Seattle cruise port - where to stay at a good price or an alternative?

[mashisback]

We are flying from UK, we arrive the day before our cruise and we fly home the day after, so we need 1 nights accommodation twice. The prices I have found are hundreds of pounds/dollars per night. so overall is going to cost me around £500 to stay anywhere that hasn't got chilling reviews. This is a lot of money just to have somewhere to stay for 1 night twice.

 

I wasn't sure if there is any recommendations or other ideas... for example, a one night cruise would probably be cheaper if it was really a thing in seattle? any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated!

 

Thank you!

[Gsel]

Seattle is very expensive! I would suggest you look at hotels near Sea-Tac. Many there and quite a bit less than in the city.

[Glaciers]

Unless you have time for some exploring stay near the airport to save some money.  Look at the Mediterranean Inn, Belltown Inn and the Mayflower in the downtown area. The Mediterranean is actually near the Space Needle with a quick 3 minute monorail ride to the downtown area.

[Ferry_Watcher]

I agree with @Glaciers.  I would consider staying closer to SeaTac Airport on your arrival, and in Seattle on the day you disembark the ship.  I would consider checking out the Mayflower Hotel for your post cruise Seattle stay.

 

When is your cruise, and which line/ship will you be sailing?

Edited March 5, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[mashisback]

6 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

 

When is your cruise, and which line/ship will you be sailing?

My cruise is in May, leaving for a week on 19th May on Ovation of the seas Royal Caribbean

[mashisback]

6 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I agree with @Glaciers.  I would consider staying closer to SeaTac Airport on your arrival, and in Seattle on the day you disembark the ship.  I would consider checking out the Mayflower Hotel for your post cruise Seattle stay.

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Glaciers said:

Unless you have time for some exploring stay near the airport to save some money.  Look at the Mediterranean Inn, Belltown Inn and the Mayflower in the downtown area. The Mediterranean is actually near the Space Needle with a quick 3 minute monorail ride to the downtown area.

This makes perfect sense to me as the day we arrive we are going to be so tired that we probably go for a quick stroll, grab a bite to eat and then go sleep, so in theory it would be a waste to book anywhere expensive on arrival so will definitely take this advice for arrival.

 

I know very little about Seattle, so I don't know what there is to see there apart from the space needle, but we might never manage to go Seattle again so this is why I have the extra night when we get back. I was coincidently already looking into dropping my suitcases for the day at Mediterranean Inn as they offer that service, so I could go exploring before travelling to a cheaper hotel nearer airport. But if the price of staying there is reasonable and if it is right near a monorail then I think that might make a lot of sense.

 

are monorails everywhere in seattle? easy to find stations etc and reasonable price for a day ticket? also, if you could advise someone visiting Seattle for just 1 day, is there anything else you would advise to go see?

 

Thank you all! 

[jeromep]

1 hour ago, mashisback said:

are monorails everywhere in seattle? easy to find stations etc and reasonable price for a day ticket? also, if you could advise someone visiting Seattle for just 1 day, is there anything else you would advise to go see?

No, the monorail isn't everywhere.  The monorail has an interesting history.  It was built for the 1962 World's Fair, along with the Space Needle and a couple of other buildings that remain that are on the grounds of the Seattle Center.  The monorail is more of a tourist piece than it is a functioning part of Seattle's public transit system.  It runs from the Seattle Center to Westlake Center, a shopping mall that has seen better days.  It is worth the ride and doesn't cost much, but it certainly isn't mass transit.

 

Most of Seattle's public transit is bus service, however over the past 20 years the city has advanced some light rail services and a streetcar.  As somebody that visits Seattle many times a year, I have to say it is one of the most disjointed and inefficient public transit systems out there.  Plus, I never feel safe on public transit in Seattle.  Seattle isn't a particularly walkable city.  Most neighborhoods in Seattle are self contained, but once you want to venture out of a neighborhood, you'll find yourself walking huge distances.  You'll want to have the Uber or Lyft app (or both), on your phone and ready to go.  Car sharing services are probably the cleanest and most reliable way to get around Seattle in comfort.

 

As a tourist, definitely visit the Space Needle, while at the Seattle Center check out the Museum of Pop Culture and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.  The Seattle Museum of Art is always a nice visit, they have a very broad permanent collection and their visiting collections are always worth looking in on.

