Questions and advice needed regarding Alaska cruise from Seattle

[cruising922]

We’re a group of 4 adults cruising to Alaska from Seattle from June 25 -July 2 this year.  Our flight home was just changed to 11:50am so we will be unable to take advantage of Port Valet for our luggage. This put a glitch in our plans because we were counting on not having to find our luggage at the port or stand in line to check bags at the airport.

 

1) Is an 11:50am flight feasible? There are 2 ships disembarking (Discovery & Westerdam) at Pier 91 and a Norwegian ship at Pier 66 that day. One couple has TSA precheck and the other has TSA precheck and Clear.

 

2) Best and fastest way for the 4 of us to get from the pier to the airport. We were thinking of possibly reserving Seattle Express, or would a taxi or Lyft be a better option?

 

3) We’re currently booked at Homewood Suites by Hilton Downtown arriving 2 days before the cruise, but I’m wondering if a hotel by the airport would be better so we can just take Seattle Express to get to the port on embarktion day. We don’t really care about exploring Seattle.

 

Sorry for all of the questions. We have only cruised out of Fort Lauderdale in the past so I’m nervous about timing to get everywhere in Seattle. 

[memoak]

From any port I think you need to do a walk off with your own luggage in order to mdd add me that flight

[Ombud]

I used Seattle Express and walked off early. Then I used Whyline to skip past all the TSA Precheck ppl and had to wait for my flight. It was easy but I do carry on only 

[VibeGuy]

Local here, who used to live on the hill to the west of Pier 91.
 

11:50 is fine even with luggage assistance.  It’s a closed-loop cruise so CBP issues are minimal and luggage handling in Seattle is pretty efficient.  It’s also not the first few cruises of the season so they should be in a groove. 

 

Do not use a prebooked shuttle.  Order a Lyft XL/Uber XL as soon as you have your luggage in hand.   Seattle is awash in these vehicles and you want flexibility.  
 

That Homewood Suites is one of my recommended properties for people who want to be near the port, and there’s good walkable options for dining and last minute purchases.  Way better than any of the airport properties aside from Cedarbrook Lodge. 
 

 

[cruising922]

21 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I used Seattle Express and walked off early. Then I used Whyline to skip past all the TSA Precheck ppl and had to wait for my flight. It was easy but I do carry on only 

What’s Whyline?

[cruising922]

19 minutes ago, VibeGuy said:

Local here, who used to live on the hill to the west of Pier 91.
 

11:50 is fine even with luggage assistance.  It’s a closed-loop cruise so CBP issues are minimal and luggage handling in Seattle is pretty efficient.  It’s also not the first few cruises of the season so they should be in a groove. 

 

Do not use a prebooked shuttle.  Order a Lyft XL/Uber XL as soon as you have your luggage in hand.   Seattle is awash in these vehicles and you want flexibility.  
 

That Homewood Suites is one of my recommended properties for people who want to be near the port, and there’s good walkable options for dining and last minute purchases.  Way better than any of the airport properties aside from Cedarbrook Lodge. 
 

 

Thank you, that makes me feel so much better. With the time difference for us booking a later flight wouldn’t get us home until after midnight.

[Ombud]

4 minutes ago, cruising922 said:

26 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I used Seattle Express and walked off early. Then I used Whyline to skip past all the TSA Precheck ppl and had to wait for my flight. It was easy but I do carry on only 

What’s Whyline?

Make an appointment for a designated check in time (15 min grace period) with only 10 people per 15 minutes. Separate line that joins Precheck at scanners. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Ombud

[John99]

 

 @cruising922          Greetings.  Very good info from ViberGuy.  I always enjoy his commentary. 

