Flying to Seattle... what would you do??

[fatcat04]

I am booking mom and dad's flight into Seattle for their Oosterdam cruise in May and I am trying to figure this out.

 

Having never done a fly in then cruise scenario, I need advice.

 

According to HAL, the ship departs at 4pm. Mom and dad will be flying in from Nashville.

 

I can either:

 

1) book them on a same day 2 leg flight that gets to SeaTac at 12:15pm the day of departure (makes me nervous as if one leg goes bad they could miss the boat but would avoid the need for a hotel and all the transfer hassles involved)

 

2) book them on a non stop that leaves at 4:30pm gets them to SeaTac at 7:30pm the night before. (is a little bit bit more expensive, would require a hotel, and the extra transfer)

 

I am leaning toward option 2 because with the way the weather has been lately and a delay in some completely unrelated city could cause flight delays and cancellations that would put them in a bind.

 

There non stop flight home is already booked as there is no price difference one way and round trips so at least that is done.

 

Thoughts??

[LAFFNVEGAS]

By all means have your parents fly in the day before, your option 2. This way there will be far less stress and they will for sure make it to the Oosterdam on Saturday. If possible I would try to get them on an earlier flight on Friday so they are not getting into Seattle so late.

 

I live in Las Vegas which is a much shorter flight and I am even flying in the day before our Noordam cruise. Once I am in Seattle I can relax:)

[jtl513]

I think landing at 12:15p for a 4:00p sailing is way too tight, particularly with a plane change (or stop) enroute.

 

The next day is a sea day, so if they miss that sailing and catch up with the ship at Juneau they've missed 2 nights on the ship out of 7. :eek: That would be a bigger waste of money than the cost of a hotel room for one night. Book them the day before into a nice hotel near the docks, and they'll be able to adjust their bio-clocks before boarding.

[Bill S]

fatcat4: I agree with the prior posters-arrange for them to fly in the day before. There are just too many things that can go wrong these days: weather, air traffic delays, mechanical troubles or lost/delayed luggage, etc. It may cost a bit more, but a lot of the stress will be eliminated. Hope your folks have a great cruise!

[ruecatt]

We were in this same situation on our last cruise. We decided to fly in the night before and a good thing we did. We considered flying in the morning our cruise left. They had a non-stop and we would have gotten in with plenty of time to get to the ship but ended up deciding not to chance it. Our flight ended up getting cancelled and we were put on a later flight. If we had flown in the same day as the cruise we would have missed the ship. We were so glad we flew in the night before.

 

Its worth the money to have that extra security and time.

[jhannah]

Looks like it's going to be unanimous. Your option 2 is by far the best "insurance" for your parents' (and your) peace of mind.

[BamaBaby]

Actually, right now I should be on my way to the airport to pickup my Father-in-law. He just called me & said his connecting flight in Dallas is delayed because of mechanical problems on the plane. He has no idea when he will be arriving. My brother flew to DC yesterday but his flight was 1 hour & 45 minutes late leaving because of wind. Seems like lots of flights are delayed every day for various reasons that you don't even know about until it's time to board. I must agree with everyone else. It makes more sense to spend a few extra dollars for a nights lodging than to risk missing that ship!

[OldCodger73]

Definitely book your parents to fly in the day before. It'll be a lot less stressful.

 

I've flown in the same day, but it was an early morning flight from Seattle to Vancouver. I wouldn't consider anything further.

[Bounder9]

There are a lot of nice hotels near the waterfront of Seattle.

 

The Edgewater (nice hotel when we stayed in downtown a few years ago.) is on the water but it is on the very other end, they would have to take a cab or call and ask they might have a shuttle.:)

[fatcat04]

Thanks everyone. I too think that option 2 is the best bet. :)

[Gonzo70]

I completely agree that it is far better to fly in the day before; definitely not worth the risk to save a little cash (and I am generally rather cautious with my money). Seattle is a very nice city so if your parents are off the day before and healthy enough to explore I would even recommend trying to book them a flight Friday morning so they can take advantage of being tourists for the afternoon/evening in Seattle. I also feel better about paying for a hotel when I go up early in the day so I am not merely using the hotel to sleep in and then leave the next morning.

 

Hope they have a great cruise!

[arzz]

I, too, join the group and would recommend that they fly in the day before, and not on the last flight of the day -- if something happens to that flight they will be stressed and coming in on the day of the cruise.

 

You post hinted that money might be an issue -- as such an inexpensive alternative is to book Mom and Dad into an airport hotel that has complimentary transportation from the airport to the hotel -- in the morning they can go back to the airport on the complimentary transport and pick up an HAL transfer to the pier, or they can take a taxi to the port from the hotel (about $25 as I recall -- the hotel will know for sure).

 

Though the waterfront hotels in Seattle are wonderful (the Edgewater is a personal favorite) they are pricey -- but there are a lot of airport hotels out there that are very reasonable. Some are near malls and other attractions useful for a meal or a little distraction the evening before the cruise.

[island lady]

I would much rather fly in the day before also, as I usually do. But...alas..my slave driver boss at my new job won't let me take Friday off. If I were to take a late evening flight, by the time I would get into Seattle, I could skip the hotel room altogether as it would be only a couple of hours sleep at best.

 

Taking a chance...which I am very nervous and concerned about...and coming in on a very early flight, getting in at 10:30 am on Saturday.

There is a second flight that comes in about 12:30, so will use it as a squeeky back up if needed.

