Please Compare......

[sail7seas]

For those who have boarded HAL ships in Port Everglades as well as in Seattle, would you compare the process, please. Is there one Terminal they always use or do they have varying dock assignments? Are there HAL Suite Check in lines?

 

We're so used to boarding in Boston and Port Everglades (and New York), it's a snap for us but what's it like in Seattle?[

 

Thanks.

[cruisinjudy]

Boarding in Seattle will be at the terminal out of town. We didn't have a suite on that cruise. We were traveling with family and wanted all cabins in a row. We couldn't afford a suite for everyone. I don't remember much in the way of lines at all. We have only gone out of Seattle once but we will be doing it again in May as we are taking the family again. That terminal was pretty new, in fact maybe it was the first time when we boarded there so I am sure someone will give updated info.

[RuthC]

When I boarded in Seattle there was just the one ship at what seemed to be one fairly new terminal.

IIRC, there was a suite check-in line, which also serviced wheelchair passengers. There was a separate suite waiting area, and suite passengers were boarded first.

It was an easy process.

One other thing that was really neat---

When I awoke that morining in my downtown hotel, I looked out the window and spotted the Amsterdam all docked and waiting for me. It was quite a way away, but it was clearly my ship! That was fun.

[dakrewser]

The only time we boarded in Seattle was on NCL, but I'm really curious - are you finally going to Alaska?

[blueguy48]

We sailed out of Smith Cove Pier 91 two years ago on the Oosterdam. The pier is north of Seattle and is busy if two ships are in port at the same time. No place to eat around the pier, just parking or passenger dropoff. Hope this helps. David

[cruisin'girl]

The HAL terminal is about 2 miles away from where X and NCL terminals are. They are directly on the waterfront on Elliot Bay while HAL is in another non-tourist area where there isn't the traffic and confusion that there always is around the EBay tourist area. You would want to stay on the waterfront however and then just a quick cab ride to the HAL terminal.

[sail7seas]

The only time we boarded in Seattle was on NCL, but I'm really curious - are you finally going to Alaska?

 

 

 

Yes. It is starting to look like I finally agreed DH deserves to have his trip to Alaska and we are probably going to book this week. I can't say I'm anymore enthusiastic than I was before but DH certainly deserves to have what he wants so......... :) I'm sure once I get there I'll be happy we came but in any case promise to keep a smile on my face. :D

 

 

 

We sailed out of Smith Cove Pier 91 two years ago on the Oosterdam. The pier is north of Seattle and is busy if two ships are in port at the same time. No place to eat around the pier, just parking or passenger dropoff. Hope this helps. David

 

 

Are there plenty of taxis at disembarkation or is it hard to get one when we leave the ship?

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Boarding in Pier 91 Smith Cove Terminal is not like either Port Everglades or Black Falcon Cruise Terminal.

 

Pier 91 was built for CCL Corp Ships so it is primarily used for HAL and Princess

This web site gives a good over view of Pier 91

 

http://bellharbor.com/smith_cove_terminal_floorplans.php

 

This terminal is fairly new but because they do not use it 12 months out of the year for cruises for some reason it is not nearly as smooth running as it is in Port Everglades. We have always found boarding the ship in Seattle to be a bit hectic, although this last year disembarkation did go a bit smoother. If you are planning a few days on each side of the cruise you will not be in any rush so no problems.

 

I am guessing your two main reasons for choosing the Oosterdam is because of wanting to sail on the Oosterdam and not sure maybe Captain Van der Loo will be the Captain but You may want to consider the Westerdam just for the fact it is going to Glacier Bay. I just strongly believe if you have the chance going to Glacier Bay should be the first choice rather than Tracy Arm. But hopefully you will realize how absolutely amazing an Alaska Cruise is and this will not be your last time. And hopefully the flight will be smooth and easy.

 

This year makes Alaska cruise number 9 for us and in all honesty I could go to Alaska every single year and I am more excited about going on the Zuiderdam for 11 days than our Southern Caribbean that is less than 6 weeks away.

 

If I could only cruise once per year it would be an Alaska cruise. :D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Are there plenty of taxis at disembarkation or is it hard to get one when we leave the ship?

