Seattle Q&A/FAQ

[Tobester]

There are plenty of taxis there when the Cascades train arrives, I use them all of the time. There is a taxi supervisor there, as well, and s/he keeps the line moving. So either a taxi or a town car is an option for you. Prices might be slightly less with the taxi, but not much.

 

 

Thanks Karen. It's reassuring to hear that there are a lot of taxis available. We're still working on our plans, but since we have 4 adults with 4 suitcases and assorted carry-ons, we might be better off with a towncar. Are there any particular companies you'd recommend?

[SeattleCruiselover]

Thanks Karen. It's reassuring to hear that there are a lot of taxis available. We're still working on our plans, but since we have 4 adults with 4 suitcases and assorted carry-ons, we might be better off with a towncar. Are there any particular companies you'd recommend?

 

Call Jarrett at Already There Town Car and tell him I sent you. We have used them on several occasions and been quite pleased with their service.

 

Jarrett

Already There Town Car

425.445.9101

[Tobester]

Call Jarrett at Already There Town Car and tell him I sent you. We have used them on several occasions and been quite pleased with their service.

 

Jarrett

Already There Town Car

425.445.9101

 

 

 

Thank you Karen. I really appreciate your help! :)

[marsda]

We have also used Already There on 4 different occasions and have been very pleased. Very nice company to deal with.

Marsha

[fieldmom35215]

I found your Q&A after much reading on CC. You are great! This site is great!

DH and I are out of Seattle in late June on 7-day Alaska (NCL Star) for our anniversary. He vowed to never do Alaska or Seattle but I guess after years of being married to me he didn’t have much to lose.

Plan to arrive 2 days early for sightseeing. Marriott Waterfront is our destination and looking forward to the GREAT Marriott service we’re accustomed to over the years. Tks to many posts here, we plan to ferry to Bainbridge, do Duck Tour and see Space Needle (ladies’ room…ha). Also plan to have dinner atop the needle. Also plan to pick up couple bottles of bubbly and wine for the cruise. Any places close to waterfront? With all the talk about smuggling though we are uncertain. Background: lived on Ft. McCord a few months in 1984 and experienced a soul stirring visit to Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. My heart belongs to Mt. St. Helens and I’m wondering what is the best way to see it without DH driving? For old times sake, would also love to see the new and improved Narrows Bridge. Are there any tours from downtown to St. Helens / Rainier / Narrows? Last but not least, is the weather still beautiful during the month of June? Again, thanks for being a sounding board for all us newbies. This site is a Godsend!

[CroneWynd]

Not sure about the NCL, but on Princess and HAL cruises, bringing bubbly and wine onboard is allowed.. definitely NOT a smuggling situation. You might read your cruise handbook/contract/check out the website for more information on their policy.

[SeattleCruiselover]

I found your Q&A after much reading on CC. You are great! This site is great!

DH and I are out of Seattle in late June on 7-day Alaska (NCL Star) for our anniversary. He vowed to never do Alaska or Seattle but I guess after years of being married to me he didn’t have much to lose.

Plan to arrive 2 days early for sightseeing. Marriott Waterfront is our destination and looking forward to the GREAT Marriott service we’re accustomed to over the years. Tks to many posts here, we plan to ferry to Bainbridge, do Duck Tour and see Space Needle (ladies’ room…ha). Also plan to have dinner atop the needle. Also plan to pick up couple bottles of bubbly and wine for the cruise. Any places close to waterfront? With all the talk about smuggling though we are uncertain. Background: lived on Ft. McCord a few months in 1984 and experienced a soul stirring visit to Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. My heart belongs to Mt. St. Helens and I’m wondering what is the best way to see it without DH driving? For old times sake, would also love to see the new and improved Narrows Bridge. Are there any tours from downtown to St. Helens / Rainier / Narrows? Last but not least, is the weather still beautiful during the month of June? Again, thanks for being a sounding board for all us newbies. This site is a Godsend!

