Seven-ish Hours in Seattle

[ChanaC]

We're sailing on kind of a unique Alaska itinerary where we depart out of Vancouver and arrive into Seattle. Once we get to Seattle, our group is split between two flights, with the first one leaving at 7:30pm. Since we have late flights we have a lot of time to wander around Seattle before leaving. What would you suggest for a group of adults to do for seven-ish hours (assuming we leave the ship around 10:00 or 11:00 and we depart for the airport around 5:30)? I've been looking at maybe leaving the ship and heading to the Space Needle to check that out, and maybe do the Museum of Pop Culture and/or the Chuihuly Gardens since they are all next to each other. Then maybe in the afternoon heading to Pike Place Market to get lunch and snack and shop around before heading to the airport. Luckily with the Seattle port valet we can send our bags out to the airport the night before on the ship so we'll just carry backpacks. This is all touristy, but two in our group have never been to Seattle, and two of us have only been once so we don't mind playing tourist for the day, and really just staying busy. Does this seem like a decent plan? Anything else we should consider?

[jeromep]

Yes, I think it sounds decent.  You are looking for convenience and starting your disembarkation day at the Seattle Center and being able to visit the Space Needle, MoPOP and Chuihuly all inside short walking distance is a good plan.  You could also ride the monorail while there.  It basically takes you to the Westlake Center mall, which is a shadow of what it once was, but the ride can be fun.

 

Or you could focus on the waterfront.  Take a ride in the Seattle Great Wheel, maybe book a tour with Argosy Cruises.  I think their best tour is the Ballard Locks cruise.

 

Or you could head south closer to the airport and visit Boeing's Museum of Flight.  I'm an aviation buff and it is a very good museum.  The best part of it is the war aviation section of the museum, and the covered outdoor airpark where they have a number of very historical aircraft on display, including the first 747, a Concord, one of the former 707 based "Air Force Ones" and one of the 787 test aircraft.  You have to thump the side of the 787.  It's sounds a lot like thumping on the bottom of a Tupperware container when you tap on the fuselage.

 

I recommend dining at 13 Coins.  There is one in or around the Pioneer Square area of town.  While Pioneer Square can be touristy, it does have its rough edges.  I wouldn't recommend being down there at night.  BTW, the Seattle side of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is in the Pioneer Square neighborhood.  This is the continuation of the park that is in Skagway.  If you visit Skagway, you may want to visit the Seattle museum to "tie up" your experience.

 

Some suggest taking the ferry from DT Seattle to Bainbridge Island.  The village where the ferry docks on the Bainbridge side is very picturesque and walkable.

[martincath]

The ship will want you long gone before 10am! Names will probably start being called by 9:30am at the latest, politely demanding that you get the heck off so CBP can confrim the ship is 'zeroed out.'  While I'd definitely be inclined to hit the dining room for brekky rather than hustling to be the very first folks off, since your bags will be dealt with you should be able to Self Disembark easily with whatever handluggage you are keeping for the day. Seattle's a pretty good town for pootling around downtown, easy to fill a lot of hours, so the earlier you get going, the better!

 

Otherwise your plans sound sensible - late in the day the market should be less packed than if you went in the morning (a lot of folks visit before they embark, so unless you can get there really early it seems to be very busy from as early as 9am right through until the end of lunchtime, after which it's quieter again). The whole 'campus' around the Needle has a lot of things to see, you could fill your whole time in the various museums & science centre.

 

Depending on your group, Bill Spiedels Underground tour might be of interest - with the right expectations it's informative and interesting (but NB: that it is not all underground, nor are the underground spots connected, so it's more of a 'walk around, popping into various basements and sub-basements, then back up and a short walk to the next building' affair). If you are going to be down in Pioneer Square, then also consider heading up top in Smith Tower rather than (or as well as!) the Space Needle - personally I feel that the Seattle Skyline needs the Needle to feel like you are seeing it correctly... so viewing from the needle is just somehow wrong...

 

Seattle free walking tours are great value - a few different routes, and hand over a tip that reflects how much you enjoyed the tour at the end. SAM - the art museum - is another downtown site we've visited several times.

