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37 minutes ago, bonzo1975 said:

Good evening everyone!

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for hotels in Seattle near the port? Also, how easy would it be for us to buy a couple bottles of wine while staying at said hotel?

TIA

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Airport.  It was good but not close to shopping.  We didn't need or look for any wine, beer, or alcohol so I really can't say if finding a few bottles of wine is a problem.  I'm guessing that there may be some kind of store in the Airport that sells wine.  The shuttle to/from the airport is free.  

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Note to anyone staying in Seattle before, after, or both, this is our experience with SEATTLE SHUTTLE.  On our May 13th Cruise I had a reservation with them to pick us up at the Crown Plaza at about 10:30 AM to take us to the port and then a reservation to take us from the ship on May 20 and back to the Crown Plaza.  On the morning of May the 13th, NO SHUTTLE SHOWED UP.  We had arranged, with our Genie, to be at the port at 11:00 AM.  So, at about 10:45 or so, I called SEATTLE SHUTTLE and I was told that the driver for our Shuttle called in sick.  I asked if that was it or what was going to happen, we were standing outside the hotel waiting on a ride to the Port.  The lady on the phone said that she was working on getting a replacement driver.  Well, at about 11:15 or so, nobody showed up.  I called back and the lady said she was still working on it.  I also asked if SHE had any intentions of calling me and letting me know that there were issues.  She had no answer, just that she was working on it.  I told her to forget it, I'd take a taxi if I had to.  

This is all after at least, I say again "at least" a dozen calls to confirm our reservations leading up to our arrival to Seattle, including the night before.  The lady actually got to where she answered the phone, "Hello Jay".  

I finally asked the hotel's bell captain what we could do and he gave us a phone number, I called and within a few minutes we had a big black Suburban with a gentleman driving in what looked like a chauffer's costume (lol) and it was only $25.00 more than the shuttle was going to cost.  It actually worked out really well.  The Suburban driver actually got us closer to the Genie/Star drop off location than the Shuttle company said that they could do.  

BTW, the hotel's bell captain got a very good thank you gratuity.  

Edited by Suite Snob
I've corrected the first mention of the shuttle's name. The first mention had Seattle Express, it should have been Seattle Shuttle. And I capitalized all mentions of the company's name.
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We stayed at the Courtyard Seattle Southcenter both before and one night after the cruise. The hotel had an Airport shuttle that we also took to the nearby mall. My wife forgot to pack her bathing suit. This shuttle was very nice the driver quite accommodating and it was on time. We used Seattle Express for transport to the port and back. We had a 9:45 pickup, got to the lobby at 9:30 and the shuttle was already there. Yeah, we were ahead of schedule. Unfortunately at our next pickup the guests were fashionably late for the pickup time. Any way got to the port by 10:45 were on board by 11:30, they really didn't open the doors until 11:00. Our return pickup was pretty straight forward, got to the pickup point, we were grouped with other folks going to our same area and off we went. The driver must have been somewhat in charge because he was constantly on his phone coordinating other drivers keeping things moving. I was quite pleased with them.

PS the wife never used the suit 🙂 and she bought two, because they were on sale.

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1 hour ago, KevinJ said:

We stayed at the Courtyard Seattle Southcenter both before and one night after the cruise. The hotel had an Airport shuttle that we also took to the nearby mall. My wife forgot to pack her bathing suit. This shuttle was very nice the driver quite accommodating and it was on time. We used Seattle Express for transport to the port and back. We had a 9:45 pickup, got to the lobby at 9:30 and the shuttle was already there. Yeah, we were ahead of schedule. Unfortunately at our next pickup the guests were fashionably late for the pickup time. Any way got to the port by 10:45 were on board by 11:30, they really didn't open the doors until 11:00. Our return pickup was pretty straight forward, got to the pickup point, we were grouped with other folks going to our same area and off we went. The driver must have been somewhat in charge because he was constantly on his phone coordinating other drivers keeping things moving. I was quite pleased with them.

PS the wife never used the suit 🙂 and she bought two, because they were on sale.

If the drivers name is Brandon, which I'm sure you don't remember, he is the Asst. Mgr.  He's one of the ones that guaranteed me that everything will be taken care of.  Again, if that was him.

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Hotels in Seattle.  I am staying at the SureStay Hotel by Best Western SeaTac Airport North.  The hotel has a shuttle from the airport, but it is also walking distance.  It is next to the light rail to take downtown.  Then taking the Seattle Express to the cruise port and back to the airport.

 

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6 hours ago, Suite Snob said:

If the drivers name is Brandon, which I'm sure you don't remember, he is the Asst. Mgr.  He's one of the ones that guaranteed me that everything will be taken care of.  Again, if that was him.

