Help - flight home out of Seattle moved to 11pm (with 4 kids!). What to do?

[stephwef]

Hi all - our flight home after our cruise was cancelled and the airline moved us to an 11:15pm flight back to the east coast.  Long story short because we had booked the flight with credits from a previously cancelled trip, we can’t cancel and go on another airline.  

 

That said, we now have a very long day to kill in Seattle before boarding our flight after our Alaska cruise.  We are 4 kids aged 6-12 and two grown ups.  I was looking into a day tour to mt rainier but the ones i’ve found are super pricey, and i’m not sure if it will be super exhausting on a very long day, and before a long flight home.  Are there other tours one might recommend? or hotels near the airport that are good/willing to do a day stay?  We are seeing some of the major seattle sights at the start of our trip before the cruise departs, so any suggestions for how to best use this newfound time would be so appreciated. 

 

Thank you!!

[Ferry_Watcher]

Sorry to hear about your rescheduled late flight.

I think that I would recommend spending the early part of the day at Seattle Center - especially the Pacific Science Center.  There is a lot to do there, including an IMAX theater.  Also nearby is the Armory, where there is a food court, so everyone will find something that they like for lunch

 

https://pacificsciencecenter.org/

 

Next, I would go to the Museum of Flight, and spend the rest of your day there.  It is located south of Seattle, so basically on your way to SeaTac.  There is so much to see, that you could stay there until closing time.

 

https://www.museumofflight.org/

[MBP&O2/O]

Similar thing happened to me with Air France. I rang them and told them the new flights were unacceptable and gave them alternatives. All hail google flights 🙂

There was no quibble and they accepted my new flights which were with a codeshare partner.

Any better flights the next day? 

Point out you have children and it is detrimental to their health.

Ask ... they can only say no. Be cheeky and ask them to stump up for an overnight hotel.

[princeton123211]

16 hours ago, stephwef said:

I was looking into a day tour to mt rainier but the ones i’ve found are super pricey, and i’m not sure if it will be super exhausting on a very long day, and before a long flight home.

While it looks close to downtown, Mt Rainier is deceivingly far away and any sort of day trip touring there is a really long, exhausting day. You are about 2+ hours in either direction from downtown Seattle to the entrance of the park, and that's before doing the very little you'll have time for. 

 

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Next, I would go to the Museum of Flight, and spend the rest of your day there.  It is located south of Seattle, so basically on your way to SeaTac.  There is so much to see, that you could stay there until closing time.

I would second the Museum of Flight as a great thing to do on the way out of town towards SeaTac that you might not have otherwise spent the travel time on the front end of your trip when you are concentrating on things downtown. Super cool museum. 

 

If you are sort of done touring and just want to relax the Fairmont Olympic downtown does offer limited day rates which will give you access to their great indoor pool facility which the kids might enjoy. They also have a number of good dining options on property. 

 

A day use option close to the airport that's good for families would be the Cedarbrook Lodge. While they don't have a pool there is a nice hot tub, a big property with a bunch of walking paths, and the hotel and restaurant themselves are very nice. Not your usual airport hotel. They offer a complimentary shuttle to the airport so you would only have to get yourself there from the pier. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

 I would book a room at the Cedarbrook Lodge, spend the night and take a flight out in the morning.

[cruiseaholic78]

If I was you I would book an airport hotel with a pool, you can go straight there from the ship and relax. We did that in Sydney and were very pleased that we had.

https://www.dayuse.com/s/seattle-tacoma-international-airport?selectedAddress=Seattle-Tacoma+International+Airport&sluggableAddress=Seattle&placeId=eyJsYXQiOjQ3LjQ0ODk5LCJsbmciOi0xMjIuMzA5MjksInQiOjEsInAiOiJnZW9uYW1lcyJ9%2B9c9570d1223c3b698d08b92b8e468005&checkinDate=2023-05-25&equipements=33

[Buckeye10640]

21 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Sorry to hear about your rescheduled late flight.

I think that I would recommend spending the early part of the day at Seattle Center - especially the Pacific Science Center.  There is a lot to do there, including an IMAX theater.  Also nearby is the Armory, where there is a food court, so everyone will find something that they like for lunch

 

https://pacificsciencecenter.org/

 

Next, I would go to the Museum of Flight, and spend the rest of your day there.  It is located south of Seattle, so basically on your way to SeaTac.  There is so much to see, that you could stay there until closing time.

