Seattle Q&A/FAQ

[ScubaLu]

How far is the Train Station from the Pier? Any estimates regarding taxi fare? Thanks in advance for your info. I will be sailing out of Seattle on Friday, October 3rd.

[SF Cfan]

Scubalu:

 

It's not far from Amtrak King St to Pier 66, less than 1-1/2 miles. Here is the Mapquest link just as an FYI.

 

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Seattle&1s=WA&1a=303+South+Jackson+Street&2c=Seattle&2s=WA&2a=2225+Alaskan+Way

 

I've taken the train between Seattle & Portland about 6 times in the past two years. It's a nice trip. But, Amtrak is not the "on-time airline." If you are coming up on embarkation day, be sure to take an early train. Granted, the Cascades trains are usually not much more than an hour late arriving in to Seattle.

 

Sorry, I do not have an estimate on the Taxi fare. For a trip that short I wouldn't expect it to be any more than $10.00.

[ScubaLu]

Thanks SF Cfan for the info, the map is perfect...........we arrive via Amtrak at 12noon and our sail away is at 5pm, so we should be in good shape even with a delay.

[dw64]

I am here at the Best Western Hotel. It is noisey as heck. We asked to move rooms, and was offered an upgrade, for an additional $50, a night.

We purchased this room directly from the hotel, not thru Priceline or Hotwire. Our queen room was really a full bed. Extremely disappointed in the Best Western. Great location. But noisey!!!

[SeattleCruiselover]

How far is the Train Station from the Pier? Any estimates regarding taxi fare? Thanks in advance for your info. I will be sailing out of Seattle on Friday, October 3rd.

 

About two miles, and less than $10.00 from King Street Station to Pier 66.

[SeattleCruiselover]

I am here at the Best Western Hotel. It is noisey as heck. We asked to move rooms, and was offered an upgrade, for an additional $50, a night.

We purchased this room directly from the hotel, not thru Priceline or Hotwire. Our queen room was really a full bed. Extremely disappointed in the Best Western. Great location. But noisey!!!

 

Which BW did you stay at?

[sammamishcruiser]

Hi Karen- You're back! How was your trip? Did you see any whales, glaciers or sea lions? How was the weather? I can't wait to hear all about your trip. How's the ship looking? Have not been on the golden, just the sun; which is older, I think?

 

I do hope that you will write a review? We leave on Monday, just two more days!!! I hope you left some sunshine up there for us. lol

 

Melody:D:D

[wrp96]

Welcome home Karen.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Hi Karen- You're back! How was your trip? Did you see any whales, glaciers or sea lions? How was the weather? I can't wait to hear all about your trip. How's the ship looking? Have not been on the golden, just the sun; which is older, I think?

 

I do hope that you will write a review? We leave on Monday, just two more days!!! I hope you left some sunshine up there for us. lol

 

Melody:D:D

I am working on my review right now. Up tomorrow, with luck.

Weather......fog, fog, fog, fog, rain, rain, rain, rain, fog/rain, fog/rain, rain, rain....sorry. Did not see the sun for even five minutes the whole week. We did not make it in to the glacier at all, nor did Star Princess. About all I saw was some white fluffy stuff (the fog) when we were on the water, and the liquid sunshine when on shore. But we had lots of fun, anyway.

Golden is looking good.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Welcome home Karen.

 

Thank you, Ms. Wrona. The drowned rat twins arrived home at 10:00 on the dot this morning, soaked to the skin with the same liquid sunshine that was prevalent in the Great State of Alaska.

[masse96]

Thanks Neecee23. Since my girls (17 & 22) and I are coming in a day before the cruise, do you or anyone else have any suggestions of what we might enjoy on sight seeing or something while we are in Seattle.

