Sailing out of Seattle next summer. Any hotel suggestions?

We have an Alaska cruise booked for next July and would like to arrive a few days early to explore Seattle, as we have never been there before.

We won't have a car and are thinking it might be more convenient to stay downtown if we can find a hotel for a reasonable cost. I know it's almost a year in advance, but was thinking we could find lower rates if we book early.

Any suggestions about places to stay, and places we should visit would be greatly appreciated.

We stayed at the Sheraton located downton at 6th Ave and Union. It was very convenient being close to many things like Pikes Place and near the monorail. We stayed there because it was recommended by our HAL PCC.

The one thing we didn't like was that considering the $ we spent we didn't have free wi-fi. They did have a coffee maker in the room and free cable. The dock for Hal cruises is not very close from the hotel. Maybe you could hook up with other cruisers for the shuttle? I think Royal Carib and NCL were embarking at the same dock.

Check with your cruise line to see what they suggest.

fwiw, i think if you sign up for spg rewards thru Sheraton on their website and also book direct thru them, you get free wifi now.

I also agree about booking early. I booked the Edgewater for one night this August. I booked the day it became available for booking last year. It's like $200 more if I were to book it today. We got a darn good deal. It's still quite expensive, but I want to wake up the morning before our cruise and see the Pearl sitting at the dock! :)

Our current favorite Seattle hotel is the Mayflower Park -- great location beside Westlake (terminus of the light rail from SEATAC and also the location of one of the monorail stations), great staff, wonderful in-house restaurant, walking distance to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum.

Last month we stayed at the Maxwell Hotel near the Space Needle and the monorail. There is also a small 24 hour grocery store near by. It was very comfortable and the staff was very nice. They have a shuttle that you can take for free with a 30 minute notice. It starts running at 9:30. This was always after we wanted to leave, so we never used it, but it is good if you are not early risers like us. We were used to Eastern and Central time, so we were up and going. We booked through the hotel with a AAA rate, which was less than all of the other sites we searched. This hotel gets excellent reviews on Trip Advisor as well.

I went with AirBNB. AWESOME experience. Here's where I stayed: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/938785

Definitely well worth the money. It's very close to Pike Place Market (Western & Union).

We stayed in the Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown (used points, so it was free). Very conveniently located to the Space Needle and all of the things around it. They have a shuttle and picked us up at the Westgate station from the light rail, a cheap $3/ride from the airport. They will also shuttle you around town - when available - but it's a walking city. We actually walked from Pike Place Market back to the hotel rather than waiting for the shuttle one day. They have a great breakfast! They also have a contracted shuttle that only costs $8 to Pier 91 on the day of your embarkation, so it's a good deal.

Our current favorite Seattle hotel is the Mayflower Park -- great location beside Westlake (terminus of the light rail from SEATAC and also the location of one of the monorail stations), great staff, wonderful in-house restaurant, walking distance to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum.

We are booked here for our Aug. 3 nights post cruise. We are always interested in hotel locations with nice walking options. A plus was a great rate for the area when we booked way out. Rate is much higher 8 months later. Looking forward to the stay.

I too found that booking your hotel 7-8 mos out gets you the best price. We will be going to Seattle for cruise this September. Booked our hotel in February and the price today is $110 more than our price. I use priceline and get my best prices there. Another hotel to consider that gets high ratings is The Paramount which is very centrally located in the city.

Pooh

We stayed at the Sheraton located downton at 6th Ave and Union. It was very convenient being close to many things like Pikes Place and near the monorail. We stayed there because it was recommended by our HAL PCC.

 

The one thing we didn't like was that considering the $ we spent we didn't have free wi-fi. They did have a coffee maker in the room and free cable. The dock for Hal cruises is not very close from the hotel. Maybe you could hook up with other cruisers for the shuttle? I think Royal Carib and NCL were embarking at the same dock.

 

Check with your cruise line to see what they suggest.

Thanks! We're sailing Princess, so I'll check with them, although I wasn't planning on booking through them as I'm guessing (?) I can get a better rate on y own if I book far enough in advance.

I don't why, but it seems that wi-fi comes free with less expensive places. I would think that hotels for which you pay a higher rate would throw in the wi-fi!

fwiw, i think if you sign up for spg rewards thru Sheraton on their website and also book direct thru them, you get free wifi now.

 

I also agree about booking early. I booked the Edgewater for one night this August. I booked the day it became available for booking last year. It's like $200 more if I were to book it today. We got a darn good deal. It's still quite expensive, but I want to wake up the morning before our cruise and see the Pearl sitting at the dock! :)

Good idea! We don't travel often (hope that this is going to change!), but I always join rewards programs. I'll check into the Edgewater. Just beginning my search so I don't have any idea about price ranges for Seattle in July.

Last month we stayed at the Maxwell Hotel near the Space Needle and the monorail. There is also a small 24 hour grocery store near by. It was very comfortable and the staff was very nice. They have a shuttle that you can take for free with a 30 minute notice. It starts running at 9:30. This was always after we wanted to leave, so we never used it, but it is good if you are not early risers like us. We were used to Eastern and Central time, so we were up and going. We booked through the hotel with a AAA rate, which was less than all of the other sites we searched. This hotel gets excellent reviews on Trip Advisor as well.

Thanks, I'll check into it. I'm not at all familiar with Seattle. Is this hotel within a 30-minute shuttle drive of Pike's Place? Were you able to walk to a lot of places you wanted to see, or did you use taxis/Uber?

Thanks for everyone's input. We now have a lot of choices

I too found that booking your hotel 7-8 mos out gets you the best price. We will be going to Seattle for cruise this September. Booked our hotel in February and the price today is $110 more than our price. I use priceline and get my best prices there. Another hotel to consider that gets high ratings is The Paramount which is very centrally located in the city.