[ckaps]

We have a 10 PM flight after our Alaska cruise and are planning on spending the day at Boeing’s Museum of Flight. Wondering what is the best way to get there from Pier 91?

[Gardyloo]

I know, I also hate it when people get all pedantic about small things.  Doesn't stop me, though.  😝

 

It's the Museum of Flight, not the Boeing Museum of Flight.  The MoF is a private 501(c)(3) foundation and educational institution with no corporate connections to the Boeing company.  It happens to be located at Boeing Field in Seattle, and its first acquisition upon its founding in the 1960s was the "Red Barn," the original Boeing workshop, which it purchased for $1 from Boeing.   Over the years Boeing has contributed to the museum - aircraft, materials for exhibits, etc., but so have many other corporations and organizations (NASA et al) from around the world.

 

Confusion arises because the Boeing company has its own museum/gallery space, called the Future of Flight, across the road from the company's massive Everett Assembly complex, at Paine Field in Everett, 25 miles or so north of Seattle.  The FoF also serves as a reception area for tours of the Boeing plant (biggest building in the world) which were discontinued during Covid and hasn't yet reopened.  

 

The Museum of Flight also operates a restoration center at Paine Field, where aircraft or other exhibits are made ready for relocation to Seattle.  This also used to offer tours but is currently closed.

 

So sorry to sound picky, but it's kind of important to keep things straight.  And by the way, it's the Pike Place market, not "Pike's."  Nobody named Pike had anything to do with the market; Pike Place is a street.  

 

Okay, back to my troll cave.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Gardyloo

[Dan G]

while I enjoy the Musuem of Flight I wouldn't think it to be an 'all day's type event.  A few hrs is always a good time and you can get walked around by a docent which will give you much more info.  I believe they close pretty early around 5 pm.  I would most likely Uber as it's south of downtown and you don't want to haul bags on a city bus.

[psuboater]

I would add that leaving DT Seattle at 5:30 for a 7:30pm flight is cutting it a bit close. The easiest way to get to the airport is the light rail, which is around 40 minutes to the airport. If you don't have CLEAR, TSAPre waits can be 35-40 minutes, and even longer with out them. Assuming boarding starts ~6:50, I'd leave no later than 4pm.

[ChanaC]

On 3/8/2023 at 10:20 AM, psuboater said:

I would add that leaving DT Seattle at 5:30 for a 7:30pm flight is cutting it a bit close. The easiest way to get to the airport is the light rail, which is around 40 minutes to the airport. If you don't have CLEAR, TSAPre waits can be 35-40 minutes, and even longer with out them. Assuming boarding starts ~6:50, I'd leave no later than 4pm.

Thanks, good to know! Last year I also flew out of Seattle and with TSA pre I think we basically walked right through security, which was kind of amazing considering it was Memorial Day. Hopefully the line will also be good this time around, but I rather be safe than sorry. We're doing the Seattle port valet for our bags, so we don't need to worry about checking them in either. 

[psuboater]

33 minutes ago, ChanaC said:

Thanks, good to know! Last year I also flew out of Seattle and with TSA pre I think we basically walked right through security, which was kind of amazing considering it was Memorial Day. Hopefully the line will also be good this time around, but I rather be safe than sorry. We're doing the Seattle port valet for our bags, so we don't need to worry about checking them in either. 

It's so hit or miss! Usually I do CLEAR and notice that the TSA Pre line is also pretty short. I went out on a Saturday last month and had to do TSA Pre only to stay with my mom, and the line was 30 minutes.  It's inconsistent from what I see as a frequent flyer, so I always tell people to err on the side of caution.

Edited March 10, 2023 by psuboater

[bburf42]

Seems like a good and reasonable plan! Be aware that traffic between Downtown Seattle & Seatac airport can be stupid between 330-6pm so allow yourself more than adequate time to get to the airport. Also TSA at Seatac can be slow. I don’t want to scare you but there have been many recent new articles on the TSA issue. The Space Needle has great views, the museum of Pop Culture and Chihuly are unique to Seattle!