REAMMI

On 2/1/2024 at 2:38 PM, psuboater said:

Hi @psuboater and thank you for the information you shared.  I'm considering an 11:30 am flight out of SEA.  I'll be disembarking from Pier 91 in late September (9/28/24).  Given your advice (love the idea of being dropped off at arrivals rather than departures) what are your thoughts on making this flight?  It's the same scenario for me - it's the only direct flight that day.  I guess the most fair question is - what time do you suggest is best for booking return flights (I think I read somewhere that noon or after is best)?  Appreciate the insight!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there,

 

I know it must be close to Alaska cruising season when I see this question asked 3 times in a week 😄

 

Here's how I responded a few days ago:

SEA in the summer can be a MESS. I departed to NY on a day 3 ships disembarked in June. It took 45 minutes to do bag drop with Sky Priority access.

 

TSA Pre Only can also have its set of headaches at SEA. There are more times than not that TSA Pre is 45+ minutes. The only "10 minutes or less" guarantee is with TSA Pre Check WITH Clear. 

 

If you're arriving back on a weekday, you're going to be fighting with traffic half of your trip getting into the city if you're on Quantum, who has their Pier north of downtown. NCL, downtown at Pier 66 will also face gridlock trying to get to the highway from downtown. Return to Office is back in full force, as is all of the traffic.

 

Also adding, that on my 2022 trip on Quantum, we ran into customs delays and didn't start disembarkation until 8:30am. There were a LOT of stressed out people who were trying to get out ASAP, fight for a cab/uber, and try to make it through.

 

You'll see people say "oh I got a 10:30am no problem" - and those people are very lucky. SEA is known for being too small based on the passengers it intakes, and that spills over into a lot of delays.

 

If you're tight for time, also ask your driver to drop you off at Arrivals. It's only an esclator up to the Depatures floor and you'll save 10+ minutes on your car trying to fight for Departure access.

Hi - just back from my cruise with a port stop in Barcelona. We used Barcelona Day Tours and it was AWESOME. Our tour guide was Marta. She was very knowledgeable. We took a 4 hour tour of Barcelona that included Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the Olympic Stadium to name a few. We were picked up on time and delivered back to the port on time in an air conditioned mini bus / van. I can very highly recommend this tour!!!!! I was more than satisfied :)

Thank you for sharing your list. I'm not staying in Barcelona until May 2019 and you have given me a terrific head start!!!!

I've attached the excel sheet i put together for our trip to barcelona in june 2018. I went through A LOT of the discussion threads with hotel suggestions (the top ones are listed in the doc). Plus I used booking.com

hope that this helps.

September 2018 - Jewel of the Seas - first Mediterranean cruise :D

Subscribing - I sail Magic in 80 days!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip. Thanks for the review :D

Thank you for the excellent review. My family and I cruise on Magic in 131 days so thoroughly enjoying your photos, tips and thoughts.

Hi - I just got off Oasis on 9/17/16. I asked about the 10 drink special and was told it was not being offered on our sailing. No one knew why when I asked. I didn't see it advertised anywhere and I asked at 3 different bars.

Oasis in 9 days :):):)

Following. I'm really enjoying your review. I sail Oasis in September and can't wait!!!!:):)

Awesome review so far - I'm loving the details!!!! I'm sailing on Oasis for the first time in September so I'm really looking forward to hearing what you have to say :)

Subscribing - excited to read your review. I sail Oasis in September!!!

Hope you had a great cruise :)

Subscribed - I sail Oasis in September. Have a great cruise!!!

148 days until I cruise Oasis :cool::cool:

Hi and thank you for this review and the awesome pictures. I'm sailing Oasis in September and I can't wait. I look forward to the remainder of your review.

Happy Birthday by the way!!!!

