Seattle, Washington 

Use this link to research what excursions and tours you can book in Seattle 

Located in the northwest corner of the continental United States, Seattle is Washington's largest city and not surprisingly one of the most popular embarkation ports for Alaskan cruises.  Divided between Pier 66 (Bell Street Terminal) and Pier 91 (Smith Cove Terminal) at least six major cruise lines operate round-trip itineraries to Alaska from Seattle.  Since you leave from and return to the same US city, you won't need a passport despite the requisite law mandating a short stop in a foreign country (generally Vancouver, Canada).  

We always encourage our clients to arrive a day or two at the port city before your sail date, so let's talk about some fun things to do while visiting before boarding your ship.  I will mention "walking distance" below.  For me, walking distance is 1-3 miles (one way).  Seattle is built on the side of a hill so depending on where you stay and where you want to walk, there is a good chance at some point, you'll be headed up hill.  If you have mobility issues or aren't comfortable walking, consider downtown hotel locations or plan to use rideshare or taxi services to navigate the city.

There are lots of options for hotels but let's first take a look at a map (expertly colored by me).  The yellow area is "downtown".  The further you go from the harbor and ports, the more suburban.  The hotels on the edges will be less expensive but you need to account for the distance walking or cost for transportation when you explore.  Hotels closer to the harbor will have a steeper price but you'll be within walking distance of a lot.  Also, most of these hotels, unless you're within a few miles of SEA-TAC (Seattle Tacoma International Airport) will not offer airport shuttles.  

The area in green is located near the Space Needle, Museum of Pop Culture, and Chihuly Garden and Glass.  Fun fact - if you've ever get a chance to visit the Indianapolis Children's Museum, there is a 43 foot glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly.  Anyway, back to the green.  There are lots of hotels here that offer a good location and price.  Brands such as Four Seasons by Sheraton, Hyatt Place, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites are found here.  

The area in orange (and actually, below that area) is where you'll find the SEA-TAC and its airport hotels.  Most of these offer a free airport shuttle but again, you're on the outskirts of town.  There's no walking to the city so rideshare and taxi as well as the Sound Transit, Seattle's light rail.  You can take this from the airport to a number of stations including the Westlake station, from here, there is a Monorail that runs between here and the Museum of Pop Culture / Seattle Children's Museum.  

When we help with your pre-cruise hotel stay, I'll make sure you know the easiest, most cost-effective route from the airport to the hotel.  We'll also plan from the hotel the cruise port and cruise port back to the airport (or post-cruise hotel).  A lot of the hotels offer a shuttle service that will take you to the port on the morning of your cruise.  You sign up once you check in to the hotel and the cost is about $15-20/per person plus optional gratuity.

Pike Place Market is one of Seattle’s most iconic destinations, blending history, flavor, and local charm into an unforgettable experience. Opened in 1907, the market stretches across bustling, multi-level corridors filled with vibrant produce stands, artisan crafts, fresh flowers, and the famous fishmongers who put on a show with every flying salmon. 

Visitors can sip small-batch coffee, sample handmade pastries, explore quirky specialty shops, and meet the farmers and makers who give the market its heartbeat. Overlooking Elliott Bay, Pike Place offers a perfect mix of sensory excitement and Pacific Northwest character—making it a must-visit stop for anyone wanting to experience the true spirit of Seattle. 

The availability of fresh fruit, flowers, and fish is unmatched and while you can't take advantage of some offerings available, some of the best fruits I've ever had were eaten while taking in the market.

We happened upon Ludi's (not at the Market) for breakfast and then ended up at O-Mart for lunch on the same day.  Both are Filipino restaurants and both were excellent.  For breakfast, we ordered a plate of ube pancakes to share because they looked so cool and I got a variety platter that had several different types of sausage.  It was all terrific!  At O-Mart we had a 

Not pictured was the salmon cheek soup, a very popular dish at O-Mart.  It was interesting, but to me, the whole fish and platter pictured above were superior to the soup.  

Seattle has an underground city because the original streets of downtown were raised after a devastating fire in 1889. When the Great Seattle Fire destroyed much of the business district, city leaders decided to rebuild using brick and stone instead of wood—and to solve a persistent flooding and sanitation problem, they elevated the street level by 10 to 30 feet. As new, higher streets and sidewalks were constructed, the old first floors of buildings became basements, creating a network of passageways that still exists beneath Pioneer Square. Today, these tunnels form Seattle’s famous “underground city,” a fascinating reminder of how the city rebuilt, adapted, and quite literally rose above disaster.  

