Ferry_Watcher

@abritinva, thanks for posting. Unfortunately, the news that Amtrak is restarting the Cascade run to Vancouver, BC at the tail end of the cruise season is anticlimactic. As someone who live in a town where the train passes thru, and hopes to use it next May for a cruise out of Vancouver, I am happy. I do wish that Amtrak could have started sooner, but at least September '22 is better than nothing. Thanks again!

Each airline sets it's own flight departure parameters. You might keep trying in case there was a system error, or holiday (July 4th) system update or some such reason.

Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Be careful what you wish for. Those Covid tests are just another layer to help keep passengers and crew safe. Even though passengers and crew are coming down with Covid, IMO doing away with the tests completely would make the transmission rate that much higher.

@Senga is correct about not letting your guard down re Covid. Despite everything that the cruise lines, ports and individuals are doing, Covid is present and being transmitted during sailings. Not sure how the Canadian ports are handling disembarking Covid passengers, but in Seattle you are either driving home (because you are a local resident), or you are being driven to a hotel for quarantine. Where you are not going is to the airport.

Not sure what the point is mocking our Canadian friends, especially when you will be a guest in their country in essentially a matter of days. Not good form, my friend.

The kids might like the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks (Seattle). Also, so cool to watch the boats go through the locks. https://www.ballardlocks.org/fish-salmon-ladder.html

Passports must be valid to be used on a closed loop cruise. An alternative for US born passengers - a gov't issued birth certificate is acceptable for a closed loop cruise

Do people ask the tipping question to get public reassurance that it is okay to be cheap?

I am guessing that this is an actual photo of a truly homeless individual, as evident by the condition of his feet. While it was submitted to this post as humorous, it's kinda' sad.

Yes, you do need it. As @BirdTravelsmentioned, you complete the ArriveCan registration up to 72 hours before boarding your ship in Seattle. It is much easier to do it while you are at home, rather than once you start traveling.

While Canada requires ArriveCan, it is up to the individual cruise lines on how they enforce compliance of their passengers. Carnival demands proof of completion (QR code) at the front door of the terminal. Other cruise lines with a higher rate of voluntary compliance will send forms to passengers while on board requesting they record/report their 6 ArriveCan digit number code. I have heard other cruise lines will check for the QR code as you try to leave the ship in Victoria. ArriveCan is a public health registration. It is not a travel visa or criminal data collection system

Maybe ask in the either the Celebrity Roll Call thread, or in the general Celebrity thread. From my past Alaska cruises, the helicopter / flightseeing excursions are some of the first to fill up. Hoping for the best for you!

You will not be denied boarding at the pier in Seattle. The Canadians will receive a copy of the final ship's manifest before reaching Victoria, BC. I don't know if they would tell the ship not to allow you off once arriving in Canada. It's up to you to weigh the options.

Annoyed, not annoying.

It's one of the problems with a 'one size fits all' type of website, especially when it comes to visas. One huge problem that the US homeports for Alaska bound cruise ships deals with, is that the cruise lines do not clearly let foreign travelers know that certain countries (most Asian, almost all South American and all African countries) need a Canadian Visa to board a cruise ship to Alaska (due to the port-of-call in Victoria). If these foreign visitors do not have a Canadian Visa, it is a full stop denial of boarding. In Seattle, this is a daily occurrence on cruise days. It is a very sad and heartbreaking result of cruise lines and travel agents not doing their job. Passengers, also must do their due diligence, but the cruise line must make this information more prominent on their booking page.

Seattle is just like any other US city. The "safety concerns" posted here are directly tied the social justice protests during the BLM movement in 2020. There are some that can not / will not acknowledge that most of the country, including Seattle no longer experiences any BLM demonstrations. Seattle, a liberal city, is a favorite dumping ground for what some see as the country's ills.

No,- - in fact no personal contact info is listed, other than an emergency contact phone number. Agents know your full legal name, birth date, country of birth and country of residence.

Welcome to Seattle. Not surprising that hotels are full. It was even more challenging pre-pandemic when there would be all kinds of conferences, conventions and other business gatherings going on. I am guessing that since your cruise isn't until next summer (2023), those hotels room blocks are being held in reserve. A good sign for our economy, but it doesn't help you out. You may have to expand your search to include airport hotels, or go the Airbnb route. Also possible that some of those room blocks will begin to be released closer to your cruise date. If you want DT Seattle, try the Mayflower Hotel.

Pre=pandemic the three major car rentals also had a location in DT Seattle. You might check to see if picking up your rental car from DT Seattle is an option.

Ray's Cafe which is just north of the Ballard Locks might be a good lunch spot for you. Also, it may take upwards of 2 hours for the individual getting off the ship, getting to SeaTac to pick-up the car, and then returning back to Pier 91. Just be prepared.

Carnival did not offer port Valet last season (2021), and is not offering it this season (2022).

Seems like it took security a while to respond, and not in any large numbers.

@crespo, pretty accurate description. Some days the lines are long, other days it just flows smoothly. It gets crowded when the airport transfer buses arrive (capacity of 54 passengers), along with all the other drop-offs. Thank you for mentioning that if you can't show the ArriveCan proof of completion QR code, you will be pulled out of line and will need to complete ArriveCan while standing outside the building. There is staff support to assist, but easier to do at home. You may complete ArriveCan up to 3 days before getting on the cruise ship. Also, if you need to access your ArriveCan with a password, please remember it. So many folks fumble with their phones trying to remember their password.

Not surprising as it could have been co-opted to be used for smuggling. Glad your dad did okay without his medication, and that his luggage was found and returned to him.