Earliest flight out of Seattle

[deno75]

We are cruising on June 16th to Alaska, Our ship returns on June 23rd at 7AM. Is an 11 am flight to early? Sadly that is the only non stop flight we have home that day available to us.

[cruisingautiger]

11:00 am would be cutting it too close for my comfort. I would only attempt if you were taking your own bags off the ship. If memory serves, the airport is around 30 minutes from the port. I remember speaking to my PVP when planning my flight and she emailed me a port guide with suggested flight times.

[dabear99211]

We are cruising on June 16th to Alaska, Our ship returns on June 23rd at 7AM. Is an 11 am flight to early? Sadly that is the only non stop flight we have home that day available to us.

 

If you do self assist and there are no problems with custom and immigration, and you take your own taxi then I think you would be fine.

[springs741]

I would humbly suggest you have a back up plan.

 

Assuming the ship arrives on time and is cleared in a timely manor you might be able to self disembark by 7:30. Until you get loaded into a taxi it will be 8ish and will take about 45 minutes to get to the airport at that time of day. We are now at 9 o clock.

 

Last time I went through Seattle I was pre checked and it still took me an hour to get through the security line. This was not on a cruise ship day. We are now at 10 o clock.

 

If anything goes wrong, you are going to have an unpleasant end to your cruise. Insurance may not assist you as you are booking a flight out of recommended times.

 

Have you thought about spending one night in Seattle ? Hotels near the airport are very reasonable. The other option is to give up your preferred direct flight.

[Budget Queen]

I will also state, you will have to self disembark, and take a cab or arrange car service. There is a cab line that can get backed up, so you should be ready to go, at least a 1/2 hour prior to the stated time.

 

If all goes well you will have time to take that flight.

 

The above post is good advice. Be certain to know the details of the ticket you book, especially the missed flight options. Do NOT expect to get out the same day, if you miss a flight. Seattle has some of the highest load factors, reaching 95%+++ in season.

[20somethingguy]

Living in Seattle and working for a hotel front desk during two cruise ship seasons, I recommend you not try to make the 11am flight.

 

For every party trying to get off the ships (usually 2-3 ships disembark/embark at a time), there are 2 parties trying to get to the ships. Most are using taxis that can only accommodate 4 people plus 2-3 large pieces of luggage, resulting in more than one taxi being needed.

 

The airport is 30-50 minutes away from the cruise ships without traffic (depending on which terminal you are arriving on). There will be traffic this day.

 

Airport security takes a bit of time at Sea-Tac Airport.

 

Take my advice. Trying to get to the airport on time for an early flight on a cruise day isn't worth it. Book a hotel, enjoy Seattle for an evening, and make it to the airport with plenty of time the day after your cruise.

 

I recommend getting to the airport at least 2 hours before your flight departure time.

Edited February 22, 2015 by 20somethingguy

[cruiser fanatic]

Carnival recommends flights out of Seattle no earlier then 11:45AM. Don't book flights before that time.

[A&Jfamily]

We were faced with the same problem. Everything was too early or way late. We opted for way late and not risk missing the flight. We rented a car and drove north and took the ferry across to an island (name escapes me at moment). It was a great decision - one of the prettiest places we have ever been. Eagles. Amazing beaches. Coastal Forrest. Great food. Slept great on the flight home too after a full day.

[20somethingguy]

Whidbey Island?

[Tapi]

Same situation for us, so we ended booking a flight home for the next day at 6:00am. Best decision. We enjoyed an extra vacation day sightseeing in Seattle, we didn't have to deal with the rush or stress associated with getting off the ship in a hurry, and the money we saved more than made up for the extra hotel night.

 

Disembarking in Seattle is not like disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale. Everything just seems to move at a slower, more unhurried pace. And as mentioned before, the airport is nowhere near the pier.

Edited February 22, 2015 by Tapi

[A&Jfamily]

Whidbey Island?

 

 

Yes! Thank you. I would so recommend a day there to anyone waiting for a red eye! What a beautiful place!

[deno75]

Thanks everyone. We may just stay one more day. The nonstop flights are 4 hours anything with a layover is over 7. We then have another 4 hour drive from the airport home. Makes for a long travel day so we would much prefer a nonstop flight. Travel days are enough anxiety for me as it is making sure everything is set and kids are good to go. Hubby thinks we can make it and be fine, I kept saying I think we are cutting it to close. Now to convince him!