 

6 hours ago, KevinJ said:

Sorry, at any given point ones experiences can be quite different. I suppose from the amount of communications he was handling that someone else was having your same experience.

 

Unless I am mistaken you are talking about two different companies.  They have different websites:  Shuttle Express vs Seattle Express

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4 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

 

 

Unless I am mistaken you are talking about two different companies.  They have different websites:  Shuttle Express vs Seattle Express

Ohhhhhhhh man!  Thank you for point that out.  I never knew there there was a Shuttle Express AND a Seattle Express.  But, in this case, after you brought it up and I went back and looked at my emails, it is "SEATTLE SHUTTLE", not even an "EXPRESS" involved in the name.  

SO, I want to correct my OP and I will go back and edit it to reflect the correct name.  The name of the company is "SEATTLE SHUTTLE"

Thank you Traveling Mike.

 

SEATTLE SHUTTLE!

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You asked for hotels near the "port."  I will assume that you mean the cruise port and not airport.

We stayed 3 nights at the Charter Hotel by Hilton before our cruise.  We stayed two nights at the Sheraton after our cruise.

Both were an easy 30 mins from SeaTac by light rail and it cost us, a family of four, less than $16 to travel by light rail.

The light rail will take you to Westlake.  From the Westlake stop, either hotel is a 2 to 3 block walk.

From either hotel, Pike Market is a 5 minute walk and there is shopping galore.

We took Uber to Pier 91 or whatever the port name was.  The drive was 20 minutes with moderate traffic.

The Sheraton was extremely roomy and much cheaper than the Hilton accommodations.  The Hilton accommodations were much more modern and chic, but for $150 a night less than the Sheraton, I would pick the Sheraton next time.

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2 hours ago, bonzo1975 said:

Thanks everyone! Sounds like getting around shouldn't be too hard. I'm a worrier by nature, so I tend to over-stress sometimes lol

Unless you are looking to make Seattle a destination stay, meaning a full on Seattle tour, most of the highlights are near downtown.  Public transportation in Seattle is so accessible and affordable.  Uber and taxis are convenient but by no means necessary in Seattle.  

And for price comparisons, when we were there two weeks ago, the Holiday Inn near SeaTac was $300 a night; whereas the Sheraton was $350 a night.  We paid an extra $50 for the convenience of being smack dab in front of Pike Market and it was worth every penny.  

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20 hours ago, Suite Snob said:

Note to anyone staying in Seattle before, after, or both, this is our experience with SEATTLE SHUTTLE.  On our May 13th Cruise I had a reservation with them to pick us up at the Crown Plaza at about 10:30 AM to take us to the port and then a reservation to take us from the ship on May 20 and back to the Crown Plaza.  On the morning of May the 13th, NO SHUTTLE SHOWED UP.  We had arranged, with our Genie, to be at the port at 11:00 AM.  So, at about 10:45 or so, I called SEATTLE SHUTTLE and I was told that the driver for our Shuttle called in sick.  I asked if that was it or what was going to happen, we were standing outside the hotel waiting on a ride to the Port.  The lady on the phone said that she was working on getting a replacement driver.  Well, at about 11:15 or so, nobody showed up.  I called back and the lady said she was still working on it.  I also asked if SHE had any intentions of calling me and letting me know that there were issues.  She had no answer, just that she was working on it.  I told her to forget it, I'd take a taxi if I had to.  

This is all after at least, I say again "at least" a dozen calls to confirm our reservations leading up to our arrival to Seattle, including the night before.  The lady actually got to where she answered the phone, "Hello Jay".  

I finally asked the hotel's bell captain what we could do and he gave us a phone number, I called and within a few minutes we had a big black Suburban with a gentleman driving in what looked like a chauffer's costume (lol) and it was only $25.00 more than the shuttle was going to cost.  It actually worked out really well.  The Suburban driver actually got us closer to the Genie/Star drop off location than the Shuttle company said that they could do.  

BTW, the hotel's bell captain got a very good thank you gratuity.  

Hi @suite snob. I have a question about the Star Class entrance. Was your driver able to get right to the Star curb folks?  We’ve hit snags in both Miami and Port Canaveral but the driver was always able to eventually get the ok from the deputies to get straight to the banner with our bags. This is our first sailing out of Seattle so just curious if you have any pointers. I watched your video and it looked like a hike, even for Star. Also, how did the 11AM check in work out for you?  We usually arent in a huge hurry to get on board on embarkation day. 

