mapleleaves

There were sightings around Seattle and Vancouver last year so if the aurora is active there's always a chance.

Check on the activity level before you leave to see if it's worth your while. Or I believe there are services that will tweet you when the activity rises to a certain level.

Expand the map of the Westlake Center area on the Light Rail web site:

http://www.soundtransit.org/Rider-Guide/Westlake-Station.xml

Great suggestions from gardyloo; I love Whidbey Island but I also love the ocean. If you don't want to do a lot of driving along the coast you could head south from Seattle, past Aberdeen to Ocean Shores. Great kite flying there. Bring a jacket; it gets cold by the water.

You could also spend a 2nd day in Seattle. Visit Discovery Park for hiking, a lighthouse, culture center and views of the sound.

http://www.seattle.gov/tour/discov.htm

Ride the water taxi to Alki Beach, West Seattle. Rent kayaks on Lake Union and paddle by the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat.

Looks like an interesting place to me, but are there things of interest to kids or would it be as my youngest one says, "Just a bunch of shopping"? :)

There's something for everyone at the Market. You certainly don't have to be a shopper. I hate shopping but I enjoy the sights and sounds at the Market. My only shopping is at the various bakeries. The Market is very large; covers a few blocks and has several levels. You can stay for as little or long as you like. When you've had enough, walk down to the waterfront. The fish throwing is great fun, and it's interesting to see the different types of fish, geoducks and other assorted 'creatures'. The colors at the produce and flower stalls are so vibrant. Nice views of the waterfront and ferry traffic too. Look thru their web site to see the pictures and the

a listing of stores:

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/

There's a free bus. Stop by the Klondike Museum, free, if you're heading to Alaska.

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/cftemplates/show_map.cfm?BUS_ROUTE=099&DAY_NAV=WSU

Congrats on the hotel price!

There will be taxis waiting at Antrak. There's a flat rate of $32 for all taxis from the downtown area to SeaTac. I assume an airport hotel location would be the same but maybe not.

Already There limo service always get positive comments on this board. I think a towncar would be $45.

Call the taxi and limo for a price comparison.

http://yellowtaxi.net/rates.htm

http://alreadytheretowncar.com/

It is Continental.

 

Thanks for the info. I guess it would be better then to just get a hotel at the airport and use light rail to go to the downtown area. We would get a little more sleep that way!:D

Is it any less painful to leave a downtown hotel at 5am than an airport hotel at 5:20am ??

waf125,

traffic gets bad by 7am so you'll be way ahead of rush hour Plan on a 30 minute ride, but it will probably be 20. You need to be getting into a taxi at 4:30- 4:45am. Yikes! At least there are lots of breakfast choices at the airport.

Which airline? some of the concourses are distant and require a tram ride.

We will have 1 afternoon and the following day to sightsee in Seattle. My husband has a walking disability. Can you suggest some places beside the Pike Place Market that we can see.

We will not have a car. We will be visiting the first weekend in May, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for all your help! :D

Are you eliminating the Market because .. too much walking to get there? or too much walking around the Market itself? or is it the multi levels? Don't mean to pry, but it's hard to make other suggestions without knowing how much walking is ok.

What kinds of things will you both enjoy? Since you're doing an Alaska Cruise I would recommend the Goldrush Museum but is that an option? A tour to the Museum of Flight or Boeing if you're interested in aviation.

When I have guests, we always take a ferry ride. It's a nice way to spend a few hours regardless of the weather. Great viiews of the Seattle skyline.

Ideas: http://www.visitseattle.org/Visitors/Discover.aspx

Free bus zone covers downtown Seattle.

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/area_maps/m_seattle-rfa.html

What month is your trip? There's lots to do in that first 50 miles south of Anchorage ... pan for gold, ride the tram at Alyeska, visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, drive thru the tunnel to Whittier, hike, visit Begich Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Glacier and do the Ice Worm safari.

http://alaska.org/driving/portage-valley-whittier-spur-drive.htm

Alaska.org is a good site. Open "Top Day Tours" and "Destinations".

You might want to borrow a Frommers travel book on Alaska (or something similar) from your library.

