1st Alaska Cruise - Need Help!

Hello CC,

We (myself, hubby and another couple) will be taking our 1st Alaska Cruise, July 2018 on Norwegian Bliss. We are not new to cruising, as we have been on several Caribbean cruises. We are excited, yet many decisions to be made.

- What hotels are most cruisers staying at? Is it near the airport? Is it downtown Seattle? Is it the cruise port? Is it Bellevue? I would like to keep the cost, $260 - $200 range (or under $200 for a great hotel with breakfast). We only need a room for one night. Also, besides cost, what is the benefit of staying, near the airport, or downtown Seattle? Is it shopping, Space Needle, Museums?

- What about shuttle service? Are they reliable? Is it more economical to take Uber or Lyft? What about transportation from the hotel to the cruise port. Your advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

If you look down the board, there is tons of info on all of your questions.

Everyone is not staying at one hotel, or one area. People stay downtown (more expensive), at the airport (generally the cheapest) and in the neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs. It all depends on budget, and other considerations.

Like hotels, there are tons of options for transport. Light rail, Uber/Lyft, shuttles, taxis (both fixed rate and regular) are all available, and may fit different needs.

The last couple of times I've cruised to or from Seattle I've stayed near the airport due to the high cost of downtown hotels. If you can afford a downtown hotel, there's lots to see and do there. I've used Seattle Express to pick me up at my hotel and found them safe, reliable, and affordable. I only became aware of Uber and Lyft within the last year or so, and have not used them for cruise transfers so I don't know if they offer better or cheaper service than the available shuttles.

Roz

Hello CC,

 

We (myself, hubby and another couple) will be taking our 1st Alaska Cruise, July 2018 on Norwegian Bliss. We are not new to cruising, as we have been on several Caribbean cruises. We are excited, yet many decisions to be made.

- What hotels are most cruisers staying at? Is it near the airport? Is it downtown Seattle? Is it the cruise port? Is it Bellevue? I would like to keep the cost, $260 - $200 range (or under $200 for a great hotel with breakfast). We only need a room for one night. Also, besides cost, what is the benefit of staying, near the airport, or downtown Seattle? Is it shopping, Space Needle, Museums?

- What about shuttle service? Are they reliable? Is it more economical to take Uber or Lyft? What about transportation from the hotel to the cruise port. Your advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

Greetings from a fellow Illinoisan.

There is so much to see and do in Seattle. We did our first Alaskan Cruise in 2013 and spent 4 full days exploring Seattle. I was already a member of IHG (Intercontinental Chain including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, etc.). I took out their credit card and 'got' 50,000 points for my first charge. This along with my existing 30,000 points was enough to get us the Crowne Plaza downtown, Labor Day weekend for free for all 4 nights. You may find similar deals with any rewards club. We took the lightrail from SeaTac to Downtown and had just a couple blocks to walk to the CP. From there, most the sights are walkable or easy to get to via public transportation.

If you've never been, the Space Needle is almost a must. They do have combination tickets with Chihuly Glass Gardens which is adjacent to the SN. Both of these were well worth the cost and Chihuly is nothing short of amazing! (check their schedule as I believe there will be some renovations being done next year sometime).

Also iconic is Pike Place Market. Easy stroll from CP. Many folks bound for Alaska pick up flowers for their cabin here. We did a Booze & Bites food tour at Pike and had a blast. Lots of fun and facts combined with lots of tastes and a guided tour was also well worth the price. Also popular is the Underground Tour. We did not do that as we ran out of time. We also took in the Aquarium <Very Nice>, did a Lake Union/Harbor boat tour, took a 2nd (morning) food tour of Pike <much different than the 1st with different tastes>, strolled along the water front and browsed at a mall just a couple blocks from the hotel. Seattle has a lot to offer.

You have lots of planning time so happy researching. There is a lot of information on-line about Seattle.

_____

Karen

Thank you all for the information, as it is very helpful. I will continue to research the boards and ask others, as we prepare for Alaska in 2018

I'd recommend (if you can afford it) to stay downtown. There's a Marriott below Pike Place, the Market Inn about a block from Pike Place.

Lots to do in the Pike Place area. Agree about Chihuly and the Space Needle (living here, that one is a been there done that kind of thing.

Seattle is a very walkable city with lots of characters around. I have never felt unsafe in the city. Also second getting some flowers for the ship, just check the prices, they do vary.

I love Seattle but staying downtown is usually a little too pricey for me. We always stay close to the airport and just take the light rail into town. The light rail is clean, well-lit and easy! Take a hotel shuttle to the airport and then hop on the light rail! We did it last summer during our three day visit before the cruise.

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We stayed at a Bellevue hotel in June, but because our daughter was in a training workshop at the convention center nearby. If you stay in that city (and the hotels were pretty pricey), you would need transportation to take you across one of the bridges to Seattle....and that would definitely be a lot of money as well as taking a long time.

If I was looking at a pre-cruise hotel and didn't want to stay in Seattle, I would look to the north of there and see if there's a hotel that isn't too expensive and not that far away.

