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Getting There · Seattle

Nearest Airport to the Seattle Cruise Terminals

Two piers, one big airport. The port puts Seattle-Tacoma International 30 to 40 minutes from Pier 66 and Pier 91 — and neither pier has transit. It’s a cab, a rideshare, Carnival’s transfer, or Seattle Express from the airport or a SeaTac hotel. Here’s what each one costs.

30–40 minSEA to either pier, per the port
$30Seattle Express to either pier
$37.99a person, Carnival’s transfer
FreePort Valet, bags from ship to airline

See the airport guide for every cruise port →

Landing on sail day?

Tell us when you land and when the ship leaves, and we’ll check it against what each ride publishes and our rule of thumb.

Airport
Scheduled landing
Ship departs
The short answer

Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International. The port puts it 30 to 40 minutes from either pier, Carnival’s transfer runs from it, and six of our top-20 hotels run a free shuttle from it.

Paine Field, north of the city, only makes sense if your flight goes there and the fare is right — we couldn’t find an official distance to either pier, only a travel site’s. Whichever you pick, land the day before if you can.

Fly into SEA if

  • You want Carnival’s transfer or Seattle Express, both from the airport
  • You want a free shuttle to an airport hotel the night before
  • You want Port Valet to check your bags home

Consider Paine Field if

  • Your airline flies there and the fare saving is big
  • You’re staying north of the city
  • You’re landing the day before
Airport taxis
Need a ride from the airport?

Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.

See airport taxis on Booking.com

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

The Map

Two piers on Elliott Bay

Norwegian and Oceania sail from the Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way, on the downtown waterfront. Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean use Smith Cove at Pier 91 in Interbay, which the port lists at 2001 W Garfield Way, and so did MSC and Virgin Voyages in 2026. From SEA it’s I-5 north to either one — your cruise documents name yours, not the airline’s.

Lake Washington Port of Seattle2 cruise terminals SEA PAEPaine Field (Everett) 20 km · 12.4 mi N
Cruise terminalAirportStraight line, not the driving routeReal geography: neighbourhood boundaries from the City of Seattle and NOAA’s GSHHG shoreline. Pins from the hotel’s or a map listing’s pin, OpenStreetMap, the US Census Bureau’s address geocoder, Wikipedia and GeoNames; address-geocoded pins can sit up to a block off. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The Airports

The big one and the small one

The big one
SEA
Seattle-Tacoma International
To the piers
30 to 40 minutes
The port’s figure for both. Norwegian puts Pier 66 14.06 miles away; Holland America puts Pier 91 about 17.5 miles and 45 minutes.
Getting picked up
The garage, level 3
Taxis and rideshare (rows G to J) are on the third floor of the airport garage, per the port. Link light rail is through the garage via Skybridge Six.
Lounges
The Club SEA
A $60, 3-hour day pass in the South Satellite, sold by The Club and Lounge Pass (LoungePair sells no SEA passes). Priority Pass lists it and The Club SEA on Concourse A.
The small one
PAE
Paine Field, Everett
To the piers
No official figure
No port, line or airport page we read gives one. A travel site puts it 24 miles and 40 minutes from Pier 66, and 25 miles from Pier 91.
The ride
About $100, by rideshare
That’s the same travel site’s estimate, each way. No cruise line publishes a Paine Field transfer.
Flights
Still need flights?

Fares and dates are on Booking.com. Land the day before, not the morning you sail.

Search flights on Booking.com

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

The Ride

What the ride to the ship costs

Pick your airport and set how many of you are riding. The shuttles and Carnival charge per person and cabs and vans by the vehicle — so the answer for two isn’t the answer for six.

Travelers
Carnival transfer to the pier, Carnival guests only—
Seattle Express, from SEA or a SeaTac hotel to either pier—
Viator, shared transfer, from—
Link light rail to downtown only, then a cab—
Taxi to Pier 91, low end of Holland America’s estimate—
Viator, private van for a group, from—
Rideshare, a travel site’s estimate—

One way, before tip, as each company published it: Carnival, Seattle Express, Link and Holland America’s taxi range rechecked October 2, 2026, Viator and the Paine Field figure read September 26, 2026. Carnival’s transfer is for its own guests. Seattle Express picks up at SEA, inside door 4 on the baggage claim level, and at SeaTac-area hotels, and allows one suitcase and one personal item each; extra bags are $15. Light rail stops downtown, so add a cab. The taxi row is the low end of Holland America’s $55 to $65 for Pier 91, and the Paine Field figure is a travel site’s estimate. Viator’s prices are “from” prices.