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1 hour ago, Sea Squirrel said:

Hi @suite snob. I have a question about the Star Class entrance. Was your driver able to get right to the Star curb folks?  We’ve hit snags in both Miami and Port Canaveral but the driver was always able to eventually get the ok from the deputies to get straight to the banner with our bags. This is our first sailing out of Seattle so just curious if you have any pointers. I watched your video and it looked like a hike, even for Star. Also, how did the 11AM check in work out for you?  We usually arent in a huge hurry to get on board on embarkation day. 

Well, our driver got us close to the banner, maybe about 50 - 75 yards away.  BUT, the banner isn't right there at the entrance to the terminal, like other terminals.  If you have watched some Youtube videos of the terminal or looked at Google Earth of it, you will notice that there are actually two roads in front of the terminal.  One is at curbside which is not accessible to most, the other is is even further away from that.  The banner is located in between the two roads.  I'll try to get some kind of video or picture of it and post it her for you by the end of the day.  Like I have said, the Seattle port at Terminal 91 isn't originally built for being a Passenger Terminal.  It's an old cargo terminal, that has been remodeled, A LITTLE, to accommodate human passengers.  

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Well, that was easier that I thought it was going to be.

In the video at 8:10 minutes into the video, you'll see on the Columns a position sign #1, that is about exactly where we could get the closes to the Star Banner.  Then, stop the video at 9:33 and you will see the Star Banner on the left of the video.  You'll note that the banner is out in the open, not covered. 

This is a very good video of what to expect at the Pier 91.  Not much has changed and the guy's editorial of it is spot on!

BTW, if you are Star Class, do not give your luggage to the guys in this video.  Take your luggage to the Star Banner and the Genie or his/her assistant will have a Ship's porter take care of your luggage for you.  They'll take it through security and straight to your suite for you.  The luggage SHOULD be there by the time you get there.  Sorry for explaining, I just don't know if you have been Star Class before or not.

 

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Wherever you decide to stay, just Google "liquor stores near me" and you will get lots of places.  There are plenty near the Pike's Market area.  Last cruise we went on out of Seattle, we were able to grab bottles of wine the day before boarding. 

We did an Amtrack Sleeper train loop from Chicago to Seattle to San Fran and back about 2 months before Covid hit.  I found a nearby liquor store via Google (Amtrack had us staying at the Warwick - nice place) and bought wine for Mrs Fan and a bottle of bourbon for myself (the train is very liberal on what you can bring on).

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After an Alaskan cruise (Norwegian Encore) from Seattle in early October, 2021 we spent a couple nights at the Edgewater Hotel, which was just a five minute walk from where our ship docked.  Loved staying where lots of our favorite classic rock bands have stayed in the past.  We got into port early, and they were good enough to hold our luggage until check in time while we went off to explore the area on foot for a few hours.  When we dropped our bags I asked where could we purchase some wine and were directed to a place a couple blocks "up".  Sorry I can't remember exactly, but if you ask they can tell you.  I know we got a decent bottle of wine to enjoy in our room nearby, and at a reasonable price. We didn't fish out the windows or throw furniture out the windows as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin did, but we had a great time staying at the Edgewater after our cruise.   

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2 hours ago, Sea Squirrel said:

Thanks Moby. Watching the video, it looks like you could just get out where the cars are stopped to let folks cross to the terminal since the banner is right there. 

The traffic Nazis won't allow vehicles to stop anywhere else except for the designated drop off locations.  At least when we were there. There was one very aggressive traffic Nazi (they're not cops but they are backed-up by cops).  You can try, but I don't think they will allow it.  Good luck!

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On 6/26/2022 at 4:53 PM, Moby Dick said:

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Airport.  It was good but not close to shopping.  We didn't need or look for any wine, beer, or alcohol so I really can't say if finding a few bottles of wine is a problem.  I'm guessing that there may be some kind of store in the Airport that sells wine.  The shuttle to/from the airport is free.  

Just to clarify two points:

We stayed/picked the Airport Crowne Plaza because it wasn't downtown.  We did not want to be close to..........  well, I'll leave it there other than to say it was a safety and security decision.  And after taking our Limo to/from the hotel thru downtown, we were glad we did.  We'll never be back to Seattle.  YMMV

The reason I mentioned the free airport shuttle, provided by the hotel and runs every 30 minutes, 24/7, was because you can go back and forth to/from the airport to eat/shop/drink/whatever.  Not necessarily because you fly into or out of Seattle. 

Side Note:  The hotel itself isn't exactly what I expect from a Crowne Plaza to be.  NO, it isn't bad, just not up to par, IMHO.  And the circular restaurant on the top floor wasn't open for whatever reason, could be staffing issues, why not blame everything on COVID. 

