Ferry_Watcher

Yes, after I posted my reply I was hoping that "US citizen" didn't mean a naturalized citizen. Thanks @Shmoo here

Hi @waykaylincruz, Fridays are the busiest days at Pier 91 with the Ovation and the Celebrity Solstice both in port. I can't stress enough to you to arrive at Pier 91 prepared with everyone having easy access to their own travel documents, as well as the mandatory ArriveCan app completed and the QR code either on a phone, or printed out. Since your party is so large, I would suggest that if you need to travel separately, that you divide up by family units and/or by staterooms (especially since the youngest in your party is 20 yrs old - and I am guessing that that person is sharing a room with a family member over the age of 21). Not sure if the 89 yr old will have his/her own wheelchair or walker, but be prepared that there may be a wait for a wheelchair (if needed) due to a lengthy check-in line. Rather than keeping everyone together, the fastest and kindest thing to do is to let smaller family units go ahead into the embarkation process and meet up later on the ship, but remember that they all will need their individual paperwork for boarding. Again, I can't stress the importance of double checking all travel documents (passports or gov't issued birth certificates w/photo ID) before leaving home. Also, you can attach your cruise line luggage tags to the luggage while still at the hotel the morning of the cruise. That way the porters can take it when you arrive at Pier 91. Having vaccination cards and a copy of the negative covid test results with each individual person is important as well. If one person in each family group has the ArriveCan QR code on their phone for other family members, then that group will need to enter the building together, as everyone needs to show that they are successfully. registered with ArriveCan. It will be a process to get all 13 through the embarkation procedure. If you find that it is easier (and faster to split up, you can either regroup in a waiting area past check-in on the 2nd floor of Pier 91, or regroup on the ship. I hope you have an amazing family cruise! Good luck.

Fine hotel, but it will be a walk up a hill from the DT core, if that matters to you.

Wow, this is a very ambiguous day of embarkation schedule. Not to burst your bubble, but Fridays are the busiest day at Pier 91. We have the RCI Ovation and X Solstice disembarking upwards of 6,800 passengers. The longshore porters will be busy, until at about 10 AM, at which at that time some will take a lunch break, while others will begin collecting luggage for the afternoon's departure. There is no parking in the driveway area at Pier 91. So, you will have to unload all the luggage (sounds like for at least 6/7 people), and then the driver will be instructed to leave. That will leave just one person to be responsible for all the luggage - a challenging task. As for leaving the pier, and joining your other family members in sightseeing at Seattle Center - if you plan to do that (and personally I would be hesitant to recommend it due to timing), I would make it a very short visit. Something else to consider - If your younger children/grandchildren are not vaccinated, they will be tested a second time at the pier, even though they will arrive with a negative covid test result. You will need to budget enough time for lines and the test before the ship disembarks. There was a sad story last season where a young couple dropped off their bags early, then left for sightseeing and returned to the ship just before sailing time at 4pm. The gangway was already pulled (which means no one or anything gets on or leaves the ship), and the ship sailed away without them, but with their luggage onboard still onboard. Don't let this happen to you.

The Olympic Hotel (Fairmount Olympic) is the Grand Dame of Seattle hotels. Some of the cruise lines at least use to house cruise guests that opted in for the pre-cruise hotel package (I am not sure if the Fairmount is still used for this). Every Christmas, the Fairmount Olympic opens up a group of rooms to showcase their annual Teddy Bear Suite to the delight of adults and children alike. Other than visiting the Teddy Bear Suite during the holidays, or dining in the icon Georgian Room (which now looks like it's call The George), I never stayed there (always out of my price range LOL) One time during the 1990's, my husband and I were taking the escalator up to the lobby, and my husband leaned over to me and pointed out David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) was coming down the adjoining escalator. Anyway, it's a beautiful hotel, rich in Seattle history.

Not a problem assuming that his birth certificate is a gov't issued, not a hospital issued copy. He will just need that and his gov't issued photo ID (driver's license). And visiting Victoria will not be an issue. Enjoy! Have a great cruise!

But an exception wasn't made again (i.e., skipping stopping in Canada as what happened in 2020). So, time to move on and deal with what people who want to cruise to Alaska need to do. Fill out, and complete ArriveCan within 72 hours of embarking on a cruise ship from a US port.

