Live From Pier 91 In Seattle: Post-Covid Debarkation
I’m not going to lie, debarkation blows harder than the snot coming out of a humpback whale (fun fact we learned from our onboard naturalist). But I know many of you (especially those with early flights out of Seattle) are interested in learning how the debarkation process works, especially post-Covid. I’ll walk you through the entire process beginning the night before debarkation and ending with me crying into a pillow back home in Seattle. As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them all.
What Happens The Day Before Debarkation In Seattle
*This section is specific to my experience on the Carnival Miracle, but it will be very similar on every ship.
Literature Will Be Dropped Off At Your Door
The following sheet will be dropped off at your door:
Let’s go over each detail.
Things To Do The Day Before Debarkation
There will be a live debarkation talk given by your Cruise Director in the late afternoon on the day before debarkation (check your schedule for the exact time and location). You can also watch it later on your cabin television.
Make sure to cash out your casino chips (if you’re lucky enough to have any left). The Casino Cashier Desk is CLOSED on debarkation morning.
Choose Your Debarkation Option
If you have a very early flight out of Seattle, I strongly suggest you select Option 1 (and use the Port Valet service if it’s available on your cruise – it was NOT on ours). With Option 1, you will exit the ship first, but you must carry off ALL your own luggage.
If you don’t have tight travel plans and don’t want to carry your own bags off the ship, go with option 2: Checked luggage. You’ll need to visit a specified area (for the Miracle it was deck 2 midship, starboard side) the day before debarkation and pick up numbered luggage tags. If you want an early zone, go as soon as possible to pick up your tags (as you’ll see in the photo below, all the early times were gone when I snapped this photo at about noon.
Attach a numbered tag to each piece of your luggage and place your bags outside your door between 9pm-11pm. A crew member will promptly collect them and store them until they will be removed from the ship for you the next day and waiting in a designated area of the terminal at Pier 91.
Check Your Bill
You (mostly final, unless you purchase anything after it’s dropped off) bill will be left near your cabin door the night before debarkation. Be sure to check it right away and very carefully so you can resolve any errors with guest services.
What Happens The Day Of Debarkation In Seattle
Get Up Early To Watch The Sunrise
Your vacation isn’t over just yet! Don’t miss the final, beautiful sunrise as you catch a first glimpse of Seattle. Seattle is home to me and I live downtown, but that skyline with Mt. Rainier in the background never gets old! You’ll want to get out on deck by 5:45am to catch it. Bring your camera for some amazing shots!
Grab A Final Relaxing Breakfast In The Dining Room
The buffet area will be VERY crowded on debarkation morning. Instead, I strongly recommend grabbing breakfast in the main dining room. On the Miracle it opened at 6am. It will be relaxed, uncrowded, and the food is better anyway! (I posted the dining room breakfast menu here if you want to preview it.)
Tips For Getting Off The Ship As Soon As Possible
This next brief section is specifically for my cruise friends who have tight flights out of Seattle and need to get off the ship as soon as possible. I pretended I was in this situation to test how fast I could get off. Spoiler alert, I was off and walking home at 7:55am. Here’s how to do it:
- Regardless of what your cruise director says on the intercom, head down to the debarkation deck (for us it was deck 3) at 7:45am.
- Take the AFT stairs if you can (or aft elevator if you can’t swing the stairs).
- Get in line with your mask on and your ship card and passport in hand.
- With NO announcement (which is why it’s very important to just head down before you hear anything), they started allowing passengers to leave the ship at 7:50am.
The Debarkation Process
If you selected Option 2 (checked luggage), you will be called to debark by zone number beginning around 8:30. All self-assist passengers will be called and off the ship by that time.
All passengers MUST be wearing a mask during debarkation and while inside the terminal at Pier 91.
Be sure to have your ship card and passport in hand.
Your ship card will be scanned as you exit the ship.
You will descend down the gangway and follow the signs to “Baggage Claim.”
You will proceed down the escalator or elevator…
Where you can pick up any checked luggage at the bottom (it will be organized by zone number).
Once you have all your luggage, you will proceed to customs (yes, you DO have to go through customs even if you didn’t leave the country).
You will briefly show your passport to a customs officer. They will ask you to pull down your mask to verify your identity. And you’re off!
Outside The Terminal At Pier 91
Once outside, follow the signs for your chosen form of transportation.
