CMF Posted May 26, 2006 #1 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Hello - First Post Here. I booked a 7 day Alaska cruise for my family [two adults, two seniors, three children ages 4 to 1]. I'm not worried about getting on board the ship as we will arrive in Seattle before noon and the ship does not depart until 4PM - embarkation begins at 1PM - I don't foresee a problem in catching two taxis or a van at SeaTac to get to the ship. I am worried about getting off the ship [the ship returns to Seattle at 7AM Sunday morning] with enough time to find transportation to the airport to catch a 1PM flight. Is this a cinch? Are there problems that have a likelihood of presenting themselves? And if so, how can I avoid them? In general, how long does it take to disembark from the Norwegian Star and how difficult is it to get a couple of cabs, or better yet a van that can transport 7 and their luggage to the airport? Thanks in advance! Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workroombee Posted May 27, 2006 #2 Share Posted May 27, 2006 CMR, you don't say what cruise line/pier, but our group has made arrangements with Shuttle Express to pick us up at the pier (66) and take us to SeaTac. I know that they have 10-passenger vans available as well as larger vehicles--you can check out their website and make your rez or call them directly (I did, since our group is a large one). I found them to be very friendly and helpful. You might also post on the Pacific Northwest board (listed under Ports of Call) for additional advice. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workroombee Posted May 27, 2006 #3 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Sorry, on re-reading your post, I realize that you DO say what ship--the Star---my mistake! At any rate, the answer still applies--and again, I hope you enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebster Posted May 27, 2006 #4 Share Posted May 27, 2006 I was on the Star's 5/14 sailing, and you should be able to make it with time to spare. However, I highly recommend making arrangements with Shuttle Express, and don't book transportation through NCL. We used NCL's transportation because that way we would be in the last group called off of the ship, and we thought it would be relaxing to lounge around the ship, then climb aboard the NCL bus. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough buses, and about two busloads of people ended up having to stand around in front of the port with their luggage for almost an hour! Even with all of that, we still made it to the airport around noon. Taxis were plentiful, and Shuttle Express was picking up a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolins mommy Posted May 27, 2006 #5 Share Posted May 27, 2006 I was in a group of six people, which consisted of four adults, one in a wheelchair and two children ages 2 and 7.....and 10 suitcases!! My new favorite word is PORTER!!! If you flight leaves before 12:00 you can get red debarkation tags and be the first off of the ship at around 8:15. The floor you are on depends on what time you can disembark the ship. If you have your cabin number I can tell you the approx. time. We were on the 11th floor and were able to get off of the ship at 8:35, and had plenty of time to get to a 1:25 flight. A word of advice...put something on the handle of your luggage that you can find easlily, the luggage is in rows and it can take a while to find yours. I saw people who had mesh sponges attached to their luggage and it made it really easy to find. I would also recommend shuttle express. We used them on the 21st and had no problems at all. For a private van the round trip cost from SeaTac to Pier 66 was about $145-. If you have any other questons, I wll answer them as best I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted May 27, 2006 #6 Share Posted May 27, 2006 Another suggestion... FORCE everyone to pack light. Off all the reviews I have read, I think 90% said they overpacked and a few mentioned they forgot to take something. You don't get dirty on these cruises, so some outfits can be worn more than once. With little ones and seniors, cut the bags down. Think seriously about those $15 umbrella strollers vs the big ones too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolins mommy Posted May 27, 2006 #7 Share Posted May 27, 2006 I forgot to say that Shuttle Express provides car seats for children if you ask for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneCruiser Posted May 27, 2006 #8 Share Posted May 27, 2006 We did the Star last summer and had a group of 14. (of course we used NCL transfers). We had a 1:30 flight. The most important thing to remember is that SeaTac (Seattle Tacoma airport) is a mess on Sundays due to the many cruise ships that disembark that day. Go to the web cam from Krooz-Cams that shows the SeaTac airport on Sunday mornings and you will see..... We were the third group off the ship after those on NCL tours and the first color. (I do not count express disembarkation.) We got off about 9:15 and didn't get on the bus until about 10 due to customs, luggage claim etc. (I will say that the luggage claim area was very good.) It then took 20 minutes to get to SeaTac by bus and then another 15-20 minutes to get up to the terminal for drop off due to the traffic. Once inside, we waited in the Delta line for about 75 minutes and then another half hour in the security line and then walked back to our gate....the last one in the terminal by the way...lol. We got to the gate about 12:50 and boarding started about 15 minutes later. I think if you can get in the first group off you will be safe. The waiting in line at SeaTac may be the biggest hassle for you with children those ages but the Sky cap lines were just as bad. Although we flew out Delta, all the other lines looked just as bad and the security checkpoint line is the same for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMF Posted May 30, 2006 Author #9 Share Posted May 30, 2006 We will use Shuttle Express and pack light. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADPeterson Posted May 30, 2006 #10 Share Posted May 30, 2006 We just got back Sunday from the Star. My son and I had a 12:30 flight. This might not be an option for you but we did the express disembark. If you can manage to roll/carry off all your bags you can be off the ship by 8:00 if the ship has no problems and clears customs. From what we saw, SeaTac gets busy around 10:00 so the sooner you get to the airport the better. Either way you should have no problem catching the flight. I agree with the previous post on packing. We brought back a full suit case of unused clothes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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