Seattle airport transportation

[catlady2]

Please advise me on the different options to get from Sea-Tac airport to cruise terminals. Thanks!

[davekathy]

6 minutes ago, catlady2 said:

Please advise me on the different options to get from Sea-Tac airport to cruise terminals. Thanks!

Another forum to ask your question is on the Ports Of Call. Here's a link to west coast departures. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

 

The CC mod squad will probably move your thread over there as it's not a Princess cruise specific question. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by davekathy

[psuboater]

Princess usually leaves from Pier 66, which is downtown.

 

The cheapest way is going to be the light rail ($2.75pp). Follow signs to the Light rail, and take it to University Street Station (~40 minutes). From there, it's a 17 minute/0.8 mile walk down to the pier.

 

Uber is another option for you, which will cost you anywhere from ~$40-$65. Follow sign to App/Ride Share on Floor 3 of the Parking Garage connected to the terminal. Depending on traffic, it might take you as long as  the light rail.

 

Taxis are also plentiful, on the same floor as Uber, which is a flat $40 from the airport to downtown.

 

If you have a large group or a lot of luggage, highly recommend Premier Airport Shuttle, which uses Sprinter Vans to get you to the pier.  I'm showing reservations in advance for 2 is $56 total for a shared ride ,or $168 for 6 passengers, which will most likely get you the whole use of the van.

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, psuboater said:

Princess usually leaves from Pier 66, which is downtown.

 

My friend, Princess leaves from Pier 91.

 

OP, @catlady2, if you are flying in the day of your cruise, I would strongly suggest the Princess airport transfer, especially if your flight is arriving early afternoon.  I think that it would give you a bit more protection if your flight is delayed, or runs late.  Beyond that, Uber or Lyft ride share would be the next best, followed by a taxi.  Weekends are busy at SeaTac. 

[psuboater]

Just now, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

My friend, Princess leaves from Pier 91.

 

OP, @catlady2, if you are flying in the day of your cruise, I would strongly suggest the Princess airport transfer, especially if your flight is arriving early afternoon.  I think that it would give you a bit more protection if your flight is delayed, or runs late.  Beyond that, Uber or Lyft ride share would be the next best, followed by a taxi.  Weekends are busy at SeaTac. 

My mistake, that's why I need you as backup 🙂 I always thought it was just the RCL/X that went out of 91.

[Ferry_Watcher]

53 minutes ago, psuboater said:

My mistake, that's why I need you as backup 🙂 I always thought it was just the RCL/X that went out of 91.

 

You are too kind my friend!

Celebrity, Royal, HAL, Princess and Carnival @ 91

and Norwegian, Oceania @ Pier 66 

[newtocruiseinblue]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:37 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

You are too kind my friend!

Celebrity, Royal, HAL, Princess and Carnival @ 91

and Norwegian, Oceania @ Pier 66 

What is the most economical way to get to 91 and where to stay overnight prior

[DaveOKC]

15 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

What is the most economical way to get to 91 and where to stay overnight prior

Stay at a hotel near the airport (one that has a shuttle from the airport to hotel) and then take Seattle Express to (and from if you wish) to Pier 91.  SE stops at most airport hotels (and I think now at the airport as well) but you need a reservation.  Great service and runs on time plus reasonable price.

 

[newtocruiseinblue]

5 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Stay at a hotel near the airport (one that has a shuttle from the airport to hotel) and then take Seattle Express to (and from if you wish) to Pier 91.  SE stops at most airport hotels (and I think now at the airport as well) but you need a reservation.  Great service and runs on time plus reasonable price.

 

Thank you soooo much!!! 

[Sailin Gal]

On 3/17/2023 at 7:55 AM, DaveOKC said:

Stay at a hotel near the airport (one that has a shuttle from the airport to hotel) and then take Seattle Express to (and from if you wish) to Pier 91.  SE stops at most airport hotels (and I think now at the airport as well) but you need a reservation.  Great service and runs on time plus reasonable price.

 

Seattle Express’ website lists their partner hotels under the free mall shuttle section, or a mock booking will show you which airport area hotels they run to and from.  We just booked them for hotel to Pier 91, and for Pier 91 to SEATAC upon return, and it was $25/pp each way.  
 