OMG - I didn't realize you ran the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon - I have so many fond memories and am still quite proud. Congratulations!!!!! My family gave me an awesome keepsake from the Marathon for my birthday - has the medal, my bib, a picture - done by Fond Memories Graphics - it looks awesome. I was thrilled to finish and have no desire to run another one just yet - but not ruling it out. The half is a much easier distance for me - I still run long every Sunday and every other Sunday I run at least 13 miles. We just may have to catch up at the Rock and Roll Half in Philadelphia. We leave on Explorer in 15 days - so can't wait. Keep running :)

Wow!! Hail fellow runner! Well, not only did we both run the Philly marathon together in 2013, we will BOTH be in the Philly rock and roll half in October!... and I'm doing Chicago in July too (want that extra medal) ... yeah, running on a cruise is not great fun, is it? Although the oasis running track is awesome, big enough you don't get dizzy or loss count of your laps (or trip over folks sunning on the running deck). Enjoy the explorer!!:)

 

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Hi and thank you for the awesome review. My family and I will sail on Explorer for the second time in 20 days (yes I'm counting and we are doing 9 day with Bermuda - so different ports than you did). I also enjoyed reading about your running as your experiences sound very similar to my own. I turned 50 a couple of days ago and have been running for 2 1/2 years. I had been a walker and was concentrating on losing weight. After losing 60 pounds I decided to try running. It took me about 6 months to be able to run 5 miles. I have never run a 5k. Once I could run 5 miles I ran my first race - a 5 miler. I kept running and increasing my distance. My next race was a half marathon. I kept running and increasing my distance and before you know it I signed myself up for the Philadelphia Marathon. I am proud to say I ran and finished the 2013 Philadelphia Marathon. My 16 year old daughter caught the running bug and we both ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Disney World in February 2014. I still run a lot of miles although no races on the calendar currently. My daughter and I are planning to run the Philadelphia Rock and Roll Half Marathon in October. I did take a cruise while training for the Philadelphia Marathon and I won't lie - it was torture. I can live with the treadmill but it's horrible for long runs. Running 10+ miles on deck will make you dizzy. I did a combination of both - but I did it. All the best to you, thanks for a great review and keep running!!!!

I missed a few things from today’s Compass that I would have liked to do: Captain’s Corner in the Palace Theatre, where the captain answers questions… Ice skating… the apple strudel cooking demo… Wreck-It Ralph in the Screening Room… History and Culture lecture on the Pirates of New Jersey… free skin care seminar in the perfume shop… other activities listed included a bridge lecture (I think about the card game, not the ship’s bridge), table tennis and dodgeball tournaments, adult scrapbooking, acupuncture and other health seminars, line dancing, military veterans gathering, pool games and line dancing.. there’s always something to do onboard, or you can just find a quiet corner and read, listen to music, watch the waves…

 

Quest was great fun, and Ariel and Tom were tired, especially after the predinner liquor tasting, but they still checked out the silent party in the disco (where people dance to different music on their own headsets) and said it was cool. I went to the room and watched Pitch Perfect on the TV, going to sleep by 1:30 AM… (as it looks like I'm going to do tonight after posting another day at sea... and yes, I have to get up at 7am tomorrow to get to my Bikram Yoga work-study job and 90-minute hot yoga class).

 

Day 7 Compass

 

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Daily Offers

 

Side Two

(Whaaa.... JUST noticed the complimentary Portofino's Tour with Chef Gary!! I would've LOVED to go on that. Grrrr....)

 

Well, good night all... wahhh, tomorrow is Day 8 and the last day of this cruise (and cruise report). Boo hoo... no future cruises planned until the 14-night Explorer Repo in November... a few nice land trips on the horizon, though: a driving trip to a wedding in Ohio (where I've never been) at a yacht club on the lake... a week in a timeshare in Block Island, Rhode Island... 4 days in Chicago (where I've never been) for the Rock n Roll Half-Marathon... 3 days in Vegas on a timeshare promotion... not bad, overall!! Plus my running club starts up next month, so I'll be increasing mileage every week with my group, the Galloway NYC Marathon and Half-Marathon training group... I might try to add a weekend in Atlanta for the inaugural Galloway Half-Marathon in December if my schedule (and budget) permits... and I can stay in shape during that two-week cruise in November!!!