 

Boeing's Museum of Flight is way south, down near the area of some of their original operations and about midway between Seattle proper and their Renton plant, home of the 737.  You can blow a whole day down there, but I'd focus a visit on the red barn, their original factory building, along with the war aviation museum and the air park across the street.  The air park is fascinating as they have on display the first 747, one of the older 707 based Air Force Ones, The Concord, the first 727 first 737, and one of the test 787s, amongst many other notable aircraft.  Be sure to tap on the side of the 787.  It's quite a bit like tapping on the bottom of a Tupperware container.  It is fascinating that such a large aircraft is made out of carbon fiber.

 

Now when I say way south, the Museum of Flight is about halfway between Seattle and the airport, so you'll arrive in the Seattle area way south of the city.  When you arrive at the airport you are actually landing in a city called SeaTac.  It used to be unincorporated King County a number of years ago, but the people voted to make it a city on its own, and so it is.

 

As for staying before and after your cruise, you have many options, inexpensive isn't one of them.  The hotels down near the airport are considered south King County, which has lower prices than the Seattle proper hotels.  This is mostly on account of the extra taxes and labor costs associated with hotels that operate in Seattle proper.  Nobody talks about lodging in north King County, so around Everett, but the prices of hotels north of Seattle are also less costly.  What you save in hotel costs you will consume in ground transportation costs, so it is a tradeoff.

 

The Mediterranean Inn is nice.  My wife has to visit the home office in Seattle about 4 times a year and she usually stays there.  It is walking distance to the office, and the neighborhood is nice.  It has a pleasant roof deck with excellent views of the bay, Seattle Center, and the lower Queen Ann neighborhood.  This might be your best jumping off point to play tourist, especially after your cruise.

 

If you want to get on another boat after getting off your cruise, you might consider Argosy tours.  They have a number of tour boats.  I recommend the Ballad locks cruise.  You'll catch them on the waterfront.  If you venture down there the whole waterfront is walkable and touristy.  Seattle has a large ferris wheel, the Seattle Great Wheel, and it will present you good views.  You might want to visit Ivar's Acres of Clams.  The food is decent, the clam chowder is good, although I prefer the clam chowder at Gracie's Sea Hag in Depot Bay, OR (but that is a very long drive).  The Ivar's organization was started by Ivar Haglund, who was a local personality, probably as eccentric as Seattle is.  The Ivar brand is now a local chain of chowder and fish bars.

 

It is likely that your cruise will visit Skagway.  In the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle there is an outpost of the Gold Rush National Park.  The reason there is a Seattle unit or museum is because the Alaska/Yukon gold rush really started for most of the "rushers" in Seattle, where they provisioned for their adventure, and found transportation on ships in the port of Seattle.  I highly recommend visiting this place to "close the circle" on your visit to Skagway.  The U.S. National Parks are tremendous gems and well worth visiting.  The visitors centers are generally very well equipped and the park rangers are tremendous resources.  The entire city of Skagway basically exists in the National Park.  I don't recall the visitor's center in Skagway being that impressive, but Skagway is, especially the train ride on the White Pass & Yukon.

 

Here are some links.

 

https://www.nps.gov/klse/index.htm

 

https://www.museumofflight.org/

 

https://www.ivars.com/acres

 

https://www.mediterranean-inn.com/

 

https://www.spaceneedle.com/

 

https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

 

https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

 

https://www.seattlemonorail.com/

 

https://www.mopop.org/

Edited March 5, 2023 by jeromep

[mashisback]

1 hour ago, jeromep said:

No, the monorail isn't everywhere.  The monorail has an interesting history.  It was built for the 1962 World's Fair, along with the Space Needle and a couple of other buildings that remain that are on the grounds of the Seattle Center.  The monorail is more of a tourist piece than it is a functioning part of Seattle's public transit system.  It runs from the Seattle Center to Westlake Center, a shopping mall that has seen better days.  It is worth the ride and doesn't cost much, but it certainly isn't mass transit.

 

Most of Seattle's public transit is bus service, however over the past 20 years the city has advanced some light rail services and a streetcar.  As somebody that visits Seattle many times a year, I have to say it is one of the most disjointed and inefficient public transit systems out there.  Plus, I never feel safe on public transit in Seattle.  Seattle isn't a particularly walkable city.  Most neighborhoods in Seattle are self contained, but once you want to venture out of a neighborhood, you'll find yourself walking huge distances.  You'll want to have the Uber or Lyft app (or both), on your phone and ready to go.  Car sharing services are probably the cleanest and most reliable way to get around Seattle in comfort.

