My Seattle Trip Report (precruise) May 19-22

HI to all...thanks for the help

My full review of Seattle, Carnival Spirit and ALASKA is now posted up on the Carnival board...but I am reposting the Seattle info here ....hope it helps people as much as this board helped me

We had a great time in Seattle...tho it was pretty different since most of us live in sunny sunny Fort Lauderdale area haha

C Spirit to Alaska May 22-29..Picture Review w. Seattle..."Floridians to Alaska"

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Hi...back from Alaska...still looking at my pictures, drinking coffee from my (Free) Alaska mug and reliving this fantastic journey and cruise

It took a LOT of planning and this board and the Alaska/West Coast boards were helpful for the most part.

Just figuring what to wear was a process since I and most of my "gang" live in South Florida, Ft Lauderdale area LOL.

Some of us (7) flew in on May 19, Saturday and stayed for 3 nights

4 of us flew from Ft Lauderdale on United with one change in Houston, no problems, lines were minimal, planes on time, it was great.

I had arranged a shuttle from our hotel Quality Inn and Suites

for $10 each (their 2011 deal, we booked early and they honored it, now you need to take shuttle or pay a bit more)

Pick up was easy and we were off to our hotel with a bit of sightseeing on the way. It was NOT raining ...haha...but it was kinda gray. It was not "cold" but to us it was pretty cold ...just different.

Hotel turned out to be great...a real bargain....$89 a night. My roomie and I had 2 double beds, a flat screen tv, fridge and microwave, totally clean and nice. They had recently redone the lobby and have a FIREPLACE...

WOW...THAT WAS A TREAT. I think it was a gas fireplace but it was a novelty for us ! The decor is sort of..."Northwestern">> darker colors, wood, leather ...so that too was a treat

http://www.qualityinnseattle.com/

LOve loved the staff...shout out to sweet Tammy and the fantastic 2nd in command, John C Hart. They really made our stay

Free hot breakfast...24/7 free coffee and tea....free use of computers and printers in lobby

They have a large heated indoor pool and hot tub but they also had a lot of youth groups who dominated that , my only "complaint"...we didn't bother trying to use them, but then again we have lots of pools where we live haha

I loved the location...near the Seattle Center/Space Needle. We had a Walgreens we could walk to ...

up a HILL

in the drizzle/rain LOL

so that too was different

Also different was the small size of Walgreens, the HIGHER prices...

less selection.....and the 9 1/2 % sales tax...ouch

As I suspected, they have gloves, hats, etc, all for sale right there in Seattle....I bought a little knit cap for a buck or two....it served it's purpose.

Back to the hotel where we met up with the other 3 who were in town on Saturday...and the hotel's FREE shuttle took us to Keys on Main, a piano bar near our hotel

Keys on Main was super....so much fun, dueling pianos...so talented and so funny...and rauchy as the night went on haha...not a kid place which was fine with me

fabulous food. I had a restaurant.com cert for $75 off $150 to share with my group and they honored it, no problem. The quesidillas were fantastic

They let us use the cert for drinks

http://keysonmain.com/seattle/

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Sunday May 20th Seattle...Tillicum Village Salmon Bake After coffee and light breakfast we hung out then had free shuttle from hotel to near the salmon bake dock which is Pier 55 near Pike Place

We were let off by the Market and walked thru it...very very crowded

drizzle day :)

down some elevator and steps to the waterfront...cute little places there,

quaint stuff....saw the Aquarium and it looked nice did not have time to go there...we went to the pier where our tickets were ready

I love loved the whole Tillicum Village experience it was fantastic

Saving $30 each was super too LOL

Just a great day.....lovely boat ride, Jim the tour guide gave many interesting facts and stories about Seattle

The clams were yummy....wow the longhouse was beautiful,

the salmon smelled great and tasted better!

We watched them grill it

Buffet was delicious, Northwestern salad, sides

Very "Northwestern"

just the best....I loved the salad

They also have a stew, beef, venison ? and more

I enjoyed the short show and loved the gift shop, only "authentic" stuff sold there, no made in China junk

The had a wood carver, Edward who was making new masks.

The dancers were out and about too. Just so nice

The island is beautiful too...you can walk around there after the show/buffet

Great day - don't miss this one

Sunday Afternoon May 20

After the salmon bake we wandered around Pike Place Market

Beautiful flowers..very cheap....lots of interesting shops

but honestly?? NOT the rave about place that I thought it would be

Really crowded

They had the "cheese" festival there...some booths and tents with samples...but it is drizzle rainy and windy and grey

I am used to flea markets and "green fairs" in Florida (with NICE weather and free parking haha)....and this was a hassle

I saw them throw the fish...mob scene. I walked up a lot of hills and stairs

I got wet. I saw a lot of expensive things to buy that I didn't need.

