Pier 66
Sailing from Pier 66 (Bell Street)
Pier 66 is on the downtown waterfront, so the day before stays on foot around the Market and the water.
The day before you sail
- Afternoon
Pike Place Market food tour · 2–3 hours
The Market is a short walk from the waterfront hotels. A guided tasting is a good first afternoon after a flight.
- Dinner
Sunset dinner cruise · 2–2.5 hours
Dinner on Elliott Bay at sunset. A fitting start to a cruise.
Sailing day
- Morning
Lowell's · Breakfast and seafood
Breakfast above the Market with the ferries below, then back for your bags.
- Lunch
Ride to Pier 66
Time it to your boarding window; with cruise luggage, ride rather than walk.
Pier 91
Sailing from Pier 91 (Smith Cove)
Pier 91 is north of downtown in Interbay, closer to Seattle Center than to the Market.
The day before you sail
- Afternoon
Space Needle and Chihuly Garden · 1–2 hours
The Space Needle and Chihuly Garden are on the Pier 91 side of downtown.
- Afternoon
Museum of Pop Culture · 2 hours
Next door, and indoors if it rains.
- Dinner
Toulouse Petit · Cajun
New Orleans cooking in lower Queen Anne, close to Seattle Center.
Sailing day
- Morning
Breakfast near your hotel
Keep it close; Pier 91 needs a ride from anywhere downtown.
- Lunch
Ride to Pier 91
Time it to your boarding window.
Why the day before
A ship leaves on time whether your flight did or not. Flying in the day before turns a delay into a shorter evening instead of a missed cruise, and gives you an afternoon in Seattle as a bonus.
On sailing day, keep sightseeing short and close to your hotel. Your cruise line sets your boarding window; plan the ride to the pier from that, not from the ship's departure time.
Pier 66 and Pier 91 are different days
Pier 66, the Bell Street Cruise Terminal, sits on the downtown waterfront: the Market, the aquarium and the waterfront restaurants are all on foot. Pier 91, the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, is in Interbay north of downtown, so every trip to or from it is a ride. Seattle Center is the natural stop on the Pier 91 side.
Check your cruise documents for your pier before you book the hotel.
Your bags
Don't carry cruise luggage around the Market. Leave it at the hotel, ask the front desk to hold it after check-out, and collect it on the way to the pier. A ride with room for every bag is easier than a taxi line at the terminal with a full party.
Where to stay the night before
For Pier 66, a downtown or waterfront hotel puts you within walking distance of the evening plans above. For Pier 91, Belltown, lower Queen Anne or downtown all work; the ride to the pier is the same from each. An airport hotel saves on the room but adds the drive into the city for sightseeing.
The night before
Hotels we pair with each pier
Sailing from Pier 66
- The Edgewater Hotel · Seattle waterfront
- Seattle Marriott Waterfront · Seattle waterfront
- Fairmont Olympic Hotel · Downtown Seattle
- Grand Hyatt Seattle · Downtown Seattle
Sailing from Pier 91
- The Edgewater Hotel · Seattle waterfront
- The Westin Seattle · Downtown Seattle
- Fairmont Olympic Hotel · Downtown Seattle
Questions
- What should I do in Seattle the day before my cruise?
- Stay near your pier. Sailing from Pier 66, spend the afternoon at Pike Place Market and the waterfront and have dinner on the water. Sailing from Pier 91, go to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and the Museum of Pop Culture at Seattle Center, then dinner in lower Queen Anne.
- Can I sightsee on the morning of my cruise?
- Only something short and close to your hotel, such as breakfast at the Market. Your cruise line gives you a boarding window; work back from it and leave room for the ride and the bag drop.
- Can I walk from Pike Place Market to Pier 66?
- Without luggage, yes: they are on the same stretch of the downtown waterfront. With cruise bags or a group, take a ride to the terminal.
- Is there a Seattle cruise trip planner?
- Yes. Open your sailing from the Seattle cruise schedule on seatac.co and the free cruise trip planner lays out the whole trip around your ship: flights in, the hotel night, days in Seattle, the ride to Pier 66 or Pier 91, and the ride home after the cruise.
Plan it
Your whole cruise trip, day by day
Free, no account. Flights, the hotel, each day's stops with the travel time between them, and a ride for every leg. Each step books in one tap and nothing is assumed booked.
Last reviewed October 30, 2026. Travel times are typical drives, not live traffic. Check ticket times and your cruise line's boarding window before you book.