Need help from those taking the first Alaska cruise this season

[Cruise Raider]

48 minutes ago, MileHighAko said:

Does the Princess transfer include luggage transfer, where you collect your luggage at the airport and not have to bother with dragging it off the ship for your transfer?

 

What time does the itinerary show the ship as arriving back at port?  We had a 4:00AM arrival into Vancouver one time and made our 9AM flight no problems at all.  But that's not SEATAC where the lines are ridiculous sometimes. 

 No, the transfers don’t take care of the luggage transfer but the Port of Seattle will take care of it for you as long as certain conditions are met.  We’ve used it in the past and it is a fantastic service.  Just sign up for it on the ship and take a copy of your itinerary, follow the instructions given to you  … you’re all set.  
 

https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

[Sea Hag]

10 hours ago, Sprocket said:

 

Seattle airport recently has been crazy.  But they have launched Sea Spot Saver which may help to save you some time.

 

 

SEA Spot Saver | Port of Seattle

https://www.portseattle.org › SEAspotsaver

This looks great, but they say that the pilot program only runs through 8/31. Our sailing is 8/29, so unless the renew the program, we're out of luck.

[bflysmile]

Similar question but on the other end. Never flown to Seattle so not familiar with the airport amenities.  We are on the red eye after our cruise and know we can check out bags on the ship but wondering about how to access the lounges at the airport to relax when we get there. What I’m seeing online, most are closed or close early.  

[nini]

Our experience has been that EZAir will pop up on the return flight with the earliest acceptable time for you flight. Also, we have been pleased with the Princess transfers to the airport...timely and the rate was very acceptable.

[Mary Ann 2]

38 minutes ago, nini said:

Our experience has been that EZAir will pop up on the return flight with the earliest acceptable time for you flight. Also, we have been pleased with the Princess transfers to the airport...timely and the rate was very acceptable.

That's my hope (an acceptable time) and what Princess said when I called asking about it.

[Mary Ann 2]

6 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 No, the transfers don’t take care of the luggage transfer but the Port of Seattle will take care of it for you as long as certain conditions are met.  We’ve used it in the past and it is a fantastic service.  Just sign up for it on the ship and take a copy of your itinerary, follow the instructions given to you  … you’re all set.  
 

https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

Someone posted on a thread last year that was returning from Alaska that your flight has to leave after 11am to use the Valet service.  It used to cost $25 a bag in Ft. Lauderdale.  We love that program but won't work for us this time due to earlier departure.

[Cruise Raider]

12 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

Someone posted on a thread last year that was returning from Alaska that your flight has to leave after 11am to use the Valet service.  It used to cost $25 a bag in Ft. Lauderdale.  We love that program but won't work for us this time due to earlier departure.

 

That's too bad ... it is a great service and we do intend to use it on our Seattle flight next month. 

[Mary Ann 2]

Another question for those of you going in the first two weeks.  Where does the Princess bus drop you off?  How long did it take to get to the terminal?

 

In looking at the SEA-TAC airport page, it appears that no one is allowed to be picked up at the curb.  You have to access a skywalk to the parking garage and the taxis are closest while the cruise buses are down a partitioned off corridor somewhere further along.

 

I am hoping they allow drop-offs, but there are quite a few pictures and descriptions of how to get to the transportation in the parking garage.

 

On a good note, I found out that American Airlines only requires you to be 45 minutes early to the airport not an hour.  I also emailed the airport, and they said that AA had curbside check-in which often saves time.🙂

[Eaglecw]

I hate to be the barer of bad news. The Port Valet program is not going to work in your situation, only flights after11am qualify. To make a 10:10am flight our going to have to burn daylight. Be one of the first to walk off the ship with all your luggage, normally this is around 7:30-7:45am. Forgot the Princess Transfer, the bus won’t leave until it’s full, only God knows how long this will take. Catch a cab, they’ll be a lot of them just outside the front of the terminal, it’s about 50 yard walk. The Uber pick-up area is about 100-150 yards from the terminal. Sea-Tac airport is about 30-40 minutes South of Seattle. Cabs drop off at level 2 on the outside of the main terminal, you’re going to have to go up the escalator and across the sky bridge to get to the main terminal. https://www.portseattle.org/sea-tac/ground-transportation/taxis Traffic in Seattle is terrible most of the time. It can be bad on a Sunday morning depending on what’s going on. The bus drop of area is at the far end of the departed platform. I hope you make your flight.

[Mary Ann 2]

7 hours ago, Eaglecw said:

I hate to be the barer of bad news. The Port Valet program is not going to work in your situation, only flights after11am qualify. To make a 10:10am flight our going to have to burn daylight. Be one of the first to walk off the ship with all your luggage, normally this is around 7:30-7:45am. Forgot the Princess Transfer, the bus won’t leave until it’s full, only God knows how long this will take. Catch a cab, they’ll be a lot of them just outside the front of the terminal, it’s about 50 yard walk. The Uber pick-up area is about 100-150 yards from the terminal. Sea-Tac airport is about 30-40 minutes South of Seattle. Cabs drop off at level 2 on the outside of the main terminal, you’re going to have to go up the escalator and across the sky bridge to get to the main terminal. https://www.portseattle.org/sea-tac/ground-transportation/taxis Traffic in Seattle is terrible most of the time. It can be bad on a Sunday morning depending on what’s going on. The bus drop of area is at the far end of the departed platform. I hope you make your flight.

