Seattle Q&A/FAQ

[SeattleCruiselover]

mp: You are more than welcome. If it gets to be too long, he may want to take a cab. If you were at Pier 66 he could walk, but too far to walk to Terminal 30.

 

B: I worked at Pier 66, so we didn't have that issue, and I have never left from Terminal 30. I will see what I can find out for you from friends who are still working down there and let you know.

 

MaryAnn: If you won't have a car, here are your options for getting to Port Townsend without one:

 

http://www.ptguide.com/gettingaround/seatac.html

 

It's not easy, but it can be done (though it is also not a short trip).

 

Tom: The market for health care practitioners of all kinds is reasonably robust around here right now, including RT. Some of the larger medical centers that he could beging checking with would be: Swedish Medical Center (all campuses), Virgnia Mason Medical Center, Northwest Hospital, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, Highline Hospital (both campuses), the Franciscan Health System (all campuses), Providence Health Services (all campuses). I would be surprised if he would not be able to find something, just depending on what hours he wants to work and where he wants to do it. I would be happy to do this by e-mail if you like. I had mine in my profile, but the mods removed it, so let me know it when you have a new question, and I will reply there.

[Maryandi]

Karen - I misunderstood you - my fault. The car ferry that is out of commission was the only direct ferry to PT. So now there is no direct ferry to PT. I was thinking there still was a passenger ferry but no car ferry. I don't think we'll be going there after all. We'll probably take a shorter trip on the ferries. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

 

So which ferry would give us the prettiest scenery and something to do when we get there ?

 

MaryAnn

[SeattleCruiselover]

From downtown Seattle you have basically three choices: Bainbridge Island, Bremerton and Vashon Island.

 

There is not much on Vashon, and not much of a way to get around out there, so I would pretty much rule that one out.

 

Bremerton is an hour trip, with quite a few things to look at once you get across the main channel, but not a whole lot to do once you get there again--other than the Navy Museums in Bremerton and Keyport (which requires a bus ride to get to).

 

Bainbridge Island is a half hour ride from downtown. The City of Winslow is right outside the ferry terminal, and there is a shuttle bus into town. There are lots of galleries, antique shops and such to browse in Winslow itself. Then, if you feel like it, you can take another half hour bus ride (from the ferry terminal) to Poulsbo, which is a Scandanavian community, and has lots of good things to do as well (including good food). If you are into gambling, you can get a free shuttle from the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal to the Clearwater Casino. Good food and games there, too.

 

So, I guess I could say that I am recommending the Bainbridge Island Ferry.

[Maryandi]

This website has been so wacky it's a wonder we can converse at all !

 

The Bainbridge Island sounds like the better idea.

 

Thanks again (for now), M.A.

[SeattleCruiselover]

I know. It seems that I get a fatal error everytime I log in, and every other time I try to post.

[Got2Cruise]

Thank you for your assistance.:)

 

What exactly is the Underground Tour? Can we easily book it from our hotel in Seattle.?

 

And here is one really city slicker question :rolleyes:. We are planning to rent a car and drive to Mount Rainer, dh is a good driver, that I am not worried. Is the road very steep driving up? Do we need to rent a car with a big engine, or is a Toyota Corolla good enough? (i know this sounds dopey, can't help myself)

[SeattleCruiselover]

You can both find out all you want to know about the Underground Tour and buy tickets here:

 

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

 

It is a lot of fun and very informative about the early history/early days of Duwamps, as Seattle was originally known.

 

About Mt. Rainier: A lot of the roads, especially those inside the park, were badly damaged by the floods in 2006 and 2007. They are working on repairing them, but they are still not in super good shape. And, yes, parts of the road up there can get pretty steep, since the roads go up nearly to the 10,000' foot level or slightly above. You're going to want something that can handle the really thin air (our Isuzu didn't like it at all).

