Parents First Cruise from Pier 91 in Seattle - Check in Process?

I've been on these boards a lot the last few months preparing for my third Alaska cruise, I've read many of your posts and may I just say how kind you always are and detailed in your answers to everyone!! It is wonderful to read your posts! Thank youl

Thank you! That made my day.

If your parents are using Uber and are arriving after noon, they might be able to drop off right in front of the terminal, but usually they have to drop off at the same place they pick up passengers. The drop off /pick up point is on the other side the first building you see after the taxi/shuttle bus area. It’s not far, if you prefer Uber, but a taxi is usually about the same price. Unless your parents live in the greater Seattle area, then it probably would be the more cost effective way.

OklaBella, Why are you using Uber? How old are your parents? Do they have mobility issues?

I am glad u have brought this up. Last Saturday...when disembarking I was shocked to see how far the Uber pickup area was....and if this is a drop of area..oh my gosh....My son and I left our luggage at the conceige and did a RT walk to the Space Needle from the port. On our way we say where the Ubers were waiting. I would say the Urber PU was at least 2xs the distance of where to pu a cab.When we returned, it was an easy decision to take a cab($40 flat rate) and we just had carry-ons.

I personally would do a car service if you are asking these questions for your parents....or have them take a cab, it needs to be as easy as possible...for a few extra dollars piece of mind is worth it.

They should also be aware of the luggage service to the airport that is offered by the city (the idea is to get you to spend time in town before your flight). It is essentially the same as EZ Check in most regards, but is free! You can check your luggage home to your final destination from the cruise terminal. And then, for the rest of the travel time, you have only your carry ons to deal with.

This service is only in Seattle as far as I know. Some other ports have a paid version available thru Princess.

Another thought--I don't know how they feel about meeting others on the ship, but they might want to check out the "roll call" section of the boards prior to the cruise.

As someone else mentioned the most important thing to have is the "golden" ticket to get on the ship. A passport or other correct ID.

Everything else can be easily accomplished by asking questions and getting help at the airport and dock.

BTW....They do not need boarding passes as your name can be easily looked up once at the port. So if they misplace paper work no worries...they just need to take their time and relax.....

It will all work out..nice that they have you to help.

They should also be aware of the luggage service to the airport that is offered by the city (the idea is to get you to spend time in town before your flight). It is essentially the same as EZ Check in most regards' date=' but is free! You can check your luggage home to your final destination from the cruise terminal. And then, for the rest of the travel time, you have only your carry ons to deal with.

 

This service is only in Seattle as far as I know. Some other ports have a paid version available thru Princess.[/quote']

 

Princess really pushes this on the ship...so they will receive paperwork in their cabin, besides it is mentioned in the Patter. Again asking questions is all one needs to do on a cruise once they are on the ship or a at the port.

 

The processing in Seattle is amazing..it is BIG business....and in my opinion a lot of walking .....so tell you parents to STOP and ask for help OP otherwise they will be herded like cattle.

c) Some of the activities in the Patter are basically just sales presentations and should be skipped. This includes "port talks" which mainly suggest which shops to visit, spa presentations, etc. There may be some actual destination lectures which are worth attending, but those are not the ones about shopping.

Excellent advice as usual.

To expand just a wee bit for new cruisers on the talks you do not want to miss: Princess will have a full time naturalist on board their Alaska cruises with frequent lectures in the theater (and announcements from the bridge in the case of wildlife sightings), and, since your parent's cruise includes Glacier Bay, the National Park Service Rangers will most likely give a lecture or two on Glacier Bay day.

Thank you for the responses! I've printed their boarding passes and luggage tags so it sounds like they are good to go. They will have carry on luggage only (backpack, CPAP and 21" suitcases) so I will let them know they have the option of taking it through check in themselves or dropping it downstairs for the cruise personnel but of course to keep meds and essentials on their person.

 

When they disembark, can anyone confirm that Uber pickup is right outside the terminal? I'm getting conflicting info. Some sources say it's right in front of the terminal but others say they only allow Uber pickups in the Cell Phone Lot.

I disembarked there last week, and the Uber/Lyft pickup area was just past the building (blue roof) on the north end of the pier. If you look at the pier on google maps satellite view, you'll see what I mean.

Taxi service between the cruise terminal and the airport are on a flat rate basis (and if any driver tries to tell you otherwise or say there are additional charges, they are violating the law). So, if they take a taxi, they know what the fare will be in advance.

Thanks everyone for the info! A little bit more about my situation:

- My parents are in their early 70s, very able bodied (they've traveled to the Alaskan interior twice, once by rental car and again by RV, within the last 3 years) and not afraid to ask questions. They booked through Costco so they haven't had the benefit of a travel agent walking them through the process as first time cruisers. I know they'll be fine and will ask for help but I want to try to reduce any stress so they can focus on having fun! I have not been on a cruise myself.

- A couple of reasons behind choosing Uber. My husband and I use Uber pretty exclusively for business and personal travel (domestic and international) and really prefer it over taxis. My plan was to order their Uber for them at SEATAC as they will have been traveling for 6hrs by the time they get there, so basically they can get in and go without waiting in line, haggling over a flat rate or exchanging $. They arrive at 9:40am so I think they'd be OK on time in getting to the pier and checking in using Uber.

- I will definitely tell them to look for the Patter and naturalist lectures. They have a balcony room and are hoping to see lots of great scenery and wildlife. The wildlife and scenery really blew them away on their trips through the interior.

Thank you Eagle for the video! It looks like such a great time. I hope the first person my parents see when they walk in the terminal is that smiling, dancing attendant! :D

Here are a couple of photos that show the layout of the drop off area at Pier 91. The drop off lanes are between the two sets of rain awnings. The left lanes are for cars and the right lanes for taxis. A previous poster said that Uber uses the car lanes, so that would be the further lanes in the photos. The terminal building is just to the left of the photos:

Here are a couple of photos that show the layout of the drop off area at Pier 91. The drop off lanes are between the two sets of rain awnings. The left lanes are for cars and the right lanes for taxis. A previous poster said that Uber uses the car lanes, so that would be the further lanes in the photos. The terminal building is just to the left of the photos:

 

 

 

As was noted by a couple of people previously, the Lyft/Uber pickup area is to the right of the area shown above and no longer at the area at the top of the area shown above. It is now well to the right of the area shown above a bit north of the building out of sight to the right. When they come onto the pier they will pass a large parking lot at the start of the pier (N. end) where they will see a large white tent. That is where the pickup area is now located. The easiest way to get there, especially if you're pulling a bag, is to go to one of the white shuttle buses that will be in Slot A or Slot B shown at the bottom of the above picture. The area where Lyft/Uber will drop them off is toward the top of the above photo where the vehicles are all facing to the right.

If you or your parents are checking the Roll Call for this cruise, you/they will find weather forcast info for Seattle for that weekend and a link for the weather forecast for the cruise itinerary ports for the entire cruise as well as some other informational links posted on that Roll Call tomorrow which should prove useful to them.

Tom

The Uber pick up point at SeaTac is in the parking Garage on level 3. When they come out to main terminal, they will be on the Ticketing Level. The skybridge to the Garage is between ticketing and baggage claim level. To reach there is an escalator just past ticketing and once you cross the skybridge you take another escalator down to the third level. There are signs telling you where to go, in the garage for pick up.

I think Uber premium (select and Black) will pickup curbside at the terminal, but would probably be twice the regular fare.