midwest917 Posted August 5, 2008 #1 Share Posted August 5, 2008 We are staying in a hotel near the airport for our upcoming cruise on Infinity this September. We are not using the celebrity transfers due to the fact we are arriving a day early. Does anyone have any suggestions for transportation to the pier? We will have 4 people in our group. Also, with all the airline schedule changes, we now have an 1151am departure time from SEA on the return. Is that going to be "cutting it close" for our return? Help Please!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellowtraveler Posted August 5, 2008 #2 Share Posted August 5, 2008 You could take the airport shuttle, a cab or grab a limo that is waiting in a line at the airport. The shuttle is the cheapest and would accomodate ALL of your luggage. If you decide on a cab, be sure and look for the little sign inside the cab that states what the flat faire is from the airport to downtown Seattle. (the pier is in downtown) The cab might be a bit tight with all your luggage. Also, they too have a "fuel surchagrge" which is posted in the cab. We did a limo last time and it was $50. We went over to the line of limo's waiting at the airport and asked how much. They want to stay busy so it's a much better rate than if you booked a limo in advance. We liked it so much we arranged to have him pick us up for our departure home. If the ship gets in on time...you should have no problems making your flight. The drive to the airport is approx. 20-30 min. When you get off their are plenty of cabs waiting at the pier to take you to the airport. I believe there are also shuttles (but never have used them) Call your hotel and ask what transportation they normally use for clients. Also, at the Seattle airport....you need to go up to get to the street level in order to find any transportation. Look for signs. Hope this helps. Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjwinston Posted August 5, 2008 #3 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Just want to tell you what Mellow Traveler is saying is Correct! I would suggest the shuttle to downtown for they are the cheapest and they have lots of room for 4 peoples luggage. Now if you know the pier they will drop you off. :D :D :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Cruiser 6143 Posted August 6, 2008 #4 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Are you wedded to that hotel near the airport? You said you were coming in a day early. I assume to see some of Seattle? You realize you will have to pay for transport to and from town at least twice. Why not stay in downtown Seattle and be in the thick of it? If you stay at a hotel like Inn at the Market, you can walk to the ship. You can watch your ship come in from the rooftop deck in the morning. Just a thought. As for transport to and from the airport, I would definitely go for the limo with 4 people. And you can arrange to have them meet you at the ship and take you back to the airport. Not much more than the shuttle splitting the cost 4 ways and it will take about half the time since you don't have to go to every hotel downtown first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffie Posted August 6, 2008 #5 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I was just in Seattle for 2 weeks and they have a FABULOUS bus system that you could use to go downtown to see the city. For $2.50 each way you get there fairly quickly and save a lot of $$. The busses around downtown are all free. There is also a free trolley on the waterfront. I am sure that your hotel would have information on the busses and their times. Have a great cruise, and enjoy the Emerald City! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattle_transplant Posted August 6, 2008 #6 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I There is also a free trolley on the waterfront. The trolley isn't running at the moment - but the 99 bus route, with each bus decorated to look like a trolley does the same thing. And of course, it is in the free ride area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jan7487 Posted August 6, 2008 #7 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Hi-- I know you didn't ask for an opinion on this, but I absolutely second the thought that you come into Seattle on arrival. While there are many nice hotels at the airport, they will offer you nothing in the way of "Seattle Atmosphere" or views of any kind. Take one of the limos into town----it will be little more, if any, than the shuttle for four---and the suggestion of Inn at the Market is an excellent one. The Edgewater or the new Marriott also have great views. Longtime Seattle Resident Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammamishcruiser Posted August 7, 2008 #8 Share Posted August 7, 2008 There are several places to stay in the Northgate area. It's just a short bus ride into downtown. Lots of great shopping and Restaurants in the area. I can't think of any names of hotels but they will probably be a bit easier on the wallet and the buses run all the time to downtown, the U district, Lake Washington, etc. It's just about a 15 minute ride, depending on the traffic. We here in the Seattle area have HUGE traffic issues:( a native Seattleite Melody;):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DrKoob Posted August 8, 2008 #9 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Go to Hotwire.com and book a four star hotel in the Downtown/Pike Place area. You will find it is either the Sheraton or the Westin in the heart of downtown and you will probably get the room for under $125 a night. Don't stay near the airport if you can avoid it and don't stay in Northgate. Stay downtown. But be warned the Edgewater and the Waterfront Marriott are SPENDY. Great hotels but big bucks. And as to our "wonderful" bus system, with the high price of gas it has become an a very crowded way to get around. Be prepared to be packed in like sardines on some runs. Also, I have never been on a Metro or Sound Transit bus in the summer that wasn't a big sweat box. As to the shuttle vs limo, try a Town Car (Google Seattle town car). With a shuttle you will stop for everyone else going home and the cost is around $40 per person. With a town car you will pay $50-$60 for the entire car (plus tips) and no stops except you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepWaterMariner Posted August 9, 2008 #10 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Go to Hotwire.com and book a four star hotel in the Downtown/Pike Place area. You will find it is either the Sheraton or the Westin in the heart of downtown and you will probably get the room for under $125 a night. That's the approach we took for our Seattle cruise departure and it worked great for us. In our case it was the Sheraton. Our daughter went the same route and ended up at the Westin. BTW, we had an early flight out on our return and made it to the airport without time to spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccqueenanne Posted August 9, 2008 #11 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I concur with DrKoob and DeepWaterMariner. You've got plenty of time to cancel your airport hotel without penalty, so you should absolutely switch to a downtown hotel. Even if you only have 1/2 day to play in Seattle, being in downtown will make all of the difference - it'll be easier for you to visit Pike Place Market, the waterfront, etc. And there really are a range of rates (depending on how many frills you need at the hotel). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepWaterMariner Posted August 10, 2008 #12 Share Posted August 10, 2008 BTW, we had an early flight out on our return and made it to the airport without time to spare. I meant to say we made our early flight with plenty of time to spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisewmn Posted August 10, 2008 #13 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I agree with previous posters -- spend the night downtown! Last summer, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt. It had a great location (about a 10 minute walk to Pike Place, but right in the mix of shopping and restaurants -- great views, too). It was considerably cheaper than the newer Marriott on the Waterfront. The cab ride to the pier lasted 5 - 10 minutes. Great hotel. We'd stay there again in a heart beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suncat Posted August 10, 2008 #14 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I agree with all above that say to stay in downtown Seattle. Do the Hotwire or similar bidding website on a downtown four star hotel. The Westin and Sheraton are very nice and right in the heart of the city. Everything in Seattle is within walking distance that's a tourist attraction. You can even catch the monorail if you want to go to the space needle! As for transporation, ask the hotel if they have a towncar service or just cab it. If you must stay by the airport, go for a limo, or Shuttle Express (shuttleexpress.com) You will make it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare for an 11am flight too. If the ship comes in at 7ish and you get off by 8:30 or 9, you'll be fine as the airport is 20-30 minutes on a bad day. Suncat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DrKoob Posted August 10, 2008 #15 Share Posted August 10, 2008 If you are worried about making a flight out of SeaTac, don't. You should be able to make any flight after 9:30 am. I was walking next to Infinity this last Friday, taking pictures and there were people getting into cabs and heading for the airport. It was very close to 7:00 am. I am sure you could have gotten off even earlier if you wanted to. When we do our cruise in three weeks, I am just afraid they will want us off too early. ;) Last year in Barcelona we got a note that said we were "required" to disembark from Century at 7:15 am. And they weren't kidding. Since we live here in the Puget Sound Region, we would love to stay on Infinity as long as we can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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