Official Seattle information thread Updated 5/28/2014-Oso update

[DizDays]

She says that she doesn't want to see hairy butts and teeny weenies ever again in her life.

Oh my gosh!! You made me snort soda through my nose. This is so funny! Highlight of my day.

Hope you all recover from this soon. I'm off to clean the soda off my blouse.

 

[Deb in IA]

She says that she doesn't want to see hairy butts and teeny weenies ever again in her life.

Oh my gosh!! You made me snort soda through my nose. This is so funny! Highlight of my day.

Hope you all recover from this soon. I'm off to clean the soda off my blouse.

So sorry about the blouse.

Honestly, that is really what DD said. (And I think she meant it!)

 

[mellers]

She says that she doesn't want to see hairy butts and teeny weenies ever again in her life.

As with so many things in life, in most cases the advertising is better than the genuine article

Seriously, though, naked men on bikes aren't a common sight in Seattle. I'm sorry you got stuck at the wrong point in the parade.

 

[Momma2Jax]

She says that she doesn't want to see hairy butts and teeny weenies ever again in her life.

Hahaha! That made my night. Welcome to Seattle, apparently!

 

[pixie08]

I too want to thank you for posting the pics.

Kevin

No problem!

 

[Mean Queen]

We also spent a few days in Seattle before our cruise and really enjoyed the suggestions from this thread. Though we did manage to go off a bit on our own too with the help of Urbanspoon. I'd love to know what the locals think of where we went.

We ate at:
the Edgewater restaurant - good food, bad service.

Salty's - our concierge told us the restaurant provides a limo to come pick up a limited amount of groups... for free! So ask your concierge early. The dinner was pricey, but the food, service, and view were worth the price.

Ivar's - from the recommendation here - odd way to order, good fast, fried fish - amazing chowder!

Blue C Sushi - Loved this place! The concept of sushi on a conveyor belt was new to me. While I was worried it may be like the stuff that sits in the grocery store case because it was going around the belt, it was all fresh tasting. When one ran out, the sushi chefs were in the middle always putting more back. While not the highest quality sushi place, it was fun, good, quick, and not too terribly expensive.

Red Robin - we don't have one near us, so we took a break from seafood.

The Bistro - this was a just okay, expensive hotel restaurant in the Courtyard Marriott we stayed at on the way back.

Hotels -
Crowne Plaza downtown - we stayed concierge level which provided free continental breakfast each morning and snacks on certain nights. We loved the 2 Queen sized beds and the higher level room to avoid the interstate noise. Definitely worth the slight increase in price, because we would have spent so much more on breakfast each morning. My only complaint is the constant wait for the elevators.

Courtyard Marriott Pioneer Square - nice hotel, also has 2 Queen beds but we got a lower level room and heard the street noise all night long.

For activities - we did the Duck tour and had a great time. The kids are still screaming Cha-Ching! every time we pass a Starbucks. Luckily, we have quite a few less in our town (for now.) We also did the Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks (looked at it from outside because I had already got my coffee many stores before), and just walking all along the waterfront. On the way back from the cruise, we checked out the Seattle Aquarium. Very nice, we had fun watching the otters the most.

While we also encountered the Rock n Roll half marathon (which will be in my town next February) and the Pride Parade (held last week in my town), it didn't interfere with our visit that much. We luckily didn't run into the naked guys, just the S&M section of the parade. My DD6 was too interested in the guys with the loud whips to notice the people dressed up on the float. I would love to come back and visit Seattle when it is the main purpose of my visit and not something to kill time before the cruise. It was a beautiful city with so much to do. Just a little cold for my Florida blood.

 

[Deb in IA]

As with so many things in life, in most cases the advertising is better than the genuine article
Seriously, though, naked men on bikes aren't a common sight in Seattle. I'm sorry you got stuck at the wrong point in the parade.

Isn't that the truth!

Actually, we did enjoy Seattle, parade and all. At least, it gave us all something to talk about!

We also spent a few days in Seattle before our cruise and really enjoyed the suggestions from this thread. Though we did manage to go off a bit on our own too with the help of Urbanspoon. I'd love to know what the locals think of where we went.

We ate at:
the Edgewater restaurant - good food, bad service.

Salty's - our concierge told us the restaurant provides a limo to come pick up a limited amount of groups... for free! So ask your concierge early. The dinner was pricey, but the food, service, and view were worth the price.

