Will i need 1 or 2 days in seattle

[jebl]

Planning an Alaska cruise on Celebrity next Sept. Looks like plane will arrive at SEA-TAC about 12:10 pm. Staying at the Travelodge near the Space needle. Can we get to the hotel by cab or shuttle, see the Space needle, Chihuly Gardens and visit Pike Place Market in one day or will we need 2 days?

 

We are in our 70's and both have breathing issues. I am looking to try to cut expenses but don't want to miss those 3 places to see.

[cruzgryphon]

Considering when your flight is arriving and allowing time to get to the hotel etc., would recommend two days in Seattle.

[Sequim88]

Technically possible on arrival day but that would be rushing Pike Place and areas more downtown than at Seattle Center. Having experienced the years my Mom had with breathing issues (IPF) I know how tiring it can be. That and travel exhaustion would make the first day too much.

 

Do the Seattle Center things (Space Needle & Chihuly) that day and save downtown for the next. This would allow a lot more time at Pike Place and add time for things like waterfront, Underground Seattle tour and maybe a relaxing walk-on ferry ride to Bainbridge Is. or Bremerton and back. The ferry is a lot less expensive that waterfront boat tours and on clear days the Bremerton run has nice views of Mt. Rainier.

 

The monorail from Seattle Center to Westlake Center (shopping mall) puts you about 5 blocks from Pike Place and there is an elevator down to the waterfront (a couple blocks away). These will eliminate some of the walking and hill climbing.

 

Add: With two sharing a fare the cab option might be a wash cost wise with two fares on a shuttle like Shuttle Express. Certainly faster.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Sequim88
add cab info

[jebl]

Thanks so much for the info.

[1025cruise]

Something else to consider, you are flying in from the east coast. When I did this a few years ago, our plan was to go to the market the afternoon after checking into the hotel, and then see the Needle after the cruise before flying home the next day. The reality: due to the time difference, we were up extremely early the next morning. Since we had time before boarding, we ended up eating an early breakfast, and heading to the Needle in the AM. It was great due to no lines. We got right up. After the Needle, we went to the Chihuly gallery. Afterwards, we wandered around the area before taking the monorail back and walking back to our hotel, getting our bags, and a taxi to the port. When we returned, we had plans to go back into town and see some more stuff. However, once we got to the hotel we were staying at, we ended up just crashing.

[Gardyloo]

Something else to consider, you are flying in from the east coast. When I did this a few years ago, our plan was to go to the market the afternoon after checking into the hotel, and then see the Needle after the cruise before flying home the next day. The reality: due to the time difference, we were up extremely early the next morning. Since we had time before boarding, we ended up eating an early breakfast, and heading to the Needle in the AM. It was great due to no lines. We got right up. After the Needle, we went to the Chihuly gallery. Afterwards, we wandered around the area before taking the monorail back and walking back to our hotel, getting our bags, and a taxi to the port. When we returned, we had plans to go back into town and see some more stuff. However, once we got to the hotel we were staying at, we ended up just crashing.

I would actually suggest the opposite. Go to your hotel, buy a combination Space Needle/Chihuly pass (available at either site.) See the Space Needle, then visit the Chihuly exhibit right around dinner time - it's great both in the day and the evening. Or do them separately, see Chihuly first, then have dinner at the Space Needle. The food is pretty good, and your admission/elevator is included if you spend $35 per person for dinner. (Normally the elevator is $19 for seniors, so dinner is a decent deal considering.)

 

Then because of your east coast body clocks, hit the Pike Place market as early in the morning as you can. It's terrific then, as the merchants set up shop. There are several good places for breakfast (open at 7 or 8) and then you can be gone by 10 or 10:30, after which the market becomes horrendously crowded. Buy some dahlias for your cabin on the ship, head back to the hotel in a cab, then to the ship. Badda bing. You can catch up on sleep that night; Seattle departures travel to the west of Vancouver Island on open water which can be bumpy, plus there's nothing to see (you're far enough offshore) so it's an ideal night to crash early.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Gardyloo

[xlxo]

A little tip about the popular space needle..... plan for delays. I arrived at 7pm and they sold me a ticket for something like 10pm.

 

Wished I pre-bought the ticket online earlier in they day.

[brian1]

Hi,we done the Emerald city hoho trolley in the morning and the overlook tour in the afternoon both the same company and leaving from the space needle.You can book a timeslot online with the overlook tour as it is not hoho,cheers,Brian.

[cot427]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm in a similar situation but I only have the day in Seattle. Actually, the plane lands at 11am, so I likely won't get bags dropped off until 12 or after.

 

I definitely want to do Pikes Market, and possibly the Space Needle/Chihuly combo. Is that doable within that time frame? I want to make the most of it...the budget hotel is about a block or 2 from Pikes Market. I then get the train out the next morning at 8, so likely won't be able to do anything that morning.

 

What would you recommend as the order of events?

[Sequim88]

cot427 - If I can correctly infer that you would be arriving on a Wednesday (the 24th of May) then you have it in your favor to not be on the weekend and in particular Memorial Day weekend. Also there is only one cruise departure from Seattle (Oceania - Reggata) that day so not a lot of cruise passenger traffic as well. Being mid-week there might also be less pressure at the Space Needle and definitely less than on a weekend at Pike Place Market. After dropping bags hit the market for a few hours then monorail from Westlake to Seattle Center for Needle and Chihuly late after noon/evening.

