Help me pick which flight

[mom02]

(Reposting on Cruise Air...)

 

We will be going on our first cruise this June with our 2 small children. We are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice leaving from Seattle. In looking at flights, we have 2 choices: arrive at Seattle airport at 9am or 1pm. The flight that arrives at 9am means we will need to pry the kids out of bed at 5am, but it allows us to not be as rushed once we arrive in Seattle especially since we're first timers.

 

Plus we don't know what to expect once we arrive. We haven't looked into transfers from the airport to the pier or the process to board the ship.

 

Which flight do you think would work best for our young family?

What's the best way to get from the airport to the pier?

What should we expect once we arrive at the pier area?

 

Any advice or thoughts from experienced cruisers would be appreciated! Thanks!

[LHT28]

are you flying in the same day as the cruise ?

If so take the 9 am

if flying in the day before the cruise take the 1pm

 

Take a taxi to the port

[CruiserBruce]

(Reposting from First Timers board)

 

No way you should take the flight arriving at 1pm.

 

Town car is the way to get to the port, commonly discussed on the West Coast Departures board.

[Peg_S]

Fly in the day before. You don't want to miss the boat if there's a flight problem.

 

Peg

[klfrodo]

flying in the same day? :eek:

 

9AM flight

 

Then when the 9AM flight gets canceled for mechanical or weather, hopefully the airline will put you on the 1PM flight..

 

Best Practice?

Fly in the day before

[alcpa1]

You must be checked in at the pier 90 minutes before your departure. A 20 minute wait for checked luggage is not uncommon. The airport is about 30-40 minutes from your possible pier. You can board starting around 11 - 11:30.

You can do the math and easily realize that the 1:00 airport arrival is risky. If you miss embarkation you cannot catch the ship at a future port due to archaic PVSA maritime laws.

Your children will love Alaska, no matter how young they are and there are so many activities that they should get hooked on the whole cruise thing.....Enjoy!

[Keith1010]

I will give you the same advice as I did on the other board.

 

Fly the day before.

 

You have to be on board 90 minutes prior to departure.

 

I have seen too many things go wrong flying in the day of the cruise.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

Strongly suggest you fly in the day before the cruise.

[6rugrats]

1:00 p.m. The day before your cruise.

[JVilleGal]

Boy this is risky, flying in same day! Don't do it!

[CruiserBruce]

Boy this is risky, flying in same day! Don't do it!

 

The OP announced on their other thread they would fly in the day before.

[JVilleGal]

The OP announced on their other thread they would fly in the day before.

 

Confusing that you need to read another thread to answer this one or is the OP expecting different advise ;)

Edited March 21, 2016 by JVilleGal
Fat fingers & auto correct ;)

[TruckerDave]

There are shuttle services from the airport to the piers (and downtown). No need to book ahead of time you can just book one once you are ready to go. (I stayed at the Hilton just across the street from the airport and just jumped on the hotel shuttle back to the airport the day of the cruise (I was to lazy to walk) and bought a ticket for the van to the port. I think I waited about 20-30 min to leave in the next van. really easy no need to over think this)

[CruiserBruce]

Confusing that you need to read another thread to answer this one or is the OP expecting different advise ;)

 

Agree. And the OP likes to cross post all over the place.

[capriccio]

Agree. And the OP likes to cross post all over the place.

 

I think we need to cut the OP some slack, she just joined cruise critic this month and is probably still trying to learn how to navigate the site.

[JVilleGal]

I think we need to cut the OP some slack, she just joined cruise critic this month and is probably still trying to learn how to navigate the site.

 

Excellent point!

[waterbug123]

(Reposting on Cruise Air...)

 

We will be going on our first cruise this June with our 2 small children.

Plus we don't know what to expect once we arrive. We haven't looked into transfers from the airport to the pier or the process to board the ship.

 

1. Which flight do you think would work best for our young family?

2. What's the best way to get from the airport to the pier?

3. What should we expect once we arrive at the pier area?

 

1. What flight? The 1pm arrival, the day before! As everyone has said, you have little to no wiggle room on the day-of 1pm arrival if something goes wrong. Even on the earlier flight, flying in the day of is risky. You are a party of 4, and that can make rebooking a challenge, to say the least. Your kids will do better if they can get a good night's sleep and take the later flight. Go the day before and do a little exploring that afternoon and evening.

 

2. Transfers? See #1 above. Don't worry about getting from airport to pier; fly the day before and worry about getting from hotel to pier. Depending on where you stay, your hotel may offer a shuttle. If not, they can arrange a cab, but sometimes a private car service is the way to go. You can arrange in advance, schedule the exact time you want, won't have to worry about cramming into a large hotel van with a bunch of other people etc. We often find it worth the additional cost, which sometimes isn't that much, all things considered.

 

3. Arrival expectations? You will be dropped off and there will be porters to take your luggage. You should already have received/printed cruise luggage tags. Don't attach them pre-flight; wait til you're at the hotel and attach them when you leave for the port. This way, you simply hand the bags over to the porters. Give the porters a tip; we usually tip $5 for 2 bags. Hold on to any bags with valuables in them, or containing items you might want right away. Your carry-ons will go through airport-type scanners so you can generally carry on anything you could carry on a plane, size-wise. Your room won't be ready til around 1pm though, so depending on when you check in, keep in mind that you'll be lugging your carry on stuff around the ship with you for a while. Just FYI in case that makes a difference in checking something or carrying it on. Follow the crowd and/or the signs to enter the building to check in. You'll go through security first. There will usually be separate lines for frequent cruisers and/or those booked in suites. When you get to the check in counter, have your passports and credit card ready, and you should also have a print out from your online final check-in/registration. You'll also have to fill out a 2 or 3 question health questionnaire asking if any of you have been ill in the past few days. Once you're all checked in, they'll usually have an area set up to take an embarkation photo. You can find the photo onboard later if you want to purchase it. You'll board the ship and the buffet restaurant will be open serving lunch but will be crowded. Depending on the ship, there may be other food venues open as well. You'll usually be able to access your room starting at 1pm and your bags will be delivered some time that afternoon. Sometimes you won't get them til dinner time though, so don't expect them right away. And they may not show up all at the same time, so don't panic if one arrives and the other(s) isn't with it. They'll be placed in the hallway by your room. If your stateroom attendant sees them before you do, he or she will put them in your room for you.

 

Hope that helps! :)