 

Pooh

Do you mind if I ask you what your Priceline strategy was, and where you ended up booking your hotel? I've never used Priceline before. (So many "firsts" on this trip!)

Our current favorite Seattle hotel is the Mayflower Park -- great location beside Westlake (terminus of the light rail from SEATAC and also the location of one of the monorail stations), great staff, wonderful in-house restaurant, walking distance to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum.

I will look into this, thank you! Since we won't have a car, we want to find a convenient location to sight-see for a couple of days before our cruise. Do you book directly with the hotel?

We are booked here for our Aug. 3 nights post cruise. We are always interested in hotel locations with nice walking options. A plus was a great rate for the area when we booked way out. Rate is much higher 8 months later. Looking forward to the stay.

Good to know! Did you book directly with the hotel?

We stayed in the Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown (used points, so it was free). Very conveniently located to the Space Needle and all of the things around it. They have a shuttle and picked us up at the Westgate station from the light rail, a cheap $3/ride from the airport. They will also shuttle you around town - when available - but it's a walking city. We actually walked from Pike Place Market back to the hotel rather than waiting for the shuttle one day. They have a great breakfast! They also have a contracted shuttle that only costs $8 to Pier 91 on the day of your embarkation, so it's a good deal.

Sounds like a great option. Glad to hear Seattle is a walking city, because we were planning on doing a lot of it without a car!

I went with AirBNB. AWESOME experience. Here's where I stayed: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/938785

 

Definitely well worth the money. It's very close to Pike Place Market (Western & Union).

This looks really nice, and is in a great location!

I've never booked through AirBNB, so I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions. In listings in general, do the prices that are listed next to the description mean anything? For example, this listing had a way-to-good-to-be-true price. When I put in my dates, the rates more than tripled! I tried different dates, including in the winter, and most were quite a bit higher than the list price. To be fair, I found some dates in January that approached the listed price.

My only other experience with AirBNB, was when searching for a place near a resort town in California last year. When I put in my dates for a few places, the prices were almost always what was listed. These were owned by individuals rather than companies, however, so maybe that was the difference?

I can understand peak season prices, but I was thinking it would be easier to sort through listings if the true range of prices are listed.

Your post opened my eyes to the possibility of looking into an AirBnB, but was hoping to figure out how the listings work. Is there any advantage to booking far in advance, as there is often with hotels?

Thanks, again!

Thanks, I'll check into it. I'm not at all familiar with Seattle. Is this hotel within a 30-minute shuttle drive of Pike's Place? Were you able to walk to a lot of places you wanted to see, or did you use taxis/Uber?

The Space Needle is about a mile away from Pike Place Market. Depending on how quickly you walk, it's about 20 minutes. You could always hop on the monorail and save yourself about 10 minutes of walking time though. It'll let you out at 5th Avenue and Pine Street.

Staying near the Needle does have you a few blocks away from most of the ideal walking and activity areas, but there's still a lot to do in that area.

The Space Needle is about a mile away from Pike Place Market. Depending on how quickly you walk, it's about 20 minutes. You could always hop on the monorail and save yourself about 10 minutes of walking time though. It'll let you out at 5th Avenue and Pine Street.

 

Staying near the Needle does have you a few blocks away from most of the ideal walking and activity areas, but there's still a lot to do in that area.

We definitely don't mind walking, but it sounds like the public transit system is good one!

Is the walk between The Space Needle and Pike's Place hilly?

We have an Alaska cruise booked for next July and would like to arrive a few days early to explore Seattle, as we have never been there before.

 

We won't have a car and are thinking it might be more convenient to stay downtown if we can find a hotel for a reasonable cost. I know it's almost a year in advance, but was thinking we could find lower rates if we book early.

 

Any suggestions about places to stay, and places we should visit would be greatly appreciated.

Book a Hotel at SeaTac, much cheaper, cleaner area and you can take the light rail into Seattle. See the West Coast Departures for more information.

We definitely don't mind walking, but it sounds like the public transit system is good one!

 

Is the walk between The Space Needle and Pike's Place hilly?

Not at all. Pike, Pine, and Stewart are very steep hills between 1st Street and Pike Place though. It's just 1 block though. The "major hills" are the streets such as 1st Street. As you head south, the hill goes down.

And public transit is an excellent way to get around Seattle.

Light rail from SeaTac to downtown is $3. Westlake Station is in heart of downtown with many hotels in the area. Pike Place Market is a short walk and the monorail will take you to Seattle Center/Space Needle.

We stayed at Sheraton (5th Ave) and Westin (6th Ave) last week. Both close to Westlake Station. Both very nice, give the nod to Westin (Heavenly Beds). Booked a few months in advance when I found sales on their websites.

Seems trend is for hotels to offer great rates on their own websites to eliminate commission?

Not at all. Pike, Pine, and Stewart are very steep hills between 1st Street and Pike Place though. It's just 1 block though. The "major hills" are the streets such as 1st Street. As you head south, the hill goes down.

 

And public transit is an excellent way to get around Seattle.

Thanks for this info! I think between walking and public transit we'll be fine.

Book a Hotel at SeaTac, much cheaper, cleaner area and you can take the light rail into Seattle. See the West Coast Departures for more information.

Since we're planning so far in advance (next summer), I'm hoping we can find some decent rates a little closer in. We're hoping to do a little sight-seeing for a few days before our cruise. If we were just spending one night, it would make a lot of sense to stay in a SeaTac hotel.

Is the area around the Space Needle not clean? (We're from the SF Bay Area, so are used to urban areas.)

Appreciate your suggestions!