Seattle Pier 91 to Sea-Tac airport

[Penzance]

On 6/18/2019 at 6:35 PM, zelker said:

 

Would be most interested to hear why before I possibly make a mistake and book them. 

 

 

I must have missed their post but if it was with Already There, then no WAY will I do business with them.  @Penzance can you confirm it was or wasn't please?

  

Sorry for the delay in responding, I've been really sick.

I wasn't going to mention the company name because I thought that maybe it was just a one-off incident.  It seems the driver told the company that I only paid him $5 (I paid him (15%)  $9 cash) and when I clarified the amount, the company chose to believe the driver and then tried to insult me by saying that maybe I had mistaken the $5 for a $!.  . I told them that their service was excellent but the driver's integrity was not.

I felt that if a 20% tip was mandatory, they should have that written into their booking.

[zelker]

1 hour ago, Penzance said:

Sorry for the delay in responding, I've been really sick.

I wasn't going to mention the company name because I thought that maybe it was just a one-off incident.  It seems the driver told the company that I only paid him $5 (I paid him (15%)  $9 cash) and when I clarified the amount, the company chose to believe the driver and then tried to insult me by saying that maybe I had mistaken the $5 for a $!.  . I told them that their service was excellent but the driver's integrity was not.

I felt that if a 20% tip was mandatory, they should have that written into their booking.

 

Thanks for the details.  Even if the service was excellent, I don't like how they handled it with you so will book someone else.  Sorry to hear you've been sick.  Do I dare ask - did you catch the infamous upper respiratory infection that seems to run through all ships if you're on them longer than a few days anymore?  Lousy way to end an otherwise hopefully great cruise.  Feel better soon. 

[Penzance]

3 hours ago, zelker said:

 

Thanks for the details.  Even if the service was excellent, I don't like how they handled it with you so will book someone else.  Sorry to hear you've been sick.  Do I dare ask - did you catch the infamous upper respiratory infection that seems to run through all ships if you're on them longer than a few days anymore?  Lousy way to end an otherwise hopefully great cruise.  Feel better soon. 

Thank you for your concern. Not sure if my illness was related to the cruise or not.  On the Sunday morning I awoke feeling very lethargic with a thick headache, dizziness, queasiness and a barking cough. I was so tired and weak I didn't get out of bed or eat anything for four days - I just drank water. (one good thing - I lost 7lbs )  To tell you the truth, we thought the cruise was nice enough but only really enjoyed the Skagway Train Tour (lovely but very long and tiring)  We were anticipating a wonderful day in  Glacier Bay but only saw one side which had a white glacier - the other looked like a dirty mud slide to the bay.  I did capture a wonderful shot, on our flight home, as we flew over Mount Rainer.

[CruiserBruce]

4 minutes ago, Penzance said:

Glacier Bay but only saw one side which had a white glacier - the other looked like a dirty mud slide to the bay.  I did capture a wonderful shot, on our flight home, as we flew over Mount Rainer.

 The "dirty mud slide" indicates one or more glaciers have joined the main glacier, or that the glacier no longer reaches the water. Both totally normal, if less than photogenic.

[Penzance]

Yes, thank you. We saw the same when we were in New Zealand many years ago.  Maybe we had watched too many National Geographic shows on TV. 🙂

[zelker]

After trying to contact Seattle Shuttle multiple times via their online form and direct email and having to wait multiple days to get a response, I've given up on them.  And then after reading about Penzance's experience (and some not so good online reviews) for Already There, I started researching other sedan service providers and found Aces Town Car Service.  They have stellar reviews on Yelp and have been amazingly quick to respond (under 10 minutes to answer a couple of emailed questions and then confirm our booking).  No payment is required up front, they add the gratuity into the total, and unless they forget to pick us up at SeaTac (which I'm certainly not expecting them to do), they've already rated 5* in my book. 

 

Here's the link to their website in case anyone wants to check them out as another option:  https://acestowncarservice.com/

 

 

[twentyknots]

Sorry you had trouble with Seattle Shuttle.  I had our concierge  make the reservations from the hotel to the pier and at the pier the driver took our names for the ride back to the airport so I didn't have to call them for any reason.  A representative from the service called and asked when we were leaving the ship and I told her I would call when we began customs check.  She answered immediately when I called.  Maybe we were just lucky.  

[zelker]

Turns out after I finally did hear from Seattle Shuttle that they only offer shared van rides anyway which isn't what I was looking for.  It just annoys the heck out of me when I have to repeatedly email a company several days in a row to get a response.  Doesn't instill much confidence that their service would be any more responsive but glad you had a good experience with them.  