We're cruising out of Seattle on the Princess Discovery in July and flying in the day before.  We might do some sightsee in Seattle or just relax at the hotel.  We’ve been Seattle before.  In my humble opinion, most major chain airport hotels are fairly similar.  Based on Tripadvisor reviews, we ended up booking the Hampton Inn and Suites 28^th Ave at Sea Tec at a reasonable price versus downtown Seattle hotels (Home Suites by Hilton downtown was also considered but too expensive for us retirees).  Plus, you can cancel 48 hours (with Hampton) before the cruise without a penalty.  Hotels downtown are very expensive.  I called Hampton to ask if they have baggage storage because we arrive early.  Yes!  Also, Hampton indicated they have 3^rd party shuttle to the pier which they can arrange.  Plus a free breakfast, free airport shuttle (to and from) and not far from the Light Rail station.   Mostly likely we’ll use Seattle Express ($25pp) to the pier next morning.  Good reviews on Seattle Express.  You can book SE on line.  John

 

 

[cruising922]

50 minutes ago, John99 said:

 

 @cruising922          Greetings.  Very good info from ViberGuy.  I always enjoy his commentary. 

We're cruising out of Seattle on the Princess Discovery in July and flying in the day before.  We might do some sightsee in Seattle or just relax at the hotel.  We’ve been Seattle before.  In my humble opinion, most major chain airport hotels are fairly similar.  Based on Tripadvisor reviews, we ended up booking the Hampton Inn and Suites 28^th Ave at Sea Tec at a reasonable price versus downtown Seattle hotels (Home Suites by Hilton downtown was also considered but too expensive for us retirees).  Plus, you can cancel 48 hours (with Hampton) before the cruise without a penalty.  Hotels downtown are very expensive.  I called Hampton to ask if they have baggage storage because we arrive early.  Yes!  Also, Hampton indicated they have 3^rd party shuttle to the pier which they can arrange.  Plus a free breakfast, free airport shuttle (to and from) and not far from the Light Rail station.   Mostly likely we’ll use Seattle Express ($25pp) to the pier next morning.  Good reviews on Seattle Express.  You can book SE on line.  John

 

 

Thank you! Looks like we’ll be joining you on the Enchanted Princess next year! And we are fellow Michiganders.

Edited March 23, 2023 by cruising922

[John99]

@cruising922   Greetings.  Hello Michiganders.  What city?  We are from Sterling Heights just north of Detroit.   I think you’re on the Discovery not the Enchanted.  John

[jeromep]

5 hours ago, VibeGuy said:

Local here, who used to live on the hill to the west of Pier 91.
 

11:50 is fine even with luggage assistance.  It’s a closed-loop cruise so CBP issues are minimal and luggage handling in Seattle is pretty efficient.  It’s also not the first few cruises of the season so they should be in a groove. 

 

Do not use a prebooked shuttle.  Order a Lyft XL/Uber XL as soon as you have your luggage in hand.   Seattle is awash in these vehicles and you want flexibility.  
 

That Homewood Suites is one of my recommended properties for people who want to be near the port, and there’s good walkable options for dining and last minute purchases.  Way better than any of the airport properties aside from Cedarbrook Lodge. 
 

 

I agree with everything @VibeGuy says.  I'm not really a local, live on the east side of the Cascades but we frequent Seattle a few times a year.

 

I have to reiterate, avoid shuttles.  Lyft or Uber are your best bets, especially for your group the XL option or the black car/suv option.  Super easy to get, and hailing them on the app, you can see where they are, what kind of vehicle they are driving, who is driving you, so it is easy to make connections with them and get out of the port area quickly once they arrive.  I pretty much only use Uber or Lyft for ground transport when I'm traveling for business.

 

I'd lean toward doing a luggage-in-hand walk off rather than putting your luggage out to be taken off the ship.  Most of your time off ship and in port will be locating your luggage in a sea of suitcases, like VibeGuy says, customs will not be significant due to the closed loop nature of the cruise.  If you can take your own luggage off ship with you and go direct to customs, you'll be out of the port super early with time to spare.

 

I also agree with the Homewood Suites option for lodging for all the same reasons.  You'll pay more for being in Seattle proper, however the convenience may be worth it.  Ceaderbrook Lodge is very nice however, much nicer than any "near airport" property I've stayed at anyplace else.

 

 

[cruising922]

1 hour ago, John99 said:

@cruising922   Greetings.  Hello Michiganders.  What city?  We are from Sterling Heights just north of Detroit.   I think you’re on the Discovery not the Enchanted.  John

We are on the Discovery this June to Alaska. We are on the Enchanted next Feb 26 to the caribbean.

