Alaska Carnival Legend

[ruff]

Our family is cruising to Alaska from Seattle in July. Is it possible to drop luggage at the terminal early in the morning and then tour Seattle?  Is it possible to get a cab to the terminal, then walk out of the area to catch a bus or use the light rail system?  Any help or insights would’ve very much appreciated. We will be traveling with 4 adults and 7 children. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Yes, you can drop off your luggage and return no later than 3 pm for your 4 pm sailing.

 

If you are adventurous, there is a public bus that you can walk to  (look at Metro's route #24 & #33), it will involve walking about 1/4 mile from the Pier 91 drop off area, and climbing some stairs.   Ordinarily, I would suggest taxi or Uber  to DT Seattle, but the bus might be more economical. 

[ruff]

Thank you very much for this info. It is very helpful

[Anyislandwilldo]

Is it possible to come in a day earlier?  There is so much to see in downtown Seattle alone.

[Ferry_Watcher]

2 hours ago, Anyislandwilldo said:

Is it possible to come in a day earlier?  There is so much to see in downtown Seattle alone.

Sorry, not quite understanding "come in a day earlier."

[Anyislandwilldo]

Is it possible for you and your family to arrive a day before you are scheduled to sail?  You could could spend the day exploring Seattle and then spend the night in Seattle.  Get up the next morning all refreshed and ready to sail.

[Ferry_Watcher]

I believe that the conventional wisdom is that unless you reside in a relativity short driving distance from the port, it would be better/safer if you arrived the day before your cruise.  I talked to a traveler last summer who lived in Portland, OR who left their house at 11 am for what they anticipated to be a normal 3 hour drive to arrive in plenty of time for a 4 PM ship departure in Seattle.  What they didn't expect was traffic delays.  By the time they arrived at Pier 91 just after 3pm, they were beyond stressed out.  Not the best way to start a vacation.

 

There is lots to do and see in Seattle - so do come early and explore.  If you are planning a cruise this summer, you may want to start looking for a hotel room asap, and be prepared for some sticker shock.  There are lots of threads about where to stay, including outside of the city.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Ferry_Watcher
grammer

[MarilynR26]

Seattle is a fantastic city so I concur with the others who say that if you can come into SeaTac the day before you will be better off as there is a lot to see. July and August are peak tourist season in Seattle - it's hard to find a hotel room that is not pricey unless it's in SeaTac which is not really close to anything, so I would try Airbnb if possible. 

 

(Edited when I reread you were on the Legend)  You'll be leaving from Smith Cove/Pier 91 and that's a few miles out from stuff like Pike Market etc (which I would definitely check out) I'd recommend Uber or Lyft for either because the bus service is not extremely convenient. 

 

To move around Seattle, the Link light rail is very cheap and easy to catch from the airport to anywhere downtown. It does not go to Seattle Center (where everyone wants to go because it's where the Space Needle is, along with Chihuly and MoPop) is, BUT you can take it to Westlake Station and catch a monorail over to it. (The monorail is also cheap and actually pretty cool) 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by MarilynR26