Cruising From Seattle: Best Things to do Before You Leave

Seattle is a popular city to cruise from on the West Coast, particularly if you are taking a trip to Alaska. While the cruise is the reason for your visit, why not take this opportunity to see some of what the Emerald City has to offer before your ship departs!

That’s exactly what we did when we sailed from Seattle to the Gulf of Alaska. By no means were we able to see all that Seattle has to offer, but we were able to see some of the highlights to at least get a small sample.

And those highlights and everything in between are what I want to share with you. Here are some of my recommendations of things to do with a brief time in Seattle for a cruise.

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Things to do When Cruising From Seattle

The Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium is an ideal aquarium for people who don’t like aquariums. I personally am not a huge fan of them, so I wasn’t overly excited about visiting Seattle’s. After our 90-minute visit the morning of our cruise, I changed my tune and became a huge proponent of the Seattle Aquarium!

The Seattle Aquarium is bound to have something for whatever your interests are. The highlights have to be their seal and otter enclosures.

The aquarium has three harbor seals, two northern fur seals, two river otters and two sea otters each housed in specially designed habitats for their species. It was a real delight seeing the seals pop their heads up or else dancing through the water. We didn’t get to see the river otters, but we did see the sea otters sleeping on their backs while holding their toys. It was hard to watch these incredible marine mammals and not smile!

Besides the otters and seals, some of my other favorite parts of the aquarium were the coastal birds (including a tufted puffin that seemed to be playing to the crowd), the various jellyfish exhibits and the giant pacific octopus suctioned to the glass so I could see its hundreds of suckers.

Museum of Pop Culture

The Museum of Pop Culture is one of the more entertaining museums I’ve visited. It offers exhibits on various aspects of pop culture with a focus on film and music.

By itself, the exhibits are interesting, especially if you enjoy film and music history. Yet, the Museum of Pop Culture takes things to another level in how everything is presented. Its exhibits are set up in a fun and immersive way that sometimes barely resemble a museum.

For example, the three film sections are like adult fun houses. The horror section feels like you’re walking through a haunted house, the fantasy section has you wandering through a fairy tale forest, and the sci-fi section is like being in a futuristic spaceship. The geeky side of me had an absolute blast!

While the music sections aren’t as immersive, they’re no less interesting. The focus when we visited was on Pearl Jam and Nirvana, two of the most iconic bands to come out of Seattle. Considering their close connection with the area, both exhibits are filled with interesting objects that are sure to please anyone who grew up during the early 90s.

Besides the exhibits mentioned here, the Museum of Pop Culture also has rooms devoted to hip-hop, an impressive guitar collection, Jimi Hendrix (another native Seattleite), indie video games and movies made by the LAIKA production company.

Unfortunately, the Pearl Jam exhibit closed around the same time as the publication of this article. Their website does say they will display some of the objects from the exhibit throughout the museum.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass features the art of Dale Chihuly. Chihuly is an internationally renowned artist famous for his masterful glassblowing skills. His works can be found across the globe and are recognized by their intricate designs and stunning beauty.

Seattle is fortunate to have one of the largest permanent exhibitions of Chihuly’s works in the world. The artwork ranges from small individual pieces to Chihuly’s largest suspended work in the Glasshouse exhibit. You can walk around galleries designed to look like a spectral oceanic landscape or an outdoor garden designed specifically for Chihuly’s glassworks.

Chihuly Garden and Glass also has a cafe, The Bar, if you need a drink or a bite to eat during your visit. The Bar has handcrafted cocktails, local beer and wine, and a variety of food options made with local ingredients.

I enjoyed Chihuly Garden and Glass, but it is a steep price for what is a relatively short visit. Personally, I thought it was worth it. However, you won’t miss much by skipping this if you don’t like this type of art or you’re trying to save money.

Fremont Troll

You’ve probably heard some version of the folk tale about a troll under the bridge. Well, in Seattle you can go see an actual troll under a bridge!

Okay, it’s not real, but it’s still pretty neat to see in person.

The Fremont Troll was designed and built by four local artists in 1990 after winning a contest held by a local arts council to install a piece of art under the bridge to deter homeless people from camping there. It stands at 18 feet high and weighs 13,000 pounds.

What I think is most interesting is the VW Beetle. While the troll may not be real, the Beetle is. It’s a bit of an optical illusion in that the size of the troll makes the car look tiny in comparison, but the internet has assured me that it’s real.

One thing to note when visiting the Fremont Troll is that there are still homeless people and drug use near the bridge. For safety’s sake, either come with a friend or visit in the middle of the day when other people will likely be around.

The Fremont Troll is by far the farthest attraction on this list from Seattle’s harbor. You should try to visit, but only if you have a lot of time to spare before or after your cruise.

Things to Eat When Cruising From Seattle

Pike Place Market

One of the most iconic attractions in Seattle is Pike Place Market. The market spans 9 acres and is made up of over 220 independently owned shops and restaurants. If you want it, odds are you can find it here!