 

Yes there are plenty of Taxi's but Seattle also has a lot of Limos / Town Car Services. Last Year when we got out of the airport we took one of the Limos, the guy who was our Limo driver gave us a card and said to call it when we get off the ship and he would take us to a hotel or the airport. Pricing for the limo is the same as a taxi if not even less.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sorry about the above link try this one it will give you more info

 

http://bellharbor.com/smith_cove_terminal_floorplans.php

[djg541]

We took the Amsterdam last spring (end of May,early June) out of Seattle for the 2 week cruise.

We found the embarking and debarking a breeze.

We did have suites, so thay expidited the process considerably. There were lines for others, but it appeared to be moving right along and I heard no complaints from others once under way.

Debarking was quite easy as well. Luggage is arranged in an orderly manner. Customs was quick and efficient. We were off the ship and in a cab in less that 20 minutes.

Seattle is a great town ans long as you don't mind some rain. We stayed 2 days before leaving and enjoyed it. We actually saw the sun a few times!

One of the best memories of Seattle is upon getting under way, about a half hour out, the sun came out and shone directly upon Mt Raniers snow capped peak. Grand sight as it isn't "out" very often.

[sail7seas]

Yes there are plenty of Taxi's but Seattle also has a lot of Limos / Town Car Services. Last Year when we got out of the airport we took one of the Limos, the guy who was our Limo driver gave us a card and said to call it when we get off the ship and he would take us to a hotel or the airport. Pricing for the limo is the same as a taxi if not even less.

 

 

Thanks, Lisa.

It appears DH wants to do the Oosterdam cruise and that is the one we will probably do. Who knows? Maybe we'll return and do another itinerary another time. In any case, he feels this is the least wear and tear on me getting to Seattle and home and we REALLY want to see friends in Seattle. Part of us going to the Pacific Northwest is to see these friends and see what 'their corner of the world' looks like. :)

A BIG feature also is we want to know we have our Suite booked as always. We postively will not be doing a combination land/sea tour with HAL. We cannot reserve a Suite if we don't do the land portion. We've read here repeatedly that HAL will not sell Suites to people who aren't doing land touring until they know they have some suites unsold. We aren't going to wait until they allow us to select a suite AND have to take whatever is left over after those who are doing land tour pick what they want.

We all make our travel choices for all sorts of reasons.

 

We'd love to see and sail with Captain van der Loo again. We sailed many times with him on Maasdam and have always thought extremely highly of him...... as we do all HAL Captains. He's a fine gentleman.

 

Lisa.....

 

What do you suggest as 'best' hotel in Seattle for pre and post cruise stays? We want to be walking distance to Pikes Market etc but want a really nice hotel. We're willing to pay a bit for it as our hotel stay will be important to us and we don't usually economize on 'just staying anywhere' for certain visits. Sometimes that's okay but not for this trip. :o

 

Thanks.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sail I have actually only stayed in Seattle one time, we are fortunate that we can fly in the morning of a cruise from here on the West Coast.

The Fairmont Olympic in downtown is where we stayed and it was close to everything. It is like a boutique hotel. You may also want to check with HAL they often include it for a pre or post night for Suite passengers.

There is also the Four Seasons that I have been told is quite nice but to be truthful I am not sure how close to downtown it is. Also Pier 91 is NOT close to downtown.

[sail7seas]

I was thinking about Fairmount. We usually love Four Seasons but we want it to be conveniently located. I'll start the research. :)

We'll book our hotel on our own. The only time we do HAL hotel is if we want transfers in Europe. Not for a domestic flight/cruise. We wouldn't want the bus transfers so it would be a waste to pay for a ride we know we wouldn't use.

 

At least booking Oosterdam, we know we can book our suite. If we did the Inside Passage, we couldn't book our Suite, right?

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I was thinking about Fairmount. We usually love Four Seasons but we want it to be conveniently located. I'll start the research. :)

 

At least booking Oosterdam, we know we can book our suite. If we did the Inside Passage, we couldn't book our Suite, right?