Heading home after the cruise? Carnival’s transfer back is $37.99, for flights at noon or later, and Seattle Express runs from both piers to the airport for $30. Port Valet checks your bags through to seven airlines from the ship, free.

A rental for the ride to the ship? SEA is about 16 road miles from Pier 66 and 19 from Pier 91, our estimates with no traffic, and no rental brand we found runs a shuttle to either pier. SEA to the pier, by car or not · Seattle rental cars
Sail-Day Landing

Landing on sail day? Check your timing

Carnival publishes its own cut-off. Beyond that, the yardstick is our rule of thumb, labelled as ours. Enter your landing time and the departure time from your cruise documents.

  • Carnival transfer, Carnival guestsLand by 12:00 PM to ride Carnival’s $37.99 transfer, which runs hourly from 10:30 AM to 1 PM.—
  • Cab, rideshare or a booked transfer, any lineNo cut-off of its own. The port puts the ride at 30 to 40 minutes. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: land at least 4 hours before the ship leaves.—
  • Cab, rideshare or a booked transfer, any lineNo published cut-off or official distance. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: land at least 4 hours before the ship leaves.—

Whatever the ride, your cruise line’s check-in window is the real deadline — the one printed in your boarding documents, not the ship’s departure time.

Take the clock off sail day

Land the day before. Wake up near the pier.

Twenty hotels for Pier 66 and Pier 91: six that offer a ride to the ship, three a walk from Pier 66, and six with a free airport shuttle. Tell us your sail date and we’ll book the night before.

Find my best three
Coming Home

The morning you’re back

Ships clear early, and SEA is 14 to 17 miles off. Put in your flight and this works out the ride, the wait, and what to do with the bags.

Partner links (transfers, rental cars, luggage storage, lounges) may earn Seabound Journeys a commission at no extra cost to you. They don't change the plan, which is built only from what each company publishes.

After the ship, downtown desks keep short weekend hours, and Avis allows a one-way into Canada only from select locations near the border. Renting a car after the cruise · Mount Rainier and the Olympics
Rail and Bags

Can you get to the port without a car?

Only partway. Link light rail runs from SEA to downtown in 38 minutes, every 8 to 10 minutes most of the day, for a flat $3 adult fare, per Sound Transit (checked Oct 2, 2026). The port says there’s no direct transit to Pier 66 and none at all to Pier 91, and the bus stop that once served Pier 91 is closed. From downtown it’s a cab, or a walk down to the waterfront for Pier 66 — a walk for light packers, not for a family’s luggage.

Bags: Pier 66 stores them for $5 each and Pier 91 for $6, same day, collected by 3 PM. Bounce lists 43 spots in Seattle from about $2.25 a day. Coming home, Port Valet checks your bags from the ship to Alaska, American, Delta, Horizon, JetBlue, Southwest or United, for free.

Fly In Early

Flying in the day before

The day-before flight is the one move that takes a delay off sail day. It costs a hotel night — and buys you the morning.

Six of our top twenty run a free airport shuttle, all in SeaTac, and Seattle Express picks up at most of them, and at SEA, for the piers. In the city, Hyatt House, the Mayflower Park, the Belltown Inn and the Mediterranean Inn run their own priced shuttles to both piers, and Hotel Ändra’s Cruise Package adds one to either pier, price on request (checked Oct 2, 2026).

Pre-cruise hotels

The top six for the night before

Twenty hotels for a cruise from Seattle, ranked on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance. Here are the top six.

See all twenty →
162/100
Hotel Ändra
A Belltown hotel with Lola downstairs and a Cruise Package that adds a shuttle to either pier and parking while you sail.
Hold a room →
261/100
Hyatt House
Its own $12 shuttle to both piers, free breakfast and a kitchen in every suite, by the Space Needle.
Hold a room →
353/100
Mayflower Park
A $15 hotel shuttle to either pier, and a straight answer on parking: leave the car at the terminal.
Hold a room →
451/100
Marriott Waterfront
Across the road from Pier 66, with a pool.
Hold a room →
550/100
Belltown Inn
A $10 shuttle to either pier from Belltown, free bikes and a rooftop deck.
Hold a room →
648/100
The Edgewater
Over the water on Pier 67, 0.2 miles from Pier 66.
Hold a room →

Airport to hotel, from SEA

These are the rides our twenty list from the airport, and the ones that also get you to the ship.