 

As a tourist, definitely visit the Space Needle, while at the Seattle Center check out the Museum of Pop Culture and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.  The Seattle Museum of Art is always a nice visit, they have a very broad permanent collection and their visiting collections are always worth looking in on.

 

Boeing's Museum of Flight is way south, down near the area of some of their original operations and about midway between Seattle proper and their Renton plant, home of the 737.  You can blow a whole day down there, but I'd focus a visit on the red barn, their original factory building, along with the war aviation museum and the air park across the street.  The air park is fascinating as they have on display the first 747, one of the older 707 based Air Force Ones, The Concord, the first 727 first 737, and one of the test 787s, amongst many other notable aircraft.  Be sure to tap on the side of the 787.  It's quite a bit like tapping on the bottom of a Tupperware container.  It is fascinating that such a large aircraft is made out of carbon fiber.

 

Now when I say way south, the Museum of Flight is about halfway between Seattle and the airport, so you'll arrive in the Seattle area way south of the city.  When you arrive at the airport you are actually landing in a city called SeaTac.  It used to be unincorporated King County a number of years ago, but the people voted to make it a city on its own, and so it is.

 

As for staying before and after your cruise, you have many options, inexpensive isn't one of them.  The hotels down near the airport are considered south King County, which has lower prices than the Seattle proper hotels.  This is mostly on account of the extra taxes and labor costs associated with hotels that operate in Seattle proper.  Nobody talks about lodging in north King County, so around Everett, but the prices of hotels north of Seattle are also less costly.  What you save in hotel costs you will consume in ground transportation costs, so it is a tradeoff.

 

The Mediterranean Inn is nice.  My wife has to visit the home office in Seattle about 4 times a year and she usually stays there.  It is walking distance to the office, and the neighborhood is nice.  It has a pleasant roof deck with excellent views of the bay, Seattle Center, and the lower Queen Ann neighborhood.  This might be your best jumping off point to play tourist, especially after your cruise.

 

If you want to get on another boat after getting off your cruise, you might consider Argosy tours.  They have a number of tour boats.  I recommend the Ballad locks cruise.  You'll catch them on the waterfront.  If you venture down there the whole waterfront is walkable and touristy.  Seattle has a large ferris wheel, the Seattle Great Wheel, and it will present you good views.  You might want to visit Ivar's Acres of Clams.  The food is decent, the clam chowder is good, although I prefer the clam chowder at Gracie's Sea Hag in Depot Bay, OR (but that is a very long drive).  The Ivar's organization was started by Ivar Haglund, who was a local personality, probably as eccentric as Seattle is.  The Ivar brand is now a local chain of chowder and fish bars.

 

It is likely that your cruise will visit Skagway.  In the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle there is an outpost of the Gold Rush National Park.  The reason there is a Seattle unit or museum is because the Alaska/Yukon gold rush really started for most of the "rushers" in Seattle, where they provisioned for their adventure, and found transportation on ships in the port of Seattle.  I highly recommend visiting this place to "close the circle" on your visit to Skagway.  The U.S. National Parks are tremendous gems and well worth visiting.  The visitors centers are generally very well equipped and the park rangers are tremendous resources.  The entire city of Skagway basically exists in the National Park.  I don't recall the visitor's center in Skagway being that impressive, but Skagway is, especially the train ride on the White Pass & Yukon.

 

Here are some links.

 

https://www.nps.gov/klse/index.htm

 

https://www.museumofflight.org/

 

https://www.ivars.com/acres

 

https://www.mediterranean-inn.com/

 

https://www.spaceneedle.com/

 

https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

 

https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

 

https://www.seattlemonorail.com/

 

https://www.mopop.org/

Wow thank you so much, I couldn't have wished for a more detailed and helpful reply. Thank you so much for the time and effort 🙂

[Ferry_Watcher]

5 hours ago, mashisback said:

My cruise is in May, leaving for a week on 19th May on Ovation of the seas Royal Caribbean

 

Fridays are very busy at Pier 91 as there will be the nearly 5K passenger Ovation OTS, and the 2,800 passenger Celebrity Solstice (although since school will be still in session, it is unlikely that either ship will be sailing at capacity.  May 19th will also be the first sailing of the season for the Ovation OTS, so I would expect some early season operational hiccups as staff gets back into the groove.  (The Seattle based cruises season is basically May-Sept/Oct, so staff hasn't worked since Oct 2022).  So just have patience, and remember that you will have 7 wonderful days cruising and seeing Alaska.

