Seattle - 10.55 a.m. flight??

We are looking at a cruise that ends in Seattle on Oct 8th. (It will be the only ship docking that day and is supposed to be there at 6.00 am). The problem is that the only non-stop flight back to our home city on that Saturday morning leaves Seattle at 10.55 am.

We would love to hear your opinions on whether it will be challenging to make that flight or whether we will have to settle with an overnight flight with one or two changes.

Thanks in advance

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, where Seattle is covered, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

you will see this question asked frequently. The common answer is flights after 11am are fine. So be in the earliest group off the ship you can be (carry your own luggage), and grab a cab.

Need to arrive at SEATAC two hours before your flight. The airport is 30 minutes or so away from port. Need to be in a cab by 8:30.

An alternative would be to spend Saturday night in Seattle, then take the same flight out on Sunday.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

We are looking at a cruise that ends in Seattle on Oct 8th. (It will be the only ship docking that day and is supposed to be there at 6.00 am). The problem is that the only non-stop flight back to our home city on that Saturday morning leaves Seattle at 10.55 am.

 

We would love to hear your opinions on whether it will be challenging to make that flight or whether we will have to settle with an overnight flight with one or two changes.

 

Thanks in advance

Looks like you're cruising on Royal Caribbean and using Pier 91. I don't know how early RC usually starts debarkation but Holland-America, Princess and Carnival usually don't start until at least 7:30. If RC is the same, then you are going to have a total time of 3:35 to get off the ship, clear customs, get to SeaTac and get through security and to the gate. Could you make it? Yes. Would you make it? Probably not, considering the problems that getting through the security lines at SeaTac lately. A cab from the pier to SeaTac is going to take at least 30 minutes barring any problems with traffic, etc. Security at the airport has been running as much as 2+ hours at times so personally, I would not risk it. I'd go with the overnight plan or, if it's feasible for you, just schedule a flight out the next day and just schedule a hotel for the night and get home unstressed!

Hope you have a good cruise and a safe trip to/from Seattle!

Tom

Bruce/Sadie/Tom:

Thank you for your thoughtful and useful responses. Guess that I have been spoiled by our most recent US (Tampa; Bayonne/Newark and Port Lauderdale) experiences where in each case we were at the gates before 10.30 a.m.

Have booked our flights to Seattle on points, but will take a couple of weeks to decide on the return flight, whether to take the late evening flight or to stay overnight in Seattle.

I'll add in an anecdote about the SEATAC airport. I flew home from there this past Sunday, a 2:25 pm flight, and we were "lucky" that it only took us an hour to get through security. I could see that right after we got in line, the length of the line seemed to grow quite a bit. This airport is notorious for long security wait times.

I believe they started letting people off the ship at 7:30 am (NCL). As mentioned, it takes half an hour to get to the airport, and keep in mind that if there are several ships debarking in Seattle that day it may take some time to find transportation (I suggest scheduling ahead of time with a shuttle company if possible).

Let's say you get to the airport around 8:30 am...if you get "lucky" and only wait an hour in security, you're fine. If your wait is two hours, you are cutting it close but may still make it.

It's up to you!! If it were me I would probably enjoy a day exploring Seattle, take the overnight flight, and then sleep all day on Sunday!

We are on the Explorer in September and I booked an 1130 flight out. Since the ship is scheduled to dock at 6am, I felt it a safe bet. I will walk off with my luggage. I prefer to do that anyhow.

It's now 9.16 am, and I am at Seatac. Walkoff began promptly at 6.45; by 7.10 was in a cab (note there were only five cabs in line), and at Seatac at 7.48. Tried to get a switch to the 10.55, but no availability.

Couple of points: Today is Saturday and traffic was light; a new security checkpoint opened up as soon as I reached the area. So all in all, probably not a good reflection of what normally happens.

Today is Saturday and traffic was light; a new security checkpoint opened up as soon as I reached the area. So all in all, probably not a good reflection of what normally happens.

Uh, no, since there is only 1 ship in port today and it's the end of the last Alaskan cruise for the entire season, it's not a good reflection of what normally happens! :D :D (Yep, there is one more ship that will call at Seattle this year, the Star Princess on the 21st of Oct which will be making a stop enroute from Vancouver to Los Angeles.) But hey, you were able to get off the ship and to the airport quickly, so who cares about that?? :p

Hope that you had a good cruise and have a safe flight home. As I tell people when they're leaving the pier, don't feel sad about the cruise being over, feel glad about being that much closer to your next one!!!!

Tom