Seattle departure-hotel/transportation help please!

[Kgaskins]

Good day everyone! We are not new cruisers, but it's been YEARS and we're rusty...this July we leave for Alaska from the port of Seattle. We fly in on a Saturday evening and embark Sunday afternoon. And that leads to two questions. 1) We're having problems deciding where to stay that Saturday night...airport hotel seems much less pricey, and I imagine most, if not all, offer airport-to-hotel shuttles...but what about transportation from the SeaTac airport area hotels all the way to Pier 91? I found a few companies offering paid shuttle service from the airport to DOWNTOWN hotels and from there on to the pier, but most of the downtown hotels are out of our price range...and the ones that are a little more affordable are booked up. Are we stuck with an expensive hotel or does anyone have a suggestion for us? and 2) When we debark the ship, we're staying in Seattle the rest of the day and flying out the next morning...so again, same questions...how do we get from the pier to a reasonably-priced hotel? City busses seem impractical with all our luggage (there are four of us). Taxi cab? Can we all fit with all our "stuff?" Paid shuttle service? Which one? We welcome any advice and thanks in advance!

[Eaglecw]

Go over to the "West Coast Departures" section. You don't really have a problem there are a lot of options to get from the Airport hotels to Pier 91 and back. Tons of info there about Seattle

[easyboy]

Check the Cedarbrook Lodge. With free airport shuttle, breakfast and wifi.

 

http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/

[jeromep]

The mods might move this thread to West Coast Departures, which is fine, but I'll still comment.

 

Pier 91 is, from a practical standpoint, inaccessible by foot. You're not going to want to do that anyway. I also would perish the thought of using public transport because the Metro system is not convenient for anyone but commuters and locals. Most mass transit systems aren't built around tourists with a lot of luggage.

 

Your inclination to stay overnight in the airport area is correct. You will pay less, sometimes much less, for lodging near SeaTac than you will in downtown Seattle, and you will need to have transportation to and from Pier 91 anyway whether or not you stay in Seattle proper or down in SeaTac. So you will have to arrange a shuttle, cab, or Uber/Lyft to get to Pier 91 no matter where you stay. If the cruise is your vacation and you are not interested in touring Seattle, then I would strongly recommend staying in the SeaTac area and figuring on a $45/55 cab/Uber/Lyft from a SeaTac hotel directly to Pier 91. On the other hand if you want to see any of Seattle, you will probably want to stay in Seattle and use a mix of cab/Uber/Lyft and walking to go to and from places of interest. You'll pay more for your lodging, but the trip to and from Seattle to the SeaTac area is about 20-30 minutes and frankly a total waste of time when on vacation and wanting to see stuff.

 

I recommend finding a couple of hotels in the SeaTac area and calling them directly to inform them of your plans and needs and see if they are running any stay and cruise specials. These would include a hotel arranged shuttle to and possibly from the pier with other cruisers that stayed at your hotel prior to the cruise. I say "possibly" from the pier, because on disembarkation day it is generally easier to just use a waiting cab to take you to your post cruise lodging than it is to be calling the shuttle to tell them you are ready and then waiting for the shuttle to navigate through the backed up traffic to the shuttle pickup area.

 

Also, I wouldn't worry about transportation from Pier 91 to your after cruise lodging because the pier area is full of taxis of various size looking for work on disembarkation morning. It won't be hard to find a cab minivan or SUV which can hold all 4 of you and your luggage and take you to wherever you are booked.

 

I hope this helps.

