How to Spend a day in Seattle before your Alaska cruise
Heading on an Alaska cruise adventure from Seattle? Don’t miss the opportunity to make the most of your visit to Seattle. Even a one night stay allows you to explore our beautiful and unique city’s waterfront and downtown area – full of views, nature, history and great views.
I’m a born and raised Seattle and I also work in the Alaska visitor industry so I know well how much fun you can have in Seattle – and how much more relaxed you’ll be if you arrive the day before your cruise and don’t have to stress out about making it on time.
Have more time to visit our idyllic corner of the world? Check out my 3 day Seattle itinerary and my Washington national parks itinerary.
Where to stay in Seattle the night before your cruise
If you’re in Seattle for a cruise, I highly recommend staying either downtown or near the airport. It may be tempting to save some money by staying further away in the suburbs or in a neighborhood vacation rental but that will be really frustrating for a one night stay or for a multi night stay if you want to focus your visit on the downtown area and the waterfront.
Staying in a hotel is also a big benefit because they’ll store your luggage for you before check in or after check out. Consider booking your hotel through the cruise line, it’s likely to be a bit less expensive and have more availability than you’ll find available to the public.
Use this map to compare hotels and vacation rentals across different neighborhoods (this is an affiliate link which means if you book here I receive a small commission at no cost to you) I highly recommend staying downtown or near the airport for convenience and minimal luggage handling:
https://expedia.stay22.com/ordinaryadventures/1_zNJ5Lx61What to do with your luggage while exploring Seattle
Dealing with luggage is one of the hassles of spending an embarkation or disembarkation day exploring Seattle.
If you’re disembarking, consider Port Valet where you can check your bag into the airport on board the ship with the special tags they assign you – for free!
If you’re staying overnight in Seattle before or after your cruise at a hotel, they will store your luggage during the day for you before check in time or after check out time. This is an advantage of a hotel over a vacation rental in this situation.
Getting around Seattle
Seattle is not always an easy city to get around – notoriously bad traffic and a long narrow city between mountains and water make getting between neighborhoods slower than it should be.
If you’re staying downtown or near the airport, getting around by light rail is fast and convenient. Taxis and rideshares are abundant, though there are widely varying prices for rideshares.
For cruise guests staying before or after a cruise, staying downtown or by the airport and exploring the city on light rail and on foot is the most affordable and convenient option.
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Best things to do with your day in Seattle
- Enjoy one of my favorite urban hikes in Seattle – through an old growth forest or along the beach
- Take a one hour harbor cruise with Salish Sea Tours – This fun and informative orientation to Seattle includes incredible views of the city from a beautiful and comfortable boat with authentic Native American art from local tribes, combined with snacks and drinks on board and a chance to see seals and other marine life along the way. You’ll get a strong sense of history from the Duwamish People and settlers who have arrived more recently and Seattle’s pop culture from sports to music.
- Smith Tower – personally I think this is a more fun and way less crowded and expensive than the Space Needle. Get a dose of history along with your view and a more mellow, less touristy experience.
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park – if you’re heading up to Alaska on a cruise, do not miss this wonderful free museum that will show you how it all started and help you learn about Seattle’s close ties with Alaska.
- Habitat Beach – relatively new local gem, this tiny beach has been restored to be like the waterfront would have been before Seattle became a city. Just south of the ferry dock and behind Molly Moon’s Ice cream in the Pioneer Square neighborhood
- Waterfront walk and Myrtle Edwards Park – Enjoy the expansive pedestrian overpass with its exceptional views of the mountains and water (and ships when they’re in port) between Pike Place Market and the waterfront. For a longer walk featuring the city as well as the beach, head north on the waterfront through the Olympic Sculpture Park to Expedia Beach, about a four mile flat walk round trip.
- Ferry ride to Bainbridge – frequently overlooked but wonderful and affordable experience is to walk on the ferry downtown and go over to Bainbridge Island for lunch or dinner at one of the wonderful local restaurants walking distance from the ferry. Amazing views of the city and the mountains during the ferry ride!
- Pike Place Market – yes, it is crowded and touristy but also a local gem you don’t want to miss – particularly all the abundant produce from the Pacific Northwest, Fresh Seafood and quirky shops. Need a break from the crowds? Sit down for a bite at Lowell’s, the Athenian or Old Stove Brewing and do some people watching.
- Chihuly Garden and Glass – if you want great photos of the Space Needle but don’t want to deal with big crowds, consider taking photos of the Space Needle from below at Chihuly Garden and Glass, or at the International Fountain – a fun and free place to play in the water on hot days for all ages!
Final Thoughts
If you’re not planning to stay overnight in Seattle, make your exploration day after disembarkation when you can take advantage of the free Port Valet service.
I always recommend arriving in your embarkation port the night before any cruise – staying overnight in a hotel near the port will allow you to leave your luggage at the hotel before check in so you can explore the city without your bags.
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