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45 minutes ago, Moby Dick said:

Just to clarify two points:

We stayed/picked the Airport Crowne Plaza because it wasn't downtown.  We did not want to be close to..........  well, I'll leave it there other than to say it was a safety and security decision.  And after taking our Limo to/from the hotel thru downtown, we were glad we did.  We'll never be back to Seattle.  YMMV

The reason I mentioned the free airport shuttle, provided by the hotel and runs every 30 minutes, 24/7, was because you can go back and forth to/from the airport to eat/shop/drink/whatever.  Not necessarily because you fly into or out of Seattle. 

Side Note:  The hotel itself isn't exactly what I expect from a Crowne Plaza to be.  NO, it isn't bad, just not up to par, IMHO.  And the circular restaurant on the top floor wasn't open for whatever reason, could be staffing issues, why not blame everything on COVID. 

That is unfortunate that you experienced/observed what you did.  We stayed in downtown for a total of 6 days.  We walked nearly everywhere with kids in tow.  I was out and about between 4a, and 8am every morning for my jog and coffee.  Although I noticed some homeless people here and there, no one bothered me or even looked at me. My kids did not feel unsafe.  Whatever mess was left around the night before was cleaned up by the city by 10am, for the most part.  There was some sort of police presence on every street patrolling.  I spoke to a befriended many security guards at Pike and some police officers.  They told me that for the most part, they deal with rowdy and drunk tourists more than anything.

I hope that people understand that any major metropolitan area has homeless and crime.  I also hope that this does not deter people from enjoying what Seattle has to offer.

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14 minutes ago, CruisingNewb said:

That is unfortunate that you experienced/observed what you did.  We stayed in downtown for a total of 6 days.  We walked nearly everywhere with kids in tow.  I was out and about between 4a, and 8am every morning for my jog and coffee.  Although I noticed some homeless people here and there, no one bothered me or even looked at me. My kids did not feel unsafe.  Whatever mess was left around the night before was cleaned up by the city by 10am, for the most part.  There was some sort of police presence on every street patrolling.  I spoke to a befriended many security guards at Pike and some police officers.  They told me that for the most part, they deal with rowdy and drunk tourists more than anything.

I hope that people understand that any major metropolitan area has homeless and crime.  I also hope that this does not deter people from enjoying what Seattle has to offer.

I'm glad you experienced what you did.  I really am.  I was just trying to explain my/our reasoning.  I didn't want to subject my wife and my buddy didn't want to subject his wife to any of the POSSIBILITIES of what COULD happen.  We both are retired Law Enforcement and we wouldn't put up with much crap from people.  On our ride to/from the Port, we saw maybe one or two cops, each way.  I saw more cops at the port than the entire time we actually drove through the city.

NO, I'm not trying to get people to stay away from Seattle.  I'm just, in my way, trying to warn people of the POSSIBILITIES.  I've checked the Seattle PD's own crime statistics and it ain't good.  But, like some say, it's a big city and crime happens in big cities.  Yep, that's for sure.  Doesn't mean I'll support those big cities.  I live right between Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA., I don't go to either of them unless NEEDED.  I actually feel more comfortable in Atlanta than Birmingham, but I don't do any touristy stuff in either.  

If anybody wants to go to Seattle and stay in the downtown area, go for it.  I just recommend that you keep your head on a swivel, always be aware of your surroundings, and look like you are in charge, capable, and ready.  Never look lost or confused!

https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/online-crime-maps

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8 minutes ago, Moby Dick said:

I'm glad you experienced what you did.  I really am.  I was just trying to explain my/our reasoning.  I didn't want to subject my wife and my buddy didn't want to subject his wife to any of the POSSIBILITIES of what COULD happen.  We both are retired Law Enforcement and we wouldn't put up with much crap from people.  On our ride to/from the Port, we saw maybe one or two cops, each way.  I saw more cops at the port than the entire time we actually drove through the city.

NO, I'm not trying to get people to stay away from Seattle.  I'm just, in my way, trying to warn people of the POSSIBILITIES.  I've checked the Seattle PD's own crime statistics and it ain't good.  But, like some say, it's a big city and crime happens in big cities.  Yep, that's for sure.  Doesn't mean I'll support those big cities.  I live right between Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA., I don't go to either of them unless NEEDED.  I actually feel more comfortable in Atlanta than Birmingham, but I don't do any touristy stuff in either.  