Oh my argumentative friend, let me spell it out for you in simple terms: The US law All cruises sailing from the U.S. must stop in Canada or another foreign port due to the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Under this act, foreign-flagged ships must visit at least one foreign country during the cruise. A cruise line would face significant penalties for not complying.Apr 27, 2021 In order for cruise ships to sail from US ports to Alaska, the must make a stop at a foreign port (Canada). Canada, a sovereign nation, sets it own laws, rule and regulations for it's people and those visiting. Canada decides that all visitors must register their Canadian visits (by land, sea or air) so Canada can track any potential Covid outbreak to help keep it's citizens safe. The cruise lines want to resume sailing the lucrative mainland/Alaska market and acknowledges Canada's prerogative to set terms, limits and conditions on ships entering Canadian ports Canada sets up a somewhat simple app to assist visitors (also an online web version) Cruise companies unfortunately are slow to pass the mandatory ArriveCan requirement along to their passengers, leading to confusion, frustration and long lines. How will it all resolve? As the season goes on, the cruise line will become more pro-active in getting information out about the required ArriveCan registration. The pier side staff will become more adapt in assisting those passengers who are truly confused, or sadly too pigheaded to complete the app (at home), while standing outside the terminal building. Eventually, we will see a higher compliance rate of passengers arriving with their ArriveCan QR code ready to be looked at. The long lines will disappear, and we will return to the smooth embarkation ease of pre-pandemic 2019. @cruisingguy007, my friend, instead of complaining about something that you can't change, (i. e., a foreign country's reasonable requirement), try focusing on what can be done to make it work.

As you leave the pier in Seattle (either 66 or 91), some of your best Seattle views will be from the Aft or back of the ship. Since all the ships will be sailing north, you will have a great view of the Seattle skyline, and if it a clear day, an amazing view of Mt Rainier, one of the tallest mountain in the lower 48. As you move north into the Salish Sea (AKA Puget Sound), you will see two sets of mountain ranges: the Olympics to the west (Port), and the Cascades on the east (starboard). Along the east side of the shore (right / starboard side), you will see railroad tracks. This is for both freight and if it was running, Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. You could imagine what a scenic train ride it would be along the many miles of shoreline. You may see ferries sailing across Puget Sound about 45 minutes after leaving Seattle. This would be the Edmonds to Kingston ferry run. If it is a clear day, you may see to the northeast the beautiful snow covered Mt Baker, considered an thermally active volcano (as is Mt Rainier). A bit further north you will pass by Whidbey Island (and its cliffs on the southside). There is a Navy Growler training center there where the pilots practice take-offs and landings (for carrier duty). Since the Seattle cruise ships set sail between 4 PM to - 5:30 PM, after the first hour of sailing many folks are either back in their staterooms getting ready for dinner, or finishing unpacking. What I mentioned above will cover the first 90 minutes or so of your cruise. Here's to hoping that your cruise has amazing weather!

Thank you @weloverunning, for sharing your first hand story. Thank goodness you mentioned that Miss Amanda was visiting from Brazil. As long as Miss Amanda has the Canadian Visa in her Brazilian passport she will be good to go. (It looks very similar to the full passport page US Visa). She should not be surprised if her passport is collected at check-in and returned once the ship arrives in Victoria. This practice gives the Canadians easy and quick access to all the passports they need to inspect without disrupting the passengers. And you are correct that it doesn't matter if the guest didn't plan of getting off the ship in Canada (Victoria), the visa is needed regardless. Thanks again for sharing your story!

Pier 91 folks who are looking at all the health related data that passengers are presenting are given daily info "cheat' sheets that spell out for example the last possible date of your vaccination shot to be considered fully vaccinated, as well as the window of days for your negative covid test. If the pier side staff member has any questions, a supervisor will be called, and it is possible that you will be sent to a secondary screening. If the date of your covid test is outside the parameters needed, then you will probably be told to retest while at Pier 91.