 

https://www.museumofflight.org/

Also take a look at MOPOP ( Museum of Pop Culture) at Seattle Center to see if its something your kids might like. We ate at the Armory at Seattle Center and they had a number of food  alternatives a few years back.  There is a monorail train you can take to Pike Place Market area if interested, and the HOHO bus leaves from Seattle Center. 

[arpie05]

20 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Similar thing happened to me with Air France. I rang them and told them the new flights were unacceptable and gave them alternatives. All hail google flights 🙂

 

Ask ... they can only say no. Be cheeky and ask them to stump up for an overnight hotel.

I was going to suggest the same thing.  Be prepared with what flight times you want and call. That happened to me and I called and got my flight changed.  If the airline changes your flight you have so much time that you can request flight changes.

[fastpitchdad]

Assuming it is summer (meaning between July 5th and September 30th), I would visit the Aquarium (Seattle has a great Aquarium, my daughter was just married there) and then take the water taxi to West Seattle and Alki Beach and upon return have a crab pot at either the aptly named Crab Pot or The Fisherman back at the Seattle waterfront. My kids loved the Pacific Science Center but they had aged out before the age of 12.

You could also do Wild Waves which is an amusement+water park in Federal Way between the Airport and Tacoma (you have to head that way anyway, assuming you can check your luggage with Port Valet or at the Airport ahead of time), my kids absolutely loved it there regardless of age. 

[stephwef]

thank you for all the tips! I’m going to look into day use for hotels too - they don’t give you a room to use for the day just facilities I gather?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

2 hours ago, stephwef said:

thank you for all the tips! I’m going to look into day use for hotels too - they don’t give you a room to use for the day just facilities I gather?

 

ResortPass.com usually gives you access to the facilities, sometimes a room. DayUse.com gives you a room.

[jeromep]

You absolutely must call the airline and work to get an alternate flight, but don't expect your flight out to be the same day, I suspect that ship has passed.  You should try, but if not get an early next day flight.  Then stay overnight near SeaTac and try to enjoy some Seattle sights.  You and your children will be so much happier.

[MBP&O2/O]

Probably far too late now to contact the airline ... as far as the airline is concerned. 

[andie1969]

What day of the week is it? If it's a weekend, there might be a home Mariners game in the afternoon. We always enjoy checking out other ball parks and can usually get cheap tickets at the box office day of.

[9tee2Sea]

On 4/23/2023 at 5:21 PM, stephwef said:

Hi all - our flight home after our cruise was cancelled and the airline moved us to an 11:15pm flight back to the east coast.  Long story short because we had booked the flight with credits from a previously cancelled trip, we can’t cancel and go on another airline.  

 

That said, we now have a very long day to kill in Seattle before boarding our flight after our Alaska cruise.  We are 4 kids aged 6-12 and two grown ups.  I was looking into a day tour to mt rainier but the ones i’ve found are super pricey, and i’m not sure if it will be super exhausting on a very long day, and before a long flight home.  Are there other tours one might recommend? or hotels near the airport that are good/willing to do a day stay?  We are seeing some of the major seattle sights at the start of our trip before the cruise departs, so any suggestions for how to best use this newfound time would be so appreciated. 

 

Thank you!!

If some are into Naval History, Take the ferry to Bremerton ( 1 hour ferry ride, beautiful vistas of DT Seattle.  The Naval Museum is adjacent to the ferry terminal in Bremerton. The Turner Joy, is a Vietnam era Destroyer, now a museum.  They give guided tours.  A few nice restaurants with water views.  The ferry back to Seattle is free ( as long as you walk on).

[stephwef]

great thank you for the tips! The flight home is 11pm Sat night.  So I will def look into all these things!

[SportsFanatic]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:21 PM, stephwef said:

Hi all - our flight home after our cruise was cancelled and the airline moved us to an 11:15pm flight back to the east coast.  Long story short because we had booked the flight with credits from a previously cancelled trip, we can’t cancel and go on another airline.  

 

That said, we now have a very long day to kill in Seattle before boarding our flight after our Alaska cruise.  We are 4 kids aged 6-12 and two grown ups.  I was looking into a day tour to mt rainier but the ones i’ve found are super pricey, and i’m not sure if it will be super exhausting on a very long day, and before a long flight home.  Are there other tours one might recommend? or hotels near the airport that are good/willing to do a day stay?  We are seeing some of the major seattle sights at the start of our trip before the cruise departs, so any suggestions for how to best use this newfound time would be so appreciated. 

