Alaska cruise question--transfer from ship to airport (Seattle)

[cherrytwist]

Hello! We are doing an Alaska cruise this summer out of Seattle. Is it worth it to buy the ship-to-airport transfers (we'll have 4 people) for the end of the cruise, or just arrange a taxi, uber, etc? I think doing the transfers might be easier, but I wanted to get some opinions. Thank you!

[jeromep]

The transfer, like anything that uses a motorcoach, is going to be a lot of hurry up and wait.  And depending on your flight times, may not actually work out.  You'll have no issue with using Uber/Lyft for your ground transportation.  At Pier 91 there is a dedicated ride share pickup area and a dedicated shuttle that makes the 2 minute drive out of the pick-up/drop-off lanes out to the rideshare waiting area.  It is all very organized.  You can walk to the rideshare area, no problem, but that is a bit slower.

 

On our last cruise, from the time we picked up our luggage in the baggage hall till we were in the Uber headded toward SeaTac, maybe 15 minutes.  I booked the Uber while in transit on the shuttle.

[walkingsoon]

Take an Uber, especially with four people.

 

Last August I had a ninety minute wait on the pier for a bus. Whoever they contracted with did an extremely poor job.

[Ken the cruiser]

OTOH we are low stress cruisers. We usually book the ship-to-airport transfer in advance and then just head to the bus after disembarking the ship, have the driver stow our luggage, find a seat in the back of the bus, and kick back and enjoy the ride.

 

Now, if there is enough time for an excursion on the way to the airport, we will usually book one of their enhanced transfers as the cost is usually pretty reasonable.

 

Princess Cruises - Port - Seattle, Washington

 

[capriccio]

The city of Seattle offers a free transfer from the ship to the airport.  Check out https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

 

I'm sure there must be reviews on the West Coast Departures board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

[CenTexan]

I used to wait to book our end-of-cruise transfer while on board so I could use OBCs. Our last Princess cruise (ending in NY) wouldn't add us to the transfer list - CS rep on board said they were "having trouble with the transfer/bus company and were not doing any further business with them." Mind you, this was a couple days before arriving in NY. Not a relaxing way to end a cruise! At the time, we had never used Uber/Lyft, so were really panicked. Stranded at the pier!! Woe and fear.

 

We ended up just joining the transfer queue, intending to see if we could pay the ticket taker. No one checked tickets! We climbed on the bus - relieved but feeling a bit guilty (but not for Princess!). We gave the driver a nice tip once we got to the airport, tho!

[ccqueenanne]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

The city of Seattle offers a free transfer from the ship to the airport.  Check out https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

 

I'm sure there must be reviews on the West Coast Departures board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

 

Port Valet is GREAT. To be clear - it's a free transfer for your luggage, not yourselves. But if your airline participates and your flight is within the time parameters for Port Valet, it's fab and totally recommended. It'll also allow 4 adults to fit into any Uber/cab. If you don't/can't use Port Valet, you'll need to ensure you order an Uber big enough to hold all of your luggage. Or join the cab line and wait for a cab with more luggage space. With four people, I'd pick an Uber/cab vs paying for 4 transfers on the coach. 

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

1 hour ago, ccqueenanne said:

 

Port Valet is GREAT. To be clear - it's a free transfer for your luggage, not yourselves. But if your airline participates and your flight is within the time parameters for Port Valet, it's fab and totally recommended. It'll also allow 4 adults to fit into any Uber/cab. If you don't/can't use Port Valet, you'll need to ensure you order an Uber big enough to hold all of your luggage. Or join the cab line and wait for a cab with more luggage space. With four people, I'd pick an Uber/cab vs paying for 4 transfers on the coach. 

 

We usually head straight to Taxi, cuz if youre in Early walkoff?

You'll be outside in no time.

Last couple times getting off ship in Seattle, there was No wait for taxi.....

but a Huge amount of folks waiting for their Uber!

For the small price diff?  We head straight to Taxis.

We found were at the airport within about 35 mins from getting off the ship!

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

This is not meant to sway you in either direction. The above examples of taking a taxi or Uber to the airport reminded me of when we arrived at Reykjavik, Iceland back in August 2022 on transition day of our B2B. As we were headed out on a ship excursion, this was the line of folks disembarking the ship that we’re waiting for a taxi or any other private means of transportation to the airport. Unfortunately, there were two other ships in port that day disembarking passengers as well.

 

 

[lahlah57]

My husband and I plan it with our agent through the cruiseline.

I want whats easier for me straight out the gate. I don't want to call or plan or look for an uber or a taxi.

[TxChick51]

7 hours ago, capriccio said:

The city of Seattle offers a free transfer from the ship to the airport.  Check out https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

 

I'm sure there must be reviews on the West Coast Departures board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

Just to clarify, your luggage (only) can be transferred to the airport free of charge.  We did this, then had Uber pick us up and take us to Pike Market for a couple of hours.  We used Bounce storage at a nearby store to hold our carry-on luggage until we were ready to head to the airport. Another Uber took us to the airport. Worked great for us.

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

This is not meant to sway you in either direction. The above examples of taking a taxi or Uber to the airport reminded me of when we arrived at Reykjavik, Iceland back in August 2022 on transition day of our B2B. As we were headed out on a ship excursion, this was the line of folks disembarking the ship that we’re waiting for a taxi or any other private means of transportation to the airport. Unfortunately, there were two other ships in port that day disembarking passengers as well.

 

 

Ken.  Being that Reykjavik has about 80 taxis and comparing it with Uber is Seattle is a bit unrealistic.  You can schedule an Uber and there are hundreds in Seattle.  No Uber in Reykjavik. 

[Ken the cruiser]

8 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Ken.  Being that Reykjavik has about 80 taxis and comparing it with Uber is Seattle is a bit unrealistic.  You can schedule an Uber and there are hundreds in Seattle.  No Uber in Reykjavik. 

Understand. The comments on this thread just reminded me of this unusual moment in time. Funny thing was, there were still slots available to book a ship transfer to the airport when we arrived that day in Reykjavik. I'm sure there are plenty of private means of getting to the Seattle airport at a reasonable price.