Pier 91 in Seattle, transportation question

[fuc847]

Hi, I'll be doing the 1 day cruise from vancouver to seattle.

 

what are some transportation options to the seattle downtown/pike market area?

 

-taxi

-walking (feasible? safe even ?)

-public bus?

 

i read that there is "ride free" zone in downtown, anyway i can utilize it? i read abit but am still confused, i found this map:

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/area_images/CBDSeattleMap.pdf

 

the majority of the middle area is "ride free" color, does it mean i can go on any of the buses there for free?

[fuc847]

also what about the waterfront train, is that free and whats the schedule of it?

[DutchByAssociation]

Best option would likely be catch a cab and request to either be dropped off at Pike Place Market. Plenty is within walking distance including shopping.

 

Sorry, not sure on routes and prices as I never have a need to head toward Magnolia (the neighborhood where the pier is) but others from the area may be able to help.

[FireIce0010]

Taxi is the best bet. There is plenty to do on foot once you get there.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

I agree on taking a cab to Pike Place Market. Walking would certainly be safe and doable (though finding your way out of the pier area might be confusing), and you wouldn't be hauling a lot of luggage after a one-night cruise, but I'd still probably not be inclined to do it that way. Better to take the five-minute cab ride and then get your walking in exploring the Market and the downtown/waterfront/Pioneer Square areas.

 

The free-ride buses are in the downtown core area only, which does not extend out as far Pier 91, and there's no waterfront train or trolley out that far either.

 

Editing to add: Just reread your question on the ride-free bus zone. Yes, that's a very defined area in the downtown retail core, paid for by the downtown merchants. Yes, if you're within the ride-free boundaries you can hop on any bus that comes by. As long as you depart the bus at a stop that's still within the ride-free boundaries, the ride is free. If you leave the bus even one stop outside the boundaries, you are expected to pay full fare. The good news is, most of the Metro drivers are really friendly and are great about helping you navigate the system and announcing the last ride-free stop as they approach the boundary.

[MrsMuir]

Sailorgirl Seattle is right about taking a cab into downtown Seattle from Pier 91. The approach to/from the pier looks nearly impossible to walk, safely or not. And Magnolia is way north of the downtown core.

[fuc847]

thanks for the reply. approximately how much would the cab ride cost from Pier 91 to pike market?

 

Thanks!

[peaches from georgia]

thanks for the reply. approximately how much would the cab ride cost from Pier 91 to pike market?

 

Thanks!

I don't know how much it will cost, but it can't be much. It's only a couple of miles, a direct route on a main street, and maybe 10 minutes tops by car. An added attraction is you will pass HAL headquarters.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

I'm guessing here, but I'd think it would be around 10 dollars or under, depending on traffic and if you're in a lot of stop-and-go getting out of the pier.

[Mingus]

I agree on taking a cab to Pike Place Market. Walking would certainly be safe and doable (though finding your way out of the pier area might be confusing), and you wouldn't be hauling a lot of luggage after a one-night cruise, but I'd still probably not be inclined to do it that way. Better to take the five-minute cab ride and then get your walking in exploring the Market and the downtown/waterfront/Pioneer Square areas.

 

The free-ride buses are in the downtown core area only, which does not extend out as far Pier 91, and there's no waterfront train or trolley out that far either.

We're also doing the one-niter to Seattle and returning on the 6:50pm Amtrak.

We will not have any luggage, so the plan was to walk the Elliott Bay Trail from Pier 91, stopping at the Olympic Sculpture Park, to the Seattle Aquarium/Pike Place area (I figured about 3.5 mi).

Google maps show Pier 91 very close to the Elliott Bay Trail......why would it be confusing to find the way out of the pier?

 

Also, I've read there's a free Route 99 bus starting near Pier 70, that's temporarily replacing the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar.