 

Thanks Again,

John

[marsda]

Karen, we got back Friday night from a great trip also. Just wanted to thank you for restaurant suggestions in Seattle. We were trying to stay away from crowded touristy places, and the Icon Grill was perfect for us. We had reservations for 7 on a Thursday evening, and it wasn't crowded. Loved the decor and atmosphere and the FOOD!! Who would have thought macaroni and cheese would be as fantastic as theirs is. I believe your quote was "not to be missed". My body is still is carbohydrate shock, but what comfort food. Our service was fabulous until about halfway through the meal when the restaurant became crowded. Our waiter then became invisible! But except for that the evening for A+. Thanks again for the recommendation.

Marsha

[SF Cfan]

Thanks SF Cfan for the info, the map is perfect...........we arrive via Amtrak at 12noon and our sail away is at 5pm, so we should be in good shape even with a delay.

 

You are welcome. The Noon arrival into Seattle sounds perfect. Have a great trip.

[H20 Lover]

[/size]

I am working on my review right now. Up tomorrow, with luck.

Weather......fog, fog, fog, fog, rain, rain, rain, rain, fog/rain, fog/rain, rain, rain....sorry. Did not see the sun for even five minutes the whole week. We did not make it in to the glacier at all, nor did Star Princess. About all I saw was some white fluffy stuff (the fog) when we were on the water, and the liquid sunshine when on shore. But we had lots of fun, anyway.

Golden is looking good.

[/size][/size]

 

Karen, fog/clouds except for your beautiful city of Seattle. That was the most perfect sailaway day ever!!! I could not believe how crisp and clean the air was. And how abundant the sunshine was!!! Thank you for that. :)

 

Brian & I saw the sun right up until the fog horn blew on the first day at sea. We were up on the top deck next to the gym bar having our "after workout" Bloody Mary treat and the bartenders were saying how they never see the sun there on our first day at sea. So we we're soaking it up and all the sudden this big wall of fog came, it was like the Stephen King "Mist." It was so funny, one of the servers announced "Welcome to Alaska" real loud.

 

It was a great trip, huh? And again, thank you for ordering that perfect sailaway in Seattle.

 

Oh and we stayed at the Sheraton Downtown and give that a thumbs up. Room was booked through Hotwire months ago. We loved how we could walk to stuff. Got those gorgeous flowers at Pikes and decorated our staterooms with them. Our hotel room was on the 25th floor with a nice downtown view. I thought I had heard it was noisy there (maybe that was somewhere else) and just wanted to say it was so quiet in our room. Oklahoma fans dominated our hotel.

 

And another thank you to you Karen for all the help on everything for our Seattle overnight. :) We took a taxi for our a/p to hotel and hotel to port and port to a/p. Fast and fair price.

 

Until we meet again....

[SeattleCruiselover]

Karen, fog/clouds except for your beautiful city of Seattle. That was the most perfect sailaway day ever!!! I could not believe how crisp and clean the air was. And how abundant the sunshine was!!! Thank you for that. :)

 

Brian & I saw the sun right up until the fog horn blew on the first day at sea. We were up on the top deck next to the gym bar having our "after workout" Bloody Mary treat and the bartenders were saying how they never see the sun there on our first day at sea. So we we're soaking it up and all the sudden this big wall of fog came, it was like the Stephen King "Mist." It was so funny, one of the servers announced "Welcome to Alaska" real loud.

 

It was a great trip, huh? And again, thank you for ordering that perfect sailaway in Seattle.

 

Oh and we stayed at the Sheraton Downtown and give that a thumbs up. Room was booked through Hotwire months ago. We loved how we could walk to stuff. Got those gorgeous flowers at Pikes and decorated our staterooms with them. Our hotel room was on the 25th floor with a nice downtown view. I thought I had heard it was noisy there (maybe that was somewhere else) and just wanted to say it was so quiet in our room. Oklahoma fans dominated our hotel.

 

And another thank you to you Karen for all the help on everything for our Seattle overnight. :) We took a taxi for our a/p to hotel and hotel to port and port to a/p. Fast and fair price.

