Trip planners
Plan the trip, with real numbers
Every Seatac planner in one place: what parking, a rental or a ride really costs, when to leave for your flight, and a whole cruise trip from the flight in to the ride home.
- Parking vs a private rideSEA garage cost for your trip length against a round-trip ride, and the trip length where the ride wins.
- Rental car vs a private rideDaily rate, taxes, airport fees and hotel parking against a ride from the airport and back.
- When to leave for SEASEA's 2-hour / 3-hour rule plus the typical drive from where you start.
- Cruise trip planPick your sailing for a day-by-day plan: flights, the hotel night, rides to the pier and home, with costs.
- Where to stay before a cruiseHotels near Pier 66 and Pier 91 with typical rates, and when an airport hotel is the better buy.
- Games and concertsWhat's on by date, with the pickup time that gets you there early and the ride back.
- Check a flightTrack a flight into or out of SEA and book the ride around it.
Ride, parking or a rental: a 4-day trip from downtown Seattle
- Private ride there and back
- $134
- Two example sedan fares of $67
- Airport garage, 4 days
- $148
- $37 a day, $222 a week
- Rental car, 4 days
- $683
- With taxes, fees and hotel parking, before gas
App rideshare (Uber, Lyft) and taxis load on garage level 3 at SEA. Their prices move with demand, so there is no fixed figure to compare; check the app for a live price. Link light rail runs from Airport/SeaTac station (a 7–12 minute walk over the garage level 4 skybridge) to downtown Seattle. It avoids road traffic and parking but means a station walk and transfers with luggage.
When the ride beats the garage, by starting point
| From | Ride there and back | Ride is cheaper from |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Seattle | $134 | 4 days away |
| Seattle waterfront | $118 | 4 days away |
| Bellevue | $146 | 4 days away |
| Kirkland | $178 | 5 days away |
| Tacoma | $210 | 6 days away |
| Federal Way | $110 | 3 days away |
| Renton | $80 | 3 days away |
Example sedan fares quoted on seatac.co for a weekday afternoon; your exact fare is calculated for your trip and shown before you book.
When to leave for SEA
SEA's advice is to be at the airport 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international one. Add the drive and you get when the car should pick you up. Add more for morning peaks, groups and mobility equipment.
| Leaving from | Typical drive | Domestic flight | International flight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Seattle | 27 min, 15 mi | Leave 2 h 27 min before | Leave 3 h 27 min before |
| Bellevue | 31 min, 18 mi | Leave 2 h 31 min before | Leave 3 h 31 min before |
| Kirkland | 38 min, 23 mi | Leave 2 h 38 min before | Leave 3 h 38 min before |
| Pier 66 (Bell Street Cruise Terminal) | 34 min, 17 mi | Leave 2 h 34 min before | Leave 3 h 34 min before |
| Pier 91 (Smith Cove Cruise Terminal) | 38 min, 19 mi | Leave 2 h 38 min before | Leave 3 h 38 min before |
| A SeaTac airport hotel | 12 min, 4 mi | Leave 2 h 12 min before | Leave 3 h 12 min before |
Drive times are our stored typical times for each route, not live traffic.
Plan a Seattle cruise trip
Each upcoming sailing has a day-by-day plan: fly in, a night near the pier, the ride to the ship and the ride home, with ride estimates and typical hotel rates added up.
- Carnival SpiritWednesday, April 14, 2027 · Pier 91 · trip plan
- Carnival LegendTuesday, April 20, 2027 · Pier 91 · trip plan
- EurodamSaturday, April 24, 2027 · Pier 91 · trip plan
- Norwegian EncoreSunday, April 25, 2027 · Pier 66 · trip plan
The night before: near the pier or at the airport?
One night before the April 25, 2027 Pier 66 sailing, 2 travelers, room plus rides:
- Seattle Marriott WaterfrontSeattle waterfront
- $369–$569
- Room $295–$495 typical · Seatac → Seattle Marriott Waterfront: $74 est. · Seattle Marriott Waterfront → Pier 66: priced at booking
- Coast Gateway HotelSeatac hotels
- $264–$364
- Room $165–$265 typical · Seatac → Coast Gateway Hotel: $22 est. · Coast Gateway Hotel → Pier 66: $77 est.
Typical nightly rates before tax and ride estimates from our pricing for the stored drive; the exact fare shows before you book.
Big events this week, with ride times
- Gorillaz - The Mountain TourSat, Oct 31 · 7:30 pm · Climate Pledge ArenaFrom downtown, pickup at 6:35 pm
- Seattle Reign FC vs. Orlando PrideSun, Nov 1 · 2:00 pm · Lumen FieldFrom downtown, pickup at 1:05 pm
- Pentatonix: Christmas in the City TourThu, Nov 5 · 7:00 pm · Tacoma DomeFrom downtown, pickup at 5:35 pm
- Washington Huskies Womens Volleyball vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Womens VolleyballFri, Oct 30 · 7:00 pm · Alaska Airlines ArenaFrom downtown, pickup at 6:00 pm
Questions
- When is a private ride cheaper than parking at Seatac?
- With the garage at $37 a day and example sedan fares, a round-trip ride from downtown Seattle ($134) costs less than parking once the trip reaches 4 days. For 4 days the garage is $148.
- Is a rental car or a private ride cheaper for a Seattle visit?
- For 3 nights downtown, a typical SEA rental comes to about $512 with taxes, airport fees and hotel parking (before gas), against $134 for a private ride from the airport and back. A rental pays off for day trips out of the city.
- How early should I leave for Seatac?
- Be at SEA 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international one, then add the drive: from Downtown Seattle that is about 27 minutes, so leave about 2 hours 27 minutes before a domestic departure.
- Can an AI assistant use these planners?
- Yes. The same planners are read-only tools on the seatac.co MCP server (https://seatac.co/api/mcp): plan_cruise_trip, compare_airport_options, compare_parking_vs_ride, compare_rental_vs_ride, recommend_hotels_with_rides, find_events_near and plan_airport_departure.
For AI assistants: llms.txt describes the site and the MCP tools.