[Colo Cruiser]

Good day everyone! We are not new cruisers, but it's been YEARS and we're rusty...this July we leave for Alaska from the port of Seattle. We fly in on a Saturday evening and embark Sunday afternoon. And that leads to two questions. 1) We're having problems deciding where to stay that Saturday night...airport hotel seems much less pricey, and I imagine most, if not all, offer airport-to-hotel shuttles...but what about transportation from the SeaTac airport area hotels all the way to Pier 91? I found a few companies offering paid shuttle service from the airport to DOWNTOWN hotels and from there on to the pier, but most of the downtown hotels are out of our price range...and the ones that are a little more affordable are booked up. Are we stuck with an expensive hotel or does anyone have a suggestion for us? and 2) When we debark the ship, we're staying in Seattle the rest of the day and flying out the next morning...so again, same questions...how do we get from the pier to a reasonably-priced hotel? City busses seem impractical with all our luggage (there are four of us). Taxi cab? Can we all fit with all our "stuff?" Paid shuttle service? Which one? We welcome any advice and thanks in advance!

 

 

We always use Silver Cloud Hotels. Specifically either the Stadium or Lake Union location. They do not have airport transportation but they will take you anywhere in the downtown area within reason for free.

They also take you to Pier 91. The Lake Union location has an awesome breakfast buffet and is only a few miles from the pier with beautiful views of Lake Union. To get to/from sea-tac I would use Uber.

 

https://www.silvercloud.com/

[jeromep]

Check the Cedarbrook Lodge. With free airport shuttle, breakfast and wifi.

 

http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/

 

We always use Silver Cloud Hotels. Specifically either the Stadium or Lake Union location. They do not have airport transportation but they will take you anywhere in the downtown area within reason for free.

They also take you to Pier 91. The Lake Union location has an awesome breakfast buffet and is only a few miles from the pier with beautiful views of Lake Union. To get to/from sea-tac I would use Uber.

 

https://www.silvercloud.com/

I've stayed at both brands of properties, and they are nice hotels. The OP would find both of these brands more than acceptable.

 

I also vouch for using Uber in Seattle. Much cleaner than almost all of the Seattle cabs, and the drivers are quite professional. Uber and Lyft are almost as heavily regulated as cabs, so you'll find that pricing for carshare services is about the same as using a cab. So, with that said, Uber drivers have nicer, cleaner cars and often go out of the way to assist with luggage, local info, etc.

[ceilidh1]

For a cheap one night stay Downtown, I highly recommend The Moore Hotel http://www.moorehotel.com/

I stay here every time I am in Seattle and think it's likely the best value you will find for that area. It's a couple blocks from Pike Place, lots of food options nearby, clean, great coffee shop for breakfast on site and a quick cab ride to the pier!

[EndersFoul]

I've stayed at both brands of properties, and they are nice hotels. The OP would find both of these brands more than acceptable.

 

I also vouch for using Uber in Seattle. Much cleaner than almost all of the Seattle cabs, and the drivers are quite professional. Uber and Lyft are almost as heavily regulated as cabs, so you'll find that pricing for carshare services is about the same as using a cab. So, with that said, Uber drivers have nicer, cleaner cars and often go out of the way to assist with luggage, local info, etc.

 

Have you had experience using Uber for three people with three-people's worth of luggage? I assume we would need an Uber XL I'm concerned we will have to wait a long time for one to pick us up

[DBARR913]

Jumping on with a related but different question. The concensus seems to be Uber/Lyft for transportation to/from airport and hotels in between from what I can gather? Having never used either service, how do I know what size Uber and/or how many Ubers I need? We have 5 people (4 adults and 1 child) and I would assume we will each have at least one regular size suitcase one travel size, and one smaller bag. We will be going from the airport to a downtown hotel for the night and then from downtown hotel to Pier 91 then from Pier 91 to hotel. Also, are there clear directions as to where to be picked up at the airport or cruise terminal? Thanks!

[ceilidh1]

Jumping on with a related but different question. The concensus seems to be Uber/Lyft for transportation to/from airport and hotels in between from what I can gather? Having never used either service, how do I know what size Uber and/or how many Ubers I need? We have 5 people (4 adults and 1 child) and I would assume we will each have at least one regular size suitcase one travel size, and one smaller bag. We will be going from the airport to a downtown hotel for the night and then from downtown hotel to Pier 91 then from Pier 91 to hotel. Also, are there clear directions as to where to be picked up at the airport or cruise terminal? Thanks!

