afstein

Hi everyone
Only my second post on flyertalk, and I'm also a newbie to SeaTac and been a while since I've been on Alaska Air.

I have a flight in January... SFO to YVR, with a few hours at SeaTac in the middle.

I have an Amex platinum card so I get access to the centurion lounge, and it also gives me priority pass so I can go to Alaska board room.

Wondering what the best plan is for the layover... Centurion studio, big board room, or new north satellite board room? Or visit two of them? Or all three?

Thanks!

TravelMann

I much prefer the AMEX lounge. Except for the pancakes at the BR, I find their food offerings slightly inferior to everything at Centurion (mini quiche and deluxe mixed nuts are my personal favorites). The desserts are beyond compare--since they are nearly non-existent at the BR except for cookies. Your gate might be the deciding factor. The AMEX lounge is on the B Concourse. Depending upon layover time, you might find it more convenient to go to the BR if you arrive and connect at the N gates. If you're at D or C gates, not too bad to get over to B3 gate where Centurion is located.

I do not drink so I cannot comment on the alcoholic beverages. I do like the fact that they offer cans of sodas at the AMEX lounge. I rarely find a soda machine where the carbonation to syrup mix is as good as straight from the can.

The AMEX lounge is small so it can become crowded.


BONUS: AMEX lounge at Sea-Tac is giving out gifts to lunge visitors during the holidays. I've gotten chocolates and what I think is a portable charger.

missamo80

Depends on what concourse you're going to be at. If you're in the N satellite I wouldn't bother going to the Centurion lounge and I'd just hang out in the new BR.

Neil

LwoodY2K

If you have a long time, you could consider more than one and comparing.

From when I've been there my overall opinion is that the BR has better drinks while the Centurion has better food. BR can be crowded (though I've never seen it be standing room only). Centurion hasn't been bad when I've been there but that's limited to Friday nights and Saturday mornings so far; others have said it's worse.

eponymous_coward

Better beer, maybe, but last time I was in the BR they were using paint thinner for gin, vodka, etc. (really bottom shelf stuff for the well drinks)- has that changed?

LwoodY2K

Centurion (last I was there) had 3 beers and 3 wines (1 each of red/white/sparkling). They may well have been better quality than what AS offers, but if you want any hard stuff you're out of luck. Maybe I should have said 'a wider selection of drinks' rather than better.

(And since we're on the topic, I'll say that last time I was there all 3 of the beers they had were in the IPA area which is basically my least favorite and I don't understand why they don't have at least one that's somewhere lower on the hop spectrum.)

patpatpatme

i would choose centurion over BR since theres better food and overall atmosphere is nicer

BOB W

Nope, Google searching usually cannot identify the labels

eponymous_coward

That's more like it. The BR beer and wine is fine (usually have micros and decent reds and whites). I would avoid the hard stuff. The stuff on the plane is better, even if you have to pay for it.

I recall spotting Monarch at one point.

beckoa

I've been disappointed by the AMEX Centurion Studio in SEA. Its a studio, which is a lighter concept of the epic lounges in LAX or MIA. Those are quite nice...with full bar service and hot meals (from the buffet - featuring a kitchen). SEA doesn't have the space for this, so it seems to be granola themed (literally!).

And there is no bar- having a beer at 7 AM is a bit but that's the lone option aside from wine.

If time, I'd hop and compare them. Start with the BR, move to AMEX, and if you like the BR better, move back.

LwoodY2K

I pretty much agree - compared to the others I've been too it's really sad. But that being said, I'm hoping it leads to improvements in the other lounges at SEA. And maybe one day they'll annex the surrounding spaces and expand.

You can ask for a mimosa! It's always the right time for a mimosa.

(Except when they run out of champagne which seems to happen more often than not on the AS morning flights I'm on. Coincidence I'm sure.)

CRAZ8

There's also a 'The Club' in the A gates that you might want to try too with Priority Pass - although I don't think any Alaska flights go from anywhere near that location.

beckoa

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's BB: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

Careful with the hours on The Club...

Fred 3

FOr me it depends on if you care more about food or drinks. The soup can be good at the BR, as well as the pancakes, but the food at Centurion is better, even if it is a studio and not a full blown lounge.

PDXPremier

If I am with my kids, I have no choice...it has to be the Centurion Studio since immediate family is free whereas I have to pay for them with Priority Pass at the BR. If alone, I go to the BR during breakfast hours for the pancake machine, but after breakfast the food is by far better at the Centurion Studio...plus the Centurion has Jones soda