 

Until we meet again....

 

Glad you enjoyed it, Yvonne. Weather is back to "normal" now here.....cloudy and rainy half the day, sunny and warm afternoons. Come and visit us again some day.

[Podie]

Anyone ever stay here in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle?

[Lois R]

Hi folks:)

 

Back from Alaska and I miss the ship:(

 

Hi Dianne and Gwynn! It was a pleasure meeting both of you

and I hope you had a wonderful cruise too:)

 

I had a FANTABULOUS time:D ....Seattle, Pike's Market,

meeting you both, the train ride and entire time was

so much fun!!!!

 

For anyone interested, Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver

is the way to go!!!! The scenery is outstanding!!!...Roomy,

food and drink offered and everyone was just plain fun!:)

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Welcome home, Lois. Glad you had such a great time on your trip!! :)

[sunneesmile]

We had a great time in Seattle pre cruise. Really enjoyed Pikes. Also, we walked from the Sheraton at 6th and Pike down to Pikes Market, across to the Aquarium at the waterfront on Alaskan Way (i think) and then down Alaskan Way to Broad and up to the Space Needle one morning and it was not a bad walk at all. The only slight hill was up Broad street, but it was not too bad. It was a great walk and we really enjoyed it. We actually did the tourist thing and went up in the Space Needle and it was one of those things that once you have done it, won't need to experience again, but the view is very nice. Then we took the Monorail back toward downtown and it dropped us a couple blocks from the Sheraton.

 

I bought a huge bouquet of flowers at the market and took them onboard the ship and our room steward (Ruel from the Phillipines) found a really big vase that was perfect. They lasted all week and continued to bloom.

 

We bought the 3 litre boxes of wine at the IGA grocery store (I belive it was at Pike and 3rd) and we took them on the ship. Each box was $9.99. I highly recommend the Corbett Canyon Cabernet Savingnon. The boxes fit nicely in the fridge of the mini suite if the ice bucket is removed. Ruel, the room steward, provided 4 wine glasses every day for our balcony gatherings with our friends.

 

Our next Seattle trip we want to do the museums and a day trip to Mt. Rainier.

 

Thanks Karen for all your information. The only you did not get right is the fact that I probably gained a couple pounds before getting on board the Golden Princess, even with all the walking. But during the whole cruise, the only time we took the elevator was on formal night, becasue of my wearing heels. So, I don't feel guilty for the extra appetizers on the cruise!

[SeattleCruiselover]

Hi folks:)

 

Back from Alaska and I miss the ship:(

 

Hi Dianne and Gwynn! It was a pleasure meeting both of you

and I hope you had a wonderful cruise too:)

 

I had a FANTABULOUS time:D ....Seattle, Pike's Market,

meeting you both, the train ride and entire time was

so much fun!!!!

 

For anyone interested, Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver

is the way to go!!!! The scenery is outstanding!!!...Roomy,

food and drink offered and everyone was just plain fun!:)

 

Lois: Glad to hear everything went OK. Assuming that you didn't let the nasty weather get you down, and enjoyed it all?

[SeattleCruiselover]

We had a great time in Seattle pre cruise. Really enjoyed Pikes. Also, we walked from the Sheraton at 6th and Pike down to Pikes Market, across to the Aquarium at the waterfront on Alaskan Way (i think) and then down Alaskan Way to Broad and up to the Space Needle one morning and it was not a bad walk at all. The only slight hill was up Broad street, but it was not too bad. It was a great walk and we really enjoyed it. We actually did the tourist thing and went up in the Space Needle and it was one of those things that once you have done it, won't need to experience again, but the view is very nice. Then we took the Monorail back toward downtown and it dropped us a couple blocks from the Sheraton.

 

I bought a huge bouquet of flowers at the market and took them onboard the ship and our room steward (Ruel from the Phillipines) found a really big vase that was perfect. They lasted all week and continued to bloom.