 

Yes, I know the Valet program won't work for us.  Someone posted a May 2019 disembarkation guide and it says walk-offs started at 7:20 that year and those with Valet and flights around 11 disembarked at 7:30.  This is why I started this post.  I am hoping someone will let me know what the first walk-off is this year.

 

We will talk to the front desk after we board about taking a taxi because the way I read their guarantee (EZ Air has it posted online) if the ship or transfer causes us to miss our flight, they will get us home, so a taxi may void that.  (I know everyone thinks it only works for arrivals, but it specifically says "get home" in the guarantee which I am attaching.)

 

 I'm sorry to hear that we have to go from the parking garage across the sky bridge; I was hoping that was just for arrivals.  I also hope we make our flight and don't have to wait hours and hours at the airport for another.

[norwega]

On 7/14/2021 at 6:52 PM, bflysmile said:

Similar question but on the other end. Never flown to Seattle so not familiar with the airport amenities.  We are on the red eye after our cruise and know we can check out bags on the ship but wondering about how to access the lounges at the airport to relax when we get there. What I’m seeing online, most are closed or close early.  

there's actually an app to help with while you're at the airport  https://www.portseattle.org/page/sea-tac-app

[norwega]

18 minutes ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

Yes, I know the Valet program won't work for us.  Someone posted a May 2019 disembarkation guide and it says walk-offs started at 7:20 that year and those with Valet and flights around 11 disembarked at 7:30.  This is why I started this post.  I am hoping someone will let me know what the first walk-off is this year.

 

We will talk to the front desk after we board about taking a taxi because the way I read their guarantee (EZ Air has it posted online) if the ship or transfer causes us to miss our flight, they will get us home, so a taxi may void that.  (I know everyone thinks it only works for arrivals, but it specifically says "get home" in the guarantee which I am attaching.)

 

 I'm sorry to hear that we have to go from the parking garage across the sky bridge; I was hoping that was just for arrivals.  I also hope we make our flight and don't have to wait hours and hours at the airport for another.

I'm from Seattle.  It gets quite crowded with personal cars dropping off and picking up so taxis, buses, etc. are in the parking garage.  There are simply not enough lanes for vehicles to be stopped for long.  Enjoy your cruise!  

[Eaglecw]

Mary Ann, when do you sail? I think I would watch and wait to see how the disembarkation goes on the first couple of cruises that come back into Seattle. I don't think they'll be much of a customs and immigration check this year. I believe “HaveDogWillTravel” will be doing a live the week of July 25^th, first sailing out of Seattle. So watch for what she has to say.

[deliver42]

The problem isn't getting to the airport. I've been on 2 Alaska cruises, and the line going through TSA is like a Disney line. It's taken as long as 1 1/2 hours to get through. That's where the time constraint come in. I've seen people miss their flights.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, deliver42 said:

The problem isn't getting to the airport. I've been on 2 Alaska cruises, and the line going through TSA is like a Disney line. It's taken as long as 1 1/2 hours to get through. That's where the time constraint come in. I've seen people miss their flights.

 

Would having TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry result in being in a shorter and faster moving line?

[Italy52]

55 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

Would having TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry result in being in a shorter and faster moving line?

I haven't gone through Seattle yet with TSA Pre-Check (will be doing this in about 3 weeks) but I can tell you we used this service when we left from Sacramento and Juneau and we were glad that we had it.  We had a layover in Seattle for our Juneau trip and we could see the long security lines and I remember saying to my husband that I was glad that we got the TSA Pre-Check for our upcoming trips.  In both our Sacramento and Juneau TSA Pre-Check lines we waited no more than about 10 minutes, if that.  The fee was $85 per person and it is good for 5 years of travel -- so far, we are very pleased.

[caribill]

1 minute ago, Italy52 said:

 We had a layover in Seattle for our Juneau trip and we could see the long security lines and I remember saying to my husband that I was glad that we got the TSA Pre-Check for our upcoming trips.  In both our Sacramento and Juneau TSA Pre-Check lines we waited no more than about 10 minutes, if that.

 

If you travel overseas at all, then next time consider Global Entry (which includes TSA Pre-Check).

 

We have saved hours returning to the USA bypassing enormous lines at immigration to go to the Global Entry part which had no line at all..

[memoak]

14 hours ago, norwega said:

there's actually an app to help with while you're at the airport  https://www.portseattle.org/page/sea-tac-app

Does it work as well as the Princess app ?   lol

[cruisequeen4ever]

If you can, I highly recommend changing your flight to one that leaves at Noon or later. I can’t imagine making a flight as early as yours. No one knows for sure when disembarkation will

commence, since this season is so

different and hasn’t even begun yet. The airport is about a 20-30 minute drive from the port, depending on traffic. The Seattle Airport can be a madhouse for checking in and getting through Security, and then the gates are very spread out across multiple terminals. 
 