Hello CC,

 

We (myself, hubby and another couple) will be taking our 1st Alaska Cruise, July 2018 on Norwegian Bliss. We are not new to cruising, as we have been on several Caribbean cruises. We are excited, yet many decisions to be made.

- What hotels are most cruisers staying at? Is it near the airport? Is it downtown Seattle? Is it the cruise port? Is it Bellevue? I would like to keep the cost, $260 - $200 range (or under $200 for a great hotel with breakfast). We only need a room for one night. Also, besides cost, what is the benefit of staying, near the airport, or downtown Seattle? Is it shopping, Space Needle, Museums?

- What about shuttle service? Are they reliable? Is it more economical to take Uber or Lyft? What about transportation from the hotel to the cruise port. Your advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!

We stay at the Best Western Seattle Airport Hotel. Good prices, friendly service, comfortable rooms, and a really good free included breakfast.

I suggest spending some time in Seattle. Get a city pass. It includes the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, an Argosy Harbor Tour, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) or Woodland Park Zoo, and Chihuly Garden and Glass or Pacific Science Center. With the exception of Woodland Park Zoo, all the places are at Seattle Center or the Waterfront.

The Klondike Gold Rush National Park in Pioneer Square is a cool place to visit especially since your stopping in Seward.

The airport area is a light rail ride away from downtown for exploring. I would get a shuttle or Uber/Lyft to get to Pier 66. All are going to be reliable.

The last couple of times I've cruised to or from Seattle I've stayed near the airport due to the high cost of downtown hotels. If you can afford a downtown hotel, there's lots to see and do there. I've used Seattle Express to pick me up at my hotel and found them safe, reliable, and affordable. I only became aware of Uber and Lyft within the last year or so, and have not used them for cruise transfers so I don't know if they offer better or cheaper service than the available shuttles.

 

Roz

I will second Seattle Express. I had a wonderful experience with them. I had to change my pre-cruise hotel at the last minute. Seattle Express has a list of hotels that they go to and we went from one they served to one they didn't. When I called them, before leaving home, the owner, Matt, was completely willing to go out of the way to pick us up at our hotel and bring us to the pier. There was no difference in price and the driver was even a little early. The hotel was in Kent, to give perspective. I highly recommend them.

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We are doing Bliss next June, first Alaska cruise and first time to Seattle. I think we are going to stay by the airport since it is cheaper. We are going out the Wednesday before the cruise so we are renting a vehicle to get around for the 3 days. I've already done some research. If we were only staying one night I might stay close to port just to be close to things. I'm definitely checking out Seattle Express. I'll have to compare it to Uber and Lyft. There are 8 of us going as of now.

For one night, stay downtown/stadium/Seattle Center/South Lake Union, and take UberX Or Lyft from the airport. Especially if you've been flying all day, you want to get to the hotel, be near something good to eat and have the option to either crash early or do something fun late at night. Compared to the cost of the cruise, the extra cash isn't much and your time is worth something - you're here for a night, make the most of it.

Since it sounds like you won't exactly be on Seattle time, make the most of the next morning / early afternoon. The sun will be up well before 5:00 and the city starts to come alive. Stow your bags with the bell desk and get to it. You could easily do two of these three: (Space Needle + Chihuly Garden & Glass), Pike Place Market, (Olympic Sculpture Park + Aquarium), and check in to the ship at 1:30, if you started at 8.

The advanced version ends your touring someplace close to the pier (market, sculpture, aquarium) and goes as follows. Request an UberX going from where you left the bags to the pier with a stop where you are. Warn and tip the bell desk before you leave so they'll take the bags out when you phone. Call the bell box when you know the plate # and description of the UberX. Bags get picked up without you taking any time, you save some walking, others in the party can meander towards the ship, everyone's happy.

And before anyone asks, yes, I've had UberX move bags and parcels without me in the car, even at either end. The drivers don't mind one bit - they can blare the radio station and talk on the phone and nobody gonna rat them out. You get a moving map and a phone number to keep tabs on them.

Hi all - I saw a couple of people mentioning purchasing flowers at the market to bring to your room - can I really do this?! I imagined that flowers wouldn't be allowed on the ship. Has anyone done this successfully? Do I just carry them on? Thanks so much!

Hi all - I saw a couple of people mentioning purchasing flowers at the market to bring to your room - can I really do this?! I imagined that flowers wouldn't be allowed on the ship. Has anyone done this successfully? Do I just carry them on? Thanks so much!

I did this on Carnival. we did back to back cruise and once we cleared customs we got off the Ship and went to Pike Market. they have lots of beautiful bouquets for under $20. Back on board, we got a beer pitcher from one of the bartenders to put them in. They lasted all week.

Hi all - I saw a couple of people mentioning purchasing flowers at the market to bring to your room - can I really do this?! I imagined that flowers wouldn't be allowed on the ship. Has anyone done this successfully? Do I just carry them on? Thanks so much!

Yes, you can bring flowers onto the ship.

Keith

We did this on Norwegian in 2015 . My parents renewed their vows and my mom made her bouquet with the flowers from pike place market :)

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Yes, you can bring flowers onto the ship.

 

Keith

But you can’t take them off.