 

We’re in Macomb. Moved here a few years ago after living in Sterling Heights for 25 years.

Edited March 24, 2023 by cruising922

[CruiserGreg]

Just remember Lyft and Uber pickup location will require you to walk a couple hundred yards with your luggage to reach.  Just a heads up that it is not located directly at the terminal.  

[DallasGuy75219]

8 hours ago, cruising922 said:

We’re a group of 4 adults cruising to Alaska from Seattle from June 25 -July 2 this year.  Our flight home was just changed to 11:50am so we will be unable to take advantage of Port Valet for our luggage. This put a glitch in our plans because we were counting on not having to find our luggage at the port or stand in line to check bags at the airport.

Taking a completely different approach here..... what time was your original flight?  Your airline may allow you to change to a later flight at no charge if the time difference is big enough and you tell them the change may prevent you from checking in in enough time after you debark the ship. 

[Ombud]

8 hours ago, Ombud said:

I used Seattle Express and walked off early. Then I used Whyline to skip past all the TSA Precheck ppl and had to wait for my flight. It was easy but I do carry on only 

Just checked. My flight was at 11am.  So yes @cruising922 it's more than do-able

Edited March 24, 2023 by Ombud

[cruising922]

9 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Taking a completely different approach here..... what time was your original flight?  Your airline may allow you to change to a later flight at no charge if the time difference is big enough and you tell them the change may prevent you from checking in in enough time after you debark the ship. 

I appreciate your thoughts. Our original flight was at 12:15pm. I realize it was only 25 minutes later than the 11:50am flight time we currently have, but that change made it so now we can’t use Port Valet which had meant saved time not looking for our luggage at the port after disembarking and not having to stand in lines  to check it at the airport.

 

A later flight won’t get us home until after midnight driving through Detroit which we would prefer not to do if possible. My husband has to work the next day so spending the night is not an option unless of course it was circumstances beyond our control. 
 

 

[cruising922]

9 hours ago, Ombud said:

Just checked. My flight was at 11am.  So yes @cruising922 it's more than do-able

Thank you so much! We’ll take your advice and check out the Whyline app. We’ll have to check our luggage now though because Port Valet will no longer be an option for us. I’m hoping having TSA pre and Clear will help too.

Edited March 24, 2023 by cruising922

[Jadn13]

This seems to be of assistance for quick TSA entry w/o Precheck or Clear

https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver

[Incognito1]

On 3/23/2023 at 11:44 AM, John99 said:

 

We might do some sightsee in Seattle or just relax at the hotel.  We’ve been Seattle before.  In my humble opinion, most major chain airport hotels are fairly similar.  Based on Tripadvisor reviews, we ended up booking the Hampton Inn and Suites 28^th Ave at Sea Tec at a reasonable price versus downtown Seattle hotels (Home Suites by Hilton downtown was also considered but too expensive for us retirees). 

An alternative choice is the Marriott Fairfield in Bremerton, or Hampton Suites there. Hampton is right on the water, about 50 yards from the ferry to Seattle.  Nice hotels (we've stayed at both rather than deal with Seattle).  You might check their prices.

[VibeGuy]

With Clear and Pre✅, you have as close to a guarantee as possible. 
 

For the smoothest experience, once you’re on the highway, start looking at the airport webcams.  If Departures are backed up, check Arrivals.  If Arrivals are backed up, too, have the driver pull into the garage and proceed to the skybridge nearest your airline.  While one of you deals with the luggage, stick the parking ticket in the payment machine and it will give 15 minutes to exit free.  This can dramatically speed your access to check-in/bag drop. 

[deliver42]

I've been on 3 Alaska cruises and you shouldn't have any problems with an 11:50 flight. I don't know why you couldn't use the valet. I believe that the earliest time was either 11:00 or 11:30. We flew American to Charlotte and that was around the same time as yours.

[GoDucksNation]

Our flight is also at 11:50. The cut off time in Seattle is 12:00 noon.  I even called and “no exceptions “.