 

Here is some good info on the park and how to get there:

 

http://www.onroute.com/destinations/washington/mtrainiernp.html

 

http://www.nps.gov/mora/

 

And you might enjoy watching this video (it's kind of shaky but gives you a good idea what it is like up there. Shows how twisty, curvy and steep the roads are.)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QGCc2zE_d4

 

[seafood]

DH and I will be cruising on the Star Princess Alaska roundtrip Seattle in September. We're thinking of booking the hotel/transfer package with Princess; the hotel is the Westin on 5th St. However, now I'm thinking of using my points and booking with Marriott Waterfront and just taking taxis to the hotel from the airport, hotel to the port, and port back to the hotel at the end of the cruise. My concern is having to wait for Princess to transfer us to/from airport and to the ship. Which hotel would you suggest, and have you experienced Princess transfers in Seattle? I'd appreciate any info you can give!

[SeattleCruiselover]

Nope, when I sail from Seattle, I generally walk to the pier. Won't this year, though, since I am leaving from Terminal 30 and it's too far to walk from where I live.

 

The big disadvantage to cruise line transfers here, like anywhere else, is having to wait until the bus if full. This is not such a big deal on the way home because the buses fill faster, but may be on the way out.

 

The Marriott is the newer of the two hotels, though both are nice. Neither of them have shuttle that will take you to Termnal 30, so you will need to use taxis to get there if you stay at the Marriott. Princess has a dedicated staffer in the lobby of the Westin to assist with transfers on sailing days and pre/post days.

 

Cost of taxi from Sea-Tac to downtown $33.00 for two people one way. Probable cost from the Marriott to Terminal 30, about $10.00 unless there is a M's day game the day that you are leaving, in which case it could be up to twice that if there is a lot of waiting time for traffic on the way by Safeco Field to Terminal 30.

[Barek]

About Mt. Rainier: A lot of the roads, especially those inside the park, were badly damaged by the floods in 2006 and 2007. They are working on repairing them, but they are still not in super good shape. And, yes, parts of the road up there can get pretty steep, since the roads go up nearly to the 10,000' foot level or slightly above. You're going to want something that can handle the really thin air (our Isuzu didn't like it at all).

The most popular visitor destination in the park is Paradise Inn and the Paradise visitor's center (elevation 5400 feet). While several roads in the park still require considerable work, the Nisqually road entrance (south west corner) has been repaired at least as far as Paradise. I've traveled there at least a dozen of times over the years, in everything from new SUVs down to 20+ yo hatchbacks, and none of the vehicles have struggled on most of that particular road (there are a couple steep sections, but not as many as are found on other roads in the park that are far tougher on cars). The only real concern if visiting the park via that entrance is that the road is narrow in places, and departing that route in the evening can be stressful for some drivers - picture driving towards the setting sun on twisty roads with the sun alternating in your eyes then everything cast in shadow, depending on tree cover. To avoid that hassle, I usually try to arrive fairly early (a good idea, as parking can be limited, especially by the afternoon) so that we can then depart before the sun gets low enough to become annoying.

[SeattleCruiselover]

I don't think that is the way that we went in, because we went way higher than that. Longmire???

[trurocruiser]

SeattleCruiselover:

 

We will be in Seattle for three days before our NCL cruise on May 17th. We are staying at the Marriott Waterfront. What can you tell us about the trolly that runs along the waterfront. Will it be running in May and is there a fee? Also, we are planning to go to the Mariners game on May 16th (Impossible to get Red Sox tickets @ Fenway here in Mass.). Tickets on sale March 1st! How far from the Marriott to Safeco? How is the food/view from the Hit It Here Cafe? Thanks!!!!

[OldBaldGuy]

Wow, I come up with a couple of questions, and here you are, perfect timing!