 

Just an FYI...not sure how old the child is, but UBER is not exempt from car seat laws. If your child requires a car seat in that state then you will need to provide it as UBER vehicles are considered private cars, unlike cabs (not all states exempt cabs, but many do).

[DBARR913]

Just an FYI...not sure how old the child is, but UBER is not exempt from car seat laws. If your child requires a car seat in that state then you will need to provide it as UBER vehicles are considered private cars, unlike cabs (not all states exempt cabs, but many do).

 

Thanks! She is 6 and we can easily pack her booster seat. I will research the state's seat belt laws to see if we need to.

[jeromep]

Have you had experience using Uber for three people with three-people's worth of luggage? I assume we would need an Uber XL I'm concerned we will have to wait a long time for one to pick us up

You will need an UberXL or UberSUV. If you went with a cab service you would need a minivan cab anyway. There are plenty of UberXL and UberSUV running around the Seattle area. UberX will be too small as most of them are driving Prii.

 

With Uber, once you have been selected by a driver for your ride request you are provided contact information for that driver and you can phone them to give them details about the number in your party and quantity of luggage. You may also be in contact with your Uber driver to determine where he should look for you to pick you up or they may direct you to a specific location at the airport or hotel which is designated for ride share pick-up.

 

 

If you don't already have the app on your phone, you should download it and set up an account with Uber, set up your payment profile, etc. That way you can view the map and see where cars are relative to your physical location. The Uber app will give you the choice of Uber car type. All you have to do is select the car type, in this case either UberXL or UberSUV and the car types will be shown on the map. Then you need to tell the Uber app what your destination is; the Uber system has an extensive database of points of interest you can search for, once that is done the Uber app will show you a generic route map, along with a time estimate for the Uber pick-up and a cost estimate for the journey. It is really straight forward.

[AF-1]

If you are not familiar with Uber go to their website and check it out. It explains everything; also at most airports Uber has a specific area they are allowed to pick up; so you will need to know where that is in reference to which terminal you will be at when you order a car.

[ILShipmates]

Good day everyone! We are not new cruisers, but it's been YEARS and we're rusty...this July we leave for Alaska from the port of Seattle. We fly in on a Saturday evening and embark Sunday afternoon. And that leads to two questions. 1) We're having problems deciding where to stay that Saturday night...airport hotel seems much less pricey, and I imagine most, if not all, offer airport-to-hotel shuttles...but what about transportation from the SeaTac airport area hotels all the way to Pier 91? I found a few companies offering paid shuttle service from the airport to DOWNTOWN hotels and from there on to the pier, but most of the downtown hotels are out of our price range...and the ones that are a little more affordable are booked up. Are we stuck with an expensive hotel or does anyone have a suggestion for us? and 2) When we debark the ship, we're staying in Seattle the rest of the day and flying out the next morning...so again, same questions...how do we get from the pier to a reasonably-priced hotel? City busses seem impractical with all our luggage (there are four of us). Taxi cab? Can we all fit with all our "stuff?" Paid shuttle service? Which one? We welcome any advice and thanks in advance!

Our experience is a little dated, but we stayed at the SleepInn airport. They have shuttle from/to airport also will take you to the train if you want to go into town. They also had a shared van (slight extra charge) to take you to/from the port. There were several other hotels in that area that I am sure probably did the same thing.

[1025cruise]

I've stayed by SeaTac before. My one complaint is that without a car, your dining options are EXTREMELY limited. Some hotels will shuttle you to restaurants, some won't. Just something else to keep in mind.

 

When we cruised Alaska, we flew in on Saturday, took a shuttle to our downtown hotel. Walked to Pike's Market to wander around, and ate dinner in a nearby restaurant. The next morning, our plan was just to eat breakfast and head to the ship, but, being from the east coast, were up extremely early. So, we ate breakfast, then headed to the Space Needle. No crowds. We went up, and then did the Chihuly museum next door. Afterwards, we took the monorail back and headed back to the hotel to get our luggage and took a taxi to the ship.

