Seattle Q&A/FAQ

[SeattleCruiselover]

Now for Ms. Wrona from Small Boulder AR:

 

I think that you would be best served by the Airporter too. See the web address above for info, prices, and ticketing information. You will have to use the Connector, too, but it isn't that much extra for the short hop to the Marriott.

 

Anthony's Pier 66, right across the street from the Marriott and next to the Pier 66 cruise terminal, always assuming that you like seafood, that is.

 

Let's go for reasonably near by: Pike Place Market, about six blocks south and three blocks east (uphill); I'm not a Space Needle fan (just too George Jetson for me, besides I look at it every day), but you may have a different opinion than I; I would say the Underground tour, but I don't know about your mom's physical condition and there is a fair bit of up and down stairs. I rather like the Aquarium, which is on the way to the Market--lots of interesting fishies and other critters there.

 

Or, maybe you might like to do a Royal Argosy dinner cruise, to combine sightseeing and dinner. Cool boat, and the scenery, food and music are quite good.

 

http://www.argosycruises.com/royalargosy/schedule.cfm

 

To get to Terminall 30, taxi is about the only way to do it. If there are more than 3 of you, you will need to split into a couple of vehicles. About $10.00 to go the distance from the Marriott to Terminal 30, unless there is a ton of traffic. What day was that again? And taxi back to the Sheraton. The Airporter from the front door of the Sheraton to Sea-Tac for the return flight.

 

What kind of food do you like, and what do you like to window shop/buy?

 

What's the date you get back? Mariners' tickets go on sale this Saturday, and single game tickets go quickly. If you decide to go, walk down to 1st Av from the Sheraton (about six blocks, mostly downhill) and catch a 56, 57, 21 or 22 bus and get off across the street from the Safe. I'll talk to you more about getting back when I know if it is a day or evening game (it makes a difference).

 

The ball is officially back into your court, madam.....:p

 

 

 

The large, scary critter in the middle of the picture is my youngest daughter, she who works for Majestic America Cruise Line.

[wrp96]

I get there May 22nd, sail May 23rd, we return on May 30th (there's a Mariner's game that evening), Best friend flies home that day, Mom the next day, and me the day after that.

 

I'm trying to gather info for the rest of my group as well. I do have a friend from the area that is going to be my tour guide so I'm just trying to get ideas for me.

 

No space needle for me - I'm still shaking from visiting there as a small child.:p I was thinking Pike's Market and/or the aquarium for the day we get there.

 

Seafoods perfect. For some strange reason it's hard to get good seafood here - could be the fact that we aren't near any ocean.;)

 

Mom and I are going to make an expedition to the flagship Nordstrom's the day we get off the ship. But she and I were thinking of going to the Mariner's game together.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Yep, that thing just moves around too much in the wind and is way too tall to make me comfortable. I guess that you could go and visit the ladies room on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower instead. The views are just as spectacular, and not so much swaying around.

 

Nordies is good, though not as good as they used to be. There's a Macy's a couple of blocks away, and they'll probably be having a sale while you're there. Then there is the Pacfic Place Mall at 7th & Pine (about two blocks from the Sheraton)--all sorts of interesting shops there. Do you like chocolate? Go to Godiva's in the Westlake Mall at 4th & Pine on the second floor.

 

30 May 08 Mariners versus Tigers at 7:00 pm. Gates open at 5:00 pm. Tickets run anywhere from about $15.00 to several hundred, depending on where you want to sit. There is a downtown shuttle bus that picks up from out in front of Safeco Field after the game for evening games, so would be there for the night game on the 30th, costs about $3.00 per person to get back downtown, and would drop you off just a few blocks from the Sheraton.

 

Food: The Daily Grill in the Sheraton is good, and moderately priced. If you want to throw your diet out the window, there is a Cheesecake Factory at 8th & Pike (don't eat for about 18 hours before you go in there). If you happen to like pub style food, there is an Elephant and Castle in the Red Lion on 6th near between Pike and University. If you are into steaks and seeing/being seen amongst the Glitterati of Seattle, you MUST go to the Metropolitan Grill on 2nd Av. The steaks are to kill for, and you never know who you will run into in there.

 

Go to the International District if you have a bit of time, and wander around Uwajimaya Market. Fascinating.

