Help me pick which flight

[mom02]

We will be going on our first cruise this June with our 2 small children. We are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice leaving from Seattle. In looking at flights, we have 2 choices: arrive at Seattle airport at 9am or 1pm. The flight that arrives at 9am means we will need to pry the kids out of bed at 5am, but it allows us to not be as rushed once we arrive in Seattle especially since we're first timers.

 

Plus we don't know what to expect once we arrive. We haven't looked into transfers from the airport to the pier or the process to board the ship.

 

Which flight do you think would work best for our young family?

What's the best way to get from the airport to the pier?

What should we expect once we arrive at the pier area?

 

Any advice or thoughts from experienced cruisers would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Essiesmom]

The flight that arrives at 1pm will not leave any wiggle room for delays. Either take the earlier flight, or fly in the night before and awake refreshed and ready for the transfer. More advice available on the West Coast Departures board here, under North American Homeports. EM

[CruiserBruce]

The flight that arrives at 1pm will not leave any wiggle room for delays. Either take the earlier flight, or fly in the night before and awake refreshed and ready for the transfer. More advice available on the West Coast Departures board here, under North American Homeports. EM

 

Totally agree. No way would I take the flight that arrives at 1pm. No brainer.

 

If you look on the West Coast Departures board, you will see lots of options on how to get to the pier. Town car is a common option.

Edited March 20, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[Langley Cruisers]

Ooof, no way would I ever book a flight into embarkation port city that late. We always fly in a day ahead - is there any way you can do this? If you must choose between the two flights on cruise day, the first one at 9 am is the ONLY option. Please believe us when we say this. :)

.

[kitty9]

You have to be ON the ship 90 minutes before your cruise departs, so that means if Solstice departs at 5, you must be on board by 3:30. When your 1pm flight arrives, you have to wait for your luggage, find your transportation, and take a 30 to 40 minute ride to the cruise terminal (there are two cruise terminals, so you need to find out where Solstice departs). Once you arrive at the terminal, you give your bags to the porters, go through security inside the terminal, stand in a check in line where you give your cruise ticket and a credit card to cover your on board purchases. You and your kids will have your picture taken for your sign and sail cards and then you can board the ship. There's no way you'll be able to do all that with a flight that arrives at 1pm.

[iahawkfan21]

We're blessed with the ability to drive to our ports living in Florida. However, before we moved down there we would always fly in the day before. Mostly, it was to be able to relax and have zero rush in our plans. If that's not an option as it wasn't on one of our trips, we took an extremely early flight.

 

If flying in day of is your only option, I would absolutely take the early flight. It is a pain getting the kids up and moving that early, but allowing for flight delays IMO is a must. If you get there on time/early, you can either get a bite to eat somewhere or even head to the port. If you get on board early you can relax, get a bite to eat and start the vacation early. I've never cruised out of West Coast, but in Florida, we're always at the port around 11. Enjoy!

[Keith1010]

Please do not book the flight for the same day. There is tremendous risk that a flight delay or worse yet cancellation can cause you to miss the ship. And you need to be on the ship minutes before the ship leaves.

 

A lot can go wrong and as someone who flew frequently for business I have seen it all including issues related to weather, computers, security breaches, lack of cabin crew and the list goes on and on and on.

 

Fly a day early.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

The flight that arrives at 1pm will not leave any wiggle room for delays. Either take the earlier flight, or fly in the night before and awake refreshed and ready for the transfer. More advice available on the West Coast Departures board here, under North American Homeports. EM

This is the way to go.

[paul929207]

Like the others said. Fly in the day before if possible. If not then take the early flight. I know getting kids up early is not fun, but it is a lot more fun than watching the back of the ship as she sails away without you.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Never fly in on "day of departure." Way too much can go wrong with air travel timeliness.

And, Seattle is a great town to visit beforehand. Look into staying at the waterfront Marriott and check our the Aquarium for the kids.

Especially with kids, take a larger taxi from airport or, better still, try ExecuCar (town car service of Super Shuttle).

[navybankerteacher]

Never fly in on "day of departure." Way too much can go wrong with air travel timeliness.

And, Seattle is a great town to visit beforehand. Look into staying at the waterfront Marriott and check our the Aquarium for the kids.

Especially with kids, take a larger taxi from airport or, better still, try ExecuCar (town car service of Super Shuttle).

 

Right -- not only is it chancy to fly in on embarkation day, you should take advantage of having a day to see Seattle: don't limit your trip to just the cruise.

[Host Walt]

This discussion reminds me of one experience many years ago; one that always seals the deal when I consider flying in on departure day.

 

We were flying from LA to San Juan on American Airlines for a cruise sailing at 8:00pm the day after we landed.

 

Our flight called for a connection in Dallas/Ft Worth flying out of LA at around 6:00am. Long story short, our connecting flight from DFW was fully boarded when we were asked to return to the terminal; the plane had a mechanical problem. Once on the flight to SJU and in the air we had an excellent flight. Congenial flight attendants and a large group of people booked for a cruise scheduled to sail at 10:00pm that night from San Juan.

 

The only uncertainty was whether the ship would be held waiting for the late flight. The group was told that if they missed the ship, American Eagle has a flight to St. Thomas the next morning.

 

As we were approaching San Juan at about 11:00pm, someone in a window seat said "I see our ship backing out of the dock" accompanied by a collective groan.

 

The American Eagle flight and the hotel room in San Juan were the customers' responsibility subject to any insurance coverage.

 

Since then the only time we schedule ourselves to arrive at the departure port on the day we sail is on any cruise sailing from LA where we drive to the port.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Host Walt

[mom02]

Thank you for all the replies! We will do as most suggest and will be flying in the night before.

[Langley Cruisers]

Thank you for all the replies! We will do as most suggest and will be flying in the night before.

 

Outstanding! You will not regret your decision. :D

[bakersdozen12]

Outstanding! You will not regret your decision. :D

 

I totally agree. You want to be able to enjoy your first day on the ship. Not be so tired from a same-day flight that all you want to do is nap. You would be missing out on so much that way! Besides, if you are traveling with kids, the process to get on board will probably be a little overwhelming for them to begin with. Better to do it after they have had a good night's sleep, not right after a flight.

 

Anyway, enjoy your cruise!

[KirkNC]

The flight that arrives at 1pm will not leave any wiggle room for delays. Either take the earlier flight, or fly in the night before and awake refreshed and ready for the transfer. More advice available on the West Coast Departures board here, under North American Homeports. EM

 

I agree, we try and go the day before.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Thank you for all the replies! We will do as most suggest and will be flying in the night before.

 

I'm so glad you're doing this. The airport is really not in Seattle but much south of there. We actually took the Coast Starlight from Oxnard to Seattle before our Alaskan cruise, but we made sure to get to Seattle on a Friday night for our Sunday cruise. Made for a relaxing start of our cruise and we got in a little sightseeing on Saturday (first time there for my then-7-year old and my hubby...we also scheduled a couple of days post-cruise). Even though you're flying from California (and if from a major airport there would be several flights...what if there's mechanical problems or an earthquake or other problem?).

[cruiseonthebrain]

I agree with all the folks urging you to fly in the day before. Even if you just catch a room at an airport hotel the night before (as opposed to closer to the piers) you will be so many steps ahead come cruise day.

[Dunnik]

I read your post with a sense of impending dread, mom02.

 

That 1pm arrival, as others have noted, doesn't seem to give you any margin of error. Leaving your surface transportation arrangements hanging will compound the potential problem. Take the early flight.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Dunnik