 

Grayline has a day tour to Rainier (and it DOES take all day, about 10 hours). I'm not sure if any of them actually go all the way down to Mt. St. Helens, because it would be another 6-8 hours more than going to Rainier. As for the Narrows Bridge, if you take Amtrak and go down to Olympia-Lacey and back (about 1.5 hours each way), you will go right by it. Or you can take the bus from downtown SEA to Gig Harbor and back and go across the bridge.

 

June this year was pretty dreary, cool and rainy. It is late July and early August that are generally clear and hot. But, who can say what 2009 will be like?????

 

You can pick up wines at DeLaurenti in the Market, which would be about a 10-15 minute walk from the Marriott up Alaskan Way.

[wrp96]

Hey Karen, haven't seen you lately. How are you doing?

[Travel_Jen]

Hi Karen,

 

We are leaving in May 2009 on the Star Princess going to Alaska from Seattle. My husband and I wanted to do a pre-cruise hotel stay in the city, not too far from the cruise port and attractions. Were willing to pay a cab fare, just not too outrageous...LOL!

 

It's our first time to Seattle and since we're only staying one night, we want a nice hotel less than $300. Looking at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront or the Inn at Pike Place Market. What do you think about these two? They both have good reviews, but are they easily accessible to the port by cab, and attractions?

 

Or do you have any other recommendations. Thanks so much for your help, such an informative thread!

[fieldmom35215]

from what I've read here, the Marriott Waterfront has EASY access (walking) to the Pier...depending on which cruiseline you're on. Seems like I've also read here that Pike's is closer to the Marriott. This is why we booked our stay there. I sure hope I'm right. That said, I'll let the expert (SCL) reply.

[wrp96]

fieldmom, the Marriott Waterfront will be perfect for you as NCL uses Pier 66 - the pier directly across the street.

 

Travel Jen is sailing Princess which is scheduled to use Pier 91 next year which is farther away. That being said, we found Marriott Waterfront highly convenient this year for exploring the waterfront and Pike Place Market. The staff was wonderful about helping us arrange a ride to the pier (we were at Terminal 30).

[Travel_Jen]

From what I've read, any of the downtown hotels would be a convenient ride to any of the piers...I hope I read that correctly.

 

Even though the Seattle Marriott Waterfront seems convenient, I love Marriott properties, and liked the location. But was considering the Inn at the Market, because Pike Place Market just looks like so much fun. My husband and I are in our thirties, have 2 little ones at home, are both professionals just looking for an interesting place to stay before our cruise. Honestly, we're not into the "bar scene", but love shopping, art, galleries, music, theater, entertainment, and great food!

 

Since the Inn has great reviews, it just seems like a great place to stay for the night since it's right in the middle of alot of what we like. I just didn't want to book it, and then find out it's another $30-40 cab ride to Pier 91. We'd rather a cab ride for less, but are looking at shuttle ideas too.

[calmac]

fieldmom, the Marriott Waterfront will be perfect for you as NCL uses Pier 66 - the pier directly across the street.

 

 

Would this street be easily crossed to Pier 66 with a carry on plus a rolling bag?

[wrp96]

Would this street be easily crossed to Pier 66 with a carry on plus a rolling bag?

 

 

Absolutely. There is a crosswalk right in front of the hotel. Even I, a member of overpackers not so anonymous, would've had no troubles getting my bags across the street myself.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Hey Karen, haven't seen you lately. How are you doing?

 

I'm survivin'. Started back to work this past Monday. My body hasn't gotten re-used to the routine yet, but it will eventually. How are YOU?

[wrp96]

I'm survivin'. Started back to work this past Monday. My body hasn't gotten re-used to the routine yet, but it will eventually. How are YOU?

 

 

Doing okay, things are kind of weird at work with the market issues but I'm secure for now. Starting to plan for next year. Sort of wish I was flying into Seattle this time, but it was easier for me to go into Vancouver.

[nowornever]

Inn at the Market sounds like a better choice for you if you want to be closer to the center of things. It's a very pretty hotel but a warning. The backside of the hotel faces 1st Ave, a very busy street so you'll want to pay a few extra $$$ for a water view. There is a very lovely French restaurant in the hotel - Campagne. It is very pricey. There are many, many wonderful restaurants within easy walking distance. Marriott is certainly closer to Pier 66 however. Again, ask for a water view as the rear rooms back up to an extremely busy road - the Alaska Way Viaduct. You do not want a room right on that if you're at all noise sensitive. There is a new Four Seasons that just opened if you want to splurge a bit. So many choices! Enjoy.

