tncruisergurl Posted November 19, 2014 #1 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We're considering going on the cruise to Alaska in August. Any advise? What to do? Where to stay in Seattle? Is August a good time to go there? What is the weather like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runner15km Posted November 19, 2014 #2 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We went last week of July and temps were 50 -60 with some rain, wear layers. I would look for a itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay. Get a hotel in downtown Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Carnival Posted November 19, 2014 #3 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We just sailed to Alaska in September and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express while in Seattle. More details can be found in my review below - Sea Trek II: The Wrath of Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAnative1 Posted November 19, 2014 #4 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I went to Alaska out of Seattle in may of 2012. As for me... I like the cold so I did not wear heavy coats. I did make sure to cover my head and wore a scarf at times. As for the stay in Seattle, we stayed at the Edgewater hotel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tncruisergurl Posted November 19, 2014 Author #5 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Which airport do you fly into? I was getting prices for plane tickets and they have 3 airports in Seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAnative1 Posted November 19, 2014 #6 Share Posted November 19, 2014 (edited) Which airport do you fly into? I was getting prices for plane tickets and they have 3 airports in Seattle When I went, we flew into Seattle-Tacoma International airport. We then used a private car service to pick us up and drive us to the hotel. I want to say the cost was between $30 and $40 at the time. Edited November 19, 2014 by CAnative1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindseyButlerWilson Posted November 19, 2014 #7 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I have always heard that if you're going to Alaska, Carnival is not the cruise line to go through. They don't have a great itinerary apparently. I would really recommend at least looking at other lines, like Princess or Royal Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Carnival Posted November 19, 2014 #8 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I have always heard that if you're going to Alaska, Carnival is not the cruise line to go through. They don't have a great itinerary apparently. I would really recommend at least looking at other lines, like Princess or Royal Caribbean. On the contrary - we had an incredible itinerary: Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, AND Glacier Bay as well all on the Funship Carnival Miracle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 19, 2014 #9 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I was on Captain Carnival's cruise and it was spectacular! My 3rd time to visit Alaska and by far the best. It was the last cruise of the season and was 8 days and went to Glacier Bay. We left from Seattle and debarked in Vancouver. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted November 19, 2014 #10 Share Posted November 19, 2014 On the contrary - we had an incredible itinerary: Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, AND Glacier Bay as well all on the Funship Carnival Miracle! This was a ONE time itinerary. The OP is sailing in August with the regular itinerary. A BIG difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted November 19, 2014 #11 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We're considering going on the cruise to Alaska in August. Any advise? What to do? Where to stay in Seattle? Is August a good time to go there? What is the weather like? Weather is totally unpredictable. Take a look at Miracle trip reports, but be advised that the itinerary this year on the regular runs was the worse of the Alaska cruises this year, due to a ship issue. Then head over to the Alaska board, all your information with great details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uprivermama Posted November 19, 2014 #12 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Which airport do you fly into? I was getting prices for plane tickets and they have 3 airports in Seattle You definitely want Sea-Tac (abbreviation is SEA). A downtown hotel will provide the best opportunity for easy sightseeing either before or after the cruise. The airport area hotels are in a real cruddy area and quite a ways away from the major tourist sites (Space Needle, waterfront, Seattle Center, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagenie Posted November 20, 2014 #13 Share Posted November 20, 2014 We're considering going on the cruise to Alaska in August. Any advise? What to do? Where to stay in Seattle? Is August a good time to go there? What is the weather like? We went to Alaska this pass 5th of July out of Seattle, we flew into Sea-Tac in Seattle, a driver picked us up at the airport which the Hotel arranged for us. I think it was 40 dollars. We stayed at the Hotel 5 in downtown, we was able to walk everywhere we went, Pike's Market, Space Needle etc. I really enjoyed my stay with them. Weather for us in AK was mostly clear except later in the evening in Juneau it started to rain and late evening in Skagway other than that we had great weather! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 20, 2014 #14 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I don't think the area around Seatac is "cruddy"; it's a typical hotel/restaurant area near a major airport. The Hilton has a light rail station attached to it, which allows those staying at lower priced hotels (lower priced for Seattle :D) to have easier, cheap access to downtown. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tncruisergurl Posted November 22, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Wow thanks for all the replies. I'd rather go to the Caribbean but my husband is wanting to go to Alaska. We are used to driving to a port but we'd have to fly to Seattle. It's a huge expense to factor into our budget. I hate flying somewhere and not knowing how far away the hotel/port is. I'll keep researching and reading!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted November 22, 2014 #16 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Wow thanks for all the replies. I'd rather go to the Caribbean but my husband is wanting to go to Alaska. We are used to driving to a port but we'd have to fly to Seattle. It's a huge expense to factor into our budget. I hate flying somewhere and not knowing how far away the hotel/port is. I'll keep researching and reading!! I stay near Seatac, which most hotels have tip based shuttle service. I've then used the light rail to sail out of Pier 66, or a shuttle service at 512pp this year for pier 91. I like the cheap Super 8 Seatac, easy access to light rail and city buses. I've also stayed at the La Quinta, Red Roof, Days Inn, Sleep Inn, Holiday Inn Express, all SeaTac area, and liked them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne123 Posted November 22, 2014 #17 Share Posted November 22, 2014 If you want an airport hotel that is definitely not "cruddy," we had a wonderful time at the Cedarbrook Lodge http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tncruisergurl Posted November 22, 2014 Author #18 Share Posted November 22, 2014 If you want an airport hotel that is definitely not "cruddy," we had a wonderful time at the Cedarbrook Lodge http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com Wow that looks like a nice place, but that's way out of our budget. We are a family of four and would fly in the night before and wouldn't really spend time in a hotel so we wouldn't pay that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne123 Posted November 22, 2014 #19 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Keep an eye on Hotwire. We got our room for $129. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSF Cruiser Posted November 22, 2014 #20 Share Posted November 22, 2014 If you aren't doing any sightseeing in Seattle, there many hotels near the airport for a lot less money than downtown. We stay at the Marriott Fairfield Inn. Free shuttle service from the airport and $12 pp for shuttle service to the ship. I think most of the airport hotels have the same set up. We fly on at night and take the morning shuttle to the ship. For the return after the cruise, we hired a car to take us directly to the airport. I think it was about $35 or $40 for the two of us. I found it through a Google search and reading posts on the west coast departure forum on CC. If we were going to spend some time sightseeing in Seattle, then I'd stay downtown to be able to walk to most of the sights. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapleleaves Posted November 22, 2014 #21 Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Wow thanks for all the replies. I'd rather go to the Caribbean but my husband is wanting to go to Alaska. We are used to driving to a port but we'd have to fly to Seattle. It's a huge expense to factor into our budget. I hate flying somewhere and not knowing how far away the hotel/port is. I'll keep researching and reading!! Airport area hotels are much cheaper than downtown hotels. Seatac is a 30 minute drive south of Seattle. Most airport area hotels provide a free shuttle to/from the airport. If you get to Seatac early enough in the day to do some sightseeing, you can easily get downtown via the Light Rail. It takes 40 minutes to get from Seatac to downtown ( Westlake Center) and costs $3pp. From Westlake Center you can catch the monorail to the Space Needle, or, you can walk 3 blocks to the Pike Place Market. http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail During the summer it's light until 9/9:30pm so you might as well take advantage of the long daylight hours. If you prefer to take a cab back to your hotel, use http://www.eastsideforhire.com .... they're a flat rate service and charge $30. A regular cab will cost $40+. Seattle Express has the cheapest rates for shuttle service to the pier. $12 is a great deal. Look at their web site for a list of hotels they partner with. p.s. the WEST COAST DEPARTURE forum is a better resource for info on Seattle area hotels, so you might want to jump over there and read thru the first couple of pages . Edited November 22, 2014 by mapleleaves p.s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tncruisergurl Posted November 23, 2014 Author #22 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Thanks guys!! I'm getting excited. Hoping I can get my husband to commit to a date and book it soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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