[kamfan]

Hello, there is a wealth of information here and I am learning lots. I wonder though if some additional thoughts in our case might help us out. We live about 6-7 hour drive from Seattle. We are leaving on a 19 day repositioning cruise from Seattle to Miami in September. We were planning on driving to Seattle, then fly back to Seattle from Miami to pick up the car and drive home afterward. I guess my questions lie in the direction of parking for the car while we are gone. My first thought was to park in long term parking at the airport and then catch a shuttle of some kind to the port to catch up with the ship. Then when we flew back in from Miami we could pick up the car right at the airport. I am sure there will be many options for this, but I was hoping for some experienced help.

 

Shawn

[briangl]

I'm not a Space Needle fan (just too George Jetson for me, besides I look at it every day), but you may have a different opinion than I;

 

I couldn't agree more. I can never figure out why the Space Needle is a big draw. You get a much better view of the city from the window of the airplane than you do from the space needle. Great thread Karen

[SeattleCruiselover]

Hello, there is a wealth of information here and I am learning lots. I wonder though if some additional thoughts in our case might help us out. We live about 6-7 hour drive from Seattle. We are leaving on a 19 day repositioning cruise from Seattle to Miami in September. We were planning on driving to Seattle, then fly back to Seattle from Miami to pick up the car and drive home afterward. I guess my questions lie in the direction of parking for the car while we are gone. My first thought was to park in long term parking at the airport and then catch a shuttle of some kind to the port to catch up with the ship. Then when we flew back in from Miami we could pick up the car right at the airport. I am sure there will be many options for this, but I was hoping for some experienced help.

 

Shawn

 

Shawn:

 

Here is the local long term parking info:

 

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/gr...rking.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

 

Which adds up to nearly $200.00 for 19 nights. If I'm you, if you can get long term parking cheaper on your side of the border, I do it, then take the train down from YVR to Seattle for about USD$25.00 per person, and take a USD$10.00 taxi ride from King Street Station to the cruise terminal, then fly back home on one of Air Canada's code partners, where you will probably get a better rate, and maybe save some of the money. (But that's just me. Depends on how you feel about shelling out all that money for a parking space....)

 

BTW, your Blazers aren't doing too well this year. Who do you see taking it all in the Western Divsion?

[SeattleCruiselover]

I couldn't agree more. I can never figure out why the Space Needle is a big draw. You get a much better view of the city from the window of the airplane than you do from the space needle. Great thread Karen

 

Well, I don't fly either, but I can live vicariously enough with web cams to not need to get up there and get vertigo from trying to get too near the edge. I had enough problems working on the 27th floor of the BofA building downtown. :eek:

[OldBaldGuy]

Thanks for that motel info, sounds like it should work fine for us.

 

Re the parking, this is a tad away from Seattle, but do you know if there is any longterm parking near the Bainbridge Ferry? We will be coming from that direction, if there is cheaper parking we could park there, take the ferry to Seattle, and stay downtown instead. More of a pain when we returned tho.

 

Shawn, if you are on the NCL repo, we will be boat partners...

[SeattleCruiselover]

I lived in Winslow before I moved over here, and I am not aware of any long term parking over there, but there is a parking lot right next to the ferry terminal. I believe that it is run by Diamond Parking (sorry that I don't have their number). You might check with them and see. It would likely be cheaper than over here by a long shot.

[wrp96]

Well, I don't fly either, but I can live vicariously enough with web cams to not need to get up there and get vertigo from trying to get too near the edge. I had enough problems working on the 27th floor of the BofA building downtown. :eek:

 

Karen, I'm scared of heights to this day - and I think the Space Needle is part of the reason. You should've seen me when I attempted to climb the Eiffel Tower as a teenager.:eek: A few years ago I clerked at a firm that was on the 39th floor of a building - and they gave me an office with a window - not good! Going to work was an interesting experience to say the least. It's bad enough that I now work on the 20th floor of a building.

[kamfan]

Shawn:

 

Here is the local long term parking info:

 

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/gr...rking.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

 

Which adds up to nearly $200.00 for 19 nights. If I'm you, if you can get long term parking cheaper on your side of the border, I do it, then take the train down from YVR to Seattle for about USD$25.00 per person, and take a USD$10.00 taxi ride from King Street Station to the cruise terminal, then fly back home on one of Air Canada's code partners, where you will probably get a better rate, and maybe save some of the money. (But that's just me. Depends on how you feel about shelling out all that money for a parking space....)

 

BTW, your Blazers aren't doing too well this year. Who do you see taking it all in the Western Divsion?