[dunaldo]

Ship (RCL) to arrive in port 7:00 AM on a Fri. Will we have enough time to get to the airport (and how-shuttle, cab?) for a 11:00 flight? Thanks.

[nowornever]

we've never been on NCL so don't know their disembarkation procedure. It's only a 30 minute taxi ride to the airport from the pier so that's not the problem. (Unless we have one of our frequent travel snarls!) If you're off by 8:30 & grab a cab asap, you should be fine - assuming you're flying domestic. Good luck.

[sunneesmile]

Call Jarrett at Already There Town Car and tell him I sent you. We have used them on several occasions and been quite pleased with their service.

 

Jarrett

Already There Town Car

425.445.9101

 

Jarret and ATTC is great, but you need to stress how many pieces of luggage you have. We had an issue with that, even after we told them how much we had, they still brought a car and now way was it going to fit. We opted out for a taxi and Jarret said no prob on the reservation. I would consider using them again, but just order the suburban if you have more than 2 people and more than 4 suitcases.

 

Hi KAren!!!! Have you heard from Carole in Las Vegas? She has not responded to emails and I am worried about her, especially since she had that episode on the ship that sent her to sick bay.

[wrp96]

Ship (RCL) to arrive in port 7:00 AM on a Fri. Will we have enough time to get to the airport (and how-shuttle, cab?) for a 11:00 flight? Thanks.

 

 

I would not try it. Yes, you might make it but you might not. My best friend was to the airport in plenty of time to make an 11am flight BUT we were some of the first people off the ship and we sailed out of Terminal 30 which is closer to SeaTac than Pier 91 which you are scheduled to use next year.

[dunaldo]

Thanks for the info. I originally booked an airport hotel for overnight but saw a possibility of getting a late morn. flight. Guess I'll stick with the original plan rather than have the stress of trying to make that flight and if I miss it finding a hotel that day and having to re-book a flight.

[TexCruise371]

From what I've read, any of the downtown hotels would be a convenient ride to any of the piers...I hope I read that correctly.

 

Even though the Seattle Marriott Waterfront seems convenient, I love Marriott properties, and liked the location. But was considering the Inn at the Market, because Pike Place Market just looks like so much fun. My husband and I are in our thirties, have 2 little ones at home, are both professionals just looking for an interesting place to stay before our cruise. Honestly, we're not into the "bar scene", but love shopping, art, galleries, music, theater, entertainment, and great food!

 

Since the Inn has great reviews, it just seems like a great place to stay for the night since it's right in the middle of alot of what we like. I just didn't want to book it, and then find out it's another $30-40 cab ride to Pier 91. We'd rather a cab ride for less, but are looking at shuttle ideas too.

 

I'm looking at the same two hotels.

 

We are arriving in Seattle on June 4th (which is our 33rd anniversary) and sailing on Rhapsody of the Seas on the 5th. Of course, I'm looking for a nice, safe area that we can enjoy a nice evening to celebrate...any other suggestions would be welcome. :)

[TexCruise371]

I'm looking at the same two hotels.

 

We are arriving in Seattle on June 4th (which is our 33rd anniversary) and sailing on Rhapsody of the Seas on the 5th. Of course, I'm looking for a nice, safe area that we can enjoy a nice evening to celebrate...any other suggestions would be welcome. :)

 

In addition, we are also looking at the Alexis which seems to be in a good location.

[Gardyloo]

Quite high-end, but probably fabulous, the new Four Seasons has just opened at the corner of First and Union, next to the Pike Market and across the street from the Seattle Art Museum. http://www.fourseasons.com/seattle/

 

There are a lot of hotel rooms under construction or due to open before next cruise season, and given the economy I wouldn't be surprised at all if some good deals could be had; however booking a little later in the winter would probably be smart - give them time to get over the opening-day novelty.