Cruise Parking in Seattle

  One wouldn't think that figuring out parking is the most difficult part of planning an Alaskan Cruise, but if you're sailing out of Seattle, it is. Taking a quick peek at Norwegian's website, I see that you can book an inside room on an Alaskan cruise for only $500 per person. But did you know you'll spend almost half-again that much on parking? "Why would I pay so much for parking when I live nearby?" You might ask. Well, let me break it down for you.

 Your first thought might be to ask a friend or neighbor to give you a ride. I haven't forgotten Shuttle Express' motto in the early 2000s, "Friends don't ask friends for a ride to the airport." Seriously though, this is a really big request. My next cruise departs on a Wednesday and returns on a Friday, so whoever took me would have to take two mornings off of work. That time of day it's likely to take two hours up and another hour and a half back, so I'm asking for nearly four hours of their time each trip, eight all together. If you can find someone who is willing and able that's a pretty big ask!

 Speaking of Shuttle Express, how much would it cost to order a cruise transfer? Looking around it'll be close to $150-$200 each direction, or $300-$400 total. That's quite a bit, but what about a rideshare? When I checked Lyft, they list the ride at $131 each way and Uber has it for $151. Again, we're pushing $300, and that doesn't include the tip.

 Have you ever considered staying at a hotel the night before a cruise and then leaving your car parked there? You can do that at the Double Tree Seattle Airport hotel, but it'll be about $327 for one night stay and a week's parking. Cost-wise that's not a bad deal for the two things, but you still have to get to the cruise port and you're already over $300. So what's left?

 The only other option I can think of is to drive up and park yourself near the pier. Again, there are multiple venues for this. You can check out Seattle Cruise Park where they advertise $199/week rates, but it's a ways away from the Norwegian pier so you'll have to take a shuttle over there. Not a big deal for most people, but extra challenging when you have a wheelchair. Finally, you can visit SpotHero to book a spot at the Republic parking across the street from Pier 66 where Norwegian ports. That'll run you about $33/day or about $230/wk. Truly, for the convenience of being able to walk straight from your car to the ship, it's worth it for us. We appreciate being able to debark whenever we want to on the last day of the cruise and go straight home. When our cruise gets in on a Sunday, we've even been able to make it to church! Here's the pro tip though, when you reserve your spot online, make sure to put in a return time that is the same or earlier than your arrival time, otherwise they'll make you pay for an extra day!

Here's the Thing: Getting to the cruise in a timely manner and feeling comfortable about where you left your car matters. So do your relationships with your neighbors, and do you really want them calling your favor for a 4am airport dropoff? Everyone has to find the right solution for them, but I hope covering these options helps!