 

We are taking a 19 day repo out of Seattle in Sept. We will already be in the area, a friend is flying in from CA to join us on the cruise. Our two questions are: Can you recommend a reasonably priced motel near the airport, and is there any secure long term parking near the airport? OUr plan is to meet near the airport, park the car, spend the night, take a cab to the pier in the morning, then fly back after the cruise and reclaim our vehicle.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

OBG

[SeattleCruiselover]

Truro; The Waterfront Streetcar is not running currently (not for about another year, while they construct a new yard for it, after the old one was displaced by the Olympic Sculpture Garden), but there is a free bus that runs the same route about every 15-20 minutes, and stops directly across the street from the Marriott, in front of Anthony's Pier 66 restaurant.

 

If you are walkers, you would find it a nice walk from the Marriott to the Safe. Go directly south on Alaskan Way to Royal Brougham Way (about 1.5 miles give or take a couple of blocks), turn left on Royal Brougham and walk about another 2.5 blocks and you are right there. If you don't want to walk quite that far, take the aforementioned waterfront bus to 1st Av & Yesler, get off there and walk down 1st Av about 3/4 of a mile south.

 

I either sit in Hit It Here or the club seats, and nowhere else, when I go to games. The food is good, and you get a food voucher included in your ticket when you buy seats there (about $18.00 per person, which will get you a reasonable amount of food--we rarely pay more than another $5.00-10.00 for the both of us). If I see you there that day, I promise not to hiss at you. :D

 

OBG: There is long term parking available, but it is not cheap.....$390.00 for 19 days if you park in the airport's long term lot.

 

http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/parking.shtml#17

 

$9.95 per day if you use this lot, which will also shuttle you to the terminal:

 

http://www.mvpparking.com/rates.html

 

As for a place to stay, what is your desired budget. There are a number of places, but depends on how close you want to be and how much you want to spend.

[Phamer55]

I understand that there is luggage storage at Pier 30. Any idea how much that would cost? Is there a closing time you need to pick up your luggage by? I'm looking at spending the day in Seattle post cruise and flying back home on the 7:30pm flight.

[SeattleCruiselover]

I understand that there is luggage storage at Pier 30. Any idea how much that would cost? Is there a closing time you need to pick up your luggage by? I'm looking at spending the day in Seattle post cruise and flying back home on the 7:30pm flight.

 

Here is the basic information on the concierge services:

 

http://www.portseattle.org/seaport/cruise/concierge.shtml

 

The one thing that they don't mention is the closing time. I have not yet sailed out of Terminal 30, but, at Pier 66, they close at 3 pm or whenever boarding is closed for the ship (usually about that time), so it should be close to that at Terminal 30 as well.

[shadowdiver]

Seattlecruiselover.

Me and a group of friends are going on the Star Princess to Alaska July 6th. we are coming in to Seattle on Friday and we are going to take the Victoria Clipper to the Friday Harbor San Juan Island On Saturday morning. I was wandering how long it might take us to drive our rental van from the Doubletree Hotel at SeaTac to Victoria clipper at pier 69? The tour starts at 7:45 am but we need to check in approximately 30 minutes prior to departure time . I wanted to make sure we give ourselves plenty of time to drive to the pier 69.

[Tenn4ever]

Here is the basic information on the concierge services:

 

http://www.portseattle.org/seaport/cruise/concierge.shtml

 

The one thing that they don't mention is the closing time. I have not yet sailed out of Terminal 30, but, at Pier 66, they close at 3 pm or whenever boarding is closed for the ship (usually about that time), so it should be close to that at Terminal 30 as well.

 

Oh, 3pm won't help us a lot. Our flight is 7:15am the next day so we are staying close to the airport but had hoped to spend the entire previous day in Seattle before going to our hotel at the airport that evening.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Seattlecruiselover.

Me and a group of friends are going on the Star Princess to Alaska July 6th. we are coming in to Seattle on Friday and we are going to take the Victoria Clipper to the Friday Harbor San Juan Island On Saturday morning. I was wandering how long it might take us to drive our rental van from the Doubletree Hotel at SeaTac to Victoria clipper at pier 69? The tour starts at 7:45 am but we need to check in approximately 30 minutes prior to departure time . I wanted to make sure we give ourselves plenty of time to drive to the pier 69.

