Alaska Cruises – Getting from Seattle Airport to Cruise Terminal
Many options exist for getting to the cruise ship terminals in Seattle after arriving by plane.
Image: The Window Flyer
Alaska is known as The Last Frontier, and one memorable way to experience Alaska is sailing on a cruise ship.
Alaska cruises give you a once in a lifetime experience to see glaciers, wildlife, and small Alaskan towns such as Skagway, Sitka, and Ketchikan. Numerous cruise lines offer Alaska cruises, including Princess, Holland America, Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Many Alaska cruises depart from Seattle, Washington, and with cruise vacation season for Alaska being in the summer, it is a great time of year to explore the Pacific Northwest, with comfortable temperatures and fantastic, often sunny, weather.
If you’re looking to book, or already booked your Alaska cruise, researching the logistics of air travel and ground transportation in and around Seattle is the next natural step. Two of the most common questions that people ask about cruising from Seattle are:
Which Seattle airport should I fly into for an Alaska cruise?
How do I get from the airport to the cruise terminal in Seattle?
A cruise to Alaska is breathtaking, and often requires flying to Seattle to embark the ship.
Image: Lembi/Shutterstock.com
Which Seattle airport is best to fly into for an Alaskan Cruise?
Let’s answer the first question; if you already booked your flight, feel free to skip to the 2nd question.
If you’re still looking for a flight, did you know that Seattle has two airports?
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is best for cruises
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the main airport serving Seattle and connects with virtually the rest of North America and the world. Most people fly into SEA for their Alaska cruise, and we would recommend it for most travelers. SEA is one of the largest airports in the country, and with that comes many flight options from pretty much every airline, including from hub carriers Alaska Airlines (oneworld) and Delta Air Lines (SkyTeam).
SEA’s larger size also means greater ground transportation options for travelers such as shuttles, public transit, car rentals, taxis, and ride share to get around Seattle and, most importantly, getting to the cruise terminal.
Another critical consideration for cruise passengers is the convenient proximity of hotels to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Given the importance of getting to the cruise ship on-time and not risking major flight delays or cancellations, many passengers choose to arrive in Seattle the day before their cruise departs.
There are many hotel options located within walking distance, right across the street from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and dozens more nearby with hotel shuttles.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Seattle area, we would highly recommend using Expedia to search for and book a hotel; their search engine has a great tool showing hotel locations on a map and also allows you to sort and filter out hotels by brand or star rating. If you’re feeling fancy, you might want to also consider a hotel in Downtown Seattle, which gets you much closer to the cruise terminals.
Paine Field (PAE) is a good alternative for avoiding crowds
For travelers who don’t like being around large crowds at airports, a hidden gem located just 20 miles north of Seattle is Paine Field in Everett, Washington. PAE has a small terminal (just two gates) served exclusively by Alaska Airlines, and the airport prides itself on its convenient, stress-free small airport experience.
Destinations to and from PAE will be limited, and a majority of Alaska’s flights from Paine Field focus on the American Southwest region, such as SF Bay Area, Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Arizona. If you happen to live in one of these areas, Paine Field could be a potential consideration when flying to Seattle for your Alaska cruise
How do I get from the Airport to the Seattle Cruise Terminal?
To answer the second question – what options are available for people to get between Seattle Airport or Paine Field and the cruise terminals in Downtown Seattle? There are a multitude of ways one could do this, including cruise line-provided shuttles, public transportation, taxis, and ride share (Uber, Lyft, etc.).
One important thing to note is that Seattle has two different cruise terminals. Be sure to check with your cruise line on which terminal your ship departs from on embarkation day:
Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, located in the heart of Downtown Seattle along the Seattle Waterfront. Given its convenient location, really any mode of transportation could work.
Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, located a couple miles north of Downtown Seattle in a more industrial and remote area. To get there, we would recommend taking the cruise line’s shuttle, or a ride-share or taxi service. Public transportation is technically an option, but will require traversing some less-than-ideal pedestrian infrastructure near the pier (more on that later…).
Seattle has two cruise terminals, Pier 66 in Downtown, and Pier 91, a couple miles north of Downtown.
Image: The Window Flyer
Airport Shuttle
The simplest way to get to either of Seattle’s cruise terminals is to take your cruise line’s shuttle, if they provide one. There are also several third-party shuttle providers at SEA such as Premier Airport Shuttle, which offers shuttles from the Seattle airport to the cruise terminals and/or to Downtown Seattle hotels, along with service from Downtown hotels to the cruise terminals. A couple other options are Seattle Express and Seattle Shuttle.
While it should be the most hassle-free way to get between the airport and the cruise terminal, it can be a lot more expensive, and the direct, scheduled nature of cruise shuttle transportation may deprive you the opportunity to explore Seattle at your own pace before or after your cruise.
Note, cruise line-provided shuttles appear to only serve Seattle’s main airport (SEA) and do not serve Paine Field (PAE), though this is something you should confirm with your cruise line.
Rideshare or Taxi
Both of Seattle’s airports are served by Uber and Lyft, which can be a good option if you’re looking to get to the cruise terminal at your own pace and maybe make a few extra stops. A fare between Seattle’s Cruise Terminals and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) typically runs about $80.
