2 days Seattle precruise help

[Iwannaseemickey]

I will have a full day before we get on our cruise (a Thursday), and then also the day we get off the ship-we don’t fly out until midnight (a Friday). I will be traveling with 4 adults, a 19, 15 and 14 yr old. We would like to visit Pikes Place, the Underground Tour, Space Needle, Chihuly, and the MoPop museum. Any opinions on how we should break it up? Or something we should add? The waterfront? Also, want a good dinner Friday before we head to the airport to fly home. Thanks in advance! 

[psuboater]

Seattle is a relatively small city to walk around. I would do the Space Needle and Chihuly and MoPop the same day because they are all in the same complex and I believe you can get passes to save money to see all 3.

 

Pike Place (No s, the sure way to identify yourself as a tourist!) can be paired easily with the waterfront - after lunch, take a nice long walk to the outdoor sculpture museum with great views of the sound and the Olympic mountains. You can easily fit an Underground tour in there too. I enjoyed the Underground tour when I went for a team building event in 2019. 

 

Some other highlights:

Starbucks Roastery and Reserve - skip the "first" Starbucks in Pike Place and go to the Roastery in Capitol Hill. The "first" is nothing special but the Roastery is beautiful with all of the copper roasting pots.

 

Columbia Tower - tallest building in Seattle - you can pay to go to the top, or go half way to floor 40 to the Starbucks there for great views of the city (and free!)

 

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) - this is on the water and really interesting to walk through.

 

Dinner ideas:

1) Din Tai Fung/Dough Zone - I like both - they are excellent choices for dumplings and noodles. Din Tai Fung is a global chain where Dough Zone is more local, but you can't go wrong with either. These two places are where I'd miss if we left Seattle.

 

2) Sushi -Momji Sushi in Capitol Hill is PHENOMENAL. There are a lot of good sushi places, but this is a standout for me.

 

3) Salt and Straw- technically a Portland import and growing nationally, but the best ice cream in the country, hands down.

 

4) Canon - expensive, but their craft cocktails are theatre in itself. On the drink menu, the icon next to the drink description is what it will be served in. Some examples - a glass apple, a metal canon, an IV bag, a Nintendo Cartridge....and more!

 

5) Rhein Haus is a cozy traditional beer hall with great appetizers.

 

6) Butcher's Table - is our favorite steak place in the city. I love the ambiance and their steak flights are worth it.

 

7) Bateau - They were just featured in the NY Times - they pride themselves on using all cuts of meat of the cow - so you'll get cuts that you won't see on most menus. The earlier you can make a reservation in the night, the better- when a cut is gone, it's gone for the evening.

[Glaciers]

Psuboater provided a good list and itinerary.  We’ve been on two different underground tours and found Bill Speidel’s to be a much better experience than Beneath the Streets.

 

And, not that this has anything to do with this thread but the Bill Speidel’s tour has you first staged at Doc Maynard’s. Although the bar closed years ago it was a hot spot in Pioneer Square. We used to go there in the 70’s and it would be packed with college kids, particularly after a game at the Kingdome.

[rsldonk]

Pacific Science Center is cool, that, the MoPop, and the space needle are all within like a couple of blocks of each other.  You can then take the monorail to the Westlake mall (original Nordstrom) and Pike's place is like 3 blocks away.  From Pike's you can walk do the waterfront where there's the ferris wheel, the aquarium, and my favorite place to eat in Seattle Ivar's acres of clams.  Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe is there too, which is worth a visit just to see the mummies and stuff.  

 

The Museum of Flight is phenomenal, but almost down to the airport and you pretty much would need either an uber or to get a car to get there.  

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 4/22/2022 at 3:37 PM, rsldonk said:

Pacific Science Center is cool, that, the MoPop, and the space needle are all within like a couple of blocks of each other.  You can then take the monorail to the Westlake mall (original Nordstrom) and Pike's place is like 3 blocks away.  From Pike's you can walk do the waterfront where there's the ferris wheel, the aquarium, and my favorite place to eat in Seattle Ivar's acres of clams.  Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe is there too, which is worth a visit just to see the mummies and stuff.  

 

Great suggestions.

Just a PSA - it is Pike Place Market, not Pike's Place or Pike's. 

You can call it The Market, just like we call Mt Rainier The Mountain.

