Help! First Cruise, leaving Seattle

[msroda]

My wife and I will be taking our three kids on a cruise to Alaska which departs from Seattle in June. We will be driving to Seattle from Wisconsin. Could anyone recommend a good hotel in Seattle? Is it better to leave your car at the hotel for the week or in a parking structure? Are there parking structures near the pier? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Don Clark]

Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal (Pier 66)
Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal is an exciting feature of the bustling downtown waterfront and is the homeport for Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises. Whether you're a passenger or passerby, you'll enjoy the sights and sounds of world-class cruise liners arriving at and leaving Seattle.

Parking at Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal
The Bell Street Pier garage is available to all cruise passengers. Conveniently located directly across Alaskan Way from the cruise terminal, it offers 1,700 spaces of covered, secure parking. Friends and family who pick up or drop off cruise passengers also are encouraged to use the garage while visiting the cruise terminal.
Fee: $12.00 per day.
You may prepay for parking online through Republic Parking at http://www.rpnw.com. (When you prepay, parking is guaranteed; no reservations needed.)
http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/cruiseoverview.shtml
Location: 9 Wall Street. Enter at the corner of Alaskan Way and Wall Street. See map for directions.
25 handicap parking stalls.
No oversize or RV parking is available in the garage. Vehicles must be less than 6'6" high.
Republic Parking operates the garage. Questions? Call the garage staff at (206) 783-4144.

Concierge Services
The Cruise Seattle Concierge at the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal, and at the Terminal 30 Cruise Facility are dedicated to serving your needs and can help anyone, not just passengers.
What can the concierge do for you?
Store your luggage before or after a cruise in a safe, secure location. The cost is $3 per bag.
Drop your stamped letters or postcards in the mail for you
Sell you domestic and international phone cards
Provide free information on Seattle sights and shopping recommendations, as well as maps
Make a hotel, tour, attraction or dinner reservation
Make taxi/limo arrangements
Offer free copies of Homeport Seattle, WHERE Vancouver, WHERE Victoria and WHERE Alaska & the Yukon
Address special requests; be sure to ask!

Enjoying Seattle
The Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal and the new Terminal 30 Cruise Facility are set against a backdrop of the majestic Olympic Mountains to the west and beautiful downtown Seattle to the east. Got time waiting for your cruise? Or are you looking for fun after disembarking? There's much to do within a mile or so.
Enjoy a fine meal in the restaurants at the Bell Street Pier or in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Take in the stunning views from the rooftop plaza. Free telescopes and ample seating make an excellent vantage point for enjoying Elliott Bay.
Stroll over the pedestrian bridge to the heart of downtown Seattle, where you can visit the world-renowned Pike Place Market, or hop onto the Waterfront Trolley and head to Pioneer Square.
Take a tour, shop or visit the attractions along the waterfront, such as Odyssey - the Maritime Discovery Center, Seattle Aquarium and Omnidome.
Find out about other Seattle sights from the Seattle-King County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Or learn about other state attractions from Washington State Tourism.
Looking for a hotel? Check out Seattle Super Saver for hotel listings.
http://seeseattle.org/

Which ship will you be taking on your Alaska cruise, and when?
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[msroda]

Thanks for the advice. We will be taking the NCL Sun to Alaska.


If anything else pops into your head about where to stay in Seattle to simplify our trip, please post.

 

[Lady Jag]

Make sure you're leaving out of the Bell Street Terminal first before you make any plans. Many ships leave from other locations, especially Princess.

We stayed at the Elliott Grand Hyatt Hotel on 7th and Pine, I think it was. It's right across from a GameWorks. If you have kids, that's the place to take them! I think ours remember that more than the other sites we saw like the Space Needle and the Pike Street Marketplace.

The hotel is in a good location because there's also an FAO Schwatz and a Cheesecake Factory right at the corner of the hotel building (kind of diagonal from the hotel). Inside the hotel itself, there's a Starbuck's (big surprise in Seattle, huh?). :grin It's an inexpensive way to pick up some croissants for breakfast as you're heading out for the day.

The Pike Street Marketplace is a nice walk and not too far. Along the way, you can take the monorail to the Space Needle. Oh, and there's also a shopping center on your way down to the marketplace.

 

[Don Clark]

If the Port of Seattle's web page isn't accurate, what would be?

NCL and Celebrity dock at the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal (Pier 66).
Princess and Holland America dock at Terminal 30.

Check out the link I so kindly provided in my earlier reply.

 

[Lady Jag]

Many ships leave from alternate locations. My friend left from somewhere else. I'll ask her to respond.

 

[SusanA]

If you are on NCL, then you will be leaving out of the Bell Street terminal. Princess and Holland do use Pier 30, which is definitely a distance away. Now, they have been known to make a change on occasion, but this is what they usually do.

Lady Jag is correct in her recommendaton of the Hyatt in Seattle. There are a lot of hotels here in our city, and many good ones. That was new a few years ago and does get high marks. There is a Westin down a few blocks also.

Unfortunately, the monorail is not in service right now, and who knows when it will be. Two of the trains had an accident and it may be out for a long time. The Trolley, that has been mentioned in other posts, is no longer. It did it's last run several weeks ago and sadly it will be missed on the water front . Make sure you get to Pike's Place Market. It is one of the oldest working markets on the West Coast. Many of the farmers make their trek every day to Seattle and the market to sell their produce. It is a lot of fun to watch them throw the fish and just take in the scenery. FAO Schwartz is also closed in downtown now. Seems like Seattle has had it's share of problems with things closing. But the downtown location would be good for sightseeing.

For parking, I doubt you could get it any cheaper by leaving your car at a hotel, unless you stay at an airport hotel. When we sailed on the Diamond Princess last June, we drove to the pier and parked in the lot there. It was just about the same price as what the lot is near the Bell Street pier. I did book our parking on line, just in case the lot was full, though it wasn't. But Princess has a big parking area and it could be larger.

There is a lot to do and see in the Seattle area, especially if you have a car. Taking the ferry over to the peninsula, going towards the mounatins and the Snoqualime area are both beautiful. You will probaby come over I90 into Seattle, and crossing Lake Washington is also pretty and you can see places you might like to visit.

Have a great time in our area. It is pretty when the sun is shining.

Susan

 

[Lady Jag]

Sorry to hear the monorail is down. Thanks for the first-hand info, Susan! :thumb

 

[Juank_RCCL]

WHEN I WENT TO ALASKA FROM SEATTLE I STAYED AT THE EDGEWATER HOTEL. IT'S RIGHT WHERE THT NORWEGIAN CRUISE DOCKS. IN FACT, IF YOU HAVE AN OCEAN VIEW ROOM YOU WILL OPEN YOUR WINDOW IN THE MORNING AND SEE IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. YOU CAN EVEN WALK TO THE CRUISE FROM THE HOTEL. I HAVE SOME PICTURE I WILL SEND YOU. JUAN
THIS IS THE WABPAGE FROM THE HOTEL http://www.edgewaterhotel.com/