 

5 hours ago, mashisback said:

I was coincidently already looking into dropping my suitcases for the day at Mediterranean Inn as they offer that service, so I could go exploring before travelling to a cheaper hotel nearer airport.

 

Not sure if it is the intention of the Mediterranean Inn to store luggage for non-guests.  Just wanted to say that to avoid any awkward misunderstanding if you decide to stay at a different hotel, other than the Mediterranean Inn.

[mashisback]

43 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Fridays are very busy at Pier 91 as there will be the nearly 5K passenger Ovation OTS, and the 2,800 passenger Celebrity Solstice (although since school will be still in session, it is unlikely that either ship will be sailing at capacity.  May 19th will also be the first sailing of the season for the Ovation OTS, so I would expect some early season operational hiccups as staff gets back into the groove.  (The Seattle based cruises season is basically May-Sept/Oct, so staff hasn't worked since Oct 2022).  So just have patience, and remember that you will have 7 wonderful days cruising and seeing Alaska.

 

 

Not sure if it is the intention of the Mediterranean Inn to store luggage for non-guests.  Just wanted to say that to avoid any awkward misunderstanding if you decide to stay at a different hotel, other than the Mediterranean Inn.

 

Thank you! It didnt even cross my mind about the teething problems

 

The luggage storage I seen on the following site, its an option I can pay to store for a few hours or days if my understanding is correct:

 

https://app.luggagehero.com/home;location=Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91;lat=47,6282509;lon=-122,3830383;bags=1;from=202303051430;to=202303051530;geolocate=false?lh_landing_page_origin=https:%2F%2Fluggagehero.com&lh_landing_page_path=%2Fseattle%2F&lh_expID=DrCSyg1zRYKeJs5s_jwMqA&lh_varID=1&lh_variant=ab&lh_source=google&lh_medium=cpc&lh_campaign=18510602375&lang=en&_gl=1*u45cot*_ga*MjI1NDAxMTQxLjE2Nzc5NTU4NzY.*_ga_HRQEW23GY0*MTY3ODAyNjA4My4yLjEuMTY3ODAyNjA4My42MC4wLjA.&_ga=2.84583961.1449766936.1677955876-225401141.1677955876&_gac=1.49530642.1678026084.EAIaIQobChMI8srvov7E_QIVtGDmCh0imwkOEAAYAiAAEgIsffD_BwE

[Ferry_Watcher]

The Mediterranean Inn storing luggage is a surprise to me.  I just don't ever recall that it was on any type of storage list, but, this 2023 season will be the first true post covid cruise season so things change.  If you do use it without staying there, do let us know, as folks are always looking for luggage storage options.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[Gardyloo]

A couple of things you should be aware of...

 

If your cruise departs on the 19th of May then it will return on Friday the 26th, right?  

 

That's the beginning of the long Memorial Day weekend.  Memorial Day, a national holiday, is always the last Monday of May, this year the 29th.  It signals the unofficial beginning of the summer and it's always a very popular weekend for families to head out of town - camping, car tours, etc. - sometimes as a "shakedown" experience for more ambitious travels later in the summer (can I remember how to pitch the tent, etc.)  

 

In Seattle that weekend is when a very large festival, Northwest Folklife, is held on the grounds of Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly Ego Museum, MoPop etc.)  Pre-Covid, this event (no admission fee) drew over 250,000 people through the course of the weekend, and if anything, because the festival wasn't held for a couple of years, and only held at a reduced scale in 2022, it's probable that this year attendance will be up, potentially WAY up.

 

Now the festival is a blast - all sorts of performing artists and genres - international folk music, dance, visual arts, crafts, as well as umpteen food vendors (all sorts of fun things to eat) and people selling handmade crafts, a beer pavilion...  Plus there's usually a lot of spontaneous "performance" going on; here are a few pictures I took some years back just to illustrate the range and vibe of the scene.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now what does this mean for you?  Well, first, if you want to go up the Space Needle or visit the Chihuly exhibit, really anything at Seattle Center besides the festival itself, I'd get them out of the way first thing on Friday, before the crowds start showing up later in the day.  (And, to be honest, I personally think the Space Needle is overrated and definitely overpriced, given all the free views available in our fair city.)  

 

Second, if you want a low-cost immersion in Seattle's culture - the people side, not the tourism side, then spending time at the Folklife Festival can be a lot of fun.  No, you won't see the people flinging salmon about at the Pike Place Market (it's the same poor fish, thrown again and again for the tourists) or joining thousands of your fellow visitors searching for the gum wall (yuck) but maybe that's okay.  If you stayed at the Mediterranean Inn you'd be a five-minute walk from Seattle Center (as well as a one-minute walk from a bus stop that would take you to the downtown core.)

