Pier # in Seattle

[emilygrace]

I am new to HAL, so bear with me. I know there is a new cruise terminal in Seattle (Pier 91) and I guess this is where HAL will be sailing from in the future. My question is what if Seattle is just a port of call on your itinerary? Will we still be docked at Pier 91? And how close is this to anything, such as public transportation. I am used to docking at Pier 66 (I think that's the #) and just walking off the ship and jumping on the free bus that does the downtown area.

 

Does anyone know?

 

Thanks!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Nope, I don't know for sure. I see that you're on the Statendam 5-day coastal cruise, rt Vancouver in early May, is that right? It looks as if the Statendam will be the only cruise ship in Seattle the day you're here. So, HAL may be using pier 66 (Bell Street Pier) in downtown Seattle, rather than pier 91 for that day. If it's any help, here's cruise info, including pier 91 info, for the Port of Seattle:

 

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

[Krazy Kruizers]

No matter whether it is a port call or whether you are embarking or disembarking HAL will use pier 91.

It is out in the boon docks -- near nothing.

[jtl513]

91 is about 4 miles from 66.

[irishjim]

Does anybody know why HAL is docking at this PIER?4 miles out in the boondocks is not good passenger relations.IMHO.:eek:

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Does anybody know why HAL is docking at this PIER?4 miles out in the boondocks is not good passenger relations.IMHO.:eek:

 

Pier 66, the downtown pier, can only take so many ships, and it already handles Norwegian and Celebrity. Pier 91 is a brand new pier, in the final stages of construction, that will accommodate Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Terminal 30, the former docking area for HAL, Princess, and RCCL, is apparently needed by the port to handle freight traffic. There are some 211 cruise ship visits expected in 2009, and there just isn't enough room to handle them all at one pier.

 

Pier 91 is just north of the downtown office/retail core, and is not completely "in the boonies". :)

[emilygrace]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I was sort of hoping that since this is just a port call and it falls on a Wednesday that they would dock at Pier 66, which is so close to everything. We like to just walk off the ship and walk to whatever we want to see. My operating system cannot open the 2009 schedule for the Port of Seattle, so I cannot see how many other ships might be docked that day.

 

Thanks m-a-m for the link. We were thinking of going to Ballard (Chittenden) Locks and I had it all worked out how to get there from Pier 66 via public transportation. I'll have to go back to the bus website and redo my search.

[pitdoctor]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I was sort of hoping that since this is just a port call and it falls on a Wednesday that they would dock at Pier 66, which is so close to everything. We like to just walk off the ship and walk to whatever we want to see. My operating system cannot open the 2009 schedule for the Port of Seattle, so I cannot see how many other ships might be docked that day.

 

Thanks m-a-m for the link. We were thinking of going to Ballard (Chittenden) Locks and I had it all worked out how to get there from Pier 66 via public transportation. I'll have to go back to the bus website and redo my search.

 

From pier 91, just walk east to 15th Ave W. Cross the 15th Ave W, and catch the #18 bus heading away from Downtown. That will take you to the heart of the Ballard neighborhood, where you can either transfer to another bus or walk to the locks.

 

And pier 91 is not 4 miles from pier 66, it's just a little over 2 miles.

[wander]

And, IF you would swim, it would be less than one mile. (Sorry, just could not resist.)

 

At Pier 91 you are actually much closer to the Ballard Locks than you would be at the old HAL pier.

 

As mentioned above, Pier 91 is NOT in the boonies, still well in the city. However, I agree that the Pier used by NCL and Celebrity is much handier for those wanting to walk in the downtown section of Seattle.

[DutchByAssociation]

Pier 66, the downtown pier, can only take so many ships, and it already handles Norwegian and Celebrity. Pier 91 is a brand new pier, in the final stages of construction, that will accommodate Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Terminal 30, the former docking area for HAL, Princess, and RCCL, is apparently needed by the port to handle freight traffic. There are some 211 cruise ship visits expected in 2009, and there just isn't enough room to handle them all at one pier.

 

Pier 91 is just north of the downtown office/retail core, and is not completely "in the boonies". :)

 

You got it. Pier 66 can only hold 1 ship at a time.

 

The other option would be to tender, and that is not realistic for embarkations.

 

3 cruise ships total each week from Seattle if only Pier 66 were used.

 

That would make for a pretty lame Alaska season.

 

Keep in mind also, any HAL excursions when it's a port of call include transportation. HAL offers transfers to/from the airport for guests that select it. If the taxi driver (if you hire one) can find the Magnolia Bridge they can find Pier 91. And you're in a brand new terminal that is purpose-built for cruise ships. (Unlike Terminal 30)

 

Does the ship dock up against the Space Needle? Of course not. But is it bad? Hardly.

[Kyana]

We are on the Cruise with EmilyGrace and we did the 4 day on the Volendam last May. We were the only Cruise ship in Seattle that day but they still put us out at their old terminal. So I can't see us at the Norwegian/Celebrity site downtown.:)