A few days in Seattle, advice?

[v.t.]

We will be taking an Alaskan cruise with another family this summer. We just booked last week, talk about last minute! We would like to spend 2 or 3 nights in Seattle. What/where should we visit and best locations to stay. We will be a party of 10 and one person is in a motorized wheelchair, so I am not sure about renting a car or what tours we can take while we are there. (The duck boats can not accommodate him.) We were thinking of splitting up the night before and after the cruise in 2 different locations to avoid the rental car. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!!!

 

[Pooh2]

We took the light rail from the airport into the downtown area. Our hotel was one block from the light rail station so no rental car needed. We were a short walk to the Pike Place Market and other touristy stuff. It is very hilly though so pushing a wheelchair might be a challenge.

We had lunch in the Space Needle. We made our reservation on open table a few weeks before. The price to go up in the elevator was about $20 per person if you did not eat lunch. The elevator to the observation deck was free with lunch. (FYI, burgers were about $25).

We did not get to do the underground tour as the line was so long so cannot speak to the accessibility but I would book that ahead if you plan to do it. Very fun city to visit. Bring a rain poncho!

The panhandlers are dressed much nicer than ours here at home so be aware of well dressed people asking for "10 cent or a dollar to get home".

We did the Disney Alaskan cruise last year, it was amazing!! Enjoy!

 

[afan]

There are steep hills but if you plan your route right you should be able to avoid the worst of them. I'm sure the hotel can help with that.

My one trick is to use the elevator at the parking garage at pike place market to get to the water front. If I'm rem3meeting correctly there's either a walkway to the garage or an elevator down to that level. Though the construction may have changed this. The garage is accessed to park from the waterfront which is why we've always used it to get to/from the upper part of town. Otherwise it's a ton of stairs to get down and up.

The monorail is a good way to get between downtown sand Seattle center.

I don't think underground Seattle is accessible unless they've done a lot since the last time I sent. It's old and uneven.

 

[LJSquishy]

Definitely Pike Place Market and EMP (Experience Music Project), or the science center would be fun if there are kids in your party.

 

[tink1970]

Echo Pike Place...we also took the light rail to check out the space needle. I don't remember what the wheelchair access was, though, sorry. Seattle is a fun fun city. I do remember if you run into a store to buy snacks or last minute necessities, they will charge for those plastic bags (that I hate) like they do in Europe so I might pack just one reusable shopping bag for that-it will also work to put any goodies you pick up on the cruise on the plane as a carry on (if you're like me and are a compulsive overpacker!). We always try to stay at the Hyatt, which is up the hill from Pike Place Market- an easy stroll but there are lots of hotels in the city so I'd just pick a location (near the Market, near the Space Needle, etc) and see what's available. The first time we went I got books from the library and this helped narrow down our choices. Of course, now there's the 'net

Also-off topic but love your avatar- I'm TAMU class of '92/95.

 

[Miss Whimsy]

I love Seattle! Coincidentally I just got back from a short business trip there (that I tacked a few days vacay onto).

EMP is a GREAT suggestion. They just changed their name, they are the Museum of Pop Culture now. They currently have a Star Trek exhibit going on if you're into that, though it might be gone by summer... but their standard exhibits are good too--especially their horror movie exhibit.

Right next door to that is the Chihuly museum (if you don't know him he's a glass artist... google him and if you like what you see it's definitely worth a trip to the museum--I love Chihuly so I go every time lol).

Pike Place is great! Give yourself lots of time to explore that. Piroshky Piroshky is supposed to be AMAZING sandwiches, I've never been because the line is always so long. Make sure to find the chocolate-covered cherry booth, they give out free samples. Steelhead diner and Cutters are good restaurants in that area, but there are lots and lots of options all hidden away. I also love the Purple Cafe, which is a few blocks away, but generally when my boss is paying haha. (It's a wine bar with great food, def get a reservation if you go.)

Also if you need comic shop recommendations hit me up. I obviously have niche interests...

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

We did an Alaskan cruise in 2016 and spent 2 days in Seattle. Definitely the Chiluliy museum, that was the highlight. We did the needle and Pike Place and had a lot of fun. My favorite part of Pike Place was the fresh flowers, so gorgeous and cheap, I had so wished I could have taken some of those flowers with me! It's a great town to just walk around in!