[xlxo]

I would recommend doing the Space Needle early in the day to avoid waits that grow longer in the day.

[itsanita]

We will be renting a car for a couple days before getting on our ship in Seattle.  I have a couple questions.  

 

Does Celebrity use Bell Street Terminal?   And is it walking distance from The Market?  

 

If we rent a car at the airport, is there anyplace to return it at the port?   Any particular car rental we need to use?

 

Our goal would be to drop off our luggage, return the car somewhere close and then explore the Market area before getting on the ship.   

 

Thanks for your help

[Glaciers]

@itsanita 

A rental can be an inconvenience in downtown Seattle. Parking can be expensive and a car really isn’t needed if all you’re exploring is the downtown area, Pike Place Market, Seattle Center/Space Needle, International District. 

 

Celebrity uses Smith Cove, Pier 91 which is about 3 miles north of downtown. In the past there has been a rental car kiosk at Pier 91 that provides a shuttle to downtown for people renting upon disembarking. It may also work for returning downtown and then shuttling to the port.  You may want to check with the specific agency. Budget, Enterprise & National have downtown locations, possibly more.

[itsanita]

19 hours ago, Glaciers said:

@itsanita 

A rental can be an inconvenience in downtown Seattle. Parking can be expensive and a car really isn’t needed if all you’re exploring is the downtown area, Pike Place Market, Seattle Center/Space Needle, International District. 

 

 

Celebrity uses Smith Cove, Pier 91 which is about 3 miles north of downtown. In the past there has been a rental car kiosk at Pier 91 that provides a shuttle to downtown for people renting upon disembarking. It may also work for returning downtown and then shuttling to the port.  You may want to check with the specific agency. Budget, Enterprise & National have downtown locations, possibly more.

Thanks for your input.  I'm a bit disappointed that we are at Pier 91.  That makes it a bit more complicated.  We are traveling with 7 people, 3 of them kids, so trying to make it as easy as possible.  I had thought we would use the car to travel outside the city for a full day, perhaps to Mt Rainier if a nice day.  Or take a car ferry to Bainbridge for the day.  

 

Do you know how early in the day  we would be able to drop off our luggage at the ship the day we depart?

[Glaciers]

22 minutes ago, itsanita said:

Do you know how early in the day  we would be able to drop off our luggage at the ship the day we depart?

I think you’re initial concern would be finding a car big enough for 7 people plus luggage. I would think they would start accepting luggage around 10am but that’s a better question for the cruise line. Pier 91 has had luggage storage available in the past that was open 7:30am-3:30pm for $3/bag. You may want to contact them to check. Contact info can be found here:  https://www.portseattle.org/node/17185

Another option is luggage storage at the Edgewater Hotel. They store for non-guests. Its downtown along the waterfront, actually next door to the other cruise terminal, Pier 66.

[psuboater]

1 hour ago, itsanita said:

Thanks for your input.  I'm a bit disappointed that we are at Pier 91.  That makes it a bit more complicated.  We are traveling with 7 people, 3 of them kids, so trying to make it as easy as possible.  I had thought we would use the car to travel outside the city for a full day, perhaps to Mt Rainier if a nice day.  Or take a car ferry to Bainbridge for the day.  

 

Do you know how early in the day  we would be able to drop off our luggage at the ship the day we depart?

Bainbridge is better to walk on in my opinion. You can grab the ferry right from downtown and it's a beautiful 40 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge.  Not to mention in the summer, waits to board with a car can climb into the hours. From there, you can easily walk down to town where there's shops and restaurants. Uber is there if you want to explore further out on the island, but walking on gives you a good day trip. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by psuboater

[itsanita]

Thanks so much for your help.  One more question.  It is so helpful getting info from you guys.   

 

The kids want to do the Underground Tour, but when going online I am noticing there are at least 3 of them.  Can you recommend one over the others?  

 

And I also discovered the Snoqualmie Falls area that looks beautiful and reasonably close to Seattle for a day trip before we fly home to hot, flat Florida!

 

Again, thanks for your help.

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, itsanita said:

Thanks so much for your help.  One more question.  It is so helpful getting info from you guys.   

 

The kids want to do the Underground Tour, but when going online I am noticing there are at least 3 of them.  Can you recommend one over the others?  