 

Karen, thank you for the information. We are considering parking in Vancouver with family and either getting a ride down or taking the train down as you suggest. We just wanted to know our options up front. It would be nice to have a car there to explore a bit either before or after the cruise, but we are not committed to it at this point. I am an accountant and get a little uptight I guess about having as much information as I can.

 

Thanks for pointing out the Blazers short comings. In reality the team has undergone so many trials over the last couple of years and then to deal with a change of ownership this year, it could be a couple of years until they can stabalize into the powerhouse they once were. I believe Vancouver will take it all again. Of course their coach is from Kamloops, so a nice tie in.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Wrona: Yep, me too. When I worked for Princess, it was on the 26th, 27th and 28th floors, and I had to tell them that they couldn't put me at a window desk or they would find me working from a lying down position under the desk so that I didn't have to look out the window and get dizzy.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Karen, thank you for the information. We are considering parking in Vancouver with family and either getting a ride down or taking the train down as you suggest. We just wanted to know our options up front. It would be nice to have a car there to explore a bit either before or after the cruise, but we are not committed to it at this point. I am an accountant and get a little uptight I guess about having as much information as I can.

 

Thanks for pointing out the Blazers short comings. In reality the team has undergone so many trials over the last couple of years and then to deal with a change of ownership this year, it could be a couple of years until they can stabalize into the powerhouse they once were. I believe Vancouver will take it all again. Of course their coach is from Kamloops, so a nice tie in.

 

I understand totally, Shawn. I'm an RN, and I'm a compulsive advance planner as well. You're right about needing a car to go to a lot of places here, but I guess you have to do a cost versus benefit analysis to see which one is going to be the best without breaking the bank or being totally undo-able.

 

I think you're right about Vancouver. We're losing our 'Birds to Kent (a city quite a way south of downtown) after this year, so I don't expect that we will be making it to too many games after the playoffs this year, sadly. Good luck to your team with the rebuild.

[Got2Cruise]

Thank you Karen for posting that gorgeous picture of Mount Rainier. I am so looking forward to discovering your gorgeous state. I will check out those links you recommended. I am looking forward to our post-cruise stay in Seattle as much as the cruise itself. Everyone I talk to give Seattle two resounding thumbs up.

[SeattleCruiselover]

Got2: I hope that you will enjoy visiting as much as I enjoy living here. Glad you enjoyed my picture of the elusive lady Rainier. Photography is another one of my dabblings...

[cruisinlawn]

K, curious how these various time may work. Flying in to SEA...if I arrive around midnight, would I have a problem getting downtown at that time? That's if we fly in two nights early (Friday night), I guess if I were coming in the night before (Saturday night) it would make more sense to save a $ by staying at airport then shuttle/taxi to town the next morning to catch ship.

 

Flying out...if I have a 7a outbound (on a Monday), I figure we would need to be at airport 5a which means I would need to leave d'town 4-4:30a. Any problem getting a cab/shuttle at that time of morning?

 

Thanks for all your info.

[SeattleCruiselover]

*coughs politely* If you leave at 4 and plan to be at the airport by 5 on a Monday morning.......*sigh* hope you don't mind being a little late:confused: Mondays and Fridays are the two worst traffic days of a week that never has a GOOD traffic day. The best way to do it to make it on time is to call the taxi the night before and set up a timed pick up. Then call them EARLY on Monday morning to verify that they have not forgotten and are really planning to pick you up (otherwise you could wait an hour or more for one to show up, and that is not good when you are on a deadline). For shuttle reservations (yes, they will pick you up ANY TIME).

 

http://www.shuttleexpress.com

 

As for flights in, you would have to take a taxi or Shuttle Express if you get in at midnight, because the last Airporter is at about 11:00 pm. But, yes, it is certainly do-able.

[Tenn4ever]

K, curious how these various time may work. Flying in to SEA...if I arrive around midnight, would I have a problem getting downtown at that time? That's if we fly in two nights early (Friday night), I guess if I were coming in the night before (Saturday night) it would make more sense to save a $ by staying at airport then shuttle/taxi to town the next morning to catch ship.

 

Flying out...if I have a 7a outbound (on a Monday), I figure we would need to be at airport 5a which means I would need to leave d'town 4-4:30a. Any problem getting a cab/shuttle at that time of morning?

 

Thanks for all your info.

 

cough, cough, gulp - You better stay out close to the airport or your return flight.