[ElginEve]

Can I ask a silly question re cabs to Pikes Place Market ~ :o

 

We have only been there once before and the cab let us off a block away. Is there a way for cabs to get right infront of the market or are no cabs/cars allowed in that area? The walk was short but rather steep and I'm not sure my Mother - who now has severe knee issues will be able to make it.

 

Thanks for your help!

[NVanHiker]

I'm also hoping to catch the bus, and I've been using the local transit planner, but I'm darned if I can see where the 'Pier 91 & Magnolia Bridge' stop would be - I've used Google street view and can't see any bus stop or how to get onto the bridge. Might be easier to walk out to 15th/Elliott and get a bus there. I'm going to connect onto the #10to the Asian Art Museum and Volunteer Park.

I'm liking the idea of the Elliott Bay Trail, though. If we get a few people interested, maybe we can walk together!

[alpal1993]

We will be in Seattle one day precruise.We are in walking distance to Pikes Market Place and are using HAL hotel and transport.Does anyone know how to get to Space Needle from the Market Place? Looking at the map I didn't see any bus line.

[Infi]

Can I ask a silly question re cabs to Pikes Place Market ~ :o

 

We have only been there once before and the cab let us off a block away. Is there a way for cabs to get right infront of the market or are no cabs/cars allowed in that area? The walk was short but rather steep and I'm not sure my Mother - who now has severe knee issues will be able to make it.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

We have taken a few cabs to Pike Market, and some have dropped us a block away (which, like you said, is very steep! It felt like San Francisco at points!) and some right in front of the market. I think most drivers don't want to get into the fray of that one-way road there with all of the pedestrians, so they stay away. I would try asking the driver to drop you closer, if they're still hesitant, maybe an extra tip to make it worth their while?

[Mingus]

I'm liking the idea of the Elliott Bay Trail, though. If we get a few people interested, maybe we can walk together!

There's actually a few Vancouver to Seattle one-niters in May.

There will be 4 of us on the May 8th Oosterdam (there's even a roll call for this cruise).

If it works out, we can all get lost together :)

[goody1]

Slightly off topic, but I didn't want to start a new thread for a simple question. We're staying at the Red Lion on Fifth Ave on the 10th July for 2 nights prior to our cruise on the Amsterdam. What would you advise would be the best time to book a taxi for on the monday morning from the hotel to Pier 91? In all our previous cruises we've flown in on the day of the cruise, so its not been an issue.

[Mingus]

The approach to/from the pier looks nearly impossible to walk, safely or not.

We arrived at Pier 91 on the Oosterdam one-niter from Vancouver on Sunday the 9th.

The access to the Elliott Bay Trail was actually very easy and safe. Just exit the terminal building and walk through the covered car/taxi area on the left side.

Continue along the marked pedestrian walkway to about 100 ft from the bridge. From here, follow the road to the right, exit the pier area and the trail is just ahead.

The walk from here to Pike Place Market and then to the Amtrak train station was very scenic and enjoyable.

[trophy_23]

We will be doing this in about a month, how long was the walk? Is it doable pulling a wheeled suitcase?

 

Thx

 

How was the one niter? I was at Ambleside to see you leave... got some great pictures of the 'O'

[Mingus]

We will be doing this in about a month, how long was the walk? Is it doable pulling a wheeled suitcase?

 

Thx

 

How was the one niter? I was at Ambleside to see you leave... got some great pictures of the 'O'

Pier 91 to Pier 70 (location of the Olympic Sculpture Park, which was well worth a visit) is about 3.6 km and is a separate bike/pedestrian paved walkway. We just had knapsacks but would be very doable with a wheeled suitcase. Here's a link with some photos of the trail (the construction shown is now completed): http://www.dbmechanic.com/biking/ViewTrail.asp?TID=18

It was a further 2.8 km to the Amtrak station, but there's a free waterfront bus (George Benson Waterfront Streetcar/Metro Route 99) starting at Pier 70 going to Pioneer Square and Chinatown http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/wfsc/waterfront_streetcar.html .

 

 

The one niter was great with perfect weather, but of course it was too short :(.

