First Time Princess Cruise- Best Check-in Time?

[VibeGuy]

I will be sailing out of Seattle. I want to know if there is a place to get my wine before boarding.

I don't want to take it on the plane.

 

Fortunately, yes. It's a bit of a stroll, but not awful. Please see my FAQ post about this very topic, with a walk diagram:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=45942605&postcount=36

[rpcv77]

Vibeguy,

Thanks once again for your great map (I saw it on the thread where it was originally posted). If our flight is on time, we will get to the pier quite early so will have plenty of time to enjoy the walk. 65 days to go!

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Hello,

 

Going on my 1st cruise with Princess in a few weeks.

What would be the best time to check in?

I realize that the docs that Princess sends out says 2:00PM, and yet I believe I can check in at 12:00PM...what time is best??

 

Depends on the port. Last week, we dropped the car off at 10:30 and the shuttle got us to the terminal at 10:45, just in time for the doors to open. We were all checked in by 11:15 and were sitting in the terminal until about 11:45, when boarding began. No real wait, not a lot of standing in lines, just a nice flow to it all.

[VibeGuy]

If it's raining or you don't feel like the walk, you could also use the Drizly app (beverage delivery) and meet the driver at the drop-off area in front of the terminal. It's pretty time-definite and they start delivering at noon.

[geoherb]

We have generally gotten to the port before 11 and been on board the ship before noon. The earliest we ever got there was a little after 8 when we had a direct flight and went directly to the port from the airport.

 

As a first-time Princess passenger, the OP needs to realize that the wait may be a lot longer than Platinum and above passengers post they've experienced.

[VibeGuy]

Seattle handles this pretty well. There's lots of seating and they keep the back-and-forth lines to a bare minimum.

 

The only pier that handled it better might have been San Juan.