hehehaha82

Was at Mendenhall last Monday. Did not booked any excursions and attempted to rent a car at the port (no luck). Paid $20/person for RT bus to Mendenhall. I believe the glacier only excursion available from cruise ships were around $45 for a 3 hour trip (2 hour at the glacier). Might be enough time for some but I was there for 2.5 hours without going to the visitor center. If I had rented a car I would have stopped at Glacier Garden as that looked interesting.

It takes about 5~7 minutes to walk from the bus stop (on top of the bridge) to the check-in building. Definitely do-able with luggage but much easier without (I only had backpack + camera bag).

Just came back from my cruise and thought everything went really smooth.

From airport to Pier 91

Made a phone reservation with EastSideForHire two days prior to trip. Once arrived, called w/ cell phone number (their confirmation number) to say we arrived and need pick up. Picked up by 2 cabs within 5~9 minutes. Got to Pier 91 within 30 minutes. $35 + tips per cab, no hassle. I would not hesitate to use them again, even without advanced reservation, as long as you have buffer room in your transportation time. Of course there could be contingencies but then you can always pay more and use Yellow Cab as a back-up.

From Pier 91 to airport

Had several hours to burn before needing to get to airport. Paid for Luggage Direct w/ HAL ($19.95/person, up to 3 luggage allowed for each) on the ship. Once we disembarked, we walked to the bus stop [Google Map helped as there was traffic everywhere as well as for transit info] on top of the Magnolia bridge. Took route 24 ($2.50/person) to Pike Place market, then got back on route 7 (bus pass valid from 8:30am - 1pm) to Chinatown for lunch. Afterwards walked to the International District light rail station to get on free shuttle to SODO station (they had maintenance and incomplete light rail service that weekend). Took Sound Light Rail to SeaTac airport ($3/person).

Again, as long as you allocate some buffer time for your transportation, taxi and public transportation really works well. We checked in 3 hours before flight departure (assume airport would not super busy but it wasn't) and had to wander aimlessly there.

I would agree with previous posters on this thread that with luggage it make sense to call a taxi but its so much cheaper (example: for a party of 2, we had a party of 6) to use public transit.

Thanks for the info Steve & Jan!

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Found out that this weekend (5/30~31 == my trip) and next (6/6~7) LINK will only have partial service [last stop at Stadium Station from SeaTac with free shuttle to Westlake] due to maintenance.

From many of you, looks like I will make a reservation with eastsideforhire. I was initially apprehensive due to their low Yelp reviews but will give it a try. Worst case scenario there is still waiting at the cab line.

I heard eastsideforhire pick up from the DEPARTURE area. Is this what you all have experienced?

Thank you once again....

Thanks all for your feedback. I really do appreciate everyone's 2cent on this thought...

- 6 adults, early 30's and early 60's.

- I do realize there will be walking involved at the airport, the transfer, and to the cruise terminal (< 0.5 mile). My thinking was we would walk much more during a single port visit than this so it shouldn't be bad at all. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

- We do fly in on the day of departure. We get in SeaTac around 10:30am. Assuming getting on the light-rail at 11:10am, Google Maps as well as King County Metro stated it should be take 1hr 15 minutes for the entire trip. Worse case 2 hrs and not leaving airport until 11:30am, we would still get there around 1:30pm and still have time to check-in before the ship's 4:00pm departure.

- From taxifarefinder.com, fare from SeaTac to Smith Cover Pier 91 would be $61 per cab. Also take into fact that cab might not be available right away, possible traffic, etc.

After the info provided above, do you guys still think I'm crazy to suggest taking public transit? Please advise.

Thanks!!

Hi epixx,

Thanks for the info. Was trying to find the most affordable and proven way to get from Seattle Tacoma airport to Pier 91 for a HAL Alaskan cruise, for a party of 6.

Was this the route you took? Sorry I couldn't paste the trip planner photo...

SoundTransit

From SeaTac Airport

Train - Sound Transit (MLink Light Rail to Seattle)

Arrive Pioneer Square Station Bay A

Walk from Pioneer Square Station Bay A to 3rd Ave & James St

Bus - King County Metro (24 W Magnolia)

Arrive Magnolia Brdg & Pier 91

Walk from Magnolia Brdg & Pier 91 to Pier 91

Hi cruisevers,

Looking forward to reading your posts about your current trip!

All,

Cruise-virgin here. I saw a great deal with HAL Alaskan cruise on Westerdam for end of May. Really thinking about booking it (on a budget) but want to check with ya'll experienced people here... Are there any (extra) essential packages I should get? I was just thinking of the cruise price, taxs & fees, and book any excursions at the ports. All advices will be greatly appreciated!!

Regards,

Eric