[Eaglecw]

30 minutes ago, zelker said:

Turns out after I finally did hear from Seattle Shuttle that they only offer shared van rides anyway which isn't what I was looking for.  It just annoys the heck out of me when I have to repeatedly email a company several days in a row to get a response.  Doesn't instill much confidence that their service would be any more responsive but glad you had a good experience with them.  

There's Seattle Shuttle and Seattle Shuttle Express. I've never used Seattle Shuttle but I've used Seattle Shuttle Express. Shuttle Express is a bigger operation than Seattle Shuttle. I normally call them on the phone when we need a ride. We've found that most of the information on Yelp isn't true.

Randy

[Mallow]

13 hours ago, zelker said:

After trying to contact Seattle Shuttle multiple times via their online form and direct email and having to wait multiple days to get a response, I've given up on them.  And then after reading about Penzance's experience (and some not so good online reviews) for Already There, I started researching other sedan service providers and found Aces Town Car Service.  They have stellar reviews on Yelp and have been amazingly quick to respond (under 10 minutes to answer a couple of emailed questions and then confirm our booking).  No payment is required up front, they add the gratuity into the total, and unless they forget to pick us up at SeaTac (which I'm certainly not expecting them to do), they've already rated 5* in my book. 

 

Here's the link to their website in case anyone wants to check them out as another option:  https://acestowncarservice.com/

 

 

Aces is also the car service we are going to be using in August.  We ended up using the larger SUV to accommodate the group of 6 of us and with tip included it is just over $100 from the pier to Sea-Tac. 

[cruises42]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 9:01 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

As I stated, this photo was taken 45 minutes before passengers were to get off the Ovation and Solstice.  I wanted to show that there are taxis waiting for the first arrivals, with hopes of a quick drive to SeaTac and returning to bring a next fare from Pier 91.  There are only so many taxis, and the ambitious taxi drivers arrive early with hopes of 3-4 round trips during disembarkation mornings.  I also wanted to show that most of the taxis are Prius type vehicles, but there are some larger vehicles available.

 

I know that the first visit (May 24) of the Ovation at Pier 91 overwhelmed the ground transportation system.  But since then, there have been improvements, and there has not been a repeat.  The process is much smoother and streamlined.

 

As for the rideshare (Uber/Lyft) question about being able to drop off passengers close to the terminal building - the Ubers/Lyfts must pick up the morning disembarking passengers at the special designated parking area .04 mile from the terminal 91 building.  Once the disembarkation process is finished, ALL passengers arriving for embarking can/should be dropped off in the driveway area in-front of the Terminal 91 building.  Sometimes an Uber/Lyft driver is under the mistaken belief that they can't drive an embarking passenger to the driveway area and will drop them off .04 mile away.  It occasionally happens, but I don't think too often.

What time do you think it would be safe to get to port (for the Amsterdam) so that an Uber would be able to drop you off in front of the terminal building?

[CruiserBruce]

14 minutes ago, cruises42 said:

What time do you think it would be safe to get to port (for the Amsterdam) so that an Uber would be able to drop you off in front of the terminal building?

Drop offs are always at the front of the building for taxis, uber, etc. Not to worry. You would have to get there before 8:30 to have any complications. They won't let you in the building before 11...so lots of standing around outside if you get there too early.

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, cruises42 said:

What time do you think it would be safe to get to port (for the Amsterdam) so that an Uber would be able to drop you off in front of the terminal building?

 

As your Uber driver enters the Pier 91 complex be sure to let him/her know that you want to be dropped off in front of the building.  After driving past the guard gate/shack you will immediately come to a large 'five corner' intersection where there may be a traffic control person standing in a painted traffic circle.  If the Uber driver veers to the left, you will be headed to the Uber/Lyft drop off area.  If the Uber driver  goes in a more straight direction you are headed to the Pier 91 Terminal building.  You can always say that you need assistance as soon as you get out of the car (i.e, a wheelchair, or physical limitations, etc - a white lie sometimes is needed)!  In any case make your expectations known upfront.

 

Building will actually open by 10:30 (unless something is truly amiss).  There are plenty of chairs in the post-check-in waiting area since the Amsterdam is the only ship on Mondays.  Boarding will start between 11:30 and noon.  Be sure to have your passport and boarding passes available to show as soon as you enter the building from the driveway area.  Porters will be available, although they do take a 'lunch' break after disembarkation. If you just want to carry/roll your luggage into the luggage hall you have that option as well - just be sure to have your luggage tags attached.  There will be lots of staff to help, direct, answer questions.

