Help with pre-cruise plans in Seattle

[whynotcruise]

Hi! There will be 11 of us cruising in July '07. We plan to stay 1 day in Seattle before the cruise. Any suggestions will be much appreciated regarding hotel stay (downtown vs airport), ground transportation (car rental, shuttle express, taxi) from the airport to the hotel and then to the cruise terminal. By the way, how big are the taxis? Are there any mini van or full-sized vans? Please keep in mind that we're hoping for " more economical", convenience, and especially the amount of people travelling together - 11 people (ranging from 72 yrs down to 5 yrs old).

 

Thanks in advance for any advice :) !!

[vjblk]

The answer as to where to stay might depend on your arrival time. If you arrive early enough and want to see some of Seattle then I would suggest somewhere close to downtown. If you are arriving in the evening and only need somewhere to sleep then the airport might be better. Most airport hotels will have a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Hotels in downtown Seattle can be expensive. You might check hotels out near Seattle Center as they can be a little cheaper but are still close to downtown. You can reach downtown via the Monorail from Seattle Center.

 

Regarding taxi's, at the airport I have seen vans but I would think you would need several to get your group moved especially with luggage. You might check into Shuttle Express as they do have the van type service. Here's a link. http://www.shuttleexpress.com/index.html If you stay downtown they may also be able to get you to the pier. I live near the airport and have never personally used them so I can't tell you much about their service.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll see if I can help with other suggestions.

[love2cruiseseattle]

Here is some transportation information that is listed on the Port of Seattle website:

 

Taxi to Seattle (approx) $33

Stita Cab service - Available on the third floor of the Parking Garage. Sedans, station wagons and large vans are available

Call (206) 246-9999, or use the curbside phones on Baggage Claim Level.

 

Limos -

To arrange for a limousine, call (206) 431-5904, use curbside phones, or go to the Ground Transportation Booth, on the third floor of the Parking Garage.

 

Grayline Airport Express - various hotel drop offs downtown - Adult $10.25, Adult RT $17; Child (2-12) $7.25, Child RT $12

 

Public Transportation - Route #194 Express or Route #174: $1.25 (Off Peak) - $1.75 (Peak)

Route 99 replaces the free trolley service to the Waterfront, Pioneer Square , and International District.

 

Shuttle Express

Passengers are picked up and dropped off on the third floor of the Airport Garage on the inner drive.

1-800-487-7433

 

Another option is renting a van or 2 at the airport and dropping it off at a DT Seattle location.

 

One thing you should know is there are 2 cruise ship terminals in Seattle, one located just down from the Pike Place Market and the other in the cargo ship area. The only hotel near that terminal (Pier 30) is the new Silver Cloud which is across from Safeco Field. So if you do stay in the DT Seattle area you will probably have to catch some sort of shuttle or taxi to the terminal next day.

[whynotcruise]

love2cruiseseattle and vjblk - THANKS for your helpful suggestions! :)

[nitenurs2]

Another suggestion would be a rental car. Thrifty has a location at the airport and at the cruise terminal (Pier 48). You can rent the car(s) of your choice (I'm thinking 2 vans, with the # of people + luggage in your party) at the airport and the next day, drive yourself to the pier.

 

After you drop the car off at Pier 48, Thrifty has a shuttle to take you to your pier.

 

This is what we are doing and the cost for the car for the 24 hr period is less than the cost of a taxi from the airport to the pier, much less airport to hotel, then to the pier the next day.

[98Charlie]

Not sure what cruise line or ship you are sailing on, but we cruised on NCL Star out of Seattle last Sept. Had a room at the Marriott Hotel across from the NCL Dock for post cruise. Actually walked from the ship to the hotel with our luggage.

 

Room had a small balcony with a beautiful view of the harbor. We were within walking distance of the great public market area. spent most of our time there and ate dinner there.

 

Would go back to the hotel and Seattle in a minute, with or without an Alaskan cruise. One of the best port stays we've ever had in 17 cruises.

 

Dianne

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We used Priceline for our pre-cruise hotel

Got the renaissance in downtown Seattle 3 *

research can be done at biddingfortravel. com to see what winning bids are for which hotels.

Look at hotwire too.