You probably won’t need any of the delicious looking produce, meat or seafood for sale if you’re only in Seattle for a cruise, but it’s still interesting to walk through the market to see and smell everything. The neon signs hanging from the ceiling are also fun to look at as you make your way from stall to stall.

One famous stall is Pike Place Fish Market where they’re legendary for throwing fish around. It’s neat to say you saw it, but don’t expect too much. It’s highly dependent on the people working. We watched it before our cruise, and the employees looked like they’d rather be doing anything else. When we went back after the cruise, it was more exciting because the employees that day were much more into it.

Pike Place Market isn’t just for groceries and fish throwing, though. You can also find any number of food stands, restaurants or bars to satisfy whatever craving you may have. A couple recommendations I have are Piroshky Piroshky for delicious Eastern European pastries and Mee Sum Pastry for pork hombows.

The infamous Gum Wall is another quirky attraction you can see at Pike Place Market. The Gum Wall started in the early 90s when members of the nearby theater started placing gum on the walls of the alley. It grew over the years to take up almost every space of the walls in the alley. Remarkably (or disgustingly), what you see today is actually only from 2015 after Seattle performed a deep clean of the alley!

Umi Sake House

Umi Sake House is the place to go if you want high quality sushi made with the freshest ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. It is a bit pricy, but hey, you’re on vacation. Treat yourself!

Everything we tried was amazing, and while we may not have had everything, we certainly gave it our best try. We had shrimp dumplings, eel sashimi, yakiudon, an eel sushi roll and a salmon roll. It was all perfect. If I had to pick just one, though, it has to be the eel sashimi. It was so delicate and delicious.

As if the food weren’t reason enough to eat here, Umi Sake House also has a spacious interior with interesting design choices. It’s like a fusion between a chic sushi bar and a Japanese garden. It even has a couple rooms designated for traditional dining with a chabudai table and tatami mats.

Umi Sake House is a popular spot in Seattle. Make reservations in advance to guarantee a table.

Biscuit Bitch

With two locations near the harbor, Biscuit Bitch is an excellent breakfast option to fill you up before your cruise. Their menu consists of different types of biscuits and gravy or biscuit sandwiches with a wide range of toppings. The biscuits are made fresh throughout the day and everything else is made at the time of your order.

I’ll be honest. Coming from the South, I wasn’t expecting much from a biscuit made in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it was the hangover from having too much rum at Bathtub Gin and Co., but my biscuit and gravy (the gritty scrambled cheesy bitch – you can thank me later) was one of the best I’ve ever had.

Don’t miss out on a chance to eat here!

Right next to Biscuit Bitch’s Belltown location is Belltown Inn. This hotel is a good option for a night in Seattle before your cruise as it’s just a quick 0.5-mile walk downhill to the harbor. The hotel itself is nice, affordable and has a good rooftop lounge where you can have your Biscuit Bitch breakfast with a view.

The 5 Point Cafe

The 5 Point Cafe is nothing special, which is exactly what I enjoyed about it. It’s a dive bar that knows it’s a dive bar and takes pride in that fact.

This bar is also nice because it’s convenient to the Museum of Pop Culture, Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Space Needle. We headed here on a whim after visiting the Museum of Pop Culture for no other reason than it was right there.

The 5 Point Cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating depending on your preference and the weather. Inside, they have good music, good local beers, a good menu and, most importantly, no frills. It’s great if you want to relax with a drink and some food in an unpretentious atmosphere. It also helps that they make some killer tater tots!

Things to Drink When Cruising From Seattle

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

If you’re in Seattle, you have to have coffee from a Starbucks, right? While that may be true, many people head to the original shop to get their caffeine fix, but Starbucks has another option for a more unique experience in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The Seattle Roastery is the original Starbucks Reserve Roastery and one of only three in America. These shops offer a much more comprehensive experience than a basic Starbucks, and Seattle’s is no different.

The roastery has a more traditional coffee bar, a cocktail bar with both coffee and non-coffee themed drinks, a food menu with a variety of options, classes with special tastings, and a gift shop. It also has a section where you can watch their coffee beans going through the roasting process. This is all put together in a swanky space that will keep all your senses excited during the length of your visit.

Even as someone who doesn’t like coffee, I found the Roastery to be an enjoyable experience. We spent most of our time at the cocktail bar where we each had an espresso martini flight. The flight includes three different martinis fused with a different liqueur: orange cacao, molé spice and cherry limone. Even if you don’t like coffee, the flight is worth trying for their interesting and tasty flavor combinations. Just know that it will take a couple sips to get used to the intense coffee flavor.

Bathtub Gin and Co.

One of my favorite things to do in big cities is find speakeasies for a good handcrafted cocktail. Fortunately, Seattle has a great one in Bathtub Gin and Co.

The speakeasy sits in an old boiler room spread out over two floors. It’s pleasantly dimly lit with brick walls and some of the remnants of the boiler room exposed in the lower level.