I still suggest you open your own thread to get more feedback on your itinerary.

mapleleaves

Thanks so much for your input!

We really appreciate it!

You're welcome! Hope it helps. Sounds like a wonderful trip!

BTW, the ferry between Tsawwassen and Sidney is a beautiful trip, 1 1/2 hrs. We saw orcas one time! At one point you're passing thru the Gulf Islands, the passage is quite narrow, and then you meet the ferry coming in the other direction. Beautiful! We usually stay at a waterfront hotel in Sidney; it's a straight shot down the hwy to Victoria (30 minutes).

But if Victoria sounds like too much, there are some lovely gardens in Vancouver to enjoy; VanDusen, Queen Elizabeth, and UBC.

And one more thought .. on your last night in Alaska, consider a B&B in Girdwood instead of Anc. Lots to see and do in that area to keep you busy before heading to the airport, which is about an hr away.

I think you'll get more responses if you post your itinerary as a separate thread. Many people tend to ignore threads that get really long. I don't know why I happened to look here. I thought it was just a place where people posted which vendors they were using in each port.

I would really appreciate a "critic" from the experts!

The "?" in our itinerary is where we could use your help! What else can/should we do?

 

Would appreciate help with timeline also! Thanks!

 

Note: We are 2 couples in our 50's and 60's. We are not good hiker because of mobility issues. Long rides and cramped seating are difficult with knee replacements! So we need to be able to get up and walk or stand for a few minutes. We do have our concerns about some of the things we have planned but hope we can do them!

 

Day 1: Vancouver: Arrive 1pm - ? Then what?

Ferry to Victoria. Not sure what time we will catch the ferry?

Not sure what to do or see in Victoria in the evening?

Stay at B&B

Day 2: Victoria: Butchart Gardens maybe Butterfly farm ?

Tour Victoria - Not sure what else there is to see! ?

Not sure where else to go! ?

Catch ferry back to Vancouver. Not sure what time?

The ferries leave every hr, so you have plenty of choices. I LOVE Butchart Gardens! It's very easy to spend 5-6 hrs there. It might be fun to go there the first day .. have dinner at a pub then drive to the gardens to see flowers during the day AND at night. Depends on where you're coming from and how tired you will be. Day 2, wander around the Empress Hotel, visit the Royal BC Museum and Maratime Museum, both excellent.

Be sure to allow time for the ferry wait. You park in a line, wait for the ferry to arrive and unload then re-load.

Be aware that Butchart Gardens isn't really in Victoria. Assuming you get your car at the airport you'll drive to Tsawwassen where you catch the ferry to Sidney (Swartz Bay). Then a 15 minute drive to Butchart Gardens. On the return trip when you land in Tsawwassen, it's about a 30 minute drive into Vancouver.

http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/tssw-current.html

 

Lodging in Vancouver is yet to be decided :eek: ? check out the Vancouver forum of trip advisor or the West Coast Departures forum on cc

 

Day 3: Vancouver: Stanley Park and the Aquarium.

Board Celebrity Millennium - what is the best time?

Day 4: At Sea

Day 5: Ketchikan - ? Pick up free maps at the Visitor Centers and do the town walk. It's a lovely town, and has an interesting history. Take local bus to Totem Bight Park.

Day 6: Icy Strait Point - Whale watch

Day 7: Juneau - Whale watch, Mendenhall

Day 8: Skagway - ? Visit the Goldrush Museum and Cemetary, rent a car and drive to the Yukon

Day 9: Hubbard

Day 10: Seward:

Leave ship :(

SeaLife Center, Kayaking (for the mobile people ;) )

Renting a cottage for the night.

Day 11: Seward during the day then train to Anchorage

? Not sure what to do in the morning before our 10 am Kenai Fjords tour?

Just stroll around the harbor and watch the otters, the fishing boats, look for bald eagles, hit the bakery. Take seasick meds early!

Train to Anchorage at 6pm, pick up rental car

B&B lodging

Day 12:Talkeetna

Drive to Talkeetna with stops along the way for snacks and food

for the next 6 days. Stop in Wasilla for this? YES. Walmart, Safeway just off the exit ramp in Wasilla. Before you get to Wasilla stop at Eklutna to visit the Spirit Houses.