 

Sail ALL 7 day Round Trip Alaska cruises allow you to book your Suite. It use to be that if a cruise was connected with a Cruise Tour such as a sailing that goes North Bound and or South Bound they would have guarantee only cabins allowing for cruise tour passengers to have first pick. But I have not seen that occur in the past two years even for the North and South Bound out of Vancouver. The Zuiderdam (round trip Vancouver) doing what I consider to be the absolute perfect Alaska itinerary has never had the cabins or Suites as a Guarantee.

 

It's too bad that the Oosterdam is the ship you want to go on because of the ships going out of Seattle for 7 days the Westerdam is the one going to Glacier Bay.

I am showing that the Zuiderdam has a good selection of SA cabins for all of the June sailings.

[sail7seas]

Lisa

 

<snip>

It's too bad that the Oosterdam is the ship you want to go on because of the ships going out of Seattle for 7 days the Westerdam is the one going to Glacier Bay.

I am showing that the Zuiderdam has a good selection of SA cabins for all of the June sailings.

 

 

Wow,..........

 

Sorry you feel it is 'too bad' that is the cruise we chose but We BOOKED it this afternoon. Hope we don't find HAL is selling and sending out a cruise that is 'too bad' people choose to book it. :rolleyes:

 

DH spoke with some friends of ours in Seattle today and they will be in the city the dates we will be there. I am very excited we will get to visit with friends we have not seen for too long a time, in some cases.

 

As I have said so many times, HAL is all about the people for us and we will see people about whom we care a lot because we will be staying in Seattle.

 

So, for us, our choice to sail Oosterdam hopefully will be good.

I thought you actually like Oosterdam. :eek: We'd like to sail her and see if we also like her.

We have sailed Zuiderdam many times, Westerdam and, of course, Noordam...... now we will compare Oosterdam.

I'll let you know our thoughts about OuR choice when we return. ;)

[Typhoon1]

We very much prefer Fort Lauderdale. It is a well oiled machine that make the process very smooth.

[bepsf]

Judy--

If you're going to make the trip all the way to Seattle - You might as well book the 14 day itinerary aboard Amsterdam...

...just an idea ;-)

As far as Hotels, I think you might prefer the Pan Pacific or the Warwick...

[ASIWISH]

Thanks, Lisa.

It appears DH wants to do the Oosterdam cruise and that is the one we will probably do. Who knows? Maybe we'll return and do another itinerary another time. In any case, he feels this is the least wear and tear on me getting to Seattle and home and we REALLY want to see friends in Seattle. Part of us going to the Pacific Northwest is to see these friends and see what 'their corner of the world' looks like. :)

A BIG feature also is we want to know we have our Suite booked as always. We postively will not be doing a combination land/sea tour with HAL. We cannot reserve a Suite if we don't do the land portion. We've read here repeatedly that HAL will not sell Suites to people who aren't doing land touring until they know they have some suites unsold. We aren't going to wait until they allow us to select a suite AND have to take whatever is left over after those who are doing land tour pick what they want.

We all make our travel choices for all sorts of reasons.

 

We'd love to see and sail with Captain van der Loo again. We sailed many times with him on Maasdam and have always thought extremely highly of him...... as we do all HAL Captains. He's a fine gentleman.

 

Lisa.....

 

What do you suggest as 'best' hotel in Seattle for pre and post cruise stays? We want to be walking distance to Pikes Market etc but want a really nice hotel. We're willing to pay a bit for it as our hotel stay will be important to us and we don't usually economize on 'just staying anywhere' for certain visits. Sometimes that's okay but not for this trip. :o

 

Thanks.

 

Judy: You will love any Tom Douglas restaurant.... (I think, based on what I know you!)

 

I've never boarded on Seattle, but did work there....

[ASIWISH]

judy--

if you're going to make the trip all the way to seattle - you might as well book the 14 day itinerary aboard amsterdam...

...just an idea ;-)

as far as hotels, i think you might prefer the pan pacific or the warwick...

 

i love the warwick!

[kazu]

Judy--

 

If you're going to make the trip all the way to Seattle - You might as well book the 14 day itinerary aboard Amsterdam...