If anybody wants to go to Seattle and stay in the downtown area, go for it.  I just recommend that you keep your head on a swivel, always be aware of your surroundings, and look like you are in charge, capable, and ready.  Never look lost or confused!

https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/online-crime-maps

Oh I totally respect your opinion.  I get it.  We were concerned too after reading posts here and watching YouTube.  I am just saying that since Seattle is a major port city for RCCL and Alaskan cruises, people new to the forum and new to traveling to Seattle should always have as many personal experiences and opinions from all sides as possible.  I made an informed decision based upon lots of comments, family that live there, and family that used to live there.  

Believe me, even some of my family members who live in Bellevue and Kirkland say to stay away from Seattle.  On the other hand, I have friends and family that live in Manhattan, DT Seattle, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Wa. D.C.  They don't notice the crime and stuff while we certainly do.  Crime is "possible" anywhere.  My neighborhood is a suburban area in Southern California and considered one of the safest, if not safest cities in the Country.  Believe me, there is crime.  There is serious crime here too.  

I thank you for your past service and for your current service on these forums!  Your comments and input are very much appreciated.

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12 minutes ago, KevinJ said:

I've never done this before, so lets see if it works.

I created a YouTube short showing the boarding area from the ship on June 17th, at 12:30

 

WOW, great video, thanks.

There is no way anybody will convenience me that that long line that is serpentine like that is caused by, or only by, in a significant way, people showing up before their "boarding time", which isn't.  

Makes me wonder if it was like that pre-COVID.  If they are trying to establish "social distancing" in the terminal, it's all for not because of the non-social distancing being done while waiting to get into the terminal AND the non-social distancing going on onboard the ship.  

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37 minutes ago, Moby Dick said:

WOW, great video, thanks.

There is no way anybody will convenience me that that long line that is serpentine like that is caused by, or only by, in a significant way, people showing up before their "boarding time", which isn't.  

Makes me wonder if it was like that pre-COVID.  If they are trying to establish "social distancing" in the terminal, it's all for not because of the non-social distancing being done while waiting to get into the terminal AND the non-social distancing going on onboard the ship.  

I agree.  The ship on my June 10 cruising was near full capacity. 

Let's assume that by near capacity, given that RCCL designated about 100 rooms for Covid quarantine, we had 4,000 people booked for this cruise.  There were eight (8) boarding times from my recollection (all aboard was 3pm and the times were from 11:00 to 3:00 in 30 minute increments not including 3pm).

That means that 500 people line up for each scheduled 30 minute boarding time.  And no...despite many posts suggesting otherwise, there was at no time a 10:30 boarding time.  We were there on June 10 for 11am boarding time and the person at the front kept yelling out "this line is for 11am boarding time."

500 people is a lot.  If you look closely at the video, there is a front waiting area, where we were, and about 20 to 22 areas between the white posts across the little street.  I estimate about 10 people in between each of those white posts under that long covered tent area, and about 30 people in the front waiting area.  That is only about 250 to 300 people.  

Soooo.....the lines that we see on that video are not likely attributed to hundreds of people showing up earlier than they should have.  It is all there on video.  We were there for the June 10 cruise.  This is NOT conjecture.  

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There were 4200 for the June 17 sailing. Also, both Ovation and Solstice passengers are in that line. You go to the left after crossing the street for Ovation and too the right for Solstice. Luggage is collected in the long wait area the same way, the porters have clearly marked jerseys for which ship they are collecting.

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12 minutes ago, KevinJ said:

There were 4200 for the June 17 sailing. Also, both Ovation and Solstice passengers are in that line. You go to the left after crossing the street for Ovation and too the right for Solstice. Luggage is collected in the long wait area the same way, the porters have clearly marked jerseys for which ship they are collecting.

For our sailing, there was a separate line for Solstice on the side where Soltice was.  They also had different boarding times.

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1 hour ago, KevinJ said:

There were 4200 for the June 17 sailing. Also, both Ovation and Solstice passengers are in that line. You go to the left after crossing the street for Ovation and too the right for Solstice. Luggage is collected in the long wait area the same way, the porters have clearly marked jerseys for which ship they are collecting.

No matter how you count the numbers, how many ships are there, how you slice the bread, the policy that the Port or Royal or both have set up to handle the crowds isn't working and it can't be attributed to people showing up early to the non-boarding time boarding times.  I also don't like one terminal handling more than one ship at a time.  Look at the baggage next to the covered walkway closest to the Ovation, it's huge and as stated in this forum before, luggage gets put on the wrong ship at times and/or at least given to the wrong ship's porter. Not to mention the obvious backlog of human lines it creates. There is just no compassion for the elderly, disabled and/or families with young kids.  Sorry, I just don't care for pier 91 at all, not one bit.    

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