Taxi or ship transport in Seattle?

[luvtravel]

We'll be boarding the Solstice this coming Friday.  We arrive at Seatac at 8:30 am (4 of us have Aqua class cabins) but  informed we won't be able to board til after 11:30.       We are wondering if we purchase the ship transport, which would be approx. $27 pp - when they take our bags to put under bus at airport....do we next see our luggage in our cabin later in the day or do we claim our luggage at dock and drop there ourselves?    Taking the bags off our hands at the airport probably the only advantage to the ship transfer?   A taxi or car service for 4 would be probably about same price as the total ship transfer for 4.   Whether taxi or transport - we'll probably have to wait in taxi line or  airport for more transport passengers to arrive.  Anyone have experience with ship transfer?  Thanks for any help/advice!

[ECCruise]

Don't know about the specifics on this one, but took one ship transfer and never again.

Wait until the bus is loaded with luggage.  Wait until they have a full bus before leaving.  Claim luggage at pier and still have to check it.  No thanks. Taxi, Uber or Lyft for us.  For 4 people almost always less expensive as a bonus.

Edited July 13, 2019 by ECCruise

[NCHPcruiser]

I agree with ECCruise.  We will always do transport ourselves.   Either taxi, Uber, Lyft or prearranged service.  

[luvtravel]

Thanks for your reply.....I was thinking that might be the case.  Taxi or car service it is.  We do have a car service from ship to airport after cruise....its about the same price...maybe cheaper but long walk to where they are parked in airport garage (read a comment on this) and thought taxi line might be closer.   Thanks again!

[luvtravel]

Just now, NCHPcruiser said:

I agree with ECCruise.  We will always do transport ourselves.   Either taxi, Uber, Lyft or prearranged service.  

Thank you!!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Hire a car service.  

[dkjretired]

4 minutes ago, luvtravel said:

Thanks for your reply.....I was thinking that might be the case.  Taxi or car service it is.  We do have a car service from ship to airport after cruise....its about the same price...maybe cheaper but long walk to where they are parked in airport garage (read a comment on this) and thought taxi line might be closer.   Thanks again!

 

Chances are if you get there earlier, you will probably be able to check in, those times they give you are not firm.

[ScubaDo]

We used Uber for 2 cost $48; leaving was $58. Bit of a walk though at the pier

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

10 minutes ago, ScubaDo said:

We used Uber for 2 cost $48; leaving was $58. Bit of a walk though at the pier

 

It's a very long walk to Uber at the pier.  Hire a car service to pick you up AT the pier.

[bbdscruise]

Just off of the Solstice yesterday. We took a taxi to and from the pier and it ran us about $50 each way. No line for a taxi either way. Five years ago, we took the ship transfer to the pier and it was a lot of hurry up and wait. 

 

One thing I will add is that many of the taxis are Toyota Priuses and their trunks are small! It was just the two of us and I was having my doubts that the hatch was going to close! I personally wouldn’t be comfortable with more than two passengers in a Prius- it’s just too tight.

[deliver42]

I can't speak about celebrity, but on Princess, we took their transfer bus and the next time we saw our luggage was at the cabin, No lugging.

[miched]

21 hours ago, ECCruise said:

Don't know about the specifics on this one, but took one ship transfer and never again.

Wait until the bus is loaded with luggage.  Wait until they have a full bus before leaving.  Claim luggage at pier and still have to check it.  No thanks. Taxi, Uber or Lyft for us.  For 4 people almost always less expensive as a bonus.

 

The transfers are terrible.   They wait for the bus to be loaded up and cost too much money.

 

we had one from the port to the air port in Ft lauderdale.  The airport is about 1 mile away.   We got off the ship at 8 am.  Got on the shuttle around 8:30.  Sat there on the buss in the port until 11:30.    By the time we got into the airport it was around noon and our flight was leaving at 1:00.   The screening line was ridiculously long.   It was almost at the door as soon as you walked in and couldn’t see where the other end was and there was a sign showing that the wait from that point was 2 hours.     A worker came thru and was asking if anyone had a  flight within the next hour.   We approached her and she scolded us for not getting there earlier.  We told her to take it up with the cruise line.   She escorted us along with others thru the screening.   We did make our flight that was also thru the cruise line.  

 

Even though our bus was full it was waiting for all the incoming passengers that they were picking up from the airport to be there.    They don’t want to make more than one trip.  

 

We take a taxi or some other private transportation.  It is much easier and faster and most times cheaper.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Ferry_Watcher]

Since the Solstice won't start boarding until noon, I would suggest that once you are off the plane that you find a restaurant at SeaTac and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.  The terminal 91 building won't open for embarking passengers until after 10 am so I wouldn't rush to check-in.  There is a dedicated check-in line for Aqua Class so even if you arrive when it is busy your particular wait will be short.

[luvtravel]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond.   For sure now - we wont be taking ship transfer!