealing with I5 traffic.

I've never had to share a taxi with a stranger coming from the airport in SEA, and I've landed late.

We're on this sailing but we sailed on the Joy in February when she was sailing out of CA. Both my mom and I love Broadway shows, but we couldn't get past the first half hour on this one. Plenty of other things to do! 🙂

Go Bills! The best way to get to the Edgewater from SEA with luggage is by Uber/Lyft. Once you arrive, follow signs through the parking garage to level 3. It shouldn't be more than 15-20 minutes for one for you, it's a well oiled machine. Check out to see if your cruise offers luggage valet on the way home - they'll check your bags for your flight directly off the cruise, freeing you up for the day. Some things to hit: Pike Place Market Space Needle (with the new renovations it's worth the $) Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Capitol Hill (skip the "original" in Pike Place, it's underwhelming) Museums: Museum of History and Industry (MoHAI) Museum of Pop Culture Chilhuly Garden I would highly recommend getting to the airport no later than 1:30 for a 4pm flight, especially if you don't have TSA Pre or Clear. In the summer, security lines can be gnarly. Enjoy your trip!

If you're only looking to stay around the city for the day to explore the city, I highly recommend ditching the car idea. Traffic is back to pre pandemic levels after Amazon announced return to office, and if you're coming in July, you're possibly looking at competing with the MLB All Star game (7/8-11) or Taylor Swift (7/21-7/23). Parking is a pain and expensive. If you're fairly mobile, Seattle is pretty compact to walk and be able to see everything you want to see. I actually recommend walking onto the Bainbridge Ferry for the morning to explore the quaint downtown and get some great views of the sound and then of downtown heading back. Light rail can get you easily to the airport once you're ready to get to SEA.

I feel this. The first time we went to Alaska in 2008 it was my first time in the PNW. I was stunned! I still remember spotting my first bald eagle... ...now living on Whidbey Island, WA, we have a pair of bald eagles in our neighborhood that eye our corgi as a snack 😄. I went to Alaska on a last minute with my family last year and I felt that it was just a magnfied place of where I already live. I think that might have contributed to your boredom.

I've stayed both at the Four Points and the Hampton Inn. Both were clean, no frills, with a shuttle to the airport. Everything you expect out of a airport hotel, nothing you don't 🙂