I am sure it is great for those who live there to buy produce and fish,

it looked so fresh and beautiful. Also good food...but oh the lines..

Pirosky Pirosky for instance had a huge line winding around to their window

Being Freebiequeen I enjoyed the samples tho>>> cheeses, chukar cherries, some jam samples, other stuff...nice

wow...what a hill to walk back up...

we then grabbed the metrorail ..only 2.25 fare...and went back to the Seattle Center, only a short stroll back to our Hotel, no hills to climb haha

I actually MUCH preferred the Space Needle area to the crowded downtown area. Seattle is a large/busy working city, not a resort area..and the parking, crowds, traffic is that of a working/busy city. Lots of hills in the "downtown" area too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Sunday Night May 20

That night we went to Habesha Eithiopian Restaurant, one of the few disappointments of the trip...I had a good groupon for it, they honored it

BUT...they were "out" of the "cottage cheese" and the "honey wine" that is so traditional with this sort of food. I was looking forward to this a lot since the 2 Eithiopian restaurants I had been to here both closed down...but oh well

It was pretty good and we had a nice time, a few more people had flown in and joined us

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Monday May 21...

had these reservations since last December...at last minute one more person wanted to join us but NO can do ...seating is tight at the Sky City

So 10 of us walked over for our 11 am appointment to "ride the needle" (free) followed by lunch

well...that is to say the Needle is FREE when you buy minimum $25 lunch

It is still a great deal...the "elevator' by itself is $19 so lunch is so worth it

They had our ressie ready...but..snafu....the "menu" had changed just the week before...so the dished we had "looked" at online for months were no more, replaced (at mostly slightly higher cost haha)

No matter we rode the elevator up ..ear pop....and checked out the "Sleepless in Seattle" view

I tried the binoculars and realized they don't work so well for those of us ME who use "monovision" (one contact)

It was neat up there but COLD and drizzly outside. They do have coffee stand...they have coffee all over Seattle LOL...they have little expensive cafe up there but kinda cafeteria/mall type food at high price, plastic chairs and tables, can't see view from there

(*you actually have to walk up and out to see

We could see our hotel, Quality Inn and Suites from there (it is right behind the green roofed Holiday Inn)

Best part of the space needle top was the exhibits IMHO....they have all these old 1962 exhibits of mementos and things from the original

world's fair

The old souvenirs were really NICE, high quality , not made in China junko

They had some beautiful stuff in glass cases to look at

The :smoker: case was hilarious...so "Mad Men">> ashtrays, matches, cigarette lighters and such with space needle/world fair theme

After a half hour of looking around and picture taking we walked down a staircase to...."Heaven">> or almost, or a Pacific Northwest version of Heaven

The Sky City restaurant was gorgeous...dark wood, light leather, kind of "northwest modern"...just beautiful...we had a table for 10, plush leather chairs, fine china and linens...so elegant.

The service and food were outstanding....Pacific Northwest cooking...I had a wonderful salmon sandwich...wild salmon....yum. I had the (obligatory) cup of coffee - Starbucks of course

The view was wonderful, yes you slowly revolve around....got a good picture of our hotel from up there too

Our fantastic waiter

The finale was wonderful...I had free coupons for the free dessert for ALL of us (I am a good freebiequeen).....and yes, we could order any dessert, NO problem,

most of us chose the signature desert of the Space Needle that was "created" in 1962 >> the Lunar Orbit....you gotta see it haha

Ice cream sundae with yummy cookie ..on a bed of dry ice...they pour the water and whooosh...cloads of smoke billow....haha...so much fun

50th Anniversary of Space Needle....signature dessert !!

 

 

 



 

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

 

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The Opening Day of Gardens and Glass !! On the way over to Space Needle we saw some hoopla and signs....a new building, glimpses of gardens and huge colorful glass sculptures...they were handing out flyers....it was OPENING DAY....OF THE CHIHULY GARDENS AND GLASS...

A NEW PERMANENT EXHIBIT

(it apparently replaced an old kid's rides area called Fun Forest I think?)

Wow wow wow....have been to Atlantis various times and admired the huge beautiful glass sculptures of this genius

so some of us went over there after lunch to check it out....$19 admission...they do give you a free digital photo for that included

There was really no line or wait, seems you pick a time if prebuy tickets but we just walked up and walked right in

This was really amazing...just beautiful...and fascinating !!

http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

And there was more....beautiful (drizzle rain) gardens with stunning glass

sculptures that melded with the plants and trees...just wonderful

They also have a gift shop and a "cafe" *more coffee LOL

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We finished off the day atOld Spaghetti Factory, very delicious and affordable, also different from South Florida where you don't see many old old red brick factories LOL

Neat trolley inside, stained glass lamps and old fashioned furniture

Very "Northern" looking !!