 

Third, you can expect bigger-than-normal crowds at the airport when it's time to go home.  Don't know if you're riding on BA, American or Virgin Atlantic over the water, but especially on a holiday weekend, security at Sea-Tac Airport can be very slow and congested, so I'd make allowances for that when it comes time to fly.  

 

So anyway, just a heads-up about the weekend.  Maybe stay at the Mediterranean and bring Polly to the festival. 😉

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

19 hours ago, mashisback said:

The prices I have found are hundreds of pounds/dollars per night. so overall is going to cost me around £500 to stay anywhere that hasn't got chilling reviews.

 

Good catch on Folklife @Gardyloo.  Maybe that is why hotel prices are higher than usual when @mashisback was searching.  Hopefully there is still availability at the Mediterranean Inn.

[mashisback]

20 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

A couple of things you should be aware of...

 

If your cruise departs on the 19th of May then it will return on Friday the 26th, right?  

 

That's the beginning of the long Memorial Day weekend.  Memorial Day, a national holiday, is always the last Monday of May, this year the 29th.  It signals the unofficial beginning of the summer and it's always a very popular weekend for families to head out of town - camping, car tours, etc. - sometimes as a "shakedown" experience for more ambitious travels later in the summer (can I remember how to pitch the tent, etc.)  

 

In Seattle that weekend is when a very large festival, Northwest Folklife, is held on the grounds of Seattle Center (Space Needle, Chihuly Ego Museum, MoPop etc.)  Pre-Covid, this event (no admission fee) drew over 250,000 people through the course of the weekend, and if anything, because the festival wasn't held for a couple of years, and only held at a reduced scale in 2022, it's probable that this year attendance will be up, potentially WAY up.

 

Now the festival is a blast - all sorts of performing artists and genres - international folk music, dance, visual arts, crafts, as well as umpteen food vendors (all sorts of fun things to eat) and people selling handmade crafts, a beer pavilion...  Plus there's usually a lot of spontaneous "performance" going on; here are a few pictures I took some years back just to illustrate the range and vibe of the scene.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now what does this mean for you?  Well, first, if you want to go up the Space Needle or visit the Chihuly exhibit, really anything at Seattle Center besides the festival itself, I'd get them out of the way first thing on Friday, before the crowds start showing up later in the day.  (And, to be honest, I personally think the Space Needle is overrated and definitely overpriced, given all the free views available in our fair city.)  

 

Second, if you want a low-cost immersion in Seattle's culture - the people side, not the tourism side, then spending time at the Folklife Festival can be a lot of fun.  No, you won't see the people flinging salmon about at the Pike Place Market (it's the same poor fish, thrown again and again for the tourists) or joining thousands of your fellow visitors searching for the gum wall (yuck) but maybe that's okay.  If you stayed at the Mediterranean Inn you'd be a five-minute walk from Seattle Center (as well as a one-minute walk from a bus stop that would take you to the downtown core.)

 

Third, you can expect bigger-than-normal crowds at the airport when it's time to go home.  Don't know if you're riding on BA, American or Virgin Atlantic over the water, but especially on a holiday weekend, security at Sea-Tac Airport can be very slow and congested, so I'd make allowances for that when it comes time to fly.  

 

So anyway, just a heads-up about the weekend.  Maybe stay at the Mediterranean and bring Polly to the festival. 😉

 

 

love this, I think the experience will outweigh the inconvenience of the hustle and bustle. What a great way to make the most of our time in Seattle 🙂

 

Thanks all for your input 

[Ferry_Watcher]

3 hours ago, mashisback said:

ove this, I think the experience will outweigh the inconvenience of the hustle and bustle. What a great way to make the most of our time in Seattle 🙂

 

 

Great attitude!

[cfitch]

@Gardyloo, would it be practical to walk from The Mayflower to the Space Needle or other nearby tourist areas?

[Gardyloo]

12 hours ago, cfitch said:

@Gardyloo, would it be practical to walk from The Mayflower to the Space Needle or other nearby tourist areas?

Sure, level, probably around 20 min.  If interested, the walk from the Mayflower to the Pike market is about half that.  It's a great, traditional styled hotel.

 

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/6aQGuTjBSTePJVJA8

[Ferry_Watcher]

  The hotel is very nicely located in DT Seattle and it is an easy walk to Pike Place Market and the light rail station.