 

[Jimsig]

What ship are you doing?

Myself, DW, and (then 6yo) DD went on the NCL Pearl last summer (2016) to Alaska and spent some time pre and post trip in Seattle. I echo what the PP's have said. We also did both a Seattle Sounders soccer match and part of a Mariners baseball game. On thing about Seattle that is not mentioned a lot is that it is very hilly. But other then that a beautiful city.

If you haven't already done so be sure to check out the message boards over at Cruise Critic. The have an Alaska Board and a West Coast Departure Board that includes Seattle.

I also did a trip report with pics over there if you want to check it out, My Trip Report

 

[hsmamato2]

we are spending a day precruise in Seattle in April..... Is the needle worth that $$$ to go to top? I've been to plenty of high buildings(NYC,etc) so 4 people to ride an elevator.... is it going to be a "we paid $60 for this?" sort of thing? ALso the Museum of pop culture sounds great, I may go there, and the Dale Chihuly place, is that an outdoor experience,like gardens you can walk through? Our hotel is right near the space needle area, so maybe 15 minutes walk to Pikes place(?) How do we take the light rail from SeaTac to Space needle area? Any advice on that specifically?

 

[hsmamato2]

what is the underground tour?

 

[Jimsig]

we are spending a day precruise in Seattle in April..... Is the needle worth that $$$ to go to top? I've been to plenty of high buildings(NYC,etc) so 4 people to ride an elevator.... is it going to be a "we paid $60 for this?" sort of thing?

There is also a very tall building in Seattle that actually higher then the Space Needle, the Columbia Center maybe?, that I have heard people on Cruise Critic recommend as it's cheaper then the Needle. We did the Needle because after at it's an icon and felt it was one of those must do's and felt it was worth it.

 

[afan]

we are spending a day precruise in Seattle in April..... Is the needle worth that $$$ to go to top? I've been to plenty of high buildings(NYC,etc) so 4 people to ride an elevator.... is it going to be a "we paid $60 for this?" sort of thing? ALso the Museum of pop culture sounds great, I may go there, and the Dale Chihuly place, is that an outdoor experience,like gardens you can walk through? Our hotel is right near the space needle area, so maybe 15 minutes walk to Pikes place(?) How do we take the light rail from SeaTac to Space needle area? Any advice on that specifically?

It's too far to walk from the space needle to the market. You'll want to take the monorail from the center house at Seattle Center where the space needle is to down town and then walk down to the market. It's about a 10 to 15 minute walk from westlake where the monorail stops.

The above poster is correct about the columbia tower having an observation deck. I haven't been to the top of that one but it all depends on what view you want to see. We had our company Christmas party at the space needle this past December and it was the first time I had been to the top since my high school prom was there almost 20 years ago. It's a nice view but it depends on what you want to see since you'll see different things from each due to their location. The space needle's observation deck is outside.

The space needle isn't downtown, it's closer to the cruise ship terminals, though that also depends on which one you are going out of. The columbia tower should be the tallest building on the right and the needle is all light up on the left. this photo was taken from alki, not by me. I couldn't find any of the photo's I've taken from there and the one's I have from the ferry aren't from the right angle to show how far the needle is. I found this one online.

I've never taken the lightrail but I know they extended it last year but I'm not sure you can get it to the space needle area. You'll want to look up link light rail or sound transit to find a map.

 

[Miss Whimsy]

and the Dale Chihuly place, is that an outdoor experience,like gardens you can walk through?

both indoor and outdoor--there's an indoor series of galleries and it ends in a giant atrium and then a garden with some outdoor pieces

 

[Miss Whimsy]

what is the underground tour?

this is the one that was recommended to me, but we didn't actually go so I can't tell you how it is http://www.undergroundtour.com/

 

[2boysnme]

We did an Alaska cruise last summer. We stayed near the airport our first night because we were getting in late. We stayed close to the lightrail station and then took it in to downtown. The morning of our cruise one person took our luggage to the cruise port while the others stayed in downtown area. We used Uber from downtown to cruise port. After the cruise we used uber again. The port was very crowded and we had to wait a bit.

