Arriving in Seattle and Traveling by Boat/Ferry

The Port of Seattle, which runs SeaTac Airport, also runs Seattle's ports, both for maritime trade and leisure activities. In 2008, Seattle will welcome over 200 cruise ship visits. Celebrity Cruises and Norweigan Cruise Line dock at the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, which is on the Elliott Bay waterfront at the northern end of downtown Seattle. Holland America Line and Princess Cruises dock at the Terminal 30 Cruise Terminal, at the sound end of Seattle's downtown waterfront.

There are bus, taxi and shuttle connections at both piers to you get to your Seattle destination. From Pier 66, there is also a streetcar that runs along a mile stretch of the downtown waterfront.

All of downtown Seattle is easily accessible from the waterfront, a mile-and-a-half north/south stretch along the west side of the city, facing Elliott Bay, which is part of Puget Sound.

A major feature of the waterfront area is the Alaska Way Viaduct/State Route 99, an elevated roadway you will need to cross under to get to the rest of downtown Seattle. Be prepared for hills and steps if you decide to walk up into the city.

Along the Seattle waterfront, there are several other docks where you can find water transportation for commuting and for fun. The Washington State Ferry runs several different ferries from the Colman Dock (Pier 52) and also from Pier 50 just to the south, on the waterfront, to destinations such as Bainbridge Island, Bremerton and Vashon Island, with more connections to other destinations all around Puget Sound. There are street connections to taxis and buses just outside the Colman Dock ferry terminal. The Washington State Ferries to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton take both auto and walk-on passengers, and the Vashon Island ferry is for walk-on passengers only.

Other ferry and boat services along the waterfront include the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, that runs between May and September each year from Seattle to West Seattle, Argosy Cruises, offering many different leisure cruises from Piers 55 and 56 on the waterfront, and the Victoria Clipper, with popular runs to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, B.C. from Pier 69 on the waterfront. There is also a walk-on passenger-only ferry service, Kitsap Ferry Company, traveling to Bremerton from Pier 56.

• Washington State Ferries

• Argosy Cruises Information

• Victoria Clipper Information