Availability of porters at Pier 91 - Seattle

Hi, I've seen conflicting information regarding the availability of porters at Pier 91 to transport bags from the taxi to the cruise ship terminal where the ship's employees would take custody of the luggage. Does anyone know if porters are consistently available at that pier, and if so, during what times of the day? Or will we need to get the luggage from the taxi drop-off into the terminal on our own? We will be sailing on the Solstice in mid-September.

Thanks!

When we sailed out of pier 91 a couple of years ago, I do not recall there being porters. We grabbed our luggage out of the taxi, and hauled it ourselves. There was a line to drop it off with security. Saved the $5 tip.

Hi, I've seen conflicting information regarding the availability of porters at Pier 91 to transport bags from the taxi to the cruise ship terminal where the ship's employees would take custody of the luggage. Does anyone know if porters are consistently available at that pier, and if so, during what times of the day? Or will we need to get the luggage from the taxi drop-off into the terminal on our own? We will be sailing on the Solstice in mid-September.

 

Thanks!

The fact that you are getting conflicting information should tell you that they are not consistently available! :D

I have used porters there in the past, but not in the last two years. It may have been my own timing, but if others claim to have used them, and I have not been able to use them, then they definitely are not consistently available. The distance is not far, so if you have wheeled luggage and no mobility issues, it's really not a big deal.

When in doubt, it's best to go to the source. The phone number and email for Pier 91 information are in this link (I've contacted them before and gotten a response within a day or 2).

http://www.portseattle.org/Cruise/Explore-Terminals/Smith-Cove-at-Pier-91/Pages/default.aspx

have done cruises from Pier 91 this summer and porters were always there. They are highly paid longshoreman even though some look like street people. They have always been there.

if you decide to contact the Port, please post back with their response.

It would be nice to know the policy.

We cruised from there in June. There were only a couple of porters, and you had to be parked right by them to give them your luggage. We arrived on a Seattle Shuttle and to take our luggage to the porters would have been just as long a walk as to walk them to the terminal. I tried to get one of the porters to come to where we were, but they were having none of it. So we rolled them to the terminal and up to the security conveyer belt for luggage check in. We had priority boarding and walked right up to the check in counter then on to the ship, but our luggage still beat us to our room. First time that has ever happened.

Bob

Hi, everyone, thank you for the responses!

I tried calling the port at 206-737-3911, but they are closed. I will let you know if they respond to my email.

We don't need a porter for our luggage, as that has wheels We had planned to have the car service stop at a store so we could buy a case or two of bottled water, and I'm not sure we could manage those along with our luggage without help.:eek:

We had planned to have the car service stop at a store so we could buy a case or two of bottled water, and I'm not sure we could manage those along with our luggage without help.:eek:

If you are cruising on Carnival:

Keep in mind that you do have to take all beverages with you as carry on. You are not allowed to give them to the porters as part of your checked luggage. At most ports, porters only take the luggage you are checking, they don't help you carry your carry on stuff into the terminal. As we didn't use them in Seattle, I don't know if this is also true there.

Also, if you are taking a couple of cases of water, you will need 4 people in your party with you. The rule is a 12 pack per person.

I would recommend that you take a separate rolling suitcase with you for the water. Seattle is one of those places where they are VERY careful about inspecting each and every bottle of water/soda/juice. If they decide to break down your cases to check each bottle, it could be a mess trying to carry them from there. I would assume that they could just shake them and see through the clear plastic, but I have no idea what goes thru their minds. Just in case, be sure to buy water that has clear plastic around the case. If the view is obstructed, they will for sure pull the bottles out.

If you are NOT cruising Carnival, then you can disregard... :D

Bob

 

We don't need a porter for our luggage, as that has wheels We had planned to have the car service stop at a store so we could buy a case or two of bottled water, and I'm not sure we could manage those along with our luggage without help.:eek:

You could save yourself the hassle and just bring a reusable water bottle and refill it from the tap. The water on cruise ships is as pure (if not more) than anything you'll buy in wasteful plastic bottles. :D

We sailed on Solstice from Pier 91 earlier this month and when we exited our car service, we quickly found a porter who took luggage for us...same thing upon disembarkation.

Thank you so much to everyone who responded.

I received a call back from a representative of the cruise ship terminal (91)today. She assured me that there are always porters available to help with luggage in the taxi drop-off area, starting at around 10-10:30 am.

Thanks for posting back with the Port's response. Have a great trip!

Thanks for posting back with the Port's response. Have a great trip!

Thanks! We can hardly wait!