We have taken two underground tours in Seattle.  Bill Speidel's World Famous Underground Tour and Beneath the Streets both offer these tours.  The experiences were uniquely different and worth the price of admission.  If I had to rate them, the tour was better with Bill Speidel's but the tour guide was superior on the BTS experience.  Either way you go, I don't think you'll be disappointed and you'll come away with a unique and unusual perspective of the area below Pioneer Square.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook.  Follow us here for more info about all of the destinations we can help you plan and book.  And in case you didn't know this, our help is always free. ~Joe

Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay:  What's the Logic?

Most cruises we book sail from and return to a US port in Florida.  The easiest way to reach these cruise ports is catch a quick flight into the port city.  Others, who either want to save a little cash or are "flight-adverse", opt to drive.  Either way, if we booked the cruise for you, there is a high likelihood that I mentioned at some point getting a pre-cruise hotel.   

Why are we trying to get you to spend more on "another night"?

It's easy to see why you might tsk at the suggestion you spend another $200 or $300 on your trip just so you can stay the night near the port before your cruise but there is good reason for this. 

While you may have always flown at the exact time your airline printed on your boarding pass, we've taken enough trips to know that a 6:15 am departure might result in you getting to your destination at noon the following day.  This typically isn't a huge issue unless after you land, your plan is to grab your bags, catch your transfer and scurry to the port with adequate time to check-in and board the ship.  

(fake boarding pass but the airline was NOT CHOSEN AT RANDOM!)

Oh, you're going to drive, cool.  Mechanical issues, foul weather, accidents and more might stymie the best laid plans.  Either way, hoping to roll up to the port on the day of the cruise might not be the best choice.  

They ain't waiting!

Typically, a cruise line will depart the port between 4:00 - 6:00 pm.  And, they will leave with OR without you.  So, what does that mean for you if you're not in your cabin, or more likely, somewhere gorging yourself on shrimp cocktail and cookies when the ship steams outbound?  It means you have paid for a really cool vacation that you might not be taking.

What does it look like when that happens?

You pace back and forth, trying to figure out if you're going to cry or throw up or both.  Seizing all your strength, you (or your travel advisor) scramble to make plans to get you to the next port of call and "catch up" with the ship.  No problem, right?  You just need to arrange, at the last minute, one-way flights to where ever the ship is headed.  Hopefully you have packed your credit card and passport because while you can sail to the Caribbean without a passport, you can't fly there without one.  No passport?  Well, this is the end of your Caribbean cruise. 

But luckily, everyone has a passport.  Let's hope that the ship hasn't altered the course and substituted the port where you'll soon be catching your flight to with alternative port.  This does happen due to weather or scheduling conflicts.  Now, you'll need a place to stay for the night until you can get on the plane.  Don't forget to complete the proper immigration forms online in order to arrive by air.  Oh, one way flights into a foreign country can be a real bear because if you're not leaving (or at least don't have any proof), you might need a visa.  Before you catch up, you've got two or three more meals for the family.  Finally, once you've landed at the destination, you'll need to get to the cruise port.  Get that credit card out again! 

I have had two sets of clients miss their ships departure.  Both had flight delays leaving LAX for a Hawaiian cruise.  Lucky for them, no passports are needed to fly from Honolulu to Maui!  I was able to help with the flights, hotel, and transfers.  But, the clients were out the cost of those expenses and missed the first night of their cruise as well as the full day in that first port of call.  And this is all only possible if we can find those last minute flights and overnight hotel.  Side note: both families had travel insurance and after some work on the part of the client, they were able to get reimbursed.   

Is that hotel sounding more appealing now?

You're right, this is sort of a scare tactic.  I guess it's so scary that I've scared myself into this same practice of arriving the night before for my own cruises.  I understand not wanting to spend extra money.  But, most hotels can be had for a couple hundred bucks.  If you'd like our help (it's free to use our agency), we'll look for someplace with a free airport shuttle and maybe even a free breakfast, too.  Plus, many hotels that are located near the cruise ports have cheap transfers ($10-15/passenger) that can be arranged the day you arrive.  If you're shipping out from Port Canaveral, FL, we work with GoPort who bundles a hotel and all of the transfers into one easy package.  

If you don't mind flying out late, there is a good chance you can find a good deal on those red-eye flights basically making the cost of pre-cruise hotel a moot point.  Either way, I'd say a few hundred bucks is cheap insurance to almost unequivocally avoid missing that sail-away food fest while sparing you any anxiety of not being there on time.

~Joe

Let us know how we can help you with your next trip by emailing dillontravels@gmail.com.  You can also visit our Facebook page or website.