You can also register with Seattle Port Valet luggage sevice for your luggage to go from the ship straight to your departing flight, and it is a free service (you just have to pay your checked bag fees if applicable; our reservation indicated Princess will charge our onboard account for that). 

[stacyalisa]

On 3/17/2023 at 8:55 AM, DaveOKC said:

Stay at a hotel near the airport (one that has a shuttle from the airport to hotel) and then take Seattle Express to (and from if you wish) to Pier 91.  SE stops at most airport hotels (and I think now at the airport as well) but you need a reservation.  Great service and runs on time plus reasonable price.

 

Thanks for the advise. I’m not the OP but this is exactly what I’ve decided to do on departure. Ship sails at 5 pm. What time do you think we should schedule our Seattle express pickup?  They have times from 9 am all the way to 12:15 pm.  Wonder if earlier or later arrival will have less waiting?  Think we’re going to do a one day car rental and see Seattle on debarkation day because we have a really late flight. Any advise on that?  We don’t have anything booked yet. Thank you!

Edited March 22, 2023 by stacyalisa

[DaveOKC]

2 hours ago, stacyalisa said:

Thanks for the advise. I’m not the OP but this is exactly what I’ve decided to do on departure. Ship sails at 5 pm. What time do you think we should schedule our Seattle express pickup?  They have times from 9 am all the way to 12:15 pm.  Wonder if earlier or later arrival will have less waiting?  Think we’re going to do a one day car rental and see Seattle on debarkation day because we have a really late flight. Any advise on that?  We don’t have anything booked yet. Thank you!

We took the 9 am shuttle and the SE driver was waiting for us in the lobby at 8:45am!  Since we were the first stop, it took awhile to get to the pier (the driver even took the scenic route to point out tourist landmarks) and it was about 10:15 when we got to the pier.  Offloaded our luggage and a short walk to the baggage checkin (quick and easy) and we were able to start the ship checkin at 10:30.  At 11:30 they let us on the ship.  Dropped our carryons in our cabin (almost always ready by the time you board) and then off to lunch in the main dining room.

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

3 hours ago, stacyalisa said:

Ship sails at 5 pm.

 

Curious as to which ship you will be sailing that leaves at 5 PM.  Thanks!

[stacyalisa]

We’re on the Norwegian Encore May 28th. Just checked again in case I was wrong, and yep, 5 pm. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

3 hours ago, stacyalisa said:

We’re on the Norwegian Encore May 28th. Just checked again in case I was wrong, and yep, 5 pm. 

 Thanks, I forgot that NCL ships leave Pier 66 around 5 PM.  The ships leaving Pier 91 (Carnival, Celebrity and Royal) leave at 4 PM; and last season HAL and Princess were sailing just after 3 PM.

[Eaglecw]

Thanks for the heads up on Seattle Express, I forgot about them. I'll have to look into them.

[Eaglecw]

On 3/16/2023 at 2:43 PM, newtocruiseinblue said:

What is the most economical way to get to 91 and where to stay overnight prior

Take the light rail to West lake center and then take the metro bus to Magnolia Bridge, I believe its route 24. I had a table mate one year and they walked to Pier 91 from West lake center pulling their bags.

[newtocruiseinblue]

9 minutes ago, Eaglecw said:

Take the light rail to West lake center and then take the metro bus to Magnolia Bridge, I believe its route 24. I had a table mate one year and they walked to Pier 91 from West lake center pulling their bags.

 

Awesome! Thank you!

[Eaglecw]

2 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

Awesome! Thank you!

No worries, I think it's about 2.5 - 3  miles from West lake center to Pier 91. We cruise out of Pier 91 every summer so we kind of have gotten to know the route. We live about 40 miles from Pier 91.

[Ferry_Watcher]

@newtocruiseinblue, just an FYI, if you do take the bus to Pier 91, it lets you off on the bridge (overpass) and you will need to carry your luggage down 2 flights of stairs.  Once at the bottom of the stairs, you will be walking about a quarter mile to the terminal building.  Passengers do use the public transportation to get to Pier 91, but if you have any physical limitations, you may want to reconsider. 