Ivar's - from the recommendation here - odd way to order, good fast, fried fish - amazing chowder!

Blue C Sushi - Loved this place! The concept of sushi on a conveyor belt was new to me. While I was worried it may be like the stuff that sits in the grocery store case because it was going around the belt, it was all fresh tasting. When one ran out, the sushi chefs were in the middle always putting more back. While not the highest quality sushi place, it was fun, good, quick, and not too terribly expensive.

Red Robin - we don't have one near us, so we took a break from seafood.

The Bistro - this was a just okay, expensive hotel restaurant in the Courtyard Marriott we stayed at on the way back.

Hotels -
Crowne Plaza downtown - we stayed concierge level which provided free continental breakfast each morning and snacks on certain nights. We loved the 2 Queen sized beds and the higher level room to avoid the interstate noise. Definitely worth the slight increase in price, because we would have spent so much more on breakfast each morning. My only complaint is the constant wait for the elevators.

Courtyard Marriott Pioneer Square - nice hotel, also has 2 Queen beds but we got a lower level room and heard the street noise all night long.

For activities - we did the Duck tour and had a great time. The kids are still screaming Cha-Ching! every time we pass a Starbucks. Luckily, we have quite a few less in our town (for now.) We also did the Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks (looked at it from outside because I had already got my coffee many stores before), and just walking all along the waterfront. On the way back from the cruise, we checked out the Seattle Aquarium. Very nice, we had fun watching the otters the most.

While we also encountered the Rock n Roll half marathon (which will be in my town next February) and the Pride Parade (held last week in my town), it didn't interfere with our visit that much. We luckily didn't run into the naked guys, just the S&M section of the parade. My DD6 was too interested in the guys with the loud whips to notice the people dressed up on the float. I would love to come back and visit Seattle when it is the main purpose of my visit and not something to kill time before the cruise. It was a beautiful city with so much to do. Just a little cold for my Florida blood.

Hi Shay!

Forgot to mention that we also went to the Seattle Aquarium. We enjoyed it too, and were lucky to catch the otters at feeding time.

Did you go on the huge Ferris wheel? We checked it out, but it was still closed when we were there. On the way back from the cruise on the drive to the airport, our van driver told us that is had just opened.

 

[Momma2Jax]

Ivar's - from the recommendation here - odd way to order, good fast, fried fish - amazing chowder!

Blue C Sushi - Loved this place! The concept of sushi on a conveyor belt was new to me. While I was worried it may be like the stuff that sits in the grocery store case because it was going around the belt, it was all fresh tasting. When one ran out, the sushi chefs were in the middle always putting more back. While not the highest quality sushi place, it was fun, good, quick, and not too terribly expensive.

.

Just for future reference, Ivars on the waterfront actually has 2 parts. In the front is the fish bar, where you order like fast food, then can sit outside and eat while feeding the seagulls. That's a great option for casual, fast eating. Then behind there is Ivars Acres if Clams which is a sit-down full service restaurant. You can still get the fish and chips and chowder, along with lots of other options. You sit mostly inside, but with waterfront views. Both are very good, just depends on what atmosphere you are feeling.

I would also recommend Duke's Chowder house! They are VERY good, and have a few locations around Seattle. My favorite is their lunch 1/2 mahi taco combo. It's an amazing fish taco with a cup of chowders. Yum!

We also love the conveyor belt sushi! They have a nice selection of non-sushi things, as well (orange chicken, fruit, veggies, etc..) my DS loves it because food just keeps coming by!

 

[Clotho]

In my cruise thread, someone was talking about how they were going to negotiate renting a car at the airport, with returning it on their last day and getting back to the pier. I posted my advice there and wanted to share it here:

FOR PEOPLE RENTING A CAR IN SEATTLE--ADVICE FROM A LIFETIME SEATTLITE:
I would personally recommend renting a car** downtown if you can, rather than at the airport. The airport is 30+ minutes away from downtown (depending on traffic), and it isn't super practical to be downtown at your hotel, then drive back south to the airport to drop off your car, then take a shuttle back to the ship--embarkation day being the one day you are probably on the tightest schedule, with packing, checking out, wrangling bags (then returning a car, re-wrangling bags, taking a shuttle, re-wrangling bags at the terminal, etc). I would recommend you take a shuttle (your hotel may offer a free one) or the light rail or a taxi into downtown from the airport, then get your car rental downtown. That way your return is downtown as well.