SEASeattle-Tacoma International
Hotels with a ride from here
Airport ride and a ride to the ship

Every hotel, side by side: the Getting There table.

Where to stay
The 20 best hotels for the night before
Ranked on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance, from what each hotel publishes.
Driving instead?
Seattle cruise parking
Both terminal lots and the off-site options.
FAQ

Seattle cruise airport FAQ

What is the closest airport to the Seattle cruise terminals?

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA). The port puts the ride at 30 to 40 minutes to either pier; Norwegian puts SEA 14.06 miles from Pier 66, and Holland America about 17.5 miles from Pier 91. Paine Field (PAE), north of the city, has a handful of flights; a travel site puts it 24 miles from Pier 66.

How do I get from SEA to the cruise terminal?

A cab, a rideshare, Carnival's transfer ($37.99 if you sail Carnival and land by noon), or a transfer booked ahead. Link light rail reaches downtown in 38 minutes for $3 (checked Oct 2, 2026), but the port says there's no direct transit to Pier 66 and none at all to Pier 91, so you'd finish by cab. From SEA or a SeaTac hotel, Seattle Express runs to both piers for $30 a person.

How much is a taxi from SEA to the cruise port?

Holland America puts a taxi or rideshare to Pier 91 at $55 to $65 (checked Oct 2, 2026); Virgin Voyages says $45 to $60 — estimates, not meter rates. Taxis wait on the third floor of the airport garage, and rideshare picks up on the same floor, rows G to J.

Does Carnival run a transfer from SEA?

Yes: $37.99 a person each way (checked Oct 2, 2026). Your flight must land by noon; shuttles run hourly from 10:30 AM to 1 PM from baggage claim 12. Coming home, flights must leave no earlier than noon. Buy it up to two days before you sail. Other lines sell transfers without a published Seattle price; Oceania includes them when you book its round-trip air.

What is Seattle Express?

A shared shuttle from SEA (baggage claim level, inside door 4) and 35 SeaTac and Tukwila hotels to Pier 66 and Pier 91, $30 a person each way, leaving at 9, 10, 11 and noon and taking about 45 minutes. It runs back from both piers to the airport too. It's a third-party company — we name it on each hotel page, but we never score it.

Can I fly home the same day I get off the ship?

Yes — and Seattle makes it easier than most. Port Valet, the port's free service, checks your bags from the ship through to seven airlines, and flights should generally leave after noon. Carnival's transfer needs a flight at noon or later. The Coming Home tool on this page works out the gap for your flight.

Is there a lounge at SEA?

LoungePair sells no SEA passes itself. It lists a $60, 3-hour day pass to The Club SEA in the South Satellite, sold by The Club and Lounge Pass, and Priority Pass lists The Club SEA in the South Satellite and on Concourse A, plus several restaurants.

Can I store my bags on sail day?

Yes. Pier 66 stores bags for $5 each and Pier 91 for $6, same day, collected by 3 PM, per the port. Bounce lists 43 spots around Seattle from about $2.25 a day.

Sources, read September 26, 2026, with shuttle and parking facts rechecked October 2, 2026: portseattle.org — Pier 66portseattle.org — Pier 91portseattle.org — Pier 91 transportationportseattle.org — cruise linesportseattle.org — 2026 cruise scheduleportseattle.org — Port Valetseattleportparking.com — Pier 91 lotseattlecruiseparking.com — Seattle CruiseParksoundtransit.org — SEAsoundtransit.org — farescarnival.com — Seattle transferscarnival.com — SEA to piercarnival.com — pier to SEAhollandamerica.com — Seattlencl.com — Seattle directionsoceaniacruises.com — airvirginvoyages.com — airport to portseattleexpress.com — partner hotelsseattleexpress.com — FAQseattleexpress.com — Pier 91viator.com — Seattle port transfersloungepair.com — The Club SEAprioritypass.com — SEAbounce.com — Seattle luggage storagethepointsguy.com — Paine Field figures (third party)

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