 

And I also discovered the Snoqualmie Falls area that looks beautiful and reasonably close to Seattle for a day trip before we fly home to hot, flat Florida!

 

Again, thanks for your help.

I'd go with the original, the Bill Speidel tour - UNDERGROUND TOUR - A Tour of Seattle's Under Ground - but be warned, the kids might be underwhelmed.  

 

Snoqualmie Falls is an excellent destination but on weekend days it can be quite crowded.  You might consider combining it with a loop tour that includes the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley, including the home of the Carnation company, as well as a couple of iconic spots from the Twin Peaks TV show.  You might also get a kick out of an over-the-top drive-in in Issaquah, possibly on the way back.  Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/gzi35cKyAjE4ydKa6

[ccqueenanne]

I really liked Bill Speidel's Underground tour and would happily do it again with kids 7+ or so, as long as they have the temperment for tours.

[itsanita]

Thanks for your help.  We have a plan!!

 

[Dan G]

The old Macys' garage close to the Pike Place Mkt has National, Avis and Alamo and Enterprise.  Very easy.  Pier 91 used to use National and they would shuttle you back to their office but check this website

https://www.portseattle.org/maritime/cruise

[dog]

Car rental- did this a week ago for 2 days. Taxi $12+ tip from pier 91 to Avis by Needle.  Returned to airport. Stayed at hotel across from Sea Tac. Used shuttle to get back to hotel.

saw Budget car rental next door.

 

no parking issues early in am by market.

Edited May 16, 2022 by dog

[itsanita]

thanks Dan G and dog.

Our plan for pre cruise.   Renting Avis at airport and driving to hotel in downtown Seattle.  The next morning taking the car ferry to Bainbridge Island.  Looks like a beautiful drive, a couple of play grounds for the kids.  We will look for a good seafood restaurant for lunch and return to Seattle early afternoon.  We will find someplace to park near the ferry.  Options for that area:  Seattle Great Wheel, Wings over Washington, Underground Seattle, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Skyway Observatory (Starbucks).  We will decide what we want to do, depending on time and weather.   We will probably order in for dinner at the hotel.  I heard about a place called Serious Pie???  Any other suggestions for Pizza?  

The next day my daughter, son in law and the kids can walk down to Pike Place Market while my DH and I take all our luggage to the ship and drop it off ( hoping they take it early).  We will then drive back and drop off the car at the old macy garage (thanks Dan G) and then catch up with the others. 

After enjoying that area, our plan is to take the monorail to the Seattle City Center and wonder around there for awhile.  When ready, call a cab/uber to go to the port.   

 

Post cruise:   We will get transport to the airport as soon as ship docks.  We have a car rental there (Hertz) for the day as we all have "redeyes" back to FLorida.   We plan on driving to Snoqualmie Falls, having brunch at the hotel there and walking the trail.  This is a Friday, so hoping it won't be too crowded. 

Then will visit the Snoqualmie and just wonder around that area.  Saw something about a Fall City Wallaby Ranch that the kids might like.  Then back to the airport for dinner and our flights.   

 

Sound reasonable?   I feel this will give us a good look at Seattle and the area.  

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

7 hours ago, itsanita said:

The next day my daughter, son in law and the kids can walk down to Pike Place Market while my DH and I take all our luggage to the ship and drop it off ( hoping they take it early).  We will then drive back and drop off the car at the old macy garage (thanks Dan G) and then catch up with the others. 

After enjoying that area, our plan is to take the monorail to the Seattle City Center and wonder around there for awhile.  When ready, call a cab/uber to go to the port.   

 

Wow, this is a very ambiguous day of embarkation schedule.

 

Not to burst your bubble, but Fridays are the busiest day at Pier 91.  We have the RCI Ovation and X Solstice disembarking upwards of 6,800 passengers.  The longshore porters will be busy, until at about 10 AM, at which at that time some will take a lunch break, while others will begin collecting luggage for the afternoon's departure.

There is no parking in the driveway area at Pier 91.  So, you will have to unload all the luggage (sounds like for at least 6/7 people), and then the driver will be instructed to leave.  That will leave just one person to be responsible for all the luggage - a challenging task.