 

[Mary Ann 2]

9 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Would having TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry result in being in a shorter and faster moving line?

I sure hope it's faster.  We have TSA Pre-Check.  I have the SEA-TAC app and so far the longest wait has been 10 minutes probably because there are no ships there yet.  However, according to the port information, the Majestic will be the only ship docked the day we leave.

[Mary Ann 2]

6 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

If you can, I highly recommend changing your flight to one that leaves at Noon or later. I can’t imagine making a flight as early as yours. No one knows for sure when disembarkation will

commence, since this season is so

different and hasn’t even begun yet. The airport is about a 20-30 minute drive from the port, depending on traffic. The Seattle Airport can be a madhouse for checking in and getting through Security, and then the gates are very spread out across multiple terminals. 
 

 

It has already been ticketed!  I trusted that EZAir wouldn't give us a choice that we couldn't make so I didn't question it back when we booked the cruise.  It wasn't until very recently that I started thinking about how early the flight was and checking into it all.  The purpose of this post is to find out about disembarkation this year from people on the first two cruises. 

[Mary Ann 2]

I spent 3 hours on the phone today trying to get EZ Air to change our reservations.  Even tried Customer Relations who spoke to EZ Air.  Since our flight meets their specification of leaving after 10am, they wouldn't budge.  Customer Relations said due to all the fees it would be over $700 to change our flight.  She kept reassuring me that it would work.  I did eventually get her to see that there was no way to get to the airport 2 hours early.

 

I anxiously await those of you disembarking in about 13 days to let me know when the first group could get off.  And even better if you are getting off early, when did the first bus leave?  

 

I've done everything I can now, so it's just a wait and see...  and hope and pray...

[Italy52]

11 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

I spent 3 hours on the phone today trying to get EZ Air to change our reservations.  Even tried Customer Relations who spoke to EZ Air.  Since our flight meets their specification of leaving after 10am, they wouldn't budge.  Customer Relations said due to all the fees it would be over $700 to change our flight.  She kept reassuring me that it would work.  I did eventually get her to see that there was no way to get to the airport 2 hours early.

 

I anxiously await those of you disembarking in about 13 days to let me know when the first group could get off.  And even better if you are getting off early, when did the first bus leave?  

 

I've done everything I can now, so it's just a wait and see...  and hope and pray...

Hope it all works out for you.  I do have a question for you:  We have never used EZ Air and was wondering if you use it on disembarkation, do they give you boarding passes and check your luggage for you much like the Luggage Valet service?  If so, that should save you some time not having to check in luggage and waiting in line at the ticket counters.

[Mary Ann 2]

5 hours ago, Italy52 said:

Hope it all works out for you.  I do have a question for you:  We have never used EZ Air and was wondering if you use it on disembarkation, do they give you boarding passes and check your luggage for you much like the Luggage Valet service?  If so, that should save you some time not having to check in luggage and waiting in line at the ticket counters.

No unfortunately they do not give us those.  I wish we could use the Luggage Valet service but it's too early a flight to qualify.  It is waiting at the ticket counter that has me concerned - I do hope they have just luggage kiosks like they do here in Dallas. That saves time usually.   We can get our boarding pass on our phones.  I emailed SEA-TAC and they said that American had curbside check-in, but since we are coming in a bus, we will be coming from the parking garage over the skybridge into the terminal.  I don't know if going back outside will save any time, but I will if it looks like a better option.

[Italy52]

4 minutes ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

No unfortunately they do not give us those.  I wish we could use the Luggage Valet service but it's too early a flight to qualify.  It is waiting at the ticket counter that has me concerned - I do hope they have just luggage kiosks like they do here in Dallas. That saves time usually.   We can get our boarding pass on our phones.  I emailed SEA-TAC and they said that American had curbside check-in, but since we are coming in a bus, we will be coming from the parking garage over the skybridge into the terminal.  I don't know if going back outside will save any time, but I will if it looks like a better option.

You would think with the name "EZ Air" all aspects would make your air travel easier, I guess not. 

 

We used the Princess round-trip transfer system last year for our Seattle-Seattle cruise.  For our departure from the ship, we claimed our luggage as usual at the pier, took it over to the bus and had it loaded, the bus dropped us off at the same place we left to go to the ship.  We claimed our luggage from the bus and then entered the area.  There were a few ticket counters (can't remember which ones, sorry) and a couple of kisosks.  The area wasn't very crowded.  We were staying over in Seattle so we didn't check anything.  It looked like people were checking in, getting boarding passes and then taking the elevators to security.  Don't know if things will proceed the same way this year because of Covid.  We don't sail until August 22, 2021 so I will be watching this thread for information much like others,

 

I always say that the most stressful part of a vacation is air travel --- hope your journey home works out in your favor.