[Pierlesscruisers]

Good day everyone! We are not new cruisers, but it's been YEARS and we're rusty...this July we leave for Alaska from the port of Seattle. We fly in on a Saturday evening and embark Sunday afternoon. And that leads to two questions. 1) We're having problems deciding where to stay that Saturday night...airport hotel seems much less pricey, and I imagine most, if not all, offer airport-to-hotel shuttles...but what about transportation from the SeaTac airport area hotels all the way to Pier 91? I found a few companies offering paid shuttle service from the airport to DOWNTOWN hotels and from there on to the pier, but most of the downtown hotels are out of our price range...and the ones that are a little more affordable are booked up. Are we stuck with an expensive hotel or does anyone have a suggestion for us? and 2) When we debark the ship, we're staying in Seattle the rest of the day and flying out the next morning...so again, same questions...how do we get from the pier to a reasonably-priced hotel? City busses seem impractical with all our luggage (there are four of us). Taxi cab? Can we all fit with all our "stuff?" Paid shuttle service? Which one? We welcome any advice and thanks in advance!

 

I'm sure it's not the least expensive hotel in the vicinity of the airport, but it does provide a shuttle service to/from the airport and there is both a built in restaurant and nearby eating locations to the DoubleTree Hotel right across the street from the airport. If you desire transportation to the pier from the airport area, that hotel has an additional benefit of having Princess transfers from the DoubleTree to Pier 91 on the morning of your cruise. Cost is $24/person. One benefit of using that shuttle is that you simply leave your luggage in your room and the hotel staff will collect your bags, take them downstairs and then load them on the bus without you lifting a finger! The only thing you need to do is place your ship's luggage tags onto your bags before they're picked up. Often, if all the checked bags in the belly of the bus have those tags on them when the bus arrives at the pier, the bus will be taken back to the luggage area where the bags will be taken off the bus by porters and then scanned and taken directly to the ship without you ever touching them.

 

There is a Denny's across the street from the DoubleTree and there is another cafe, Dave's Diner that is diagonally across the intersection from the hotel. Dave's has good food and is very reasonably priced with generous servings. I've eaten there very often. Hope this helps.

 

 

Tom

[Kgaskins]

Great intel, everyone! Thank you so much! Still haven't decided, but we're leaning towards SeaTac hotel and shuttle before the cruise, and rental car and SeaTac hotel following. Really appreciate all the input!

[Pierlesscruisers]

Great intel, everyone! Thank you so much! Still haven't decided, but we're leaning towards SeaTac hotel and shuttle before the cruise, and rental car and SeaTac hotel following. Really appreciate all the input!

 

Enterprise, Alamo & National all have pickups at Pier 91 if you need/want a rental car after the cruise. They will also shuttle you to the pier, I believe, if you turn in their rental cars at their downtown location. Very handy.

 

Tom

[Kgaskins]

It sure does! Thank you so much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mods might move this thread to West Coast Departures, which is fine, but I'll still comment.

 

Pier 91 is, from a practical standpoint, inaccessible by foot. You're not going to want to do that anyway. I also would perish the thought of using public transport because the Metro system is not convenient for anyone but commuters and locals. Most mass transit systems aren't built around tourists with a lot of luggage.

 

Your inclination to stay overnight in the airport area is correct. You will pay less, sometimes much less, for lodging near SeaTac than you will in downtown Seattle, and you will need to have transportation to and from Pier 91 anyway whether or not you stay in Seattle proper or down in SeaTac. So you will have to arrange a shuttle, cab, or Uber/Lyft to get to Pier 91 no matter where you stay. If the cruise is your vacation and you are not interested in touring Seattle, then I would strongly recommend staying in the SeaTac area and figuring on a $45/55 cab/Uber/Lyft from a SeaTac hotel directly to Pier 91. On the other hand if you want to see any of Seattle, you will probably want to stay in Seattle and use a mix of cab/Uber/Lyft and walking to go to and from places of interest. You'll pay more for your lodging, but the trip to and from Seattle to the SeaTac area is about 20-30 minutes and frankly a total waste of time when on vacation and wanting to see stuff.