 

As for leaving the pier, and joining your other family members in sightseeing at Seattle Center - if you plan to do that (and personally I would be hesitant to recommend it due to timing), I would make it a very short visit. 

Something else to consider - If your younger children/grandchildren are not vaccinated, they will be tested a second time at the pier, even though they will arrive with a negative covid test result.  You will need to budget enough time for lines and the test before the ship disembarks.

 

There was a sad story last season where a young couple dropped off their bags early, then left for sightseeing and returned to the ship just before sailing time at 4pm.  The gangway was already pulled (which means no one or anything gets on or leaves the ship), and the ship sailed away without them, but with their luggage onboard still onboard.  Don't let this happen to you.

[itsanita]

16 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

There was a sad story last season where a young couple dropped off their bags early, then left for sightseeing and returned to the ship just before sailing time at 4pm.  The gangway was already pulled (which means no one or anything gets on or leaves the ship), and the ship sailed away without them, but with their luggage onboard still onboard.  Don't let this happen to you.

 

 

Hmmmm    We have left out of Seattle on 2 previous cruises without issue.  But that was before Covid.  Kids are all vaccinated, so that should eliminate that issue.  But I don't want to make us crazy that day.   We will still be on Florida time, so will be up pretty early that morning.  

 

In the past, as soon as we pulled up to the port, porters were there, even helping us get the luggage out of the car.  And as long as all were properly tagged, they took them from us right then.   So no issue driving away in the car.  But again, this was pre covid.  

 

I figured 9am at The Market for DD and family, then meeting them at the the Monorail to go to Seattle Center around 11-12noon.  A couple hours there, kids are looking forward to Artist's at Play).  We planned on heading to the port from Seattle Center around 2pm,  I thought that would be plenty of time to board before we depart at 4pm.    

Edited May 17, 2022 by itsanita

[MommyOTwins]

1 hour ago, itsanita said:

Hmmmm    We have left out of Seattle on 2 previous cruises without issue.  But that was before Covid.  Kids are all vaccinated, so that should eliminate that issue.  But I don't want to make us crazy that day.   We will still be on Florida time, so will be up pretty early that morning.  

 

In the past, as soon as we pulled up to the port, porters were there, even helping us get the luggage out of the car.  And as long as all were properly tagged, they took them from us right then.   So no issue driving away in the car.  But again, this was pre covid.  

 

I figured 9am at The Market for DD and family, then meeting them at the the Monorail to go to Seattle Center around 11-12noon.  A couple hours there, kids are looking forward to Artist's at Play).  We planned on heading to the port from Seattle Center around 2pm,  I thought that would be plenty of time to board before we depart at 4pm.    

Just double check your embarkation time.  We were scheduled for a 4pm departure from Seattle and it just changed to 3pm.

[psuboater]

On 5/16/2022 at 5:36 AM, itsanita said:

thanks Dan G and dog.

Our plan for pre cruise.   Renting Avis at airport and driving to hotel in downtown Seattle.  The next morning taking the car ferry to Bainbridge Island.  Looks like a beautiful drive, a couple of play grounds for the kids.  We will look for a good seafood restaurant for lunch and return to Seattle early afternoon.  We will find someplace to park near the ferry.  Options for that area:  Seattle Great Wheel, Wings over Washington, Underground Seattle, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Skyway Observatory (Starbucks).  We will decide what we want to do, depending on time and weather.   We will probably order in for dinner at the hotel.  I heard about a place called Serious Pie???  Any other suggestions for Pizza?  

The next day my daughter, son in law and the kids can walk down to Pike Place Market while my DH and I take all our luggage to the ship and drop it off ( hoping they take it early).  We will then drive back and drop off the car at the old macy garage (thanks Dan G) and then catch up with the others. 

After enjoying that area, our plan is to take the monorail to the Seattle City Center and wonder around there for awhile.  When ready, call a cab/uber to go to the port.   

 

Post cruise:   We will get transport to the airport as soon as ship docks.  We have a car rental there (Hertz) for the day as we all have "redeyes" back to FLorida.   We plan on driving to Snoqualmie Falls, having brunch at the hotel there and walking the trail.  This is a Friday, so hoping it won't be too crowded. 

Then will visit the Snoqualmie and just wonder around that area.  Saw something about a Fall City Wallaby Ranch that the kids might like.  Then back to the airport for dinner and our flights.   