 

I think arriving anytime after 10:30 would be fine.  I honestly think it has more to do with your own personal preference (arriving mid morning and waiting to board, or arriving after noon / 1 pm and just walking on).  The only time it can get 'busy' is the arrival of airport transfer buses from SeaTac.   Mondays are really a cakewalk at Pier 91.

 

When will you be there?

[CruiserBruce]

8 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Building will actually open by 10:30 (unless something is truly amiss).  

 

On June 3 the building didn't open until about 11:10. Over a hundred people waiting outside, with maybe benches for 10 or 12...the buses from SeaTac were just starting to arrive when the doors opened.

[Ferry_Watcher]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

On June 3 the building didn't open until about 11:10. Over a hundred people waiting outside, with maybe benches for 10 or 12...the buses from SeaTac were just starting to arrive when the doors opened.

Sometimes the first arrival of the season (such as the Amsterdam on June 3) has unusual circumstances that can cause delays. There has to be a 'zero count' on the ship (all disembarking passengers are off) before the folks at Pier 91 can reopen the luggage  hall to accept luggage from the embarking passengers.  if you were delayed getting into the building that morning, you have my apologies. The subsequent Mondays have been uneventful in terms of operations.

[Abeynrml]

I want to thank @Ferry_Watcher for all the updated information that you provide on this topic. It is very precise and the included photos help so much. I am assuming you either live or work very close to the pier. Again, thank you so much for helping us plan the beginning and end of our cruises with confidence. 👏

[Ferry_Watcher]

Thank you Abeynml for your kind words!

[cruises42]

22 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

As your Uber driver enters the Pier 91 complex be sure to let him/her know that you want to be dropped off in front of the building.  After driving past the guard gate/shack you will immediately come to a large 'five corner' intersection where there may be a traffic control person standing in a painted traffic circle.  If the Uber driver veers to the left, you will be headed to the Uber/Lyft drop off area.  If the Uber driver  goes in a more straight direction you are headed to the Pier 91 Terminal building.  You can always say that you need assistance as soon as you get out of the car (i.e, a wheelchair, or physical limitations, etc - a white lie sometimes is needed)!  In any case make your expectations known upfront.

 

Building will actually open by 10:30 (unless something is truly amiss).  There are plenty of chairs in the post-check-in waiting area since the Amsterdam is the only ship on Mondays.  Boarding will start between 11:30 and noon.  Be sure to have your passport and boarding passes available to show as soon as you enter the building from the driveway area.  Porters will be available, although they do take a 'lunch' break after disembarkation. If you just want to carry/roll your luggage into the luggage hall you have that option as well - just be sure to have your luggage tags attached.  There will be lots of staff to help, direct, answer questions.

 

I think arriving anytime after 10:30 would be fine.  I honestly think it has more to do with your own personal preference (arriving mid morning and waiting to board, or arriving after noon / 1 pm and just walking on).  The only time it can get 'busy' is the arrival of airport transfer buses from SeaTac.   Mondays are really a cakewalk at Pier 91.

 

When will you be there?

 

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Drop offs are always at the front of the building for taxis, uber, etc. Not to worry. You would have to get there before 8:30 to have any complications. They won't let you in the building before 11...so lots of standing around outside if you get there too early.

Thanks for the information! Just to make sure I understand..CruiserBruce says we will be dropped off in front and Ferry_Watcher doesn't really say that but we have a tell a white lie to be dropped off in front? I wanted to take an Uber from the hotel but we can take a taxi or shuttle to make sure we get dropped off in front. Our cruise is 8/26.

Also is it easy to get an Uber at SeaTac or do you have to walk a distance to get one? Will an Uber drop you off by your airline if we used it from port to airport?

[CruiserBruce]

9 minutes ago, cruises42 said:

 

Thanks for the information! Just to make sure I understand..CruiserBruce says we will be dropped off in front and Ferry_Watcher doesn't really say that but we have a tell a white lie to be dropped off in front? I wanted to take an Uber from the hotel but we can take a taxi or shuttle to make sure we get dropped off in front. Our cruise is 8/26.

Also is it easy to get an Uber at SeaTac or do you have to walk a distance to get one? Will an Uber drop you off by your airline if we used it from port to airport?

