Seattle port day - will there be shuttles to downtown/Pikes Place Market?

[lasekeye]

We will be docked at Pier 91 for our Seattle day.

Should I expect there to be shuttles offered to downtown?….free…..cost?

Or do I need to plan on a city bus, taxi or Uber?  So far the cruise excursions don’t offer this type of transportation.

[Ferry_Watcher]

No shuttle free or otherwise at Pier 91.  Best options would be taxi or Uber.  It should be about $15-$20 to get to Pike Place Market by Uber.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Are you there for a port-of-call?  I know of at least one port-of-call that will be using Pier 91.

[lasekeye]

32 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Are you there for a port-of-call?  I know of at least one port-of-call that will be using Pier 91.

Yes, this is a port of call ..day stop on our way to San Diego from Vancouver.  There will be another ship with us at pier 91 and one ship at pier 66 that day.

On most of our other cruises, where we didn’t dock “in town”, there has been a shuttle bus for ppl not on an excursion.

Edited March 19, 2023 by lasekeye
Update

[jeromep]

That is a busy day in port if they are having a ship that is visiting Seattle as a port of call use Pier 91.  Pier 91 is properly sized for embarkation and disembarkation, but its location is industrial and far away from anything of tourist interest.  @Ferry_Watcher is totally correct with regard to having to catch an Uber/Lyft or taxi to get to see anything in town.  Also, if you are headed southbound and your only foreign port is Vancouver, they may also be using Seattle as your port of entry and customs for the U.S.  The facilities are much larger at Pier 91 to handle offboarding the whole ship to go through customs before the remainder of the cruise continues.

 

I lean toward rideshare, so Uber/Lyft as the vehicles are cleaner and the drivers are more service oriented.  I can't remember the last time I actually hailed and rode in a cab in any major city.  Plus, with the rideshare apps you can see where your driver is as they come to you, and you can see how they are supposed to get you to your destination, plus the price for service is stated up front when you hail them in the app.  Seattle public transit isn't for the faint of heart and it isn't really all that efficient.  Don't waste your valuable port day "commuting".

 

While you have indicated that you want to visit Pike Place Market (no "s", it isn't plural or possessive), I think there are better things to see in Seattle.  The market is very crowded on weekends, like shoulder to shoulder crowded, and the vendors aren't all that exciting.  A couple of wineries have branch locations in the booths on the mail level, and the obligatory company that sells oils and spices that are supposedly "artisanal".  The flower market has plenty of fresh flowers.  And there are a number of fruit and vegetable sellers.  The fish guys may or may not be slinging dead salmon overhead, it's all for show anyway.  The rest of the market is curio shops and junk sellers, and a few eateries, and last time I check the lower levels weren't air conditioned so it can be pretty muggy in there if enough people are milling about.  Maybe they got around to air conditioning the place, I don't know.

 

Natives aren't often fond of the Space Needle, however I think it is excellent for what it is, a high viewing platform, and it was recently remodeled.  The restaurant is gone, my wife and I celebrated our 1st anniversary in the restaurant at the Space Needle many years ago and we had a fine dinner and enjoyed the rotating views.  I guess that space is now a booze bar or lounge, but not a restaurant.  So, I do recommend taking in the Needle.  There are a number of other attractions at the Seattle Center, and while in the vincinity, go to Dick's and get a burger.  Probably the least costly meal in all of Seattle.

 

The waterfront is probably your best bang for your buck.  Plenty of sights, a number of good places to eat, if you have enough time you can pay and walk on the ferry to Bainbridge Island and get away from Seattle and explore the village that is on the other side of the ferry run.  That ferry runs very frequently, so It is a bit of a walk down the waterfront to the ferry dock, but if your port stop is long enough, a ferry ride and back is very possible.

[Gardyloo]

As this sounds like a repositioning cruise, will it be sometime in April?  If so, I wouldn't worry too much about crowds at the Pike Place market; on the other hand you might want to have some alternatives in mind in case the weather is Vancouver-like. 😉

 

Have you visited the Museum of Flight?  It's well worth your time.  Or you could take a cab or Uber up to Fishermen's Terminal, home port for a lot of the Puget Sound fishing fleet, and a big part of the Alaska fleet too (much of it moored and likely in financial distress because of the closures of the crab fisheries in the Bering Sea.)  There are a couple of excellent restaurants/cafes at the terminal, and you can walk off the carbs along the piers and floats past the ships.  Maybe lend a hand with some net repairs.  

 

If the weather's okay and you're feeling energized, there's a walking route from Pier 91 to the central waterfront that's quite enjoyable - maybe an hour's level stroll.  

 

 

[Glaciers]

I’m surprised that during a “port stop” the line isn’t arranging for any kind of excursions, even a shuttle into downtown. Just odd. 

 

I walk along the route Gardyloo posted almost daily. There are always cruise folks walking to/from downtown and Pier 91 with their luggage, most are light packers.  In your case you would have very little if any luggage. It’s a great walk on a nice day.  For a time Expedia was doing improvements to the trail in back of their property. The detour shown in the video is no longer required and the trail follows the waterfront now all the way to the terminal. There are also restrooms and a drinking fountain just past this area.

 

If you’re at all into birds, there are pair of peregrine falcons that hunt almost daily at the grain terminal along the way. Ospreys have a nest at the cruise terminal that is usually occupied seasonally and they hunt along the waterfront. Bald eagles, coopers hawks.  Certainly don’t see them every day but frequently during the summer.  You might also see a tall, old, gray-haired guy with a big camera lens sitting on a rock waiting for them to appear.