Boarding time for embarkation

[Blondilu]

I'm not a newbie, but strangely this never came up. I guess we just always go straight to the ship whether flying or driving.

 

Anyway, if we do a little sight-seeing the morning of embarkation, what's the latest we should arrive at the ship? This is in Seattle, Pier 91. The departure time is listed as 4:00pm and I know that it's only about 1/2 hour from downtown to the port.

 

I was thinking to be safe we should head to the port no later that 2:00pm.

[cosytoes]

I think all aboard time on embarkation day is usually 90 minutes before departure as customs paperwork needs to be place before you sail. I'm sure someone will correct me if incorrect

[Cruisin' Chick]

IMO, Seattle is an interesting city that would take more than just a few hours to explore. My last time here we got here more than a day before our cruise and we stayed a few days post-cruise (it was my hubby's and daughter's first time here). We also decided years ago that we would never fly into our embarkation city the same day of our cruise.

[Treven]

90 minutes is correct, but I'm the type to always make sure I'm aboard at least 30 minutes before the required time. So I'm aboard two hours before departure time, starting my cruise, regardless of whether the ship is still tied to the pier.

[Blondilu]

Thanks for all the info. Sis and I are driving and will arrive in town the night before. We know we have only a very little time to look around. I just wasn't sure how much time. Definitely going to plan on being at the port by 2:00pm.

[peety3]

Seattle traffic can go to heck in a handbasket faster than you can say, well, heck in a handbasket. We've got a reasonably diverse network of roads, and if you listen to radio stations or use apps like Waze, you'll be ready to adapt, but if it's the weekend, radio won't have traffic updates (and even during the week, 97.3 goes from six traffic reports per hour "on the threes" to just two per hour, at :03 and :33 during the mid-day 9am-3pm range). One time there was an overturned truck south of downtown near the sports stadiums, and some of the pro players had to abandon their cars and run a few miles to the stadium to make it there by kickoff. So plan your day so you're always moving in the direction of the pier.

[Blondilu]

Peety3, thanks for that info. Sis and I actually did this before, meaning drive to Seattle for an Alaskan cruise. We had planned to stop for a short visit then, but traffic was so horrific and it took us so long to even get into town that we ran out of time so went straight to the pier. Only after the fact did we find out it was the weekend of the Hempfest, hence the massive crowds. LOL.

 

I think I'm a little better prepared this time. With your advice I will look up multiple routes just in case and we will definitely watch the time closely. The Hempfest is the weekend we get back so I'm going to try and figure out how to get around that.

[peety3]

(snip happens)

Only after the fact did we find out it was the weekend of the Hempfest, hence the massive crowds. LOL.

(snip happens)

Here's the deal. Put your money on any spot on the roulette wheel, and the answer will ALWAYS be "it was the weekend of <something>". There's an absolutely booming convention/tourism industry here and the locals tend to celebrate lots of stuff even without a thriving tourism feed. One time we drove into Seattle to use a restaurant gift certificate, and we timed it to sneak between the 5:00 start of the Mariners game, 7:00 start of the Sounders FC game, and 8:00 start of the Madonna concert at Key Arena: that could have been 140,000 people going to events all within 2.5 miles of each other.

 

DOT gets bashed any/every weekend that they do road work. Whenever it's a high-profile event/convention, such as Comicon, etc., the event tries to puff out its chest and say "we're XYZ, DOT should have cancelled all road construction because we came to your city and we come every year on the same weekend!". It's always a flopped PR game, because somebody else is here next weekend or the previous weekend, and our roads need work (lots of rainy days, lots of traffic, lots of constraints due to the terrain, lots of NIMBY blocking additional lanes, lots of terrain blocking additional lanes, etc.). Thankfully the 520 bridge is done, which has really eased the traffic impact all summer long (not to mention "random" bridge openings during the week).

[VibeGuy]

As they say on the aircraft, the nearest exit may be behind you. Meaning you may find backtracking to the pier faster by using less-arterial streets or going around Queen Anne hill and coming south on Elliott.

 

If you're sightseeing, just plan to be north of Denny Way and west of Aurora by 1:30 - this leaves the Seattle Center (Space Needle, Experience Music Project, Monorail, Chihuly Garden and Glass), Kerry Park (best view of downtown in the city), Fremont, Ballard and a bunch of other lovely neighborhoods. Once you're on the right side of these perennial traffic nightmares, you have a bunch of ways to get to Pier 91 regardless of what goes wrong.

 

When you get to the pier, follow the signs for passenger pick up and drop-off, and shove everything and everyone besides the driver out, then go park. No sense schlepping luggage on the shuttle.

[caribill]

I'm not a newbie, but strangely this never came up. I guess we just always go straight to the ship whether flying or driving.

 

Anyway, if we do a little sight-seeing the morning of embarkation, what's the latest we should arrive at the ship? This is in Seattle, Pier 91. The departure time is listed as 4:00pm and I know that it's only about 1/2 hour from downtown to the port.

 

 

Why not do your sightseeing on disembarkation day at the end of the cruise. No time pressures or traffic problems that could cause missing the ship.

[Blondilu]

Thanks all for the comments and ideas. I have started looking at all available routes. And Sis and I have talked about the possibility of stopping after the cruise either instead of, or in addition to that first day. Wish we had more time but I'll take whatever I can get.

 

I love being prepared enough to have options. Or like my nephew likes to say: "If plan A doesn't work out, there are 25 more letters in the alphabet!"

[Treven]

Thanks all for the comments and ideas. I have started looking at all available routes. And Sis and I have talked about the possibility of stopping after the cruise either instead of, or in addition to that first day. Wish we had more time but I'll take whatever I can get.

 

I love being prepared enough to have options. Or like my nephew likes to say: "If plan A doesn't work out, there are 25 more letters in the alphabet!"

Oh, I like your nephew's outlook on a possible problem/solution.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Treven

[Eaglecw]

I'm not a newbie, but strangely this never came up. I guess we just always go straight to the ship whether flying or driving.

 

Anyway, if we do a little sight-seeing the morning of embarkation, what's the latest we should arrive at the ship? This is in Seattle, Pier 91. The departure time is listed as 4:00pm and I know that it's only about 1/2 hour from downtown to the port.

 

I was thinking to be safe we should head to the port no later that 2:00pm.

 

Where are driving in from?

 

Where are you planning on parking your car?

 

When we cruise from Pier 91, every year. We get to the Seattle cruise ship parking lot behind the Armory at about 10:45 or so. They pick us up a the car and off we go to Pier 91. Check in and we are normally on the ship by 11:45 or so. After the cruise we do whatever tourist things we want to do in Seattle and then head for home. This has worked for us the last few years.