Thank you @martincath for your kind words - I am honored . I do hope that folks read about the potential need for a Canadian Visa if they plan to travel with visiting foreign friends and family. It is so easy to get swept up in the excitement of booking a cruise to Alaska (especially with some of the great fares), to share the wonderful experience of seeing Alaska with visiting friends and relatives, that the idea of a Canadian Visa being needed doesn't enter the considerations. It's not surprising, since Americans really aren't use to needing visas to travel to many countries. And sadly, the travel agents aren't catching that not all the travelers in the group are American. I do hope this thread will save at least one person, or one family group disappointment and heartbreak.

As Americans resume cruising to Alaska, so resumes the heartbreak of some foreign friends and family members who are surprised at the pier to find out that they need a Canadian Visa in order to be allowed to board the cruise ship. The majority of the foreign guests don't need the Canadian Visa. These folks have passports from countries like: Great Britain; the EU; Australia; New Zealand; Japan: South Korea and Mexico. Other visitors, from South America (with one exception), Africa, and most of Asia will need a Canadian Visa in order to board the ship from a US port. While these visitors would have a US Visa, the US Visa does not equate with a Canadian Visa. Example: you have relatives visiting from Brazil (on a US Visa) and you decide to take them to Alaska. Unless they have a Canadian Visa in their passport, they will be denied boarding. Or, your son's girlfriend is visiting from South Africa and you decide to include her in your family vacation. Without a Canadian Visa, she will be denied boarding. Same with relatives visiting from India - their US Visa allowed them to travel to the US, but if you want to take them on a cruise to Alaska, they would also need a Canadian Visa. To get a Canadian Visa for your foreign friend or family member, they should really apply in their home countries. It is a matter of submitting their passports, which when the Visa application is approved, the passport is returned with the visa attached. Folks who are denied boarding due to not having the correct travel documents should not expect a refund. While the cruise line may issue a refund, they are under no legal obligation to do so, as stated under the cruise contract that we all sign (and probably not read). Please research and do your due diligence if you are planning to take a foreign friend or family member on a cruise. Visa-required travellers The following travellers need a visa to come to Canada by any method of travel – plane, car, bus, train, or cruise ship. Note: Holders of Alien’s passport and Stateless individuals need a visa to visit or transit Canada. Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Belarus Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia-Herzegovina Botswana Brazil (note: some Brazilian citizens may be eligible for an eTA if they meet certain requirements) Burkina Faso Burma (Myanmar) Burundi Cambodia Cameroon, Republic of Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad China, People's Republic of Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Costa Rica, Republic of Cuba Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Fiji Gabon Gambia Georgia Ghana Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel, must have a valid Israeli “Travel Document in lieu of National Passport” Ivory Coast Jamaica Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Macao Special Administrative Region Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Islands Mali Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Micronesia, Fed. States Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Authority Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Qatar Romania (holder of a non-electronic passport, such as a temporary passport) Russia Rwanda Sao Tomé e Principe Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sri Lanka St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines (St. Vincent) Sudan Surinam Swaziland Syria Taiwan, must have a passports other than ordinary passports issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan that include their personal identification number Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

DeLaurenti's is a Seattle institution. It has an amazing array of very cool food. You may buy more than you need!

30 seconds to review all information from a passport, vax card and negative test result? That would be a Pier Shore-side staff member's dream! ; ) Could they get an extra 15 seconds if they had to look at a birth certificate & DL?? LOL

Unfortunate and frustrating news from the Amtrak folks regarding train service between Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Hoping that our fellow CCer's read this and either book the bus with Amtrak, or make other travel plans (Quick Bus or a flight from SeaTac). Wishing the best to all dealing with this disappointing travel surprise.

Amtrak announces no train service to Canada until late 2022 Amtrak staffing shortages delay Seattle-Vancouver, B.C. service resumption Amtrak informed the states of Washington and Oregon that the popular Amtrak Cascades train service north of Seattle will not resume until late 2022 due to Amtrak staffing shortages. WSDOT and ODOT expressed extreme dissatisfaction with this plan and urged Amtrak to at least begin offering service a few days a week on an interim basis until full service can resume in December 2022. Amtrak noted it is committed to an earlier start date if employee resources allow. Several staff positions need to be filled including conductors, on-board service staff, and mechanics. Progress is being made in recruiting necessary staff; however, once hired, they must complete extensive training programs before starting their jobs. This route – serving Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Stanwood, Mount Vernon, Bellingham and Vancouver, BC – has been suspended since May 2020 when the Canadian border closed to non-essential travel. Daily bus service between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, and between Seattle and Bellingham, will continue to be offered through the Amtrak ticketing system. Email updates on the Amtrak Cascades service are available by free subscription. Those interested in working for Amtrak should apply at: www.careers.amtrak.com.