 

Sound reasonable?   I feel this will give us a good look at Seattle and the area.  

 

 

It sounds like you are spending a lot of money on a rental car just to pay for parking. You won't be able to go as far, but Bainbridge is accessible by foot if you walk on the ferry - you'll be able to see the cute downtown with all of the shops, and there are Ubers/Lyfts on Bainbridge to take you a bit further into the island if you want to explore further. Weekend ferries by car can have waits up to 2-3 hours, which cuts into your time significantly, and it's not fun (I live on Whidbey and it's a huge pain in the summer).  Have you thought about just renting the car on your return to visit Snoqualmie Falls?  

 

For pizza, I highly recommend Dino's Tomato Pie. It's run by an ex-Jersey guy, and as a former East Coaster, is my favorite pizza in all of Seattle. Serious Pie is more artisan/fancy pizza, which might not be what kids would like.

 

Regarding Pier 91 - it will be a zoo as others have mentioned. I got off the ship last week when ONE ship was in port and it was chaos and not very easy for cars to navigate.  I would recommend waking up early day of embarkation, checking out the Market together (the earlier you can get there, the better!) and then all going to the port together.

Edited May 17, 2022 by psuboater

[itsanita]

2 minutes ago, psuboater said:

For pizza, I highly recommend Dino's Tomato Pie. It's run by an ex-Jersey guy, and as a former East Coaster, is my favorite pizza in all of Seattle. Serious Pie is more artisan/fancy pizza, which might not be what kids would like.

 

Regarding Pier 91 - it will be a zoo as others have mentioned. I got off the ship when ONE ship was in port and it was chaos and not very easy for cars to navigate. I would recommend waking up early day of embarkation, checking out the Market together (the earlier you can get there, the better!) and then all going to the port together.

 

Thanks for the Pizza recommendation.  Want to keep the kids happy!

As far as the car, they want to see Bainbridge Island, had a dear friend who lived there and told them about the beauty of the Island.  So we need the car.  BUT we might be better off turning it in at the end of the day.  

After listening to all your thoughts on the port cluster, perhaps a better plan would be to check out of hotel that morning, but leave our luggage there.  Then visit The Market, take the monorail to Seattle Center and then return via monorail back to our hotel, which is only a couple blocks from Monorail station.  Then get transport to the ship for all of us and our luggage.  

 

Thank you all so much for your help with this.  I am trying really hard to get them to all the things they want to see, but still keeping it as stress free as possible.

[Glaciers]

On 5/16/2022 at 5:36 AM, itsanita said:

Any other suggestions for Pizza? 

 

Our favorite pizza place is at Pike Place Market down by the Gum Wall. A hidden gem that's easy to miss unless you know where it's at. The Alibi Room. 

[psuboater]

30 minutes ago, itsanita said:

 

Thanks for the Pizza recommendation.  Want to keep the kids happy!

As far as the car, they want to see Bainbridge Island, had a dear friend who lived there and told them about the beauty of the Island.  So we need the car.  BUT we might be better off turning it in at the end of the day.  

After listening to all your thoughts on the port cluster, perhaps a better plan would be to check out of hotel that morning, but leave our luggage there.  Then visit The Market, take the monorail to Seattle Center and then return via monorail back to our hotel, which is only a couple blocks from Monorail station.  Then get transport to the ship for all of us and our luggage.  

 

Thank you all so much for your help with this.  I am trying really hard to get them to all the things they want to see, but still keeping it as stress free as possible.

 

 

I think your morning plan of the cruise works well. Seattle is a fairly small city that's easily walkable (as long as you avoid the cross streets with hills!) - the walk from Pike Place to the Monorail is easy to do in the morning for sure.

 

Here's an article of what to do on Bainbridge without a car:

https://www.ordinary-adventures.com/2021/02/14-fun-things-to-do-on-bainbridge-island/#walk

 

It's one of the islands surrounding the Seattle area you can do without a car for a half day and really get to see everything, I promise you will see the beauty of the island (especially with the 40 minute ferry ride each way!) and not feel like you missed out, and avoid the ferry delays with a car. You'll also save yourself the grief of trying to find parking for said car in a town with very limited parking to the things you want to go to. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by psuboater