 

Also at the Seattle Center is the newly reformatted MoPop or Museum of Pop Culture - formerly the Experience Music Project (EMP) and Science Fiction Museum which were sort of separate places (and tickets). Sounds like less emphasis on Jimi Hendrix and guitars and more on other aspects of pop culture. Very recent change so the web site is still: http://www.empmuseum.org/ . You might have time for this too if any interest - especially in music or sci fi.

[peety3]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm in a similar situation but I only have the day in Seattle. Actually, the plane lands at 11am, so I likely won't get bags dropped off until 12 or after.

 

I definitely want to do Pikes Market, and possibly the Space Needle/Chihuly combo. Is that doable within that time frame? I want to make the most of it...the budget hotel is about a block or 2 from Pikes Market. I then get the train out the next morning at 8, so likely won't be able to do anything that morning.

 

What would you recommend as the order of events?

Psst...it's "Pike Place Market". ;) Remember that the airport is not anywhere close to downtown. I would certainly prioritize the Space Needle and Chihuly over the market, but that's just me (it gets crowded with tourists, there's often a huge line to get into the Starbucks, etc.). As others have said, pre-buy your Space Needle ticket to ensure a time on the elevator.

[peety3]

...and maybe a relaxing walk-on ferry ride to Bainbridge Is. or Bremerton and back. The ferry is a lot less expensive that waterfront boat tours and on clear days the Bremerton run has nice views of Mt. Rainier.

This is a great idea. By the way, the Bremerton run is the longest sailing of any of the Washington State Ferries around Seattle, so it gives you the most time to relax and enjoy. It's about a 60-minute sailing either way, and I think the next-closest is 35 minutes for the Bainbridge Island run. (You get more onboard time with some of the multi-stop runs such as Fauntleroy->Vashon->Southworth or the San Juan Islands run, but the schedule out of Fauntleroy requires a science degree and plots and charts to figure out which runs are multi-stop. The Fauntleroy runs are perhaps also most at risk for schedule disruption, as they're likely to "steal" a boat from the trio that usually operate F/V/S if they need one elsewhere. The SJI runs are also a long way away from downtown.

[SadieN]

A little tip about the popular space needle..... plan for delays. I arrived at 7pm and they sold me a ticket for something like 10pm.

 

 

 

Wished I pre-bought the ticket online earlier in they day.

 

 

....and then there's the long line for the elevators.

We made reservations for lunch. Waited 5-10 minutes. Seems expensive but the cost of lunch includes the elevator ticket. Food's good, not spectacular but good. Afterwards you can go up a floor to the observation deck.

[cot427]

cot427 - If I can correctly infer that you would be arriving on a Wednesday (the 24th of May) then you have it in your favor to not be on the weekend and in particular Memorial Day weekend. Also there is only one cruise departure from Seattle (Oceania - Reggata) that day so not a lot of cruise passenger traffic as well. Being mid-week there might also be less pressure at the Space Needle and definitely less than on a weekend at Pike Place Market. After dropping bags hit the market for a few hours then monorail from Westlake to Seattle Center for Needle and Chihuly late after noon/evening.

 

Also at the Seattle Center is the newly reformatted MoPop or Museum of Pop Culture - formerly the Experience Music Project (EMP) and Science Fiction Museum which were sort of separate places (and tickets). Sounds like less emphasis on Jimi Hendrix and guitars and more on other aspects of pop culture. Very recent change so the web site is still: http://www.empmuseum.org/ . You might have time for this too if any interest - especially in music or sci fi.

 

Thank you! Yes, I'm getting in Wednesday the 24th late morning. Great recommendation for the Pop Culture Museum...that's right up my alley!

 

Psst...it's "Pike Place Market". ;) Remember that the airport is not anywhere close to downtown. I would certainly prioritize the Space Needle and Chihuly over the market, but that's just me (it gets crowded with tourists, there's often a huge line to get into the Starbucks, etc.). As others have said, pre-buy your Space Needle ticket to ensure a time on the elevator.

 

Thank you and thanks for the name clarification. I am a huge Starbucks fan, so unfortunately, I'll have to wait in that long time. I will definitely pre-buy my Space Needle ticket. I was on the website and it looks like you can do it for about a month in advance, so I'll make a note to do it in April.

 

Chihuly and the Museum of Pop Culture close at 6 and 5 respectively, so would it be better to do the market in the evening for a dinner or do a lot of things close by then? I knew I would have to scramble to see a lot of things but it's the only way I could do it.

[Gardyloo]

Chihuly and the Museum of Pop Culture close at 6 and 5 respectively, so would it be better to do the market in the evening for a dinner or do a lot of things close by then? I knew I would have to scramble to see a lot of things but it's the only way I could do it.

Pretty sure you're seeing the winter hours; both are open much later in the cruise season/summer.

 

Don't visit the Pike Place market in the evening; everything starts closing around 5. Like I said above, the early morning is by far the best time to visit the market. Do the Space Needle, MoPop and Chihuly the afternoon and evening you arrive, the market the following morning.

[cot427]

Pretty sure you're seeing the winter hours; both are open much later in the cruise season/summer.

 

Don't visit the Pike Place market in the evening; everything starts closing around 5. Like I said above, the early morning is by far the best time to visit the market. Do the Space Needle, MoPop and Chihuly the afternoon and evening you arrive, the market the following morning.

 

Great, that's awesome news! Thank you!

[xlxo]

Do the Space Needle, MoPop and Chihuly the afternoon and evening you arrive, the market the following morning.

Once you land.... go online https://www.spaceneedle.com to buy your launch tickets to avoid a very long surprise wait to get into the elevator.

 

The needle elevator waits are longer in the afternoon and evenings compared to the mornings. Made that mistake arriving in July at 6pm.