Paine Field is located a little bit farther away from Downtown Seattle than SEA and will cost you about $100 each way. However, the simplicity of going through a smaller airport may be worth the extra $20 for some.
Traditional taxi cab services are also available at both airports, and rates will vary by cab company.
Public Transportation
If you’re looking to save some serious cash and also want to experience walking around Seattle before or after your cruise, taking transit between the airport and cruise terminal is a great solution.
We’ll explain the directions in a couple different steps. First, for both airports (SEA and PAE) and both cruise terminals (Pier 66 and Pier 91) you’ll want to take transit toward Downtown Seattle.
From Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, take the light rail (the 1 Line, operated by Sound Transit) north into Downtown Seattle. The SeaTac/Airport Station is located just off the airport’s parking garage, and plenty of signage will guide you to the station. When you get to Downtown Seattle about 35-40 minutes later, we would recommend getting off the train at either University Street (soon to be renamed Symphony) Station or Westlake Station.
SeaTac/Airport Station serves Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with light rail, and is a popular and easy way to get to Downtown Seattle for cruise ship passengers.
Image: The Window Flyer
From Paine Field, taking transit gets a little bit more complicated and the routing will vary greatly depending on your day or time of arrival. We would recommend checking Google Maps for the exact itinerary, but the route generally involves the following steps:
• A short walk from Paine Field to Community Transit’s Swift Bus Rapid Transit system
• Taking Swift to one of Everett’s transit centers
• Transferring onto another bus that will take you to south to Sound Transit’s 1 Line at Northgate Station
• Taking the 1 Line light rail into Downtown Seattle to the same aforementioned stations
To Bell Street Cruise Terminal (Pier 66)
If your ship is at Pier 66, you’re in luck with the easy path.
Once in Downtown Seattle at either Westlake Station or University Street Station, exit the light rail station to street level and head toward Pier 66. Downtown Seattle is very walkable, so you can either walk the 3/4-mile distance – westward, down the hill toward the water, and a little bit north along the Seattle Waterfront – or you can call an Uber or Lyft.
Walking may be a great opportunity to take in some iconic Downtown Seattle landmarks like Pike Place Market.
If walking to Pier 66, be sure to stop by Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market.
Image: The Window Flyer
To Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (Pier 91)
Accessing Pier 91 by transit on the other hand, is less than ideal. You may want to consider taking an Uber or Lyft the remaining way once you get off the light rail in Downtown.
But if you are intent on taking transit the whole way, find 3rd Avenue, which is the main transit bus thoroughfare running north-south through Downtown Seattle. Look for a bus stop that serves either King County Metro route #24 or route #33.
Both buses follow a similar routing; you’ll want to hop on the bus heading in the northbound direction and ride it until the Magnolia Bridge & Pier 91 stop.
This is where the pedestrian infrastructure comment mentioned earlier comes into play, and with the amount of luggage that people typically have with them to go on a cruise, makes it challenging.
The shelter-less bus stops that serve Pier 91 are located along narrow sidewalks on an elevated roadway. Follow the official signs affixed to the bridge railing that point the way and state “Walk to Cruise Terminal”, which will lead you to a narrow staircase that will take you from the elevated roadway down to Pier 91. It’s important to note that the narrow staircases are the only path, and there is no wheelchair accessible route off the elevated roadway. From there, follow the marked pathway along the pier to the cruise terminal, which is about another half mile away.
Rental Car
One last way you can get to either Pier 66 or Pier 91 is to rent a car at either Seattle Airport or Paine Field. Both piers offer on-site parking for around $25 to $35 per day.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a very large rental car facility and is served by many rental car agencies.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a large rental car facility with many options.
Image: JW_PNW/Shutterstock.com
Other airports in the Pacific Northwest for Alaska cruises
As a side note, if you’re looking to explore other cities in the Pacific Northwest to bookend your Alaska cruise vacation, you may want to consider flying into and/or out of Portland International Airport (PDX) or Spokane International Airport (GEG).
Both cities have their own flavor, identity, and unique sights to see and experience. You can easily access either city from Downtown Seattle via Amtrak.
Summary
We hope you have a great time during your Alaska cruise from Seattle! To summarize, there are several options to get from one of Seattle’s airports to the cruise terminals in Downtown Seattle:
There are two different cruise terminals – Bell Street at Pier 66 and Smith Cove at Pier 91 – know which one your cruise ship is departing from
Cruise-line provided shuttles are the easiest to get Seattle’s piers, but may be expensive, and can deprive you the opportunity to experience Seattle before and after your cruise.
Uber, Lyft, or Taxis provide more flexibility, but are also expensive
Public transit is a great option to save money and do some sightseeing in Seattle. The Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66 is highly accessible by transit and walking. The Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 is technically connected by transit, but the poor pedestrian infrastructure around the pier (narrow sidewalks, narrow stairs, etc.) is something to consider, especially when carrying large amounts of luggage.
Renting a car is also a possibility as both piers offer on-site parking for a daily fee.
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