Seattle Q&A/FAQ

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Will be in the Seattle area for a cruise the week of Sept 17th. Doing a search for town car service from the Embassy Suites to the pier and Hilton Seattle to the airport resulted in a number of companies. I was just wondering if one stands out over the others or are there any to definitely avoid. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

We used Already There Town Car Service from the airport to downtown Seattle and had no complaints. A taxi was the less expensive option from downtown to the port.

[zacc]

We used Already There Town Car Service from the airport to downtown Seattle and had no complaints. A taxi was the less expensive option from downtown to the port.

 

 

Thanks for the response. That was the one I was looking at.

[Northender]

Hi everyone. Altho I did not go thru all the 5000+ posts :eek:, I did try a search but it was not working well:(

 

We will be returning from our cruise and debark at Vancouver. Being from the East Coast and doing a pre-cruise in Vancouver, we thought we would like to do a post-cruise in Seattle and return home from there.:)

 

Right now we have asked our TA for post-cruise tours from Princess in Seattle and know that the hotels they use are the Doubletree at the Airport and the Weston downtown. The Doubletree is $75+ less a night but again, it is at the Airport. Also the pricing includes Princess Transfers from Vancouver.

 

How far is the airport to downtown? Is there easy transportation for some downtown Seattle sightseeing? Of course we are thinking touristy stuff like the Space Needle, Pikes Market, etc. Would 2 full days be enough.

We arrive back from the cruise on June 30th and thought that heading back home on July 2nd would give us a good taste and feel for Seattle.:cool:

 

I will get more particulars as we go along, but wamted to get your ideas about where to stay, etc. Thanks in advance:D

[Casagordita]

Hi everyone. Altho I did not go thru all the 5000+ posts :eek:, I did try a search but it was not working well:(

 

We will be returning from our cruise and debark at Vancouver. Being from the East Coast and doing a pre-cruise in Vancouver, we thought we would like to do a post-cruise in Seattle and return home from there.:)

 

Right now we have asked our TA for post-cruise tours from Princess in Seattle and know that the hotels they use are the Doubletree at the Airport and the Weston downtown. The Doubletree is $75+ less a night but again, it is at the Airport. Also the pricing includes Princess Transfers from Vancouver.

 

How far is the airport to downtown? Is there easy transportation for some downtown Seattle sightseeing? Of course we are thinking touristy stuff like the Space Needle, Pikes Market, etc. Would 2 full days be enough.

We arrive back from the cruise on June 30th and thought that heading back home on July 2nd would give us a good taste and feel for Seattle.:cool:

 

I will get more particulars as we go along, but wamted to get your ideas about where to stay, etc. Thanks in advance:D

 

Are we talking about the Doubletree on International Boulevard, or the one on Southcenter Parkway? They sometimes describe that second one as being at the airport, but it's a couple of miles away, neat Westfield Southcenter mall. You can probably get a bus from nearby to downtown, but it will be more complicated, less convenient, and more time-consuming. Of course, the hotel probably knows that, and may offer good shuttle service--it's worth asking them.

 

Transit options will be much better for the real airport location, on International Boulevard --it's about 0.7 of a mile from the airport lightrail station, and the light rail takes about 35-40 minutes to get you downtown. The station is walkable from the Doubletree if you don't mind that distance--level, and reasonably safe (some people will tell you that the area is scary, but some people are easily alarmed. The truly dicey parts of International Boulevard are more north of Hwy 518. I've lived in that very neighborhood for 11 years, and I would walk it without hesitation, at least in daylight), but the hotel might offer shuttle service to and from the light rail station--ask them. There are also buses along International Boulevard.

 

So if it were me...for $75+ a night savings, I might choose the Doubletree on International Boulevard (especially if it might help you add a third night in town). If it's the one on Southcenter Parkway, I would spend the extra money on the Westin (which is a great location downtown), because you will probably end up spending a lot on cabs to get anywhere from there.

 

You could certainly find enough to see and do for two full days in Seattle. You could fill more than that, IMHO, but that would give you time for the highlights. Staying for the 4th of July might be fun--you could get on a tour boat and watch the fireworks on Lake Union. Weather then is unpredictable--it's funny, but true that the historical averages show that real summer tends to begin here a few days after the 4th!--but it could be lovely and warm (or not).

[mapleleaves]

the airport is about 30 minutes south of downtown Seattle.

From the airport you could ride the Light Rail; $2.75 each way and takes about 40 minutes to get to the end of the line which is Westlake Center in the downtown core. From there you can walk a few blocks to Pike Place Market.

http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail.xml

These 2 sites are useful for seattle visitors. Also look up above at the Seattle STICKY. Check out Cedar Lodge by the airport. Not that there's anything wrong with DTree; just that the lodge is so lovely.

http://www.seattle.gov/visiting/

 

http://www.visitseattle.org/Home.aspx

[picomullet]

Thanks to Everyone for all the valuable information obtained from this thread. We just returned from our Alaskan Cruise and spent 3 days in beautiful Seattle. The weather was so wonderful. Sunny and nice all three days. We used the services of Already There Town Car and Seattle Shuttle. The service was fantastic and we would highly recommend either company... We did take the ferry to Bremmerton and it was fabulous. There was a festival going on and we thoroughly enjoyed it also. Gave Starbucks some business too...We went to Pike Market, bought flowers for our cruise and carried them around all day even on our Duck Tour..

 

We stayed at Residence Inn. We would defineately stay there again. Transportation was available whenever we wanted to go to the ferry or market. Since there were 6 of us we just opted to take car service. Hey $15 bucks to go to the ferry or market for 6 was not bad. I didn't get to ride the streetcar but next time as well as taking the clipper to Victoria.. Oh Yes! There will defineately be a next time..:D

 

As soon as I can catch my breath, I will write a review...

 

Thanks again!!!

[Northender]

Casagordita and Mapleleaves, thank you. You have given me food for thought.

I will contact my TA to make sure of the Doubletree location. I think I would want the one at International Boulevard.:) I am still not discounting the Westin. Will check out Cedar Lodge also.:)

 

The cruise is not until next June, but need to keep an eye on the airfares for both arrival and leaving. Thanks again and I'll be back:eek:

[mapleleaves]

sorry, Cedarbrook Lodge. Didn't notice my error until I saw your response. It's a nice choice for people who want to stay at the airport. It's not part of the hotel strip in front of SeaTac; it's 2-3 miles away and sits on lovely grounds with beautiful gardens. A free shuttle will take you to the airport or light rail.

http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/

[Northender]

Thanks forthe link. I just went thru it quickly, but will look again after dinner:D

[dickinson]

Sorry if this question has been asked before but this thread is waaay to long to read through.

 

Anyways... flying in day before cruise but arriving about 1:30 pm. don't know if we'll be able to do much sightseeing. After cruise we will have disembarkation day to sight see . Have an early morning flight (6 am) home to east coast. With our luggage and all what kind of info can you give me about hotels. I wanted to stay near the airport because of the early morning flight . Logistically we will get off ship, go to hotel to check in and probably have to leave our luggage as room probably not ready that early and then out to sightsee. Is this reasonable? Any suggestions? Or is this short period of time a waste and we should just try to fly home after getting off ship? We have never been to Seattle but have to be home day after cruise ends.

 

thanks

[happylady]

We stayed at the Hyatt Place near the Space Needle pre and post cruise. They had no problem with us checking in after the cruise at 9am. I guess it depends on the hotel and how booked they may be.

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