Jetboat tour in Talkeetna

B&B lodging

Day 13: Talkeetna

McKinley Flight Tour at 10am

Denali Drama?

? Have no idea what else to do in this area B&B lodging Talkeetna

Day 14: Denali

Drive to Denali and do the Visitors Center ? Maybe drive into Denali as far as we can go? Is this a waste of time? Will we see anything? If you 're up to the driving, why not ? This is the only area I've seen moose. One year we saw a lynx.

Cabin Nite Dinner Theater?

Day 15: 6:30 shuttle bus to Wonderlake

Nice dinner someplace?

Day 16: Palmer

B&B

Matanuska Glacier Trek

Not sure what else to do here? It will take you a few hours to get here, then you have the trek in the afternoon so you won't have that much free time. Dinner and enjoy the views. http://www.glacierview-alaska.com/

Day 17: Anchorage

Drive Turnagain Arm

Not sure what else to do? So many options! especially in good weather. Suggestions in this link: http://alaska.org/driving/portage-valley-whittier-spur-drive.htm

B&B

Day 18: All day in Anchorage - fly home at midnight

What to do this day? Farmers market on weekend, museum, Native Culture Center, Earthquake Park.

 

Thanks for your input (suggestions, corrections, advice)!!

The Seattle forum of www.tripadvisor has helpful info under the TOP QUESTIONS section, including info on hotels.

taxi fare from seatac to downtown is $40-$45. That info was in my earlier post along with a link to the Port's web site so you could find Yellow Cab's phone number. Stila Towncar is also at SeaTac and is only a few bucks more than a taxi.

Thanks mapleleaves! I am not sure why shuttle express wants to charge $74 for 2 people if it is only about 2 miles away.

That sounds like an exclusive rate ... where your group are the only passengers and the vehicle is picking you up at your hotel.

Their Airporter service from SeaTac is a shared ride but only drops at 8 or 9 specific hotels downtown, therefore it's much more affordable. Perhaps they have a similar shared service from those specific hotels to the pier. Call their 800 number and ask. But to be honest I think a taxi is the way to go ... you're not tied to a schedule, so you can run around for awhile in the morning then take a cab when YOU'RE ready to board.

Seattle Shuttle is another transfer service.

I was surprised t read that the first response on this thread was for me! thanks. However, since this was started in September our plans changed. We are still arriving at 1:30 pm but are leaving immediately after the cruise.

 

I have been trying to figure out where to stay when we arrive into Seattle. I would love to be able to go downtown and see Pikes Market and maybe the Space Needle (just see it , not go up). I see that Shuttle Express can take us from the airport to downtown with shared van service which is reasonably priced but when pricing to go from downtown to Pier 91 it is $74 for 2 !!!! That seems high to me although I don't know how far away it is. It is much cheaper from the airport $18/person to pier 91. Is the airport closer to the pier than downtown? Anyone have suggestions on where to stay with my limited time?

How many people ? Since you're arriving in the afternoon and want to sightsee a downtown hotel would be a better option than an airport hotel. Then you can drop your luggage and start sightseeing right away, plus the next morning the desk can hold your luggage while you can sightsee for a few more hours before going to the ship. Pike Place Market gets very crowded so the next morning would be a better time to visit.

Pier #91 is about 2 miles north of downtown so maybe $20 for a taxi.

If there are more than 2 people, take a taxi from SeaTac to downtown for $40 -$45, or a towncar for a few dollars more. Yellow Cab is at the airport. Call for quotes.

http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Parking-and-Transportation/Ground-Transportation/Pages/Taxis-and-Limos.aspx

Are you looking for least expensive transfer? If you can manage your luggage to walk several blocks, Light Rail from SeaTac to Westlake Center downtown costs $2.75 and takes 40 minutes. http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail.xml

Are you looking for a budget hotel. Hotels are generally pricier downtown but people get great deals on priceline hotwire etc. Look at the Warwick mentioned by the previous poster. If you don't stay in the downtown core you can take a taxi from Westlake to anywhere in town for about $20.