To be technically correct, we were dropped off in the taxi stand, less than 75 yards from the front door. Saw lots of other taxis, ubers, town cars all dropping off in the same general area. The bus area is slightly further away.

[Ferry_Watcher]

2 hours ago, cruises42 said:

 

Thanks for the information! Just to make sure I understand..CruiserBruce says we will be dropped off in front and Ferry_Watcher doesn't really say that but we have a tell a white lie to be dropped off in front? I wanted to take an Uber from the hotel but we can take a taxi or shuttle to make sure we get dropped off in front. Our cruise is 8/26.

Also is it easy to get an Uber at SeaTac or do you have to walk a distance to get one? Will an Uber drop you off by your airline if we used it from port to airport?

 

As they say - It's complicated!  From your initial question I read that getting dropped off in front of the Pier 91 building was most important to you..  Since the season has started, there has been a slow rollout of Uber/Lyft embarkation drop offs in the Shared Ride pick-up area (.04 mile from the terminal building).  Since I cannot guarantee where your Uber driver will drop you off (building or shared ride area) my goal was to equip you with the needed info/language to help you communicate with your driver so he/she would drop you off in the driveway area of the building.   I think the shift to encourage Uber/Lyft drop offs away from the driveway area in front of the building was needed in part because of the arrival of the mega RCI Ovation of the Sea on Fridays. 

 

On the positive side, if you were dropped off at the Shared Ride area,  there is a shuttle van that will take you from the Uber/Lyft area and drive you the .04 mile to the building.

 

The wildcard for your particular cruise is that you are traveling on the least busiest day of the week (Monday), and on the smallest ship  (Amsterdam), so having an Uber/Lyft drop off in the driveway area would not even be noticed.  Taxis do drop off in the Driveway area, as do the Towncars.

 

As for getting either a taxi or Uber/Lyft at SeaTac - both will be found on the 3rd floor of the parking garage at SeaTac.

 

Hope this helps!

[cruises42]

On ‎6‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 9:35 PM, CruiserBruce said:

To be technically correct, we were dropped off in the taxi stand, less than 75 yards from the front door. Saw lots of other taxis, ubers, town cars all dropping off in the same general area. The bus area is slightly further away.

 

21 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

As they say - It's complicated!  From your initial question I read that getting dropped off in front of the Pier 91 building was most important to you..  Since the season has started, there has been a slow rollout of Uber/Lyft embarkation drop offs in the Shared Ride pick-up area (.04 mile from the terminal building).  Since I cannot guarantee where your Uber driver will drop you off (building or shared ride area) my goal was to equip you with the needed info/language to help you communicate with your driver so he/she would drop you off in the driveway area of the building.   I think the shift to encourage Uber/Lyft drop offs away from the driveway area in front of the building was needed in part because of the arrival of the mega RCI Ovation of the Sea on Fridays. 

 

On the positive side, if you were dropped off at the Shared Ride area,  there is a shuttle van that will take you from the Uber/Lyft area and drive you the .04 mile to the building.

 

The wildcard for your particular cruise is that you are traveling on the least busiest day of the week (Monday), and on the smallest ship  (Amsterdam), so having an Uber/Lyft drop off in the driveway area would not even be noticed.  Taxis do drop off in the Driveway area, as do the Towncars.

 

As for getting either a taxi or Uber/Lyft at SeaTac - both will be found on the 3rd floor of the parking garage at SeaTac.

 

Hope this helps!

Thanks for all your help!

[Belle5129]