 

We bought the 3 litre boxes of wine at the IGA grocery store (I belive it was at Pike and 3rd) and we took them on the ship. Each box was $9.99. I highly recommend the Corbett Canyon Cabernet Savingnon. The boxes fit nicely in the fridge of the mini suite if the ice bucket is removed. Ruel, the room steward, provided 4 wine glasses every day for our balcony gatherings with our friends.

 

Our next Seattle trip we want to do the museums and a day trip to Mt. Rainier.

 

Thanks Karen for all your information. The only you did not get right is the fact that I probably gained a couple pounds before getting on board the Golden Princess, even with all the walking. But during the whole cruise, the only time we took the elevator was on formal night, becasue of my wearing heels. So, I don't feel guilty for the extra appetizers on the cruise!

 

T: Glad that all of you enjoyed your stay here. You will have to come back and visit again sometime, and see more.

 

I actually LOST five pounds on the cruise.......:D

[98Charlie]

Hi folks:)

 

Back from Alaska and I miss the ship:(

 

Hi Dianne and Gwynn! It was a pleasure meeting both of you

and I hope you had a wonderful cruise too:)

 

I had a FANTABULOUS time:D ....Seattle, Pike's Market,

meeting you both, the train ride and entire time was

so much fun!!!!

 

For anyone interested, Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver

is the way to go!!!! The scenery is outstanding!!!...Roomy,

food and drink offered and everyone was just plain fun!:)

 

Lois: We walked into our house about 1 a.m. yesterday morning (Tuesday) after spending an extra day in San Francisco. Happy to hear you had a great cruise. We did too, and it was great starting our grand adventure off by spending our afternoon with you in Seattle and then the next morning with you on the train.

 

Dan made it to both of our CC get togethers on the Sun. Apparently he is already thinking about another cruise. :D

 

And you are 100% correct about your statement on the train. Everyone was just plain fun! Great way to travel to a cruise ship!

 

Dianne

[SeattleCruiselover]

Lois: We walked into our house about 1 a.m. yesterday morning (Tuesday) after spending an extra day in San Francisco. Happy to hear you had a great cruise. We did too, and it was great starting our grand adventure off by spending our afternoon with you in Seattle and then the next morning with you on the train.

 

Dan made it to both of our CC get togethers on the Sun. Apparently he is already thinking about another cruise. :D

 

And you are 100% correct about your statement on the train. Everyone was just plain fun! Great way to travel to a cruise ship!

 

Dianne

 

Dianne, I waved at you. Did you see me? When are you coming back to visit us again?

[98Charlie]

Dianne, I waved at you. Did you see me? When are you coming back to visit us again?

 

ASAP and thanks for the wave. :D

 

We love Seattle. Could spend a week there and never see everything we want to see and do. Unfortunately, we can't stay there more than a day or two on a 7-day cruise. Something about DH & work. Hate it when work gets in the way of our hobby of cruising.;)

 

By the way, the calves of our legs hurt for about 2 days after walking the ``hills'' of Seattle before the cruise.:) Then we disembarked in San Francisco and the steep hillis of Seattle seemed like mole hills in comparison.:eek:

 

Seattle is such a great city. I'd advise anyone who can to spend a week or more there to take in all the city has to offer. And with great guides to give you info like Seattlecruiser -- you really have the best of all worlds.

 

Thanks for all of your info and tips Karen. You make any trip to Seattle great for all of us CC members. Keep up the great work!:cool:

 

Dianne

[Cam6959]

I also want to say thank you for the great information! Took the shuttle to the Holiday Inn Express from the airport and it was only $11 then took it again to the port and it was $6! The Holiday Inn Express was nice and perfect for a night or two pre or post cruise! My mom and I also walked from Aurora to downtown and went to the market but did not actually go into it since it was the morning of the cruise and we wanted to get back to the hotel and check out! What a beautiful day it was too! The weather was perfect on the 12th! Thanks AGAIN! :D