NEWBIE: SEATTLE,ALASKA, THE BLISS, DISEMBARK, FLIGHTS

[TraumaDramaMDs]

Hello!

I'm hoping some seasoned cruisers can answer a few of my questions.

I love to travel but I never cruise.

20+ years ago on my first cruise from New York to Bermuda, I was so deathly ill I swore I'd never subject myself to cruising again. I only drive, take a train or fly to my destinations. Now my T/C's want to cruise and convinced me that things are "better" now with the newer, bigger ships.

Sooo we booked NCL The Bliss from Seattle to Alaska in the spring of 2019. I'm a wreck over getting seasick like that every again. I made sure we got a midship balcony room and I plan to bring an arsenal of seasick remedies (OTC/Scripts/Homeopathics/Ginger/Sea-bands) just in case.

- Any further suggestions for quelling sea sicknesses? Crackers and Green apples will also be on me at all times lol.

- In port;  when they say you will arrive at (for example) Ketchikan by 6:00 AM and leave at 1:00 pm how many hours are you off the boat?. After you arrive at what time do they let you off the boat for excursions and how long before they leave do they expect you to be back on the boat? I read 2 hours prior to departure but that doesn't really leave a lot of time in port?

- Disembarking the ship. The ship docks back in Seattle at 6:00am on Sunday morning, I have read it takes about 2 hours for the ship to clear customs. Does that mean they let the ppl off by 8:00 am? When I get on the ship who would I speak to about leaving the ship as early as possible after docking? I don't care if I have to schlep my own bags around. 

- Flights. Due to work I cannot spend any additional days in Seattle 😞 I have to fly out on the earliest flight I can get. The Bliss arrives in port at 6:00 AM,  Can I get off the ship, get a cab/uber from Pier 66 to SEA Airport to make a 12:50 flight (arriving at the airport 2 hours prior to this flight). Is that enough time? I already have TSA precheck.

Sorry if these have been posted elsewhere and thank you in advance for the help.

 

[LHT28]

for port days  you are usually allowed off  after about 30-60 mins after docking  you MUST be back 30 mins prior to sailing time

It will be posted in the daily news letter 

Embarkation day you need to be there 2 hrs prior to sailing time

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, TraumaDramaMDs said:

Hello!

I'm hoping some seasoned cruisers can answer a few of my questions.

I love to travel but I never cruise.

20+ years ago on my first cruise from New York to Bermuda, I was so deathly ill I swore I'd never subject myself to cruising again. I only drive, take a train or fly to my destinations. Now my T/C's want to cruise and convinced me that things are "better" now with the newer, bigger ships.

Sooo we booked NCL The Bliss from Seattle to Alaska in the spring of 2019. I'm a wreck over getting seasick like that every again. I made sure we got a midship balcony room and I plan to bring an arsenal of seasick remedies (OTC/Scripts/Homeopathics/Ginger/Sea-bands) just in case.

- Any further suggestions for quelling sea sicknesses? Crackers and Green apples will also be on me at all times lol.

- In port;  when they say you will arrive at (for example) Ketchikan by 6:00 AM and leave at 1:00 pm how many hours are you off the boat?. After you arrive at what time do they let you off the boat for excursions and how long before they leave do they expect you to be back on the boat? I read 2 hours prior to departure but that doesn't really leave a lot of time in port?

- Disembarking the ship. The ship docks back in Seattle at 6:00am on Sunday morning, I have read it takes about 2 hours for the ship to clear customs. Does that mean they let the ppl off by 8:00 am? When I get on the ship who would I speak to about leaving the ship as early as possible after docking? I don't care if I have to schlep my own bags around. 

- Flights. Due to work I cannot spend any additional days in Seattle 😞 I have to fly out on the earliest flight I can get. The Bliss arrives in port at 6:00 AM,  Can I get off the ship, get a cab/uber from Pier 66 to SEA Airport to make a 12:50 flight (arriving at the airport 2 hours prior to this flight). Is that enough time? I already have TSA precheck.

Sorry if these have been posted elsewhere and thank you in advance for the help.

 

Unfortunately the size of the ship has little influence on the sea-keeping ability. The cruise ships I worked aboard many years ago were vastly superior than some of the new mega ships.