 

Also, the colorful building in the video is not the cruise terminal - you will still need to walk that 1/4 mile.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[jeromep]

On 3/16/2023 at 2:43 PM, newtocruiseinblue said:

What is the most economical way to get to 91 and where to stay overnight prior

To be honest, visiting Seattle in any form is expensive.  You have to take into account your "living conditions" pre and post cruise and what it is that you value.  Are you only interested in getting sleep and some food and the focus is just getting to the ship, or do you want to get a taste of Seattle before the cruise and maybe have more food options.

 

The airport hotels that surround SeaTac are going to cost less than the Seattle proper hotels.  Consider that Seatac is a sold 30 minute drive, when the traffic is cooperating, from SeaTac to downtown Seattle.  Add a few more minutes to get to Pier 91, which is all the way up on the north side of Elliot Bay and in a very industrial area.

 

Uber or Lyft will run you about $45-65 to go from the airport or from an airport hotel to the port.  That is a ballpark cost.  An airport hotel might be $75 less expensive per night than a hotel in the city.  So if you stay at an airport hotel, you'll have about $20 in rideshare cost from the airport to a nearby hotel.  The next morning you'll have $45-65 from the hotel to the port and a 30-60 minute drive.  60 minutes would be very bad traffic and a rideshare driver that isn't choosing less traveled alternative routes, you don't have to go on I-5 to get everyplace, plenty of state highways that are parallel to the Interstate.

 

An airport hotel will run you $150-175 a night.  Any cost lower than that and you are in a very low budget property in which the clientele is probably not business and leisure travelers.  A couple of properties near the airport where you can't go wrong, the Ceaderbrook Lodge, and the Doubletree that is right across the road from the airport.

 

If you are arriving a bit late in the day and just want to get some rest, then an airport hotel is probably the best bet.  Hail an Uber or Lyft as soon as you get your luggage off the carousel and go to the rideshare pickup area in the parking garage.  A few minutes later you'll be at your hotel and probably checked-in in under 30 minutes.  Food selections in the airport area are limited to hotel restaurants and chains.  Very few local places.  There is one called 13 Coins which is on the bottom level of an office building, also across from the airport.  I highly recommend it.  They used to be 24 hours, but are no longer, they are open very late.  Nothing is walking distance in the area of the airport.

 

On the other hand, if you want more food selections and have some time, either when you arrive in Seattle or the next morning before your cruise, then you should book a Seattle hotel room, probably near something touristy, like the Seattle Center/Space Needle.  You'll pay more for the room, but there are more food options within walking distance of most of the downtown hotels, and you'll get a better sense of what Seattle is like as a tourist.  You'll still need an Uber or Lyft from your Seattle city hotel to the port, however the cost is reversed.  You'll spend that $45-65 from the airport to your Seattle hotel, but only about $20 to get from the hotel to the port.  Plus as a metro there are always local and local-ish places in downtown in the morning to get brunch or breakfast.  Seattle's brunch scene isn't as good as Portland's, but you can find good, local, coffee and pastries in almost any non-Starbucks coffee shop, and hotel concierges are always happy to tell you what is nearby that is worth the walk.

 

A hotel in the city will run you +$200/night, but you'll have more food options, more ability for a quick bite of tourism, and you are much, much closer to the port.

 

Google maps is your friend.  I strongly recommend looking at touristy places you are interested in seeing, even if on the fly, and then mapping out lodging and food options near that point of interest and seeing what is available.

[newtocruiseinblue]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@newtocruiseinblue, just an FYI, if you do take the bus to Pier 91, it lets you off on the bridge (overpass) and you will need to carry your luggage down 2 flights of stairs.  Once at the bottom of the stairs, you will be walking about a quarter mile to the terminal building.  Passengers do use the public transportation to get to Pier 91, but if you have any physical limitations, you may want to reconsider. 

 

Also, the colorful building in the video is not the cruise terminal - you will still need to walk that 1/4 mile.

 

 

Wow!! Awesome video for anyone who has to take this journey! Thank you so much 😊 

[newtocruiseinblue]

21 minutes ago, jeromep said:

To be honest, visiting Seattle in any form is expensive.  You have to take into account your "living conditions" pre and post cruise and what it is that you value.  Are you only interested in getting sleep and some food and the focus is just getting to the ship, or do you want to get a taste of Seattle before the cruise and maybe have more food options.