[cruisinlawn]

WOW....I can't travel 18 miles(apprx) from d'town to airport at 4a on any morning in 30-60 minutes:eek: . Atlanta is rated #4 in the country for worst traffic but I could make a similar drive here without hesitation. I think whoever determines those traffic stats needs to re-evaluate :confused: .

 

I appreciate the info and I'm not doubting what your telling me:D , I just know I know need to rethink my departure plan. Sounds like once in Seattle, always in Seattle, which may not be bad cause we've been looking to move anyway:D.

 

BTW, on a side note...in Atlanta, Thursday/Friday after 2p, commute 50 miles can easily consume 3hrs:eek: . I do realize what you're relaying, thanks again for all the info you put out there:)

[SeattleCruiselover]

WOW....I can't travel 18 miles(apprx) from d'town to airport at 4a on any morning in 30-60 minutes:eek: . Atlanta is rated #4 in the country for worst traffic but I could make a similar drive here without hesitation. I think whoever determines those traffic stats needs to re-evaluate :confused: .

 

I appreciate the info and I'm not doubting what your telling me:D , I just know I know need to rethink my departure plan. Sounds like once in Seattle, always in Seattle, which may not be bad cause we've been looking to move anyway:D.

 

BTW, on a side note...in Atlanta, Thursday/Friday after 2p, commute 50 miles can easily consume 3hrs:eek: . I do realize what you're relaying, thanks again for all the info you put out there:)

 

A big part of the problem here is infrastructure related, perhaps even far more than the actual traffic volume. Seattle's freeways were not built to handle the amount of traffic that they see, and there is now no room to really change/expand them. A good portion of the major downtown interchanges are underground more or less, with buildings on top of them. The Hwy 99 Alaska Way Viaduct is old and crumbling (and, frankly, in danger of collapsing if the wrong person sneezes at the wrong time).

 

I used to commute, freeway-wise, a distance of less than 10 miles from downtown to the Northgate area, and it was not unusual for that to take anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours, depending on the circumstances. If there was a game or other event going on, it was consderably longer in stop and go (mostly stop) traffic. The offramp near where I now live is structured and stop lighted in such a way that cars turning in a certain direction may sit on the offramp for 45 minutes waiting to get off the freeway.

 

So it's not so much that there are all of those millions of cars on the freeway like in LAX, it's just the way that they are handled, not to mention all of the horrendous construction projects going on in the airport area for the foreseeable future (at least through 2009).

[cruisinlawn]

Thanks again Karen. I feel for you, gotta maintain those patience. Just like here, it just becomes part of daily routine and that's the way it is:D . I'll be asking more once we get air situated, then it'll be hotel and sightseeing, looking forward to our visit.

[Karshrimp]

Hey Karen, Once we land at Sea/Tac, what is the best way to get to Springhill Suites (downtown Seattle)? Can we just go to the curb and hail a taxi? Just don't want to land and not have any plans for how to get to the hotel. :eek:

Grayline doesn't go to Springhill does it?

[SeattleCruiselover]

The closest that the Gray Line connector goes to SpringHill is the Greyhound Station, which is about 5-6 blocks away, and you can't book the connector in advance like you can the main portion of the Airporter. You have to wait and call them after you are dropped off at a downtown hotel stop.

 

Taxis are available on the third floor of the parking garage.

 

See map here .

[Tenn4ever]

The closest that the Gray Line connector goes to SpringHill is the Greyhound Station, which is about 5-6 blocks away, and you can't book the connector in advance like you can the main portion of the Airporter. You have to wait and call them after you are dropped off at a downtown hotel stop.

 

Taxis are available on the third floor of the parking garage.

 

See map here .

 

SeattleCruiser, I don't know if this applies or not but we are considering the connector service because we are staying at the Holiday Inn Express the night before our cruise. This is what is on their site concerning the connector service and calling one hour prior to when the connector service is needed:

 

Downtown Airporter Connector Service

Our Connector Service is available between 5:30 am and 9:00 pm to connect passengers to and from outlying locations to the Downtown Airporter Service. Please call 206-255-7159 one hour prior to needed pick up time for Connector Service. Please note, these numbers are to request Connector Service pick-up on the day it is needed ONLY. No other information can be given out on this line and reservations cannot be taken for future connector service.

This is the link:

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

[SeattleCruiselover]

True, I guess you would need to call as you are loading at the airport to have them waiting for you. But even the Connector Service goes only to certain hotels/properties and the Spring HIll is, unfortunately, not one of them. The list is at the bottom of the page that you referenced, but the Holiday Inn Express is.