Besides the prohibition-style atmosphere, a good speakeasy is just another bar without a good cocktail menu, and Bathtub Gin and Co. doesn’t disappoint in this regard. They have a wide range of liquors to choose from, as well as specially made cocktails matched to the season.

I had one of their summertime rum drinks, and I can vouch for its quality. If not that, then at least its booziness because I came out of Bathtub Gin and Co. feeling pretty good. They also have wine and beer for when the cocktails start to hit a little too hard.

Bathtub Gin and Co. isn’t particularly hidden (let’s be real, are any of these modern speakeasies hidden when you can easily Google them?), but it is down a bit of a random alley in Belltown. Walk between First and Second Avenues on Blanchard Street and you’ll see the alley. Their website says to look for a wooden door, but when we visited, it was obvious because they had a bouncer outside checking IDs.

Bathtub Gin and Co. has limited space and does not take reservations. Unless you arrive right when they open at 5:00 p.m., expect to wait at least several minutes to enter. Keep that in mind if you have other plans in the evening.

Shorty’s Bar

Shorty’s Bar is the perfect bar if you like sad clowns, pinball, old arcade games and coin-operated bowling.

The whole bar is themed like a carnival with one side dedicated to the bar and the other containing a wide variety of arcade games. I loved the overall theme of Shorty’s Bar, but the bar’s tables were my favorite part. They were repurposed pinball machines complete with flashing lights. Even though they aren’t playable, it’s fun to look at the details of the machines while sipping on your drink.

Besides the fun and games, Shorty’s has a laidback atmosphere and affordable drinks. It’s a good spot to go to just chill out for a bit.

Other Tips to Know When Cruising From Seattle

How Much Time to Set Aside for Seattle

If you are coming to Seattle to take a cruise, odds are you won’t have a ton of time in Seattle itself. Unfortunately, that means you can only get a small sampling of what Seattle is all about.

I recommend you try to spend at least a full 24 hours in Seattle before you depart. Doing this gives you time to see two to three museums, have a couple meals, and get a good night’s rest before the cruise. That last point is especially important if you are coming from a different time zone.

A sample itinerary could look something like this:

• First Day
  • Arrive in Seattle around noon
  • Have lunch at Pike’s Place Market
  • The Museum of Pop Culture
  • Chihuly Garden and Glass
  • Umi Sake House
• Second Day
  • Breakfast at Biscuit Bitch
  • The Seattle Aquarium
  • Board the cruise ship

Then, on the day you return, you can check out the Seattle Roastery or explore Pike’s Place Market a bit more if you have time before your flight home.

We actually arrived early the day before our cruise, giving us a full 1.5 days to check out Seattle. We essentially did the same itinerary listed above, but we had more down time to take it all in. It’s great if you can add that time in the morning, yet you can still have an enjoyable time if you don’t get in till noon.

Seattle is great for sailing from the West Coast. But what about the East Coast? New York City is a popular choice that gives you the chance to see some of Manhattan’s highlights before you depart.

The Space Needle

Those of you familiar with Seattle may have noticed a big omission from this list of things to do while waiting on your cruise: the Space Needle. We thought about going up it, but at the end of the day, the timing and price just didn’t make sense.

A recommended visit to the Space Needle is at least an hour if you want to experience a full revolution of the viewing area. Since we only had a limited time for sightseeing in Seattle, that was too much time to commit to this experience with other things we wanted to do.

Besides the time issue, a ticket for the Space Needle is also expensive, starting at $32.50 for adults. That is a lot of money for a view!

I would have liked to see the view of Seattle and the surrounding area from the Space Needle. Nevertheless, I think we made the right choice considering everything else we did. Also, the gorgeous view of Seattle from the cruise ship helped to ease any lingering regrets.

Seattle’s Combination Sightseeing Tickets

Seattle has two combination tickets to help ease the financial burden of some of these tickets. However, they might not make sense if you only have a day or so for sightseeing before your cruise.

The first is a combo ticket for the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass. This ticket starts at $59.50, and both attractions have to be visited on the same day. Ticket prices are cheaper in the morning versus the evening, so depending on when you visit each sight, you can save up to $9. These tickets can be purchased from either attraction’s online box office.

The other combo ticket is the Seattle CityPASS. These tickets cost $119 for adults. A ticket includes the Seattle Aquarium, the Space Needle, and three of the following four attractions: Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, the Museum of Pop Culture, Woodland Park Zoo, and Chihuly Garden and Glass. One benefit of the CityPASS is that the ticket lasts for nine days from the first day you use it. Depending on how long your cruise is and how much time you have in Seattle, this ticket could be an affordable option.

More Posts for Cruising From Seattle

Here are some other articles I’ve written to help with planning your Seattle cruise.

• First Cruise Apprehension and Why to Book One Anyways
• How to Spend Your Limited Time When Cruising to the Gulf of Alaska

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