SEAAirport Guide

Seattle Airport to the Cruise Terminals: Every Way to Get There

Link light rail reaches Westlake for $3, then a car covers Pier 66 or Pier 91. Cruise buses, taxis, rideshare and shuttles compared, with pickup points.

A timber-decked walkway with planted beds beside the railing high above the bay on the Seattle waterfront.
Seattle waterfront walkway

The Port calls Link light rail the inexpensive option: it takes 39 minutes to Westlake for $3 by the 1 Line timetable, then a car finishes the trip.

Link doesn’t reach either pier, and the Port calls Metro bus service inconvenient to both. From Westlake you take a car, or at Pier 66 you can walk.

Every way at a glance

Way Where it boards at SEA Ride time What it costs
Cruise-line bus Baggage claim level, at the cruise bus pickup area Varies with traffic Set by your cruise line
Taxi Garage Level 3, north and south curbs Varies with traffic Metered
Rideshare Garage Level 3, stalls 1 to 34 Varies with traffic Set in the app
Shared shