Ferry Watcher Posted April 24, 2009 #26 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Hi Karin, Thanks for the photos! I will have a chance to see the new terminal later in May. Have a great cruise! Mary Ferry Watcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkiC Posted April 27, 2009 #27 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Actually, walking over to Palisades (our favorite restaurant in Seattle) from the pier is easy and convenient. To make it even easier, you could take the shuttle to the cruise ship parking lot, which is about half way to the restaurant, and walk from there. It really isn't very far and, even though it is a first-class restaurant, you will be comfortable there in jeans. It services the marina and sailors on a regular basis, so fancy dress is not required. The food, the view, and the ambiance are amazing. It is relatively expensive but very much worth the money. It has always been my mother and my daughter's favorite place to dine, and they are both super picky eaters. It is my favorite place to dine as well, so maybe I inherited their pickiness. :D I would highly recommend Palisades (fancy and amazing) or Maggie Bluffs (much more casual and less expensive) for lunch. Even if you don't want to eat off the ship, walking around the Marina, and maybe stopping at Maggie Bluffs for a beer or a glass of wine, would be a wonderful experience. It is one of the most beautiful marinas I have ever seen anywhere in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted April 27, 2009 #28 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Actually, walking over to Palisades (our favorite restaurant in Seattle) from the pier is easy and convenient. To make it even easier, you could take the shuttle to the cruise ship parking lot, which is about half way to the restaurant, and walk from there. It really isn't very far and, even though it is a first-class restaurant, you will be comfortable there in jeans. It services the marina and sailors on a regular basis, so fancy dress is not required. The food, the view, and the ambiance are amazing. It is relatively expensive but very much worth the money. It has always been my mother and my daughter's favorite place to dine, and they are both super picky eaters. It is my favorite place to dine as well, so maybe I inherited their pickiness. :D I would highly recommend Palisades (fancy and amazing) or Maggie Bluffs (much more casual and less expensive) for lunch. Even if you don't want to eat off the ship, walking around the Marina, and maybe stopping at Maggie Bluffs for a beer or a glass of wine, would be a wonderful experience. It is one of the most beautiful marinas I have ever seen anywhere in the world. Hey PunkiC and other Seattlelites, Glad to see someone knowledgable about Seattle. Can you tell me if that bike path in Elliot Bay park has access to the pier area. I am packing light and would like to walk from a Hotel near the park. The satellite map looks like it connects with 16th Ave W. I wonder if there is a locked gate at that point. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xeena Posted April 27, 2009 #29 Share Posted April 27, 2009 i guess this is where we will board theZaandam May 15th....right? wonder if taking the bus to airport after the cruise will be manageable..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaAdGuy Posted April 27, 2009 #30 Share Posted April 27, 2009 i guess this is where we will board theZaandam May 15th....right? wonder if taking the bus to airport after the cruise will be manageable..... This is the place, Pam. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellalimelight Posted April 27, 2009 #31 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Hey PunkiC and other Seattlelites, Glad to see someone knowledgable about Seattle. Can you tell me if that bike path in Elliot Bay park has access to the pier area. I am packing light and would like to walk from a Hotel near the park. The satellite map looks like it connects with 16th Ave W. I wonder if there is a locked gate at that point. Thanks! Took my mom to work there the other day and had to stop for a couple of bicyclists on the path right in front of the security area of the terminal, so that would be a yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted April 27, 2009 #32 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Took my mom to work there the other day and had to stop for a couple of bicyclists on the path right in front of the security area of the terminal, so that would be a yes. Cool! Do you happen to know any friends that bicycle or hike that can confirm there are no intereruptions on the bike path between the downtown area and the security area? Thanks for your help! Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted April 27, 2009 #33 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Karin and Teri ! Sorry I am late bidding you Bon Voyage! , but I hope you have a great time!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kween Karen Posted April 28, 2009 #34 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Thanks for all the information. your 3rd picture shows the escalators from the entry to security and check-in. Does that mean you have to take all your luggage up the escalators? I am having trouble picturing myself hauling everything I will need for my 67 day Grand Voyage up an escalators by myself!! HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old As Dirt Mom Posted April 28, 2009 Author #35 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Thanks for all the information.your 3rd picture shows the escalators from the entry to security and check-in. Does that mean you have to take all your luggage up the escalators? I am having trouble picturing myself hauling everything I will need for my 67 day Grand Voyage up an escalators by myself!! HELP! No, at the main floor entrance, you give the bags you want to check to the baggage handlers, and there's a special security screening for those checked bags. The only thing you carry up the escalators are the bags you wish to carry on yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old As Dirt Mom Posted April 28, 2009 Author #36 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Karin and Teri ! Sorry I am late bidding you Bon Voyage! , but I hope you have a great time!:) Thanks, Sean, while I can't speak for Teri (Wildthing?), my husband and I had a wonderful mini-cruise on the Amsterdam. The only major glitch occurred during this morning's disembarkation, when the Seattle authorities didn't clear the ship until 8:15 am, and the Port of Seattle longshoremen took forever to offload the checked bags. It was fine if you had carry-ons only, and could do express disembarkation, but they didn't start calling the color-coded passenger groups with checked bags until about 9:15! I'm assuming that this was a snafu due to adjusting to the new terminal, and it should be better in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kween Karen Posted April 28, 2009 #37 Share Posted April 28, 2009 No, at the main floor entrance, you give the bags you want to check to the baggage handlers, and there's a special security screening for those checked bags. The only thing you carry up the escalators are the bags you wish to carry on yourself. Whew!!!! That makes sense......DUH!! Quite a relief...........LOL.....I wansn't having a pretty picture of myself struggling up an escalator with several bags and STUFF!! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMuir Posted April 28, 2009 #38 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Welcome home, Karin. The 3 days must have zipped by so fast! I'm still trying to get over the fact that I can't see a gorgeous HAL ship from the bus every Friday morning, now that Pier 91 is open. BTW, our Circle Hawaii cruise is in 2010. We're leaving from Vancouver, because it means 2 more days aboard! Join us! Mrs M (Linda) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunkiC Posted April 30, 2009 #39 Share Posted April 30, 2009 We will be sailing back into Pier 91 on May 10th. While we are there, I will check out travel options back to the airport and report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted May 4, 2009 #40 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Cool! Do you happen to know any friends that bicycle or hike that can confirm there are no intereruptions on the bike path between the downtown area and the security area? Thanks for your help! Sean Ok, I found a link that shows an uninterupted bike path from downtown to the pier. That is good! Studying the satellite photos, the only place there is a smooth transition and access across the tracks is at Broad Street. Is there another crossing between there and the pier that I am not seeing? Please help me Seattlelites! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted May 20, 2009 #41 Share Posted May 20, 2009 We will be sailing back into Pier 91 on May 10th. While we are there, I will check out travel options back to the airport and report. OK...where is your report? :):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie51 Posted May 20, 2009 #42 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Does the Westerdam leave from this pier also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonomaDriver Posted May 20, 2009 #43 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Westerdam and Star Princess will be docking/undocking at Pier 91 all summer. Hopefully, they'll get their act together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelrd Posted May 20, 2009 #44 Share Posted May 20, 2009 and the amsterdam and golden princess arrive/leave this pier on saturdays, so i'm sure hoping the port of seattle gets their act together otherwise we're going to keep hearing the horror stories all summer. what seems to me can be a real irritation is the fact that upon disembarkation, all non us passport holders must be cleared by us immigration before all the rest of the passengers. this can cause extreme delays since some people just don't listen for the announcement and some people just ignore it and hold up all of the other passengers. i wonder if this procedure can ever be changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted May 20, 2009 #45 Share Posted May 20, 2009 and the amsterdam and golden princess arrive/leave this pier on saturdays, so i'm sure hoping the port of seattle gets their act together otherwise we're going to keep hearing the horror stories all summer. what seems to me can be a real irritation is the fact that upon disembarkation, all non us passport holders must be cleared by us immigration before all the rest of the passengers. this can cause extreme delays since some people just don't listen for the announcement and some people just ignore it and hold up all of the other passengers. i wonder if this procedure can ever be changed? Hi David, I don't think that is unique to this port. I seem to recall on just about every cruise there are announcements for someone who has not done the procedure to check in and get it done. And yes it is BIG time annoying.