I was pleasantly surprised they had a production show for our short cruise and the MDR meals were up to the usual HAL standards.

 

Any chance of sharing your photos of the "O"?

[mahassiddasairy]

I'm also hoping to catch the bus, and I've been using the local transit planner, but I'm darned if I can see where the 'Pier 91 & Magnolia Bridge' stop would be - I've used Google street view and can't see any bus stop or how to get onto the bridge. Might be easier to walk out to 15th/Elliott and get a bus there. I'm going to connect onto the #10to the Asian Art Museum and Volunteer Park.

 

I'm also wondering about a bus stop near Pier 91. I accidentally ended up booking our post-cruise hotel in Bellevue (Hotwire said it was in the Pike Place/Downtown area--ha!), and would rather take the bus than pay for a cab the whole way. There's a bus stop right next to our hotel, but I can't find one near the pier.

[peaches from georgia]

I'm also wondering about a bus stop near Pier 91. I accidentally ended up booking our post-cruise hotel in Bellevue (Hotwire said it was in the Pike Place/Downtown area--ha!), and would rather take the bus than pay for a cab the whole way. There's a bus stop right next to our hotel, but I can't find one near the pier.

Near Pike Place is the 'Belltown' area, not Bellevue.

[peaches from georgia]

....... I accidentally ended up booking our post-cruise hotel in Bellevue (Hotwire said it was in the Pike Place/Downtown area--ha!).....

I looked at Hotwire to see how this happened to you that you are all the way over in Bellevue (and maybe you would have some recourse with Hotwire for an incorrectly worded hotel listing). I think the confusion was because it says "Downtown Bellevue" on their list of Seattle properties. They didn't mean a Bellevue section in downtown Seattle like Belltown is; it means the hotel is in the city of Bellevue downtown area. Bellevue is a separate city in the general Seattle area.

[mahassiddasairy]

It's mostly my own fault. I knew it was in the city of Bellevue, but thought that, since it was in the Pike Place/Downtown section, the hotel was a lot closer to everything than it is. (Around here, it's not uncommon for things right next to each other to technically be in different cities.) It's not as bad as I thought at first--there's a direct bus between the hotel and the airport, and the hotel and Seattle. It's just getting from the pier that looks like it's going to be expensive. And for the price of the cab fare, I could have just stayed in an actual Pike Place hotel.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Can you change your hotel? I would hate to be in a taxi going from bellevue to one of the piers in seattle. The traffic can be fierce / parking lot beep & creep. You can expect it will be bad during rush hour, but you never know if it will be bad from a stalled car or traffic accident.

 

Here is a link to the DOT page for seattle. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/seattle/ You can see the freeways that would take you to Bellevue. If you click on "Best Times to Leave" in the left side column, you can see what time you should leave to be somewhere by a designated time. It's quite a haul from bellevue to the pier area in seattle.

 

The times are just freeway travel from city to city. You need to add in whatever time it takes to get to the freeway, plus travel from I-5 through town to the pier.

[trophy_23]

Pier 91 to Pier 70 (location of the Olympic Sculpture Park, which was well worth a visit) is about 3.6 km and is a separate bike/pedestrian paved walkway. We just had knapsacks but would be very doable with a wheeled suitcase. Here's a link with some photos of the trail (the construction shown is now completed): http://www.dbmechanic.com/biking/ViewTrail.asp?TID=18

It was a further 2.8 km to the Amtrak station, but there's a free waterfront bus (George Benson Waterfront Streetcar/Metro Route 99) starting at Pier 70 going to Pioneer Square and Chinatown http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/wfsc/waterfront_streetcar.html .

 

 

The one niter was great with perfect weather, but of course it was too short :(.

I was pleasantly surprised they had a production show for our short cruise and the MDR meals were up to the usual HAL standards.

 

Any chance of sharing your photos of the "O"?

 

Send me an email at (trophy_23 at hotmail.com) and ill share some photos. Put cruise critic in the subject as it may end up in my junk mail.