 

Sure hope I don't "miss the boat"...yikes... :eek:

 

Cheers! :)

[AWED23]

Option 2 but as one who lives here I would most definately reccommend a hotel at the airport just for ease of transfer. Besides that, arriving at 7:30 PM means luggage at around 8:15 and then....????....Book them into the Radisson Airport and let them relax........:cool:

[fatcat04]

You all are so helpful!! Thank you a million times!!:D

 

I talked to mom about this and she also thinks going in the day before is the best bet.

 

Sadly, there is only 1 non stop between Nashville and Seattle.. growl!! But they need that non-stop. And they have actually been to Seattle before on vacation so I think they will be okay with getting there later.

 

I also think getting an airport hotel is a good idea as getting in that late, they will probably want to just eat and go to bed. I know several have comp shuttles. That is good. We are going to have a towncar service pick them up at the hotel and take them to port. That will give them a chance to have a leisurely morning, good breakfast, etc before they get going. :)

[SDHALFAN]

Yes, option number 2 is definitely the way to go and I hope that your parents have a wonderful cruise.

 

Valerie:)

[sail7seas]

I agree with all the others....Have them go the day before.

 

Hope they have a great cruise.

 

[jmk22574]

Living just outside Nashville, we fly out of BNA quite often since our family is spread all over the country. I'm pretty sure the only nonstop flight from BNA to SEA is on Southwest. I must say that they are one of my favorite airlines, however, their one daily nonstop to Seattle out of Nashville is the last flight of the night. Although we usually have wonderful flights on SWA, on two separate occasions our flights to Las Vegas (I know that isn't Seattle, just giving a heads up) which were the last flights out in the evening were canceled for different reasons. Unfortunately, SWA does not have a flight out the following morning that would get them to their cruise in time, and they also have a policy to not "make deals" with other airlines to let you fly on another carrier, you would have to pay full price for a ticket on the other airline.

 

I know nonstop is absolute heaven, but if you haven't booked the flights yet, I just wanted to give you that heads up. We're currently in the same boat, debating how much risk we're willing to take for the flight to our Alaskan cruise this September - best of luck! :rolleyes:

[fatcat04]

Living just outside Nashville, we fly out of BNA quite often since our family is spread all over the country. I'm pretty sure the only nonstop flight from BNA to SEA is on Southwest. I must say that they are one of my favorite airlines, however, their one daily nonstop to Seattle out of Nashville is the last flight of the night. Although we usually have wonderful flights on SWA, on two separate occasions our flights to Las Vegas (I know that isn't Seattle, just giving a heads up) which were the last flights out in the evening were canceled for different reasons. Unfortunately, SWA does not have a flight out the following morning that would get them to their cruise in time, and they also have a policy to not "make deals" with other airlines to let you fly on another carrier, you would have to pay full price for a ticket on the other airline.

 

I know nonstop is absolute heaven, but if you haven't booked the flights yet, I just wanted to give you that heads up. We're currently in the same boat, debating how much risk we're willing to take for the flight to our Alaskan cruise this September - best of luck! :rolleyes:

 

You make a very good point and actually, I was just talking to my husband and he made the EXACT same point when I put all the scenarios past him just afew minutes ago. If SW were to cancel that one non stop flight, there are NO other options on SW, not even on the next day.

 

I am thinking that what we may do is book them in on an AA flight that goes through DFW. There are several other flight options out of DFW to SEA, a couple more being on AA flights that evening should the unforseen arise. Plus, the AA flight, assuming it goes as planned, would get them there by 1:30 pm Seattle time.. nicer than 7:30pm.

 

See, this is why us rookie cruisers need you experienced folks so much :D

[The Screwball]

I was originally planning on flying out of Norfolk, Va. Sunday morning for a Sunday afternoon departure on the Noordam out of Seattle. With all the flight delays these days I though better of it. It cost almost $300 for my DW and I to change our flight to the day before. But if all goes well we will have a nice afternoon in Seattle, a relaxing dinner and a solid night sleep before our boat leaves. I'd rather pay the extra money, and get there a day early than stand looking at an empty dock because we got delayed at OHare.

[bepsf]

Thanks everyone. I too think that option 2 is the best bet. :)

 

Good choice - Your parents will certainly appreciate it!

[Lvteks]

Good for you, thinking ahead sure beats geting left behind. FYI, with all the bad press about Jet Blue's fiasco, more airlines now cancel flights rather than risk the same problems.

 

As long as all planes change in the same terminal at DFW all should be quite smooth. If it requires a terminal change, consider getting a wheelchair or arrange for the in house terminal motorized transport. Usually you can request this in advance or speak with the flight attendant on board....or talk with the gate attendant upon arrival. It beats trying to find it on you own unless you are a comfortable with the challenge and have adequate time. Remember with cruising...."what ever it takes, go for it". :)

 

Blessings,

 

Gail

[Krazy Kruizers]

Option #2 - then arrange for "Already There Town Car" to take them to a hotel for the night.

[lucchese1]

I'm on the 05/12 Oosterdam for my 20th anniversary:D with my group of 50 other family and friends, most of us are flying up 2 days before, but my mother:p (wheelchair bound) and her caretaker are flying in @ 10:30am nonstop the day of the cruise, burbank into seattle. I was very nervous about this to, but my elderly mother does not want to stay in a hotel so I am chancing the same day flight. They have a 5 hour leeway to get from the airport to the boat, so all I can do is pray there is no major delay!:eek:

[waiting2retire]

Another issue, and I may be mistaken about this, is that if the ship is missed in Seattle, a passenger cannot fly to Alaska to board since that would be contrary to the Passenger Services Act (one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign country).

 

If I am correct on this, there is no way to "catch up" with the cruise :eek:

 

Bonnie