...just an idea ;-)

 

As far as Hotels, I think you might prefer the Pan Pacific or the Warwick...

 

Totally agree. We won`t do 7 days anymore - not with our flights.

[sail7seas]

Judy--

 

If you're going to make the trip all the way to Seattle - You might as well book the 14 day itinerary aboard Amsterdam...

...just an idea ;-)

 

As far as Hotels, I think you might prefer the Pan Pacific or the Warwick...

 

 

Thanks for the recommendations. I appreciate it.

A bit of explanation seeing you have all been so patient with me and my struggle to agree to go to Alaska.... a place I have never had any desire to visit.

 

My DH wants to go and darn it all, he deserves it. I will go and be sure we both have a wonderful time.

 

But, we want the easiest air possible from Boston and that means flying to Seattle, not Vancouver. We can fly non-stop, very comfortably, on flights that will put the least wear and tear on us.

 

We want to see and visit with friends in Seattle some of whom we haven't seen for ages and really, really miss. Thus pre cruise and post cruise stay in Seattle and not Vancouver. (Yes, I know Vancouver is fabulous and I'd adore spending time there but everything is a trade off.)

 

We have sailed all HAL ships (almost all multiple times) except for Oosterdam and Prinsendam. We want to sail them all and it is carved in stone I will not fly to Australia in order to sail Oosterdam. This may be our last chance for a while to sail Oosterdam. (NOTHING against Australia as I know it's a fabulous place but it is out of my stamina range to travel that far. I'm just not up to that sort of long distance travel.)

 

We have a Maasdam cruise booked for April we are looking forward to and that takes us away 2 weeks. We are booked for our annual b-to-b Canada/New England and that is another 2 weeks. DH is not retired but has a very busy, very active office and he cannot leave for another two weeks in June and I don't want to be gone that long again.

 

So, OOSTERDAM wins.

For me, it's about the people....... my DH, our friends in Seattle, our friends on the ship. It isn't about seeing the most of nature possible in Alaska. I'll see what I see and that will be that.

 

DH can sign up for every excursion he wants. I might accompany him on a few if they appeal...... or not. He will see what he has come to see (hopefully) and it gives me pleasure for him to fufill a wish he has had. I hope he sees the glaciers and the most beautiful eagle, and some bears and maybe a whale or two and loves every moment.

 

I'll enjoy the ship. :)

 

I hate this thread is 'all about me' but you have all been terrific and have given me so much help. I just wanted to share my thinking with you. More than anyone needs or wants to know. :o Stop reading when you've had enough! Maybe it is helpful for others who might share my feelings. Surely I'm not the only person who isn't dancing on pinheads to go to Alaska.

 

I KNOW there are better itineraries; I know some of you love, love, love Alaska and that is fabulous but it is not someplace I ever expected to visit so whatever I see or do will be just fine. Whatever I don't see, that's okay.

 

Thank you so much for all the help and patience and I'm now on the search for hotels.

 

To date, I've put Warwick, (Thanks, Kevin), Pan Pacific (GREAT suggestion, Brian -- I had forgotten about that. We once stayed in Pan Pacific in San Fran and really enjoyed it) and Fairmount on my list to research. I definitely don't want a hotel we have to walk a hill to get to and away from. We like to walk but I don't mind missing some hills. :D

 

You're a patient lot if you got this far. :eek:

[bepsf]

...would you mind doing me a wee favor and picking up a couple of those Oosterdam model ship Christmas ornaments from the Gift Shop?

I could use a pair for my Xmas Tree Fleet

;)

[sail7seas]

I'd be delighted to Brian. Will be my pleasure. :)

 

I have seen two styles..... The ceramic small ship models with a light weight cord and have also seen the gold aluminum sort about 2 1/2 - 3" long.

 

I'm happy to pick up a pair of each if you would like.

 

[bepsf]

I'd be delighted to Brian. Will be my pleasure. :)

 

I have seen two styles..... The ceramic small ship models with a light weight cord and have also seen the gold aluminum sort about 2 1/2 - 3" long.

 

I'm happy to pick up a pair of each if you would like.

 

 

You're too sweet - I'll shoot you an e-mail this evening

:)