Just arrived home early this morning from our June 21 sailing on the Solstice. Appreciated everyone's kind input, so I wanted to get back with what we actually ended up doing.  Based on advice, I ended up moving our flight to 11:55am to give us a bit more breathing room.  On the day of departure, we ubered from the Pan Pacific Seattle Hotel.  This was only our third time using Uber (having done it twice the day before), so we are fairly new to it.  And loved it.  Cost was $23.85 plus tip. Since we had 4 people and  bags, I ended up calling for an Uber XL.  Our guy dropped us off practically right in front of the terminal.  Now my in-laws used Uber as well, but they were dropped off at the same spot where you pick up the Ubers, so they had to hoof it. We were eligible for the Port Valet so I dutifully signed up for that and delivered my paperwork by Tuesday (I think). We placed out bags out by 10am Thursday night.  Since we had a somewhat later flight, we didn't get off the ship until about 8:45.  Customs was so fast, when we got in line, there was only one family in line in front of us!  I am glad I was prepared for the "hike" to the pickup point. It was not bad, but I was certainly glad we did not have to pull our suitcases.  I am definitely happy it wasn't raining! As we started to walk, I called up the uber, and by the time we got to the covered pickup area, he was pulling in, so we were able to hop right in. Traffic was better than I thought, although when we arrived at the airport, the lanes into the Departure area were backed up. Our driver actually dropped us off at the arrivals areas (which traffic signs advised to do). We had no problem with this as we just had to take a quick escalator up to the next floor. The cost was $41.40 plus tip. It was now 9:45am. So about an hour from having our sea pass scanned as we disembarked the Solstice to getting into the TSA Pre-check line! Global Entry has more than paid for itself with the convenience of TSA Pre-check.  The other lines looked fairly long, but we were able to go right through.  Turns out we had plenty of time...but then again, everything was really timed perfectly. I am sure if we had to be there earlier, we would have run into some kind of delay as that is just my luck!  I was definitely less stressed. Unfortunately, we encountered delays in Chicago and ended up waiting for 6+ hours, not getting back to Ohio until 2:30am. But at lest we made the first flight with time to spare!

[Ferry_Watcher]

So happy that your travel getting to and from your hotel, Pier 91 and SeaTac went well.  So much better to wait at your airline gate as opposed to waiting in a TSA line.  Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us!

[cruises42]

4 hours ago, Belle5129 said:

Just arrived home early this morning from our June 21 sailing on the Solstice. Appreciated everyone's kind input, so I wanted to get back with what we actually ended up doing.  Based on advice, I ended up moving our flight to 11:55am to give us a bit more breathing room.  On the day of departure, we ubered from the Pan Pacific Seattle Hotel.  This was only our third time using Uber (having done it twice the day before), so we are fairly new to it.  And loved it.  Cost was $23.85 plus tip. Since we had 4 people and  bags, I ended up calling for an Uber XL.  Our guy dropped us off practically right in front of the terminal.  Now my in-laws used Uber as well, but they were dropped off at the same spot where you pick up the Ubers, so they had to hoof it. We were eligible for the Port Valet so I dutifully signed up for that and delivered my paperwork by Tuesday (I think). We placed out bags out by 10am Thursday night.  Since we had a somewhat later flight, we didn't get off the ship until about 8:45.  Customs was so fast, when we got in line, there was only one family in line in front of us!  I am glad I was prepared for the "hike" to the pickup point. It was not bad, but I was certainly glad we did not have to pull our suitcases.  I am definitely happy it wasn't raining! As we started to walk, I called up the uber, and by the time we got to the covered pickup area, he was pulling in, so we were able to hop right in. Traffic was better than I thought, although when we arrived at the airport, the lanes into the Departure area were backed up. Our driver actually dropped us off at the arrivals areas (which traffic signs advised to do). We had no problem with this as we just had to take a quick escalator up to the next floor. The cost was $41.40 plus tip. It was now 9:45am. So about an hour from having our sea pass scanned as we disembarked the Solstice to getting into the TSA Pre-check line! Global Entry has more than paid for itself with the convenience of TSA Pre-check.  The other lines looked fairly long, but we were able to go right through.  Turns out we had plenty of time...but then again, everything was really timed perfectly. I am sure if we had to be there earlier, we would have run into some kind of delay as that is just my luck!  I was definitely less stressed. Unfortunately, we encountered delays in Chicago and ended up waiting for 6+ hours, not getting back to Ohio until 2:30am. But at lest we made the first flight with time to spare!

Thanks Belle! We're planning our transportation too. Do you think an Uber XL will hold 4 people, 4 large suitcases and 4 carry-ons and maybe a personal item (like on a plane)?

[Belle5129]

34 minutes ago, cruises42 said:

Thanks Belle! We're planning our transportation too. Do you think an Uber XL will hold 4 people, 4 large suitcases and 4 carry-ons and maybe a personal item (like on a plane)?

 Well, I am an Uber newbie, but I can tell you that the Uber XL that picked us up was a Ford Explorer.  We had 2 adults, 2 teenage boys (who take up space like an adult!), four 29" Samsonite suitcases, 4 backpacks plus my big purse. And we will all fit, there were three of us across the back and we were fine.  I did ask our super-helpful driver if any Uber XL would be able to accommodate us when we arrived back in Seattle - I wasn't sure if we would be able to participate in the Port Valet, so I needed to make plans just in case. He assured us that any XL would be able to handle all of our luggage and carry-ons.