Sooooo affordable

http://www.osf.com/

Reviews on Trip Advisor

(I thought some of them were pretty harsh, the food was great,

soup to nuts thank you)

All in all we had a really good time in Seattle, saw a lot

I would especially recommend Tillicum Village, Sky City for lunch, and

the new Chihuly Glass and Gardens

Tues May 22...On to the Beautiful Spirit !!

Thanks John C Hart.....he drove our van of 11 (one of our guys had to ride another van, Seattle very strict about cabs/vans/seat belts)...and he led 2 other vans of cruisers from our wonderful Quality Suites hotel

quick ride to port...now $7 each but being Freebiequeen I asked them to honor the "old" 2011 rate of $6 each lol and they did (we tipped too of course)

Seattle port was pretty much a cluster

we were there bright and early and already lines

I think we were there before 11

The workers are not experienced and it shows...very slow

we had funpass, passports, etc..still slow

They do have good "Alaska Coupon" books at the port...pass the time waiting to board check them out

and...we are there !! Oh my Spirit is a beautiful ship !!

All in all I had a great time in Seattle.....Wishing you all the same !

Sunday Afternoon May 20

 

After the salmon bake we wandered around Pike Place Market

Beautiful flowers..very cheap....lots of interesting shops

but honestly?? NOT the rave about place that I thought it would be

You know what? I had basically the same reaction the first time I visited the Market. But it does grow on you--or at least it did on me. It especially helps, I think, to have time and space to really poke around the out-of-the-way corners and lower levels and outlying buildings. I've lived here now for 19 years and I'm STILL discovering things I never knew were in the Market! A good tour also helps. I still remember some of the stories I heard about the Market's history on a ghost tour I took 15 years ago--and I know where some of the spirits are said to hang out!

I am used to flea markets and "green fairs" in Florida (with NICE weather and free parking haha)....and this was a hassle

Of course, "nice weather" IS a matter of taste. Some of us don't find Gulf Coast heat and humidity (and hurricanes!! :eek: ) all that nice!

I am sure it is great for those who live there to buy produce and fish,

it looked so fresh and beautiful. Also good food...

It is undoubtedly good for that.

but oh the lines..

...which is why the locals mostly leave the Market to y'all from May to September, and shop at the neighborhood farmer's markets. We love our visitors, but in such large numbers all in one place, maybe not so much!

But, glad you enjoyed your visit. Do come back soon! (we need more of your tax money! ;) )

fun to read a report from a visitor. Thanks for sharing. Laughed about the 'steep' hills. Those hills used to be a whole lot steeper. That part of town is known as the 'regrade' since the hills were lowered by wahing them in to the sea at the turn of the century. You visited the Space Needle just a few days after the 50th anniversary. They just announced they are adding a 'glass' floor by the end of the yr so you can stand on glass and look straight down. That should be fun.

In regards to the mkt I'd always suggest going on a non weekend day. Almost all cruises drop guests there before or after to kill some time and it can add 10000 people to an already busy place. Visiting early in the morning avoids the crowds as well.

Glad you enjoyed Seattle

Thank you for taking the time to review Seattle. I am planning an Alaskan Cruise for Sept. 2013 and will be arriving 3 days early to take in what Seattle has to offer.

Several of your excursions sound very appealing and I will be adding them to the mix of things to do while there!!

Thanks :)

We really enjoyed the Tillicum Village...the food was fantastic, very Northwest ..salmon was wonderful. Also learn a lot about Seattle and about the Native people who lived there. Apparently they had it pretty good, lots of salmon to eat, so they had "time" to create a lot of art, wood carvings etc

The gift shop has ONLY "real" stuff...nothing made in china so that was good to shop, really nice stuff.

I had wanted to go on a "Salmon Bake" in Alaska but it conflicted with my other tours/wants (Yukon in Skagway, whale watch in Juneau)

so I really was happy we did this. Truly got us in the mood for Alaska !!

Have a great cruise !!

Hi Sharecruises,

"The finale was wonderful...I had free coupons for the free dessert for ALL of us (I am a good freebiequeen).....and yes, we could order any dessert, NO problem"

Since I'm a desert lover and try to use coupons, can you tell me where to find a free desert coupon? We are departing for a cruise to Alaska leaving from Seattle end of August. We too are from the east coast.

Just starting to view related articles from Seattle and into ports of Alaska. I know I have much reading and research to do. Figured I start with Seattle.

Thanks,

Mary

The pike place market (or just "the market" by some who live locally) is expected to be an elbow to elbow experience on weekends. I used to stop there on a sunday morning though, after finishing a night shift right up the hill. It isn't bad early in the morning. I'd see the vendors setting up their stalls, I'd be there that early.

The flowers are pretty & you can get a ginormous bouquet for cheap. Just not the longest lived in general. At least I haven't had the best luck.

Thank you for posting your interesting Seattle review.