Late arrival in Seattle

[cathymct]

Our flight from Fla. gets in at 6pm on July 10th and we'd like to stay downtown and try to spend a few hours in the morning sightseeing before going to the port. Does anyone have any ideas for dinner either at the airport or downtown when we arrive? Are we cutting it too close by staying downtown? We haven't booked the hotel yet, so I'm open to any suggestions.

[c-cruise]

I wouldn't recommend staying near the airport. It is not a real nice area and it is around a 30 minute cab ride to either cruise ship terminal from there.

If you want to do sight seeing the next morning it would make far more sense to stay downtown (nothing to see near the airport). Since you only have a couple hourse you will need to decide what it is you want to see. If you want to see Pike Place Market and the waterfront then stay downtown. If you want to see the Space Needle you will probably want to stay near the Seattle Center. There are plenty of places to grab something to eat at either location.

Also, you might want to consider what port your ship is leaving from. If you are on NCL or Celebrity you are going to be departing from Pier 66 which is a great location and walking distance from several hotels. Princess and HAL use Terminal 30 which is in an industrial area near Safeco Field and Seahawk Stadium. Terminal 30 is not walking distance from the downtown hotels or the Market, etc.

Next Cruise: 6/27/04 Sapphire Princess

[joyus]

c-cruise, we are arriving late Friday nite to Seattle on 5/14 and will stay at the Hilton SEA-TAC which we got thru Priceline. My question to you is, is there any place nearby (walking distance or by cab)that we can pick up a carton of sodas to take on the ship with us?

[Gardyloo]

By all means stay downtown, and yes, you ought to have time for a nice, probably sunset, meal by the time you've checked into a hotel.

For one night, think about splurging a little and staying at one of the better hotels, or one close to the waterfront, so you can optimize your time the next day (you probably can't board the ship until mid-afternoon anyway, and since your bodies will still be on east coast time, you can make an early start of it and have several good hours for looking around.) Look at the Inn at the Market, the waterfront Marriott (across from Pier 66, walkable if you're leaving from there); the Hyatt, the Alexis, several others.

Dinner at Elliott's Oyster House (waterfront, killer view of the sunset behind the Olympics) or at Place Pigalle or the Pink Door (no sign, just a pink door) in the Pike Place Market, both with great views and great food.

Start the morning off at the Pike Market - at its best before 10 AM, hit the galleries in Pioneer Square, or pay your shekels and ride the Space Needle elevator; leave your bags with the hotel concierge then move onto the boat around 3 PM. Great day.

[c-cruise]

joyus,

Unfortunately there is not much in the way of grocery/convenience stores near the seatac Hilton. There is a 7-11 convenience store accross from the seatac Marriott hotel which is located up the hill to the east of the Hilton. From the Hilton you would walk South on Hwy 99/ International Bldv. and then head east up the hill on 176th St for a couple of blocks.

Alternatively, if you are taking a cab to the pier you could just have the driver stop somewhere along hwy. 99 on the way to the ship. There are plenty of grocery/ convenience stores along the way.

Hope that answers your question.

Next Cruise: 6/27/04 Sapphire Princess

[Gardyloo]

Joyus, if you're leaving from Pier 66, there's also a mom-and-pop convenience store right next to the Bell St. Diner (restaurant) next door to the cruise terminal loading zone. Probably more expensive than a supermarket, but also cheaper than on the ship. You can also reprovision at your first stop, probably Ketchikan, just a couple of days later.

[cruiseaway]

We will be on the same cruise. We arrive around 2 pm on Saturday. We are staying at the Crown Plaza. I got a good rate using Priceline. It is about a mile from the Space Needle and walking distance to Pike Market. I think it is about a 10 min. cab ride to Pier 30.

[joyus]

c-cruise and gardyloo thank you for answering my question. I think I may just wait until we get to our first port. Ice tea with a lot of lemons & Equal will probably be just fine.