 

The airport hotels that surround SeaTac are going to cost less than the Seattle proper hotels.  Consider that Seatac is a sold 30 minute drive, when the traffic is cooperating, from SeaTac to downtown Seattle.  Add a few more minutes to get to Pier 91, which is all the way up on the north side of Elliot Bay and in a very industrial area.

 

Uber or Lyft will run you about $45-65 to go from the airport or from an airport hotel to the port.  That is a ballpark cost.  An airport hotel might be $75 less expensive per night than a hotel in the city.  So if you stay at an airport hotel, you'll have about $20 in rideshare cost from the airport to a nearby hotel.  The next morning you'll have $45-65 from the hotel to the port and a 30-60 minute drive.  60 minutes would be very bad traffic and a rideshare driver that isn't choosing less traveled alternative routes, you don't have to go on I-5 to get everyplace, plenty of state highways that are parallel to the Interstate.

 

An airport hotel will run you $150-175 a night.  Any cost lower than that and you are in a very low budget property in which the clientele is probably not business and leisure travelers.  A couple of properties near the airport where you can't go wrong, the Ceaderbrook Lodge, and the Doubletree that is right across the road from the airport.

 

If you are arriving a bit late in the day and just want to get some rest, then an airport hotel is probably the best bet.  Hail an Uber or Lyft as soon as you get your luggage off the carousel and go to the rideshare pickup area in the parking garage.  A few minutes later you'll be at your hotel and probably checked-in in under 30 minutes.  Food selections in the airport area are limited to hotel restaurants and chains.  Very few local places.  There is one called 13 Coins which is on the bottom level of an office building, also across from the airport.  I highly recommend it.  They used to be 24 hours, but are no longer, they are open very late.  Nothing is walking distance in the area of the airport.

 

On the other hand, if you want more food selections and have some time, either when you arrive in Seattle or the next morning before your cruise, then you should book a Seattle hotel room, probably near something touristy, like the Seattle Center/Space Needle.  You'll pay more for the room, but there are more food options within walking distance of most of the downtown hotels, and you'll get a better sense of what Seattle is like as a tourist.  You'll still need an Uber or Lyft from your Seattle city hotel to the port, however the cost is reversed.  You'll spend that $45-65 from the airport to your Seattle hotel, but only about $20 to get from the hotel to the port.  Plus as a metro there are always local and local-ish places in downtown in the morning to get brunch or breakfast.  Seattle's brunch scene isn't as good as Portland's, but you can find good, local, coffee and pastries in almost any non-Starbucks coffee shop, and hotel concierges are always happy to tell you what is nearby that is worth the walk.

 

A hotel in the city will run you +$200/night, but you'll have more food options, more ability for a quick bite of tourism, and you are much, much closer to the port.

 

Google maps is your friend.  I strongly recommend looking at touristy places you are interested in seeing, even if on the fly, and then mapping out lodging and food options near that point of interest and seeing what is available.

This is excellent advice and makes total sense. I really appreciate the insight on the area and choices. I was in Seattle many years ago but may need a revisit on this cruise that I'm thinking about. You've helped tremendously. Have a nice rest of your weekend.😊

[jeromep]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

@newtocruiseinblue, just an FYI, if you do take the bus to Pier 91, it lets you off on the bridge (overpass) and you will need to carry your luggage down 2 flights of stairs.  Once at the bottom of the stairs, you will be walking about a quarter mile to the terminal building.  Passengers do use the public transportation to get to Pier 91, but if you have any physical limitations, you may want to reconsider. 

 

Also, the colorful building in the video is not the cruise terminal - you will still need to walk that 1/4 mile.

 

 

That is a great video.  But I'll tell you, this video convinces me that I would not be trying to lowball my ground transport costs to get to the port.  It really properly illustrates how difficult using public transit and walking will be to get to the port.

[newtocruiseinblue]

25 minutes ago, jeromep said:

That is a great video.  But I'll tell you, this video convinces me that I would not be trying to lowball my ground transport costs to get to the port.  It really properly illustrates how difficult using public transit and walking will be to get to the port.

Absolutely and it would test the strength of my marriage 🤣 It would be probably be too challenging for us, but videos like this could be a lifesaver to the hardcore adventurer. 😊