Seattle disembarkation -- time to airport?

[Leela]

Hi, I've booked a cruise on Mercury that arrives in Seattle at 7:00am. I'm curious as to what people think the earliest "safe" time to fly out after disembarkation is. We're coming in on a Monday morning, so morning commute traffic could also be a factor.

 

Thanks!!

[Guest juliae]

The general rule is to book your return flights for no earlier than 12 noon. The ship arrives at 7:00 a.m., but has to pass through a variety of inspections before the passengers can disembark. It can go quickly, or it can be very slow, and a close flight connection can cause unnecessary anxiety. Plus, it can take some time to find your luggage. You might also get caught in a line for Customs and Immigration, too. In any case, Sea-Tac isn't a bad place to have to sit and wait for a flight...I've done it many, many times!

 

It is about 20-25 minutes without any traffic delays, but it could take up to an hour in afternoon traffic. Traffic from south Seattle will be going into town in the morning commute, so you will be going against the heavy traffic.

 

Best Regards,

Julia

[Leela]

Thanks for the tips! I've used "noon" as my guideline in the past, but since I haven't been to Seattle since the 80's I didn't know if that kind of timeline would still be safe.