Hotels are generally cheaper by the Seattle Center, like Quality Inn, Holiday Inn Express,Hampton. If you stayed in that area you can walk to the Center and ride the monorail downtown then walk to the Market. Some of the Seattle Center hotels offer a free shuttle around downtown and $10 to the piers.

Look at a site like Expedia to get an idea of prices, where hotels are located and general amenities. If you have a few hotels in mind people can give you feedback. Totally depends on your budget.

A taxi to pier 91 from the Seattle Center will be around $20. Again, you can call Yellow Cab for an estimate.

Much of this info is in the Seattle STICKY above, the one about making a Seattle FAQ.

bump

AKman,

 

About how long would it take to do the route you mentioned?

 

I do want to stop and see everything. We will not be pressed for time that day we get to Anchorage. We will be on our way to PWS the next day for a tour.

 

Thanks

I was serious when I said it can take 2hrs or 12 hrs !

If you make no stops, it takes almost 2 hrs for the Anch-Whittier drive, including the wait time for the tunnel.

But if you're sightseeing .... it depends on how much time you choose to spend at each place and no one can judge that. Are you an avid photographer? I've heard of people spending 3 hrs at Potters Marsh on the boardwalk .... they start taking photos of swans then they find a moose and soon they can't leave!

If you have a sunny clear day, you could spend an hour or 2 at some of the stops, ie Portage glacier cruise, the Conservation Center, riding the tram, hiking the Winner Creek Trail. Whereas stopping at Beluga Point and Bird Ridge might take you 5 minutes.

Look at the alaska.org link I posted to see which stops are of interest to you.

You might need more than one car .... 6 people and all that luggage!!

Depending on your interests and activity level (and the weather)the drive to Whittier can take 2 hrs or 12 !

Suggested stopping points in this guide:

http://alaska.org/driving/portage-valley-whittier-spur-drive.htm

On different trips we've enjoyed.... walking the boardwalk at Potters Marsh to see the swans, watching the sheep on the cliffs, watching salmon from the viewing platforms at Williwaw, the hr glacier tour at Portage Lake and the Visitor Center, riding the tram at Mt Alyeska. Once we were lucky enough to see the belugas near Beluga Point.

If you drive you need to be mindful of the limited hours of operation for the tunnel to Whittier. Google Whittier tunnel for the schedule.

Here's another guide: http://www.bellsalaska.com/myalaska/seward_highway.html

even if you get your boarding pass on-line, don't you still have to go to the ticket counter to show your passport and check your luggage ?

I agree with the previous post .... nothing will be open. The pier is only 20 minutes from the airport so you'll arrive at 3:20. I looked at the Marco Polo web site; Delta opens at 6am. Even the coffee shop doesn't open until 6am. I remember reading somewhere that the earliest area opens at 5am. Which airline are you using ?

You could prearrange a taxi to pick you up at the pier at 4:45am. Usually 35E but probably a surcharge for the early time.

Better yet, why not stay at a hotel for one night so you can fully enjoy Venice and avoid this headache ? That would be a wonderful option !

http://www.veniceairport.it

I was curious to see if there were cars or just a kiosk at the pier so I called National at Seatac Airport (206) 433-5501 ext 2)

The agent said NO CARS at the pier, just a kiosk. If you rent at the airport you would drop off the car downtown at their 6th Ave location, and they will shuttle you to the pier.

According to the Port's web site there is a kiosk for National/Alamo at pier 91. That sounds like the cars aren't held at the pier. Perhaps an employee will shuttle you into town to pick up the car?? So probably the same in the other direction. If there's a specific company you want to use because you have points or whatever, I'd suggest you call and find out what they can do for you regarding pier 91. Otherwise call the National or Alamo numbers provided by the Port.

http://www.portseattle.org/seaport/cruise/parkingandtransportation.shtml#rental

Do you need a car because you're travelling outside of Seattle. I just wanted to mention that buses are free in the downtown core. And the bus system has a trip planner on it's site. More info is available on the West Coast Departure forum in the Seattle Q&A STICKY at the top of the page.

in lieu of a Sticky, here's a bump.

I agree.

These are airport area hotels with a parking pkg.

http://www.seattlesouthside.com/packages-and-promotions/category/5-park-stay-and-fly?li=16

bump