 

Thank you!!

We actually ended up with  a really late flight also and decided to do the tour to Mount Rainier. I think I must’ve called at least seven places before I finally got a decent price. I know will probably be exhausted but will end up just sleeping on the plane ride home. problem with the hotel is most check-in times are not until like  3 o’clock. Unless you can find a place that will let you check in early. Looks like some people gave you some good suggestions. wish you luck!  

[DaveOKC]

I would ask the airline to rebook you, even on a different line or the next day.  Last week I was in the same situation and got American to rebook me from a Miami arrival to a Fort Lauderdale one - at no cost to me.  And this was on an award ticket.  Never hurts to ask, but know what you want before you call.

 

[princeton123211]

15 hours ago, SportsFanatic said:

problem with the hotel is most check-in times are not until like  3 o’clock. Unless you can find a place that will let you check in early.

Hotels that offer day rates guarantee check in usually starting at 8am. 

[SportsFanatic]

1 hour ago, princeton123211 said:

Hotels that offer day rates guarantee check in usually starting at 8am. 

I am not familiar with that. All I know is we took  a later flight coming into Seattle  because the hotel we booked  said they were booked solid and could not allow any early check-in’s at this time.

[princeton123211]

1 minute ago, SportsFanatic said:

I am not familiar with that. All I know is we took  a later flight coming into Seattle  because the hotel we booked  said they were booked solid and could not allow any early check-in’s at this time.

Its a different type of booking-- a day use rate is specific to an early check in and check out in the late afternoon. Some hotels offer it, some don't, and some only offer it if there is space. 

 

But you wouldn't make a regular overnight booking-- you would specifically book a day use rate to get a morning check in. You can do it with Marriott family hotels by using code "ZDY". https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-23598

[SportsFanatic]

49 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

Its a different type of booking-- a day use rate is specific to an early check in and check out in the late afternoon. Some hotels offer it, some don't, and some only offer it if there is space. 

 

But you wouldn't make a regular overnight booking-- you would specifically book a day use rate to get a morning check in. You can do it with Marriott family hotels by using code "ZDY". https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-23598

Good to know, thanks for the information! 

[Meander Ingwa]

I would not plan on staying at / near SeaTac and then exploring Seattle.  That is a transportation nightmare.  Traffic here is not good and you would need a car.  I would not take Sound Transit back and forth, myself.  Cederbrook Lodge is mentioned often as a happy compromise.  A quiet day to decompress may be welcome for adults but the kids might bounce off the walls in a regular hotel room.

 

If you can get a day room downtown I would do that.  A Mariners game could be great fun if there is an afternoon game.  Stadium known for great and diverse food options.  Then make your way to the airport.  Uber /Lyft would be my choice.  I think SeaTac is a nice airport but it does not rise to a Singapore level where there are nice diversions for a long layover.

 

 I would personally try to change that flight, even to the following day.  Getting east, across country from Seattle is just never a happy prospect.  If you are flying to NY you at least have more non-stop options.  But I dont sleep on planes so getting home after a red eye or long flight is a downer end to a good trip

[CynCyn]

10 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

I would not plan on staying at / near SeaTac and then exploring Seattle.  That is a transportation nightmare.  Traffic here is not good and you would need a car.  I would not take Sound Transit back and forth, myself.  Cederbrook Lodge is mentioned often as a happy compromise.  A quiet day to decompress may be welcome for adults but the kids might bounce off the walls in a regular hotel room.

 

If you can get a day room downtown I would do that.  A Mariners game could be great fun if there is an afternoon game.  Stadium known for great and diverse food options.  Then make your way to the airport.  Uber /Lyft would be my choice.  I think SeaTac is a nice airport but it does not rise to a Singapore level where there are nice diversions for a long layover.

 

 I would personally try to change that flight, even to the following day.  Getting east, across country from Seattle is just never a happy prospect.  If you are flying to NY you at least have more non-stop options.  But I dont sleep on planes so getting home after a red eye or long flight is a downer end to a good trip

Why do you avoid Sound Transit?

[psuboater]

1 hour ago, CynCyn said:

Why do you avoid Sound Transit?

Its about 45 minutes each way from SeaTAC to downtown, so you're looking at 2 hours of your day just on the light rail. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine safety wise for the hours that you're looking at. There's been a huge increase of fare enforcement staff who keeps things orderly and clean.