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajkr74 Posted May 21, 2009 #46 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi David,I don't think that is unique to this port. I seem to recall on just about every cruise there are announcements for someone who has not done the procedure to check in and get it done. And yes it is BIG time annoying.:rolleyes: We came into Seattle on 5-10-09 from our 21 day Panama Canal cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. In San Diego it was announced numerous times that all non-US citizens must go to the Queens lounge so US Customs can verify their passports. No one would be permitted to leave the ship until ALL those passengers did that. About 800 people were getting off in San Diego with many flying out. The time clicked away and 9:00am came and went along with 10:00am. They started naming names and state rooms of those non-US citizens that had not cleared customs. We were sitting in the Lido dinning room with a couple from the Netherlands when at 10:30am they recognized a couple with a Dutch sounding name that had not gone thru the process. Boy the announcements were getting pretty heated for about 3 couples and their staterooms by that time. We did not dare venture down to the Promenade deck were I think many people were waiting to get off and were probably pretty mad. Finally, the last announcement, in Dutch, came on around 10:50am and our new friends got even redder in the face as they figured out that their fellow countryman probably did not understand English. Well at 11:00am we were finally cleared. Luckily the Captain was able to get permission to stay 2 hours longer in San Diego for those of us going North to Vancouver. That probably did not help those who missed flights out of San Diego that morning. There has got to be a better system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie51 Posted May 21, 2009 #47 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Do the people who do not speak English receive the disembarkation procedures written in their own language? Doing so might help speed up the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted May 21, 2009 #48 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Do the people who do not speak English receive the disembarkation procedures written in their own language? Doing so might help speed up the process. I can't imagine boarding a HAL ship not understanding English, or being with someone who is fluent in the English language who can help me communicate. Everything on board is done in English; even the American dollar is the currency! If I were to receive a letter, and not understand what it was about, you can be darned certain that I would bring it to someone who could communicate with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinknock50 Posted May 21, 2009 #49 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I can't imagine boarding a HAL ship not understanding English, or being with someone who is fluent in the English language who can help me communicate. Everything on board is done in English; even the American dollar is the currency! If I were to receive a letter, and not understand what it was about, you can be darned certain that I would bring it to someone who could communicate with me. True Ruth.....and don't they wonder why their names are being called over and over on the loudspeaker...I sure would go to the front desk and find out what that was all about!:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickie_bernie Posted May 24, 2009 #50 Share Posted May 24, 2009 and the amsterdam and golden princess arrive/leave this pier on saturdays, so i'm sure hoping the port of seattle gets their act together otherwise we're going to keep hearing the horror stories all summer. what seems to me can be a real irritation is the fact that upon disembarkation, all non us passport holders must be cleared by us immigration before all the rest of the passengers. this can cause extreme delays since some people just don't listen for the announcement and some people just ignore it and hold up all of the other passengers. i wonder if this procedure can ever be changed? Hi David, we were talking about you this week. We just got off the golden today in Seattle we sailed with Karin/John and Jerry/Rose again. The port was a real mess - I did post a live thread and go into detail about disembarkation. It truely is a problem with the port, only one lane in and out, which delays taxis, buses, limos etc. Taxi drivers we talked to at our hotel said they refuse to go to the pier for a pick up now because of the lines. We got off the ship early 9:30 had a shuttle booked to the airport for 10 and it was a half hour late stuck in traffic. Taxi line had about 200 people in it. I would recommend you book the cruiselines shuttle (which I believe you do usually) but use cautiously - a flight after noon is a must. Ship's shuttle will be more expensive but more reliable. Embarkation was an absolute breeze! NO ONE was there at 11:15 Sorry for budding in, wanted to share with my friend David. You are all going to have a great trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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