SEA to Pier 66 (Bell Street cruise terminal)

Ride Link light rail from SeaTac/Airport Station to Westlake Station, 39 minutes for a $3 adult fare, then cover the last leg to Pier 66. The Port of Seattle puts that leg at 20 minutes on foot or six minutes by car from Westlake.

Check your pier first

This page is for the Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way. Norwegian Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises use Pier 66. If you’re sailing with either line, check your pier before you pick a route.

If you’re sailing from Pier 91, the Port’s route is the same train to Westlake, then a taxi or rideshare that takes 15 minutes by car. Our Pier 91 guide covers that terminal.

The options side by side

The airport to downtown guide prices the same rides for a trip downtown.

Link light rail to Pier 66, step by step

1. Walk to the station. From baggage claim, look for carousel 16 and go up one floor to the skybridge level. Cross Skybridge 6, then turn left through the parking garage to the station. A free Train-to-Plane cart runs the same route from 5 a.m. to midnight, boarding on garage Level 4 near Skybridges 5 and 6, and carries bags on its back. Kointraveler didn’t find a cart waiting at first, then rode one to the station.

2. Pay. The adult fare is $3, or $1 with ORCA LIFT or a senior or disabled fare. Youth 18 and under ride free. Sound Transit takes a tap from a contactless bank card or an ORCA card. You can also buy a ticket at a machine or in the Transit GO Ticket app. Destination 4 Vacation saw lines at the most visible machines while others nearby sat empty.

3. Board northbound, toward Lynnwood City Center. The station announcement Kointraveler recorded asks anyone with luggage, bicycles or strollers to use the elevator.

4. Ride to Westlake. Destination 4 Vacation found room for an oversized suitcase on the train.

5. Walk to the water. Kointraveler walked down Bell Street from the Third Avenue stop and crossed Elliott Avenue. From there the Bell Street pedestrian bridge crosses Alaskan Way to the terminal.

Kointraveler rode the elevator from the bridge level down to the first level. The Port lists street-level elevators below the pedestrian bridge on both sides of Alaskan Way, plus one on Lenora Street south of the Marriott hotel. My Perfect Alaska Cruise warns that downtown Seattle is hilly, so expect an uphill stretch with a rolling bag.

When are the first and last trains from SEA?

After the last train, Sound Transit’s Night Bus runs between the airport and downtown Seattle about every 30 minutes, starting about 15 minutes after the last train. It stops on International Boulevard near the station. The Port says the pedestrian bridge to International Boulevard is open around the clock, and the elevator and stairs on the west side of the station reach street level on International Boulevard.

Taxi or rideshare from SEA

Taxis and rideshare both pick up on the third floor of the airport parking garage. Taxis use the north and south curbs. App rideshare uses stalls 1–34 in the middle of the garage. From baggage claim, cross a skybridge and go down one level. Kointraveler recorded the taxis, rideshare cars and hotel buses all on that level, between Skybridge 5 and Skybridge 6. Our pages for taxis and app rideshare list each pickup spot.

Taxis at SEA are all metered. There’s a $20 minimum fare from the airport, and a $1 on-demand surcharge is allowed. Give the driver the terminal name and the address, 2225 Alaskan Way.

For a wheelchair-accessible taxi, pickup is on the baggage claim level by Skybridge 2 near Door 10 or Skybridge 5 near Door 22. Call SP Plus Taxi Service at (206) 708-6504. For a rideshare, ask your driver to pick you up on the airport drive. You or the driver can call Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906 with the driver’s name and plate.

Driving and parking at Pier 66

From I-5 northbound or southbound, take Mercer Street westbound (exit 167), turn left on 5th Ave. N., turn right on Broad St. and turn left on Alaskan Way to the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal. The Bell Street Pier garage at 9 Wall Street, across from the terminal, has 1,500 covered spaces, booked online with Republic Parking. Its maximum vehicle height is 6 feet 6 inches.

Shuttles and cruise line transfers

Your cruise line may sell bus transfers from the airport to the terminal, and the Port lists that option. At SEA, follow the signs on the baggage claim level to the cruise bus pickup area. Charter buses use the North East Charter Bus Lot on garage Floor 1. From Baggage Claim 16, go up to the parking level, cross the skybridge and take the blue and white striped elevator down to Floor 1. Follow the Cruise and Charter Buses signs.

Premier Airport Shuttle’s own cruise page says it runs express airport transfers to Pier 66 every 30 minutes. Its SEA kiosk is on garage Level 3. At Pier 66 its pickup is at the curb in front of Anthony’s Restaurant, right of the exit after you walk under the skybridge, according to Premier. Seattle Express lists a $30 per person shared shuttle between SEA and Pier 66, a 45 minute ride, during the cruise season. At SEA, check in with the Seattle Express airport agent inside Door 4 on the baggage claim level before boarding. Our shared shuttles guide has the airporter curbs.

What to expect when you reach Pier 66

Cruise Alaska + filmed two Norwegian check-ins. They dropped checked bags with baggage handlers at the north, or right, end of the terminal and checked in at the south end. The channel says missing luggage tags can be printed at the white canopies.

The Port lists same-day luggage storage at the desk in the Crew Center at the south end of Pier 66. Pickup is by 3 p.m. to avoid a late fee.

My Perfect Alaska Cruise walked in shortly after 1 p.m. and was aboard 11 minutes after entering the terminal.

How do you get back to SEA after the cruise?

The train works in reverse. Destination 4 Vacation describes the walk up Bell Street to Westlake Station, then the 1 Line southbound toward Federal Way to SeaTac/Airport. Port Valet carries your luggage from the ship to your airline at SEA for free. Airline bag fees still apply. Your flight must leave before 1:30 a.m. the next day. Enroll online before the cruise or on the form in your stateroom, and leave your bags outside your cabin the night before you dock. Port Valet guests disembark in the first disembarkation group.

Sources

Our pages: Link light rail from SEA, Link light rail transport page, Train-to-Plane cart, taxis, app rideshare, airport to downtown options, shared shuttles, where to leave a bag.

Our Pier 66 (Bell Street) cruise garage page. Official pages: the Port of Seattle’s airport to cruise terminal page, its Pier 66 Grand Staircase project page, its Pier 66 shore power page and Sound Transit’s 1 Line schedule and fares pages.

Traveler and company pages: Kointraveler, Seattle Airport to Pier 66. Destination 4 Vacation, SeaTac Airport to Downtown Seattle for $3?. My Perfect Alaska Cruise, NCL Alaska boarding day at the Pier 66 Bell Street cruise terminal. Cruise Alaska +, NCL Check-In Process at Pier 66 and Free Luggage Service from NCL at Pier 66. Cruzely’s airport to cruise port guide, Premier Airport Shuttle’s cruise transfers page and the Seattle Express site.