In addition to having a m'ships cabin, you should also be looking for a lower deck. Inside cabins also get less movement than balcony cabins. For seasickness, DW uses seabands and scopolomine patches, which are available OTC in Canada, but prescription only in US.

In Alaska, clearance on arrival is normally quick, so you can be going ashore shortly after docking. Check the board at the gangway, but aboard time is usually 30 min before departure. Embarkation port is 2 hrs before departure.

Couple of days before disembarkation you should receive a notice regarding groups/times, etc. I would expect disembarkation starts within an hour. From port to Seatac allow 1 hr for traffic.

 

[LuckyStar]

On 10/17/2018 at 8:44 PM, TraumaDramaMDs said:

Hello!

I'm hoping some seasoned cruisers can answer a few of my questions.

I love to travel but I never cruise.

20+ years ago on my first cruise from New York to Bermuda, I was so deathly ill I swore I'd never subject myself to cruising again. I only drive, take a train or fly to my destinations. Now my T/C's want to cruise and convinced me that things are "better" now with the newer, bigger ships.

Sooo we booked NCL The Bliss from Seattle to Alaska in the spring of 2019. I'm a wreck over getting seasick like that every again. I made sure we got a midship balcony room and I plan to bring an arsenal of seasick remedies (OTC/Scripts/Homeopathics/Ginger/Sea-bands) just in case.

- Any further suggestions for quelling sea sicknesses? Crackers and Green apples will also be on me at all times lol.

- In port;  when they say you will arrive at (for example) Ketchikan by 6:00 AM and leave at 1:00 pm how many hours are you off the boat?. After you arrive at what time do they let you off the boat for excursions and how long before they leave do they expect you to be back on the boat? I read 2 hours prior to departure but that doesn't really leave a lot of time in port?

- Disembarking the ship. The ship docks back in Seattle at 6:00am on Sunday morning, I have read it takes about 2 hours for the ship to clear customs. Does that mean they let the ppl off by 8:00 am? When I get on the ship who would I speak to about leaving the ship as early as possible after docking? I don't care if I have to schlep my own bags around. 

- Flights. Due to work I cannot spend any additional days in Seattle 😞 I have to fly out on the earliest flight I can get. The Bliss arrives in port at 6:00 AM,  Can I get off the ship, get a cab/uber from Pier 66 to SEA Airport to make a 12:50 flight (arriving at the airport 2 hours prior to this flight). Is that enough time? I already have TSA precheck.

Sorry if these have been posted elsewhere and thank you in advance for the help.

 

I never have had seasickness but I have had a mild case the last two cruises.  Ginger ale has always helped.  And it's pretty immediate.  So that's an extra bit of help, just in case.  Ginger candy is always a good alternative too.

[Bigbluegal]

I was on a cruise some 30 years ago in which I too was so sick (Honeymoon:().  I never wanted to cruise again vowing to only do land vacations.  About 3 years ago I decided to try again.  I didn't take any medication, though I had some with me.  I did not get sick!  I did consciously not do things that would have a tendency to make one sick such as looking over the boat in one area starring at the water as the boat moves in the opposite direction, starring up into the sky at the clouds as they move away while the boat is moving in the opposite direction.  We have now been on 3 Royal Caribbean and 1 NCL (Escape) without any sickness.  We are scheduled for summer 2019 on the Bliss to Alaska.  Hopefully you too will have an enjoyable experience without having to rely on medications.

Edited October 20, 2018 by Bigbluegal

[vmillard]

If you can, when you disembark take your own luggage off or make sure that the cruise line knows you have an early flight and gets you into an early group.  Seattle traffic is a nightmare on a good day.  I would plan at least a hour from the pier to airport.  MIght be longer...

[GMRPHRN]

I suffer from sea sickness and let it keep me from trying a cruise for many years. I use the patch and take meclizine. I'm not recommending them, just sharing.   I have been on cruises in rocky seas where I still felt queasy.  It gets better after a few days. On my Alaskan inner passage cruise, you could barely tell the ship was moving most of the time - the sea was like glass.  I did get seasick on the small boat excursion to see the whales, though, because I had taken the patch off.