If you have kids, go to the Science Center. It is a reciprocal museum if you are members of a local one then this one might be free. Check the astc website.
We have been a few times to Seattle so we mainly just walked around. It was very crowded.

 

[cmarsh31]

Space Needle, Chihuly, EMP, Pike's Place, and the Aquarium are our favs. We walked from the Space Needle to the Aquarium, but it's a steep downhill. DH & I did the Underground Tour in 2004 - I know we loved it, but I don't remember the accessibility. We ran out of time this last trip (also did Mt. St. Helens and Ranier) but are doing an Alaskan cruise in 2018 so I think we'll plan to do it this time around. We stay with friends so they're in charge of the food choices and I'm not sure about hotel recommendations.

 

[kgwoozle]

The flattest east/west street is Pine street either other direction from that you start getting steeper.

To get from Pike Place Market to the Waterfront you can take the elevator that is back behind the bakery and the BBQ place, it goes down to Western ave, you cross the street and take the elevator in the parking garage all the way down, work you way across the parking lot and then across the street boom it's the waterfront an. I think there is a another elevator, but I have never used it.

If you want an water tour, check out Argosy, they should be wheel chair assailable.

There is a Piroshky Piroshky at the Columbia Tower food court if you don't want to wait in line, my guess is that they are only open during the week and close at 3 or 4pm.

Chiluliy offers a Space Needle combo ticket, that looks to be a good deal if you want to do both.

Pike Place Market (never Pikes Market) is going to be nuts, especially with a wheelchair, so bring your patience . Make sure you get off the main area and check out Down Bellow and the back halls of the Sanitary Market. Kitty corner from the Pig and fish throwing people is a fruit stand that has the best yogurt, also check out the pickle guy who has free shots of pickle juice, yum... Early morning is kind of magical the coffee (including the original Starbucks) and pastry places are open and you can watch everyone getting set up.

Since your going to Alaska, make sure you check out the Klondike Gold Rush museum run by the National Park Service, the other end is in Skagway, They offer a nice self guided tour of Pioneer Square. FYI - the Gold Rush changed Seattle forever.

Unless you want to leave downtown, I wouldn't rent a car, traffic and parking can be an adventure. Seattle is pretty compact easy to walk w/ good transit and taxis, Uber are not too expensive and we also have ZipCar, Car2go, and whatever the BNW one is.

I would stay downtown over Queen Anne/Space Needle or South Lake Union (SLU), but anywhere that you can get a room, Seattle fills up in the Summer, so book soon.

Bartell Drugs is the local drug store chain, 100+ year and going strong. I always walk out with something I didn't plan to buy. There is a Target and a Kress/IGA (grocery store) right downtown and a Whole Foods in South Lake Union aka Amazon Land (I think).

 

[MEM]

I love Seattle! I've been three times - the last time was April 2016 on the way to Aulani. Seattle is a great half-way point as DH could not handle a non-stop from Boston to Honolulu (hard on his circulation). The Chihuly Garden and Glass is a must-do and it has a dandy little cafe inside, too. DD20 and DH liked the EMP - the name has just changed to Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) but DS22 and I skipped it. The Space Needle is okay but pales in comparison to the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio. Pike's Place is fun - great chowder and donuts - and lots of fresh food and handmade gifts. The aquarium is also very well done - rather small but the exhibits are impressive. If we had more time, we wanted to take a day cruise to Bainbridge Island. Would also have liked a few days in Victoria, BC.

 

[v.t.]

Thank you so much for all your replies. I am taking notes and trying to formulate a plan, this is very helpful. We are trying to keep the price down, this is a high school graduation trip, so I will have twin tuition next year, but I don't think I can find a budget hotel in the area we need. I know the space needle and the Chihuly gardens are on my list, the guys may do the MoPop.
Will we be able to navigate Pike Place Market with the wheelchair? If we are there early will it help? And thanks for the dining suggestions. We don't require fancy places, just somewhere to fill up 4 teenage boys. LOL

 

[v.t.]

Also-off topic but love your avatar- I'm TAMU class of '92/95.

I am class of '92 also, small world! I have twins heading the A&M next year, so this is their graduation trip.