Enterprise rentals will pick you up and drop you off within a reasonable radius, so you could return your car downtown and then they can drive you to the pier. I am sure other rental companies have their own shuttles and versions of this service they can offer. (**That is, if you need a rental car at all! See ** below)

I will also mention that parking downtown is a bear, and our streets are seriously messed up--one way streets all over the place, we are NOT a clear grid because of the many hills so some roads and intersections are really confusing, insanely steep inclines, bad drivers and bad traffic...SEATTLITES often remark what a PITA it is to navigate in Seattle and some refuse to drive down there at all. So I imagine it is only worse for visitors!

**Ultimately, you may not NEED a car. Seattle has SO MUCH to offer in a small area--the city really isn't that large, but it is packed with awesomeness. Hubby and I recently did a "staycation-esque" trip where we spent a long weekend in a hotel downtown (this is about 10 minutes from our home). We parked our car in the hotel garage for the entire time and
~ went to a show at the 5th Avenue (there are also multiple movie theaters and even some indie live theater places in the area--see a concert at the Paramount, or a rare Cinemascope show at the Cinerama, or an IMAX or IMAX 3D show at the Seattle Center)
~ took a food tour at the market (Pike Place Market really is awesome, even to us locals)
~ went out to dinner at some restaurants we had always wanted to try (Dear foodies, Go to Purple. Just go. You're welcome.)
~ went shopping at boutiques (and the Nordstrom flagship store, which we love)
~ went to the Seattle Center (we adore the Science Center--a must see if you're geeks like us
~ spent an afternoon on the waterfront, where you could
~~do more shopping
~~eat more great food and/or:
~~ go to the aquarium
~~take a harbor tour (if you desire more boat time in your life)Duck tour, There is also:
~ the Underground Seattle tour (another one I always highly recommend)
~ go to the Seattle Art Museum
~ go to the EMP/Science Fiction Museum
~ ride the monorail
~ hit the arcade at Gameworks

If you're more outdoorsy:
~ rent a bike and bike the Ship Canal Trail http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bicycle-repair-shop-seattle
~ visit the Olympic Sculpture Park
~ take a bus to Lake Union, ride the S.L.U.T. then rent a kayak and go out on the lake
...the list goes on.



And ALL of it does not require a car in the least, and a car may in fact hinder your transportation and take up valuable time with navigating the roads, finding parking, etc. A car really is a needless expense unless you have plans further away.

A good rule of thumb: if the Google Map directions from your hotel to your intended activity/destination indicate that you will be getting on I-5 for more than 3-5 miles, or include any time on 520 or I-90, then a car is for you. Otherwise, I say pass it up.

And if you need any further advice or ideas from a local, I am....wait for it...ALL EARS!

 

[reisdawg]

Public Transportation:
My DH and I (no kids) are planning on walking and using public transportation for all of our time in Seattle (with the exception of taking a cab to the Pier). I just had a few questions for people that actually live there I live in a small town in NC and we pretty much don't even have sidewalks, let alone any type of public transportation, but we are very adept at using it. We have used it in major cities Boston, Chicago, NYC, (WDW...), Paris, etc. Seattle seems to be a bit more challenging only because of the different systems and companies that run them all. We have already gotten ORCA cards to use. I just want to put a few highlights of our tentative transport to make sure it seems feasible considering we have never been there! I know there are going to be a lot of questions in this but hopefully they will be easy to answer! Thanks in advance for all of your help!

We are staying at Mayflower Park and planning on taking the Light Rail from the airport to the Hotel (2 Large Roller Bags, 1 Small Roller Bag and then Backpack and Camera Bag) Should be fine? p.s. We walked with the same bags from the Disneyland Paris Train Station to Sequoia Lodge in the snow and were fine

Walking from Gelatiamo on 3rd Ave & Union to Safeco Field? No dodgy area to walk through?

Is it easy to get to the Stadium Light Rail station from the Stadium? Easy as in well marked?

Planning on Walking from the Hotel to the Olympic Sculpture Park but later on taking a bus from there to Interbay to Red Mill Burgers and back (hubby really wants to go there) Anything we need to worry about there?

And on the day when we get back into port our flight doesn't leave until 10:50pm that night, we have a red-eye back to NC, We are planning on either stowing our luggage at the hotel or using the service at the airport so we can still explore the city. I know there is a bus route from the Pier, I think the stop is Magnolia Bridge and Pier 91 that we could take, but would it just be better to go ahead and opt for a cab back to Mayflower Park?