 

When I took my AK cruise we returned on a Tuesday. We had an 11:30 flight. We did self-assist and were in a cab by 8:30. The drive to the airport was uneventful.  They have flat rate cabs and there is no reason to book in advance. I think we were the only ship arriving on that day. It was probably the most smooth debark I've ever done.

 

Just another FYI, the medicines make you very dry and thirsty. Plan on drinking lots of water or fluids. 

[Dentroy]

I was on the Bliss to Alaska this Summer. I used the prepaid transfers through NCL from both the Airport to the Ship and back, If you use this NCL puts you in a proper disembarkation group and onto a shuttle to have you to your flight in time. Or if you choose to carry your own luggage and walk off yourself you were allowed to leave pretty much in the first group which I believe was around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. The shuttle bus cost was very reasonable, and one of the least expensive options ( I believe 20.00 each way) and kept some of the craziness to a minimum. These became available about 60 days prior to the cruise and I easily made a 1:00 p.m. Flight.

[Jules 32]

Hi....Do not worry about seasickness....We went on an Alaska cruise two years ago and we are going this Summer as well.

An Alaska cruise won't be like crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Bermuda.  The ship stays pretty close to the coast most of the way.

You get out into the ocean but the ship follows the coast most of the way up. (Your not crossing an open ocean!)  These ships are also so big, you can't even tell they are moving half the time.  I get motion sickness in cars/rides and never had a problem on 7-8 cruises I've been on.  But of course, bring meds to be on safe side.

 

If you need to get to airport by certain time, buy transfers through NCL.  They will make sure you are off the boat in enough time to get you to the airport. You should have no problem making a 12:55 flight.  NCL gets people off very fast, they have another

cruise leaving at 4:00 pm that day so process people quickly.  Hope this helps.

[Heidi13]

9 minutes ago, Jules 32 said:

Hi....Do not worry about seasickness....We went on an Alaska cruise two years ago and we are going this Summer as well.

An Alaska cruise won't be like crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Bermuda.  The ship stays pretty close to the coast most of the way.

You get out into the ocean but the ship follows the coast most of the way up. (Your not crossing an open ocean!)  These ships are also so big, you can't even tell they are moving half the time.  I get motion sickness in cars/rides and never had a problem on 7-8 cruises I've been on.  But of course, bring meds to be on safe side.

 

 

Having only completed 1 cruise to Alaska, you haven't had seen some of the weather systems that can be experienced, even during the summer months.

 

I have completed 2 full Alaska seasons as navigator on cruise ships and spent over 30 years on the BC Coast. While you may experience smooth sailing, in BC and Alaska waters it isn't guaranteed, so I definitely would not agree with advising pax not to worry about seasickness.

 

In Hecate Strait, which the Vancouver based ships use, you are close to the coast on both sides, but it is comparatively shallow, so the seas are higher than open ocean. Have experienced many delays crossing Hecate, a few of them also in the summer months. Back in my cruise ship days, remember hitting 70 kt winds around Icy Strait, which resulted in an almost empty dinning room. 

[Jules 32]

What your talking about is the exception not the norm.  Of course you can have rough seas but why get this person

all worried with your doom and gloom stories...I was just trying to assure her not to let "worring about sea sickness" effect

having a great vacation.

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, Jules 32 said:

What your talking about is the exception not the norm.  Of course you can have rough seas but why get this person

all worried with your doom and gloom stories...I was just trying to assure her not to let "worring about sea sickness" effect

having a great vacation.

 

With almost 30 years as a Captain sailing these waters, I believe I have a little more experience than your single cruise to Alaska. From experience, I actually do know what is the norm in BC & Alaska waters, not just during the summer months, but every season. The summer, especially early/late season norm in Alaska is unpredictable, as I have experienced everything from 95F and flat calm in Skagway one week to departing in 40 kt winds the next week. In my 20+ trips to Glacier Bay I have seen everything from warm, sunny & flat calm to being so choppy that we could not lower a boat to retrieve a bergy bit at one of the glaciers. The only norm was seeing glaciers.

 

DW also gets seasick and always brings her meds. On most cruises to Alaska she has used them.