 

 

I would hope that, if you plan an hour, it would be enough. But, since that is the weekend after the 4th of July and there may be more people on the road than either of us might plan on, I would say plan 1.5 hours and then you should be fine for sure.

 

Phamer: Sorry. Once the ships are buttoned up and ready to "hit the road," so to speak, the Terminal personnel lock up and leave.

[BaileyandBella]

HI...would you mind helping me out with transfers? There are 4 of us and I am looking for the cheapest way. :)

 

We are cruising on NCL, from Pier 66.

 

We are arriving the day before our cruise, our plane lands at 9:00 PM. We are staying at the Seattle Sheraton.

 

When our cruise is done, we are flying home that same day, at about 3:00 PM.

 

I was looking at the Grey line, which would drop us off at our hotel, but how would we get from the pier to the airport on our last day?

 

Also, what exactly is the Grey Line, is it a large bus?

 

What do you suggest?

 

Thanks so much!

[OldBaldGuy]

Thanks for the parking info.

 

As for the motel, three people, one room we figure to have to pay at least $180 or so for one night. We are not interested in some $300 suite or anything, clean is all we care about, it is only for one night...

[wrp96]

Karen, I know I've asked some of these questions before, but thought I'd ask them again here.:p

 

What is the best way to transport 3 adult women (and luggage) from the airport to the Marriott Waterfront?

 

What is a good place for drinks/dinner near the Marriott for a small group of women to meet up the night before the cruise? I believe most, if not all of us are staying at the Marriott?

 

If you only had an afternoon and an evening in Seattle, and were staying at the Marriott Waterfront, what would you recommend seeing?

 

What's the best way to transport 3 adult women and luggage from the Marriott to Pier 30? What if there were more people in the group?

 

After the cruise, what's the best way to get 2 people from Pier 30 to the Seattle Sheraton? What's the best way to get from the Sheraton to the airport?

 

What would you recommend seeing, doing, eating if you have a day and half in Seattle? Shopping? Restaurants?

 

If the Mariners are in town and we decide to see a game, how would you get to and from the games?

[SeattleCruiselover]

Love: For you, the Seattle Airporter (run by Gray Line of Seattle) is going to be the most inexpensive way. $10.25 per person and it will take you right to the front door of the Sheraton.

 

http://www.graylineseattle.com/airportexpress1.cfm

 

Gray Line = buses owned by Holland America and Greyhound in concert with each other, so, yes, they are big buses. On the way back, depending on how much time you have, you could call and catch the connector bus next door at the Edgewater or across the street (from Pier 66, that is) and then take the Airporter back as well. For a 3:00 flight, which means that you need to be at the airport by 1:00 pm, you SHOULD be able to do it that way. If you don't get off the ship til late, though, I think I would just take a cab. $33.00 for two people, a bit extra for additional.

[SeattleCruiselover]

OBG: LaQuinta near the airport. I have stayed there and it is OK for one night. You can get a suite for three for one night for $145.00 in the middle of September: (that is about the only one that will hold three comfortably):

 

La Quinta Inn

Seattle Sea-Tac

 

2824 S. 188th St.

Seattle, WA 98188

Phone: (206) 241-5211

Fax: (206) 246-5596

[Tenn4ever]

OBG: LaQuinta near the airport. I have stayed there and it is OK for one night. You can get a suite for three for one night for $145.00 in the middle of September: (that is about the only one that will hold three comfortably):

 

La Quinta Inn

Seattle Sea-Tac

 

2824 S. 188th St.

Seattle, WA 98188

Phone: (206) 241-5211

Fax: (206) 246-5596

 

That's where we have our reservations before our flight going home. Since our flight is at 7:15am we want to be close to the airport instead of downtown. Our AARP rate for one night for two on June 6 is $98 but that's before the very high taxes are added.:)