I think that is about all for questions, I have a lot of activities planned (fingers crossed that Chihuly Garden & Glass will be open), We are doing 3 Mariners/Dodgers games at Safeco, Savor Seattle Tour, Seattle Center, Olympic Sculpture Park, Red Mill Burgers, Serious Pie, hope all of that stuff isn't too touristy... Sorry again for the super long post

Have to say that we were not impressed with Red Mill, we feel better burgers at 5 guys or In and Out. Baseball is great, stadium has tons of different foods and you can walk the stadium and enjoy the view. Great views of the city esp at sunset. Enjoy your time in our fair city, bring a jacket for the rain.

 

[reisdawg]

For those looking to rent a car, try the costco website. DH followed the site and managed to get one for WDW for $10/day including taxes for 8 days.

 

[reisdawg]

sorry for the repeated message

 

[jenf22]

More rental car info - For our trip this September, we rented a car from National at the airport and are dropping it off at their Downtown Hilton location. We've been told that from there, there is a free (?) shuttle to Pier 91. I used my company's rate and there was no additional fee for dropping off at a different location. Again, I haven't actually DONE this yet, but this is what we've arranged. I hope it works!

 

[reisdawg]

Though if you are a selective - read picky - eater Dick's is not the place for you. All burgers are made the same and all have onions.

 

[twopeasonepod]

For those looking to rent a car, try the costco website. DH followed the site and managed to get one for WDW for $10/day including taxes for 8 days.

The best thing about Costco reservations is that you can keep going back to check and if it's cheaper, then just rebook and cancel the old one. And they do get cheaper. For our FL trip in May (12 days), our minivan literally went from $832 to $404. ROCK ON.

 

[brandysmommy]

Just back and wanted to share what we did as these boards gave a lot of insight for me. It is fragmented and brief but I wanted to get something out there while it was still fresh.

Seattle

Rented a condo http://www.seattleoasisvacations.com/ great condo - good value - great location - laundry, kitchen, etc...

Space Needle - check out the restaurant - yes prices are high but when you back off what tickets are just to go up (which is included with your meal) it is actually a reasonable meal.

Aquarium - check out their special programs. We got do to a 1 hour lab examining water samples we collected off the pier - very cool.

Wheel - buy tickets in advance and cut half of the line waiting time.

Mount St. Helens - very cool - go all the way to the end - worth it.

Mount Rainier - all trails at Paradise were still snow covered and it was very foggy - check weather conditions before heading out - we were disappointed

Victoria - did a long day trip. Get your boarding pass early for preferred seating on ship. We rented a car and drove along the coast, did the gardens and Fidgard Lighthouse.

 

[BrennaM]

Just wondering if someone could help me with a transportation question. We are flying in early and staying at a hotel so getting to the cruise is not the issue for us. What I'm wondering about though is getting to the airport from the cruise.

Are there shuttles or cabs easily accessible to the airport from the port? Is this something we should prebook? Our flight leaves at 12:15pm so we want to make sure we are there in plenty of time.

Thanks for any help.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Just wondering if someone could help me with a transportation question. We are flying in early and staying at a hotel so getting to the cruise is not the issue for us. What I'm wondering about though is getting to the airport from the cruise.

Are there shuttles or cabs easily accessible to the airport from the port? Is this something we should prebook? Our flight leaves at 12:15pm so we want to make sure we are there in plenty of time.

Thanks for any help.

We are using DCL bus transfer back to SEA. DCL makes transfers as simple and convenient as possible which we really appreciate after a cruise.

 

[brandysmommy]

Just wondering if someone could help me with a transportation question. We are flying in early and staying at a hotel so getting to the cruise is not the issue for us. What I'm wondering about though is getting to the airport from the cruise.

Are there shuttles or cabs easily accessible to the airport from the port? Is this something we should prebook? Our flight leaves at 12:15pm so we want to make sure we are there in plenty of time.

Thanks for any help.

We just came back on Monday. We had pre reserved a limo as we would have needed 2 cabs and it was cheaper than 2 cabs. There were plenty of cabs at the pier when we got off the ship at 9:30. There were also other unmarked "limos" trolling for passengers. We used www.towncarseattle.com and were pleased it was $80 for a xl SUV which comfortably fit our family of 4 and could have easily fit 2 more.

 

[maggie blossom]

How much should we expect to pay from port to airport?
just wondering if there is a ballpark?