Pacific Northwest in Sept. - Mercury

We are booked on this cruise for 9/25 departure. Can anyone recommend any excursions at Powell River and Prince Rupert? Really want to see a glacier...will we be close to any? Any recommendations for hotel in Seattle that is reasonable for the pre-cruise? Thanks for your help!:)

:) Hi, I am sailing Mercury out of Seattle in October and have been

doing alot of research on hotels over the past week.

I have to tell you, prices are sort of on the high side (in my opinion).

But, I did find a lovely place.....and went to TripAdvisor to read

about 1/2 dozen reviews. ALL of them were a THUMBS UP:)

I booked a room at "The Silver Cloud Inn" in Lake Union~near

downtown.

Now, I got the room off the following website sponsored by

The Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can get a better

rate from them than if you book directly with the hotel.

www.seattlesupersaver.com

I also went over to the Hotel board and there is a cruiser from

Seattle who also told me it is a very nice place.

Hope this helps you a bit.:)

I'm sailing on the Mercury in September and booked a couple of rooms at Inn at The Market. It appears to be fairly close to the pier and is adjacent to the Pike Place Market which is great for my first-time-in-Seattle BIL and SIL and sightseeing. And they have a town car to take you to the ship. Only downside is that I haven't found a better rate that just under $200. Seattle is expensive!

I'm also sailing with DH on Sept. 25th! Can't wait! Since it's only a 4 night cruise, X doesn't do the CC party, right? So we'll have to plan our own!

We live just north of Seattle, and it is pretty spendy around here. The Inn at the Market is expensive but it's smack dab in the middle of the "fun" part of downtown. Pike Place Market is very close (got to stop by the fish market, and watch them throw th catch around...quite a show), as are lots of nice places to dine, from super-expensive to fairly cheap. Post Alley has some nice pub/bistro type places. And the cruise pier is less than 5 minutes away. The weather that time of year shouldn't be too bad, so no problem getting around on foot.

Hi,:) maybe it is because of the month I am sailing? (Oct) but I was

able to find rooms through the website I mentioned earlier

for 109.00 per night. From what I understand Silver Cloud is nice too.

So I am happy with that price!

Lois - we've stayed at the Silver Cloud in the University District of Seattle ... it's a very nice hotel, so I'm sure the Lake Union one will be great as well! It's rated #1 on Tripadvisor.

Have also stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites downtown Seattle when it first opened approx. 5 years ago. Very nice, reasonable price and good location.

We are booked on this cruise for 9/25 departure. Can anyone recommend any excursions at Powell River and Prince Rupert? Really want to see a glacier...will we be close to any?

I had a look at your itinerary on Celebrity's website, saw Campbell River as one of the ports, but not Powell River?

We did an Alaskan cruise in Sept. '03 and didn't see glaciers until we got to Juneau, which is north of Prince Rupert. Perhaps you could take an airplane tour to see some though??

Lois, you're right...Silver Cloud is always a good choice, and the Lake Union location should be very nice. I'm just a bit partial to downtown by the Market, I guess. DH and I can spend all day just wandering that area, and will sometimes stay at the Inn for a little get-away.

I also can't find any really concrete info about the 2 ports this cruise includes. Think I heard somewhere here on CC that excursions are finalized about 3-4 months before the cruise date? Is this correct?

It depends a lot on what pier the ship will be at but... if you are at the "downtown" pier the Marriott Waterfront across the street is fantastic. It's close to much of the downtown area yet still near the aquarium and good waterfront restaurants, and there is a starbucks on site, sort of. This hotel had one of the best beds that I have ever slept in. The jet lag may have helped a bit but it was very nice.

We always stay at the Best Western Pioneer Square. It is close to all the tourist stuff and Pioneer Square, etc. Also close to ferries. Reasonably priced too. Trolley is just a stroll away.

Hey Lois,

Which cruise will you be sailing on? I'm trying to talk hubby into sailing on the Mercury.

Jill

Hi Jill, good to see you again:)

I am going on Oct 13th.

mctrekkie, they might be updating the list of excursions on this

itinerary. I have looked several times too and to be honest, nothing

comes up at all at the moment. You might give it a couple of more

months. Being as we are only in Feb.....let the spring come and early

summer. I bet by then some of the items will be updated:)

Lois, bet you're right. The main Alaska season is coming fast, maybe still finalizing things.

For every sailing Mercury on 9/25, I started the ROLL CALL for our cruise in that section. I've seen several posts in different areas from our fellow cruisers.

mctrekkie, you live in Seattle? You should book the one in October

and join me;) :)

Lois, I would if I could, but this cruise was XMas gift for DH, and it took his boss and I some effort to clear his schedule for the week we're going! He has never cruised before, and my prior sea voyages were courtesy of the US Navy (no luxury there!). I'm thinking this little 4 night jaunt is just the thing for him to decide if cruising is a good thing...I have always loved the sea!

Peggy

wife & i did the pac.n.west last october an d it was"golden"-destinations,apart from vancouver were limited.one person claimed that the grizzy compound in prince rupert was still open but it was unconfirmed-may be open in september??-it was gorgeous doing the lower inside passage,and we saw lots of marine life including "bow-riding orcas".it was a great cruise for remarkably few dollars.