Seattle embarkation question

DH and I are Elite but we are travelling with SIL and her husband who are first time cruisers and she is in a wheel chair. We obviously will stay with them during embarkation to assist them but we're wondering if there is any separate boarding process for those in wheelchairs or is it possible they can board with us. FWIW we are planning to arrive at the pier between 11am and noon.

From my understanding, your SIL and her travelers will board early...just before the elite or close to their boarding time. :)

I think your time will be Ok, but many passengers are arriving about that time too. Would there be a possibility to arrive at the pier just a bit earlier so check in could be processed and then boarding arrangements made to ready her and traveling companions for the early special boarding?

Have a great cruise.

That would be perfect - thanks so much for your quick response.

I have nothing to offer specifically about the process in Seattle. I just wanted Andy to know that the countdown is at 13 days. That's 13 days...:)

Good morning,

My husband is wheelchaired on at Seattle every year. There is a waiting area for wheel chair passengers after check-in. They are one of the first groups boarded and the young men who wheelchair on are wonderful!

On Saturday I did the Bon Voyage Experience on the Crown Princess in Seattle. My friend and I were parked at 10:00 and in the terminal all checked in by 10:30. It was a seamless procedure and everything was quick. Later, by 11:00, it was getting quite busy. When we go on July 2nd we'll follow this same timetable.

About 11:15 the parade of wheelchairs came off the ship. While waiting there is usually someone with a clipboard keeping track of those who need assistance and the order in which they arrived. Once the young men bring off the wheelchairs it is a quick process.

One suggestion is to have the staff wheelchair your SIL on. This leaves all of you to handle carry-ons, etc. and the staff is skilled at negotiating the ramp, etc. The embarkation photo was taken inside on Saturday so once you stop there they will wheelchair her to the cabin.

Hope this helps!

Karen

Good morning,

My husband is wheelchaired on in Seattle and we've done it many times both on Princess and HAL. I also did the Bon Voyage Experience on Saturday. My friends and I were at the port parking lot by 10:00 and at the terminal by 10:15. We were allowed in shortly after. At that point there were very few lines and the check-in process was painless. We sail July 2nd on Princess and my timeline will include parking by 10:00 AM so we're at at the port in plenty of time.

The wheelchair process is pretty seamless. After check-in you are directed to a specific spot to wait and there is often someone with a clipboard tracking those who have arrived. On Saturday, about 11:15, there was a parade of wheelchairs coming off the ship to load people on. They had about a dozen or so to start with.

Hope this helps.

Karen

Karen,

Extremely helpful - thanks very much for Tsing the time to be so detailed and as was suggested earlier, we will definitely a for an earlier arrival at the pier, about 9:45 to 10:00am. Thanks again.

Good afternoon,

Glad to be helpful. I wish you all well. When do you sail?

Karen

On mornings when things don't go well with either disembarking ship, the doors to the terminal don't open until closer to 10:30, and the stevedores don't accept bags either. Since you're not parking and shuttling, consider arriving at 10:30 - it's a pier with limited seating outside and if it's cool or breezy it can be a little unpleasant.

Thank you Vibe guy - appreciate the advice. We will be staying at the Crowne Plaza at airport the night before and we will have a car that we will be parking at the pier for the week. I will check the webcam early on the day of departure and verify passengers are disembarking on time.

Karen, we are on the Sept. 10th sailing of the Crown Princess.

DH and I are Elite but we are travelling with SIL and her husband who are first time cruisers and she is in a wheel chair. We obviously will stay with them during embarkation to assist them but we're wondering if there is any separate boarding process for those in wheelchairs or is it possible they can board with us. FWIW we are planning to arrive at the pier between 11am and noon.

As others have said, those in wheelchairs will board first.

So the question is, will you be allowed to board with them or will you have to wait for the elites to be able to board?

You may not want to arrive as early as 9:45 to 10. They are still dealing with debarking guests and don't even open the doors open or accept luggage for new guests until 10:30ish. There is a separate area for special assistance and different check in area for preferred. Once the ship is cleared and ready for new guests, Bon Voyage board followed by wheelchairs then preferred. For boarding, wheelchairs use one door and preferred a different door, so to stay together you will need to go with them. Wheelchairs are pushed through out the day, as long as there is assistance needed.

The order is normally- BVEs, wheelchairs, Elites/ Full suites, Platinums, then those without the previous designations.

The order is normally- BVEs, wheelchairs, Elites/ Full suites, Platinums, then those without the previous designations.

I can only speak for last year, but they did not separate Elite/Suite from Platinum. All were in the same area and boarded at the same time.

My experience in Seattle is from 2011: my mom was in a wheelchair and we had a total group of 10 people. Two of us were platinum and all of the group checked in via the preferred line and all were boarded with the wheelchair person.

It all may have changed now, but we all were ever so grateful to the staff in Seattle, at that time, for allowing all of us to remain together for check-in and boarding. Especially as the 2 of us who had cruised before were the source of help for 8 newbies! (Quite the job that was!)

Your 2011 experience was fantastic. Just think about how relaxed they are now in Seattle.:)

Thanks to everyone who has posted responses to my question. CC people are the best. I think we have all the info we need now.

I am traveling with family who have some significant medical issues that limit their mobility. Neither are in wheelchairs; however, both cannot make the normal bording process. Will they be treated to the same bording process as those in wheelchairs?

Thanks in advance.

I am traveling with family who have some significant medical issues that limit their mobility. Neither are in wheelchairs; however, both cannot make the normal bording process. Will they be treated to the same bording process as those in wheelchairs?

 

Thanks in advance.

Most likley.

Make yourselves known to a Princess rep in the check-in/boarding area.

I might would have a document typed out and have their doctor sign the paper that mobility is limited to have in hand.

Give Princess a call and let them know of the situation. They might tell you it is not necessary to have a doctor signature. Princess might arrange to have wheelchair for their use to board the ship. That could really help you out on boarding.

Hopefully most passengers could understand these guests are of mobility challenge and not give you any nasty looks just because they are not in a wheelchair if one/two not available.

I hope you all have a wonderful cruise.

I would not worry about any doctor's note.

Just let Princess know they need a wheelchair for embarkation (and disembarkation at the end of the cruise I assume) and ask for the wheelchairs when you reach the embarkation terminal.