 

I recommend finding a couple of hotels in the SeaTac area and calling them directly to inform them of your plans and needs and see if they are running any stay and cruise specials. These would include a hotel arranged shuttle to and possibly from the pier with other cruisers that stayed at your hotel prior to the cruise. I say "possibly" from the pier, because on disembarkation day it is generally easier to just use a waiting cab to take you to your post cruise lodging than it is to be calling the shuttle to tell them you are ready and then waiting for the shuttle to navigate through the backed up traffic to the shuttle pickup area.

 

Also, I wouldn't worry about transportation from Pier 91 to your after cruise lodging because the pier area is full of taxis of various size looking for work on disembarkation morning. It won't be hard to find a cab minivan or SUV which can hold all 4 of you and your luggage and take you to wherever you are booked.

 

I hope this helps.

[So_Tweetie]

I live North of Seattle and we use SeaTownCar for transport to the airport/cruise terminal whenever needed. I highly recommend them, you can get a quote on their website (company name .com) and reserve your pick up time. I am not familiar with Uber, I'd rather have plans made before I arrive some place.

[ChiefBoats]

Good day everyone! We are not new cruisers, but it's been YEARS and we're rusty...this July we leave for Alaska from the port of Seattle. We fly in on a Saturday evening and embark Sunday afternoon. And that leads to two questions. 1) We're having problems deciding where to stay that Saturday night...airport hotel seems much less pricey, and I imagine most, if not all, offer airport-to-hotel shuttles...but what about transportation from the SeaTac airport area hotels all the way to Pier 91? I found a few companies offering paid shuttle service from the airport to DOWNTOWN hotels and from there on to the pier, but most of the downtown hotels are out of our price range...and the ones that are a little more affordable are booked up. Are we stuck with an expensive hotel or does anyone have a suggestion for us? and 2) When we debark the ship, we're staying in Seattle the rest of the day and flying out the next morning...so again, same questions...how do we get from the pier to a reasonably-priced hotel? City busses seem impractical with all our luggage (there are four of us). Taxi cab? Can we all fit with all our "stuff?" Paid shuttle service? Which one? We welcome any advice and thanks in advance!

 

We always sail out of Seattle to Alaska each year. We always stay at a hotel around SeaTac. Then go back to SeaTec the next morning (by hotel shuttle) and take a Princess motor coach transfer to the Ship. We always fly in the day before departure.

[meredemer]

Try Seattleexpress.com. They pick up from most SeaTac hotels and take you right to the pier. Very comfortable and plenty of room for your luggage. Their site quotes $15pp ow. Cant beat that price! I used them a couple of years ago and it was very convenient. :)

[AF-1]

ChiefBoats, do you go downtown or just stay out by airport?

[Kgaskins]

Thank you for the info! And I'm sorry for the delay in thanking you...we had a little family medical situation (all is well!) and I was occupied with that. I did book with SeaTownCar. Thank you again!

[Westskip]

For a cheap one night stay Downtown, I highly recommend The Moore Hotel http://www.moorehotel.com/

I stay here every time I am in Seattle and think it's likely the best value you will find for that area. It's a couple blocks from Pike Place, lots of food options nearby, clean, great coffee shop for breakfast on site and a quick cab ride to the pier!

We have stayed at the Moore Hotel twice now and while it is old it is the location that makes it special for us. Easy walk to Pike Place.

The views it once had over the harbour have now been built out but two years ago we were lucky enough to view our cruise ship (Crown Princess) coming into harbour from our room.

 

Just relax and enjoy the cruise.