Pre and post stay Alaska cruise R/T Seattle

[Zoey1]

This is our third cruise to Alaska but it has been awhile so I am looking for some advise.

 

We arrive the night prior to our cruise and was thinking if just staying at one of the airport hotels

1) any suggestions for something nice but not too expensive especially since we arrive to late to do anything

 

2) the morning of the cruise, would you recommend taking a taxi or private car service and if so which would you recommend

 

3) we are spending the post cruise night in Seattle as flights left too early to be realistic , so we would like to do a little shopping or sightseeing ( I have heard a lot about pike market?) my issue is, that our flight the next morning is very early so I feel like we should stay at an airport hotel on this end as well. Would you drop luggage off at airport hotel then taxi or Uber over to pike market area, look for a private car service that could hold our luggage?

 

Any and all advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Wendy

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading down the board would find a lot of your answers. STILA is the primary towncar at the airport. AlreadyThere towncars get a lot of recommendations and mentions. Fares from the airport to the piers are close to the same on both towncars and taxis.

 

As to your after cruise plans, a lot will depend on what time your flight is. If you stay at the airport, there is a commonly discussed light rail which will take you down town for Pikes Place and other activities.

[mondello]

The 2 Hampton Inns by SeaTac are highly rated. I just spent about a month looking at hotels for July (4th/12th) and was leaning towards the airport hotels because of price.

 

Starwood (Sheraton,Westin, et al) and Hilton started sales this week and I booked downtown at the Sheraton and Westin. Summer prices are strong to begin with and spike from demand.

 

You'll be fine by the airport, many of the hotels offer a local shuttle to eat/shop near SeaTac in addition to the airport shuttle that can also get you to/from the light rail station at the airport. Can't beat it for $3 to downtown. I opted for downtown because of the proximity to Pike Place Market and the cruise pier.

[Dan G]

May I suggest taking a cab downtown and asking any of the big hotels to hold your luggage. Don't make a big deal about it but give bags to a bell guy and give him a tip. Then stay downtown and explore. You could also do a city tour and have them drop you at the airport area at the end. Staying downtown makes the most sense however I understand the budget. Going all the way to the airport then back downtown and back again really doesn't make much sense. Depending on how many in your party Uber or the Stila towncars from the airport makes some sense. Don't worry about it as almost all the hotels have a 'towncar' guy they can recommend. There is something like 800 towncars operators. Most are small one car type guys so you'll get a whole lot of names but hard to find a 'review'. I like using Hotwire.com or soemthing similar. Just price out a 4 or 5 star hotel and you can see the pricing. I know of no hotels that don't offer a shuttle.

[shadowmeboy]

I always stay and recommend the Best Western Executel out by the airport. We have never had a problem and have stayed here 20+ times. Its our go to in the Seattle area.

[AF-1]

How about if you have a late night flight on arrival into Seatlle. Can we use the luggage valet program from the ship; that way our bags are at airport; then we can sightsee in Seattle and get to airport for our night flight home. Thanks

[mapleleaves]

Which pier?

 

All the major chains are represented near the airport so look at one of the large sites like expedia, etc to find something that fits your needs and budget.

Hamptons, Doubletree, LaQuinta, Hilton, Sleep Inn .......

The airport hotels have a free shuttle to/from the airport.

 

When it's time to go to the pier you can use Seattle Express at $15pp if you're staying with one of their partner hotels. http://www.seattleexpress.com/2901.html

OR take the hotel shuttle back to the airport and use STILA towncar. It's $45 to downtown probably $60ish to pier 91. Call.

http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Parking-and-Transportation/Ground-Transportation/Pages/Taxis-and-Limos.aspx

Or use a www/flatrateforhire.com to pick you up at the hotel. $29 to downtown, $35 to the pier.

 

After the cruise, you can use the Left Luggage facility at the pier. It closes at 3:30pm. Sightsee until 3, collect your luggage then use flatrateforhire to take you to the airport hotel. This works great if you're at pier 66 which is right downtown, but if you're at pier 91 which is a few miles north, I'd suggest taking a cab to pier 66 to store your luggage, otherwise it's another $20 cab ride back to pier 91 at 3pm to get your suitcases.

Back to your hotel by 4, dinner and relax.

OR, take Seattle Express or flatrate to your hotel immediately after the cruise, store your luggage and take the Light Rail back into town. $3, 40 minutes. This would allow you to spend more time downtown without having to worry about the 3pm deadline for luggage pickup.

 

http://www.portseattle.org/Cruise/Services/Pages/default.aspx

 

The Pike Place Market is beautiful and fun, BUT by 11am it's overly crowded and uncomfortable so get there by 9.

[Roz]

I've stayed several times, pre and post-cruise, at the Doubletree on International Blvd. next to SeaTac. Free shuttle that goes to and from the airport every 20 minutes. Lots of flight crews stay there. Next month I'm staying there with my sister and two of her friends, and I've arranged for Seattle Express to pick us up a the hotel and take us to Pier 91.

 

Roz

[mapleleaves]

Next month I'm staying there with my sister and two of her friends, and I've arranged for Seattle Express to pick us up a the hotel and take us to Pier 91.

 

Roz

 

You may be able to save half that cost by using STILA towncar at the airport. They only charge $45 to downtown so probably $60-ish to pier 91. Just have the hotel shuttle drop you off at baggage claim, call Stila from the courtesy phone and they'll send a car to meet you at the door.

Save that money for cocktails on the ship!

With a car service you can leave on your schedule and ride with your friends in a towncar/limo rather than a bus. Just an idea to consider ....

 

http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Parking-and-Transportation/Ground-Transportation/Pages/Taxis-and-Limos.aspx

[Roz]

Thanks for the info, Mapleleaves. You're always so helpful.

 

Seattle Express is charging us $15 each, so it will work out to $60 anyway, plus the convenience of being picked up at the hotel rather than the airport. Towncar would be nice, but bus doesn't bother us.

 

I spend a pre or post-cruise night in Seattle at least once a year, so I've made a note of STILA for future reference.

 

Roz