Ferry_Watcher

Certainly having a signed letter from the parents would be wise to have, but as other posters have noted, it isn't always asked to be shown. Grandparents, divorced parents, parents with different last names embark on cruises with kids all the time without any problem. I think there have been a few times that I have asked the child who they were traveling with. If the child smiles and says 'grandpa' then it satisfies any question I had. If a check-in agent had a concern, a supervisor would become involved, and if there was a really serious concern, then security would be notified. But generally speaking, it's an everyday occurrence. It's different from the example of traveling (driving) across the Canadian border, as that could be a child custody interference situation. A 7 day round trip cruise to Alaska has everyone who boarded the ship, disembarking seven days later. Personally I have never seen anyone denied boarding for not having a letter. I would think if there was a question, pier management would be calling the parent to verify, and maybe have a email acknowledgement, or a permission letter electronically sent to the pier.

I saw a "service" lap dog being carried, and the doggie stroller filled with 12 packs of soda.

Thank goodness you checked your email and saw the last minute flight cancellation.

Thanks for the comment about how faster check-in is if you register online. I mean, how hard is it to enter an emergency contact phone number from the comfort of your home, rather than fumbling with your cell phone looking up the number at the check-in counter? As Travel R observed, faster check-in process if you have completed everything prior to arriving at the pier.

Passengers should be aware that Pier 91 has been enforcing the cut-off time for embarking passengers. Passengers arriving at Pier 91 late in the day will most likely find the doors to the terminal building locked beginning at 3 PM for RCI's Ovation, Quantum and Celebrity's Solstice. Carnival's embarkation cut-off will be closer to 3:15 PM, but arrival by 3 PM with ArriveCan completed is highly recommended.

Harsh and unkind. I am guessing that if some of these talented crew members had had the same academic and social opportunities that our children have that they might have ended up at Oxford.

Yes, it needs to be put to bed.

There was a service Shih Tzu on Carnival last week. https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shihtzuphotos.htm

Wow.

Isn't that deck reserved for ship crew? It's designed to be hidden from general/passenger view, allowing the crew to get out and about away from passengers. The forward deck is occasionally open to a limited class of invited passengers for special viewing opportunities.

Yes, it needs to be filled out. Easiest to do from the comfort of your home up tp 3 days before you board your ship in Seattle.

Same thing when I was on the Celebrity Solstice - many officers were dining in Sushi on Five. There were a couple of day were we were visiting ports very close to each other, and it appeared that there were visitors / business meetings happening. It was Sushi on Five that was being used to dine these visitors.

Seems like Royal is attracting more clients from a more budget/partying cruise line.

The free test for unvaccinated children happens on the 2nd floor by the check-in counter. Parents and older siblings are check-in by the regular agents either with hand-held tablets, or at the counter. The unvaccinated child will be check-in by an agent at the testing site after the negative test result is achieved. Not sure about the timing between testing and receiving the results. If you are on the Ovation or Quantum, there have been 300-400 kids on recent sailings, although most of those kids are old enough to have been vaccinated. For unvaccinated kids it may take awhile depending how many kids need to be tested ahead of you. Just remember that everyone over the age of 2 yrs, must arrive at the pier with a negative Covid test result in hand.

I was there earlier this year and can highly recommend breakfast at Andaluca's at the Mayflower. Dinner service hadn't restarted, so we had bar food at Oliver's, which was equally as good. You will be happy with your decision to stay there.

Both the Princess and HAL ships will have just started their disembarkation process around 7 AM so you will be in a sea of about 5K passengers getting off the ship and moving towards whatever ground transportation will get them to where ever they are heading next. There are no amenities at Pier 91, other than a restroom. You may find yourself standing until the terminal doors open for boarding which will be around 10 AM. If possible, you may want to hang out at the airport, and maybe grab something from Starbucks near baggage claim. There is a very pleasant area to sit by baggage carousel #1 It would be best to arrive at Pier 91 after 9AM at the earliest, even better closer to 9:30/10 AM. The longshore porters will not be accepting embarking luggage until most of the departing passengers have left. Hoping for the best for you. .

@CruiserBruce is correct. Have a great cruise!

Since you described yourself as a fit individual walking on his own with a single wheeled bag, I would say 'go for it' in terms of walking from Pike Place to Pier 91. Best recommended option is to take the scenic walking/biking trail that starts at the outdoor sculpture park by Pier 70. This will bring you to Pier 91, and then it will be another quarter mile walk to the terminal. Just be aware that once you start the trail walk, you will will be on it until you get to the Pier 91 complex.

Not sure where you are sailing to, but if you were sailing out of Seattle, your child would arrive with a negative Covid test, then have a free-of-charge PCR test once at the pier (so two test within about 48 hours).

Auto tips should have the same effect on you - doing right by the preferred gratuity method that benefits all deserving crew members. You can also tip above and beyond the auto tips. BTW, you never answered the question of 'what happens if you can't find the particular crew member to hand your "in lieu of Auto Tips" cash envelop to?'

The food prep workers, the folks who do the laundry, the staff that keeps the public restrooms clean and filled with towels, the folks who bus the Lido tables, the folks who keep the beautiful public areas clean and polished. It's more than your room attendant, waiter/server or wine steward (folks who generally interact on a daily basis with passengers).

Wow, that is significant news. Thanks for looking into this, and letting us know.

So, it is to make you feel good about yourself? What happens when you can't find a particular crew member to hand them the envelop containing the tip cash? The gratuity system (whether you agree with it or not) is to reward not only the face of the hospitality crew (room stewards, waiters, etc), but also those behind-the-scenes workers that passengers never come in contact with. The cruise industry's gratuity system may be imperfect, but it allows a large and deserving group of unseen crew members to efficiently share in the gratuities. Keep the auto tips/gratuity in place and leave additional $ for those crew members that really made your cruise extra enjoyable. Remember crew names, and acknowledge them in the post cruise survey. Do the right thing.

A check-in agent can, and does override any automatic alert that a US passport will expire in less than 6 months of embarking on a closed loop cruise. A holder of a valid US passport would not be denied boarding if their passport is still current by the day they disembark the ship on a closed loop cruise.