I think that the fact you are trying to include another person in a suite stateroom (to partake of suite amenities), the individual will be sleeping in a regular balcony room may be difficult for you to swing. It may be possible with the help of a very savvy travel agent. I get what you want to do, but I think the cruise lines don't want folks to do 'work arounds' when it comes to suites-in-name-only and suite amenities. As someone who has checked-in cruise passengers, I had a situation where a couple booked a balcony room and a interior room across the hall. One of the couple was in a wheelchair and the idea was to use the interior room as storage for medical equipment. The couple was listed together in the balcony, and the husband was also listed as being in the interior room. The problem was his passport could not be scanned/swiped twice for two different rooms. None of us at check-in could make it work. Finally, a member of the ship's hotel team came off the ship to the check-in counter, went into a more advanced check-in system program and made it work. I appreciate your desire for a very nice family cruise, and keeping the group together for meals. Good luck.

@firewife09, you might either repost your question under West Coast Homeports, or ask a Mod if your thread can be moved by them.

As my friend @Glaciersmentioned, getting to Pier 91 from the light rail station in DT Seattle is not really convenient. The distance is about 3 miles between the two locations. There is a local bus #33, but it would let you off on an overpass bridge and you would have to carry down your luggage down 2 flights of stairs. From there it would be a 1/4 mile walk to the terminal building. If your question was about doing touristy day trips without luggage (i.e., visiting Pike Place Market for a day), then light rail would be perfect, same if you were traveling from SeaTac to a true DT Seattle hotel. Be aware that Seattle is quite hilly, and some of our hotels are uphill from the DT core. As @Glaciers said, it might be just better to take an Uber or taxi directly to Pier 91 on the day of your cruise.

Parents and children, while possibility assigned to different muster stations, are not separated in a true emergency.

The only thig that I am going to say is that every guest will have their own SeaPass card. It would be used as ID, and getting off the ship. Assuming this cruise isn't a TA, a typical cruise 7 day cruise has a 'must be age' of 6 months or older. I guess you could wait until the baby is born and the parents select a name for the child, and then decide how to book the child.

It's hype. I sail Aqua Class, and basically do it in order to have breakfast and dinner in the dedicated restaurant called, Blu. The other reason is that Celebrity limits the number of passengers in Aqua Class rooms to two (2), so there are very few kids on the dedicated stateroom deck or in Blu. Parents, can of course book additional rooms for younger family members, but in general, Aqua Class and Blu tend to be very few families and more couples and like yourself, a sols traveler. Honestly, if you want that clean food, fresh air, exercise experience, look into Rancho La Puerta - just over the border from San Diego - amazing!

@shadowcruiser, unless your cruise is at the very end of the season, a typical Sunday morning in Seattle will have 3 cruise ships disembarking - Discovery Princess & HAL's Westerdam both at Pier 91, and NCL Encore at Pier 66. Just be aware that there will be lots of folks heading to SeaTac at the same time as you. Do plan on walking off the ship early, and I am glad that you are planning to book a private transport vehicle for your group.

If you have TSA pre-check, then you wouldn't need Spot Saver (also, you reserve your spot saver place I believe 3 days prior to your flight date). You might contact Seattle Express to reserve a single shuttle van for your group of 10. If you have to go the taxi or Uber route, and have group members that are traveling to different cities, you should consider dividing the group by flight destination (even if grandma wants an extra few minutes with the grand kids). Or, if you are all flying into the same city, I would divide up by family / relationship units, so partners are not separated. Delays and glitches happen, and you don't want to be waiting for everyone to re-partner up in the main area of the terminal. You can always meet up at the gate. Hope you have a wonderful trip!