Seattle stay after cruise

[stevenikkij]

Ok- we are doing an Alaskan cruise at the end of July with family- it will be over July 31. After that we are staying in Seattle until Wednesday- we have a flight around 11am- so no touring or sight seeing that day. Here are some things we want to do:

 

Space Needle(we are eating lunch there as well)

Science Museum

Anacortes orca whale watching

want to visit one of those cupcake places

also Pike Place(even though hubby isn't that interested- we have to- LOL)

 

Do we really need to stay downtown for this- we want a hotel with a kitchenette, and that is between Seatac and Seattle (maybe closer to Seattle), what areas should I be looking at. I am familiar with driving in a city- just don't know if it is necessary. Any help would be appreciated.

[Cabunit]

I'm sure that some of the experts on Seattle will speak up soon enough, but a general observation is that the vast majority of the the area between SeaTac and downtown Seattle is industrial. You may well end up having to choose one extreme or the other - SeaTac or a nearby area (Tukwila or Des Moines) or downtown. With your list you might also consider looking slightly north of downtown?

[c-cruise]

Guess it would depend on what you are planning on doing for transportation. If you are renting a car then you could stay further out, but if you are going to be using cabs and public transportation then I would certainly consider staying downtown. Going to Anacortes is going to eat up one full day so you don't really have that much time for the rest of the items on your list. Staying downtown would maximize the time you have for sightseeing and cut down on the amount of traveling around you would need to do.

[Dan G]

agree with above comments. Personally I find driving a car more of a hassle than a benefit. You'll park it and walk to where you want to go. Buses downtown are free so everything is pretty easy. Look at Seattle forum on tripadvisor. There is a one day itinerary without a car and other useful info in the FAQ on top right corner.

 

Consider

 

clippervacations.com

 

for a one day whale watching trip from downtown Seattle. For location Homewood Suites on Pike would be ideal. Other idea if you do have a car is to look around Lk Union. Residence Inn may fit your needs.

[stevenikkij]

Thanks everyone- I will definitely look into some of the suggestions. We are renting a car- so I know we will have our own transportation. We just didn't want to break the bank on the hotel, especially after the cost of the Alaskan cruise. I figured we would do the downtown stuff in 1 day(Monday), and then whale stuff one day as well(Tuesday). Not sure about Sunday- we'll probably be tired from the trip and do a little unwinding- but knowing us we are not going to want to stay in a hotel all day. LOL What about some places to eat as well- not too expensive and kid friendly- we have a 8 yo girl.

[mapleleaves]

I agree with davidgmg that parking and driving in Seattle is a hassle. And parking is pricey. With the free bus zone downtown a car isn't really needed to explore seattle. If you're only going out of town for a day, perhaps the money you save on car rental could go towards a downtown hotel ??

But if you're intent on staying outside Sea, you could look at Bellevue hotels. Or by Southcenter Mall I-405/I-5 which would put you close to many eating places.

[stevenikkij]

Thanks all- lots of vacations to make!!! :)

[Jen1000]

We stayed at the Quailty Inn and Suites on John. The price was reasonable for down town Seattle and there was free parking, which few places will have down town. Free breakfast was included (two hot items daily, waffles and cold items) free internet, pool, hot tub and gym. You probably won't need a kitchen with free breakfast and will just eat out and about. Our room had a fridge. They do have a snack bar open for lunch. It is a quick walk to the Space Needle, monorail and Seattle Center in general. There is also a McDonald's near by.

 

For a casual dinner we went to Old Spaghetti Factory. If you haven't been to one, adult complete dinners are about $10 (soup or salad, pasta, bread, ice cream, iced tea or coffee or milk) and kids meals are about $5. We also went to Ivar's on the water front. We ate at the counter service portion.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Ok- we are doing an Alaskan cruise at the end of July with family- it will be over July 31. After that we are staying in Seattle until Wednesday- we have a flight around 11am- so no touring or sight seeing that day. Here are some things we want to do:

 

Space Needle(we are eating lunch there as well)

Science Museum

Anacortes orca whale watching

want to visit one of those cupcake places

also Pike Place(even though hubby isn't that interested- we have to- LOL)

 

Do we really need to stay downtown for this- we want a hotel with a kitchenette, and that is between Seatac and Seattle (maybe closer to Seattle), what areas should I be looking at. I am familiar with driving in a city- just don't know if it is necessary. Any help would be appreciated.