Note that if you are using a ride share app, you will either need to take a shuttle or follow the signs to walk to the pick-up area which is a bit of a distance from the terminal. That’s why I recommend taking a taxi for those with tight connections at SEATAC. Taxis are parked directly outside the terminal. Just hop in and you’re on your way!
Final Thoughts And One Last Tip
I was off the ship by 7:55am after one of my fastest debarkations ever. I hopped on the waterfront trail and made it home to my apartment in downtown Seattle just as my audio book ended a bit before 9:00am (how’s that for perfect timing!). Now I’ll watch from my living room windows as some of you sail away on the Miracle later today. I wish you a wonderful cruise! Be sure to drop me a quick note to tell me how it went.
Final Tip
Just as I was getting ready to exit the ship we had to pause for a brief moment so someone (who appeared to have a broken leg) could be removed via stretcher and taken to a waiting ambulance. It was a sad sight and an important reminder to ALWAYS purchase travel insurance. You can purchase it through your cruise line (although it will be much more expensive if you go that route). You can also check to see if you have coverage through your credit card (it might be pretty limited though). I always purchase through this site so I can compare plans and get the best rate for the coverage I want. However you get it, GET INSURANCE!
And with that…
Class Dismissed.
To get caught up on my entire cruise process from planning to debarkation go here:
Thanks for all the great information all week!! Did they say how many people were on board ?
No, I never heard. It felt pretty full to me. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe 80-90% of normal capacity.
Thanks 🙂
Great job! Information was so well presented and very helpful. I couldn’t link up your comments section from my email, but you get 5 stars. I’ll be embarking on the Miracle on August 17th. I’m sure I’ll be referring to your blog throughout my cruise. Cruising solo so if you have any specific tips they are appreciated.
Thank you so much for your kind comments! Will you have a set dining time for dinner or do you have “your time dining?” I had “your time dining” and was always seated by myself (the HUB app always put me at a 2-top by myself). If you like to dine with others, you might want to switch to a set dining time and visit the dining room after embarkation to make sure you’re at a table with others (maybe even with other solos). I missed meeting people at dinner, but otherwise it was a fantastic solo cruise!
Regarding Luggage express, I contacted Seattle Port Authority they said luggage express was up and running, Did you happen to here why it wasn’t available for your cruise? We are a family of 8 adults from Texas cruising on the Miracle August 17. I have always used it in the past it makes life so much easier, Thanks for all the nice reports we followed you all the way. Thank you
Did the internet ever get any better?
It was restored by the time I returned from port in Juneau. It was slow still, but it worked for the rest of the cruise.
Tested positive for Covid 2 days after cruise fully vaccinated . But have to say I had fun! Followed you before and after cruise have always turned off phone tablets ect when cruising sadly not an option anymore.
Oh my gosh, Pam, I’m so sorry to hear that! I was really worried that might happen. I’m glad you had fun though and hope you aren’t experiencing any bad symptoms!
Just stuffy and tired. At first thought it was just post vacation. But good tested to be sure before returning to work with elderly.
Thank goodness you tested! I hope you feel 100% soon and can get back to work. What a crappy way to end your vacation. I hope there weren’t too many others in your boat (so to speak). Be well, cruise friend!
Thanks for taking us along on the cruise with you! Really enjoyed your posts. And, you walked from Pier 91 to downtown? I’m super impressed. Ending the walk with that climb uphill! I’m in Ballard, and either pier is a definite Uber or taxi from here. 🙂
I guess it’s a good way to burn off like, 1/1,000,000 of the calories I consumed on a 7-day cruise. LOL! Ballard is such a great neighborhood – I love it!
Telling everyone to regard the cruise directors disembarking information and just go stand in the hallways clog it up for everyone yeah that’s a good idea.
I get your concern – it’s a legitimate one. It’s always best to follow instructions. I was simply trying to help out my peeps with super tight flights out of Seattle who needed to get off the ship ASAP. I wanted to see how early it was possible to get off for them. There were already a ton of self-assist folks lined up before it was announced. If you weren’t in that line, you were going to wait for a while. Just trying to help 🙂
We are going on the 24th, Your trip and itinerary was a great help I’ve already repacked the suitcase and preparing for cooler/ possibly wetter weather than anticipated. My wife was thrilled with the menu’s you posted and the meal selections you showed. We have cruised many times in the Caribbean but our first adventure to Alaska. Thank you for your very informative and well done review of your trip. I know it has helped our planning and expectations of next weeks adventure.
Hi James!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so excited for you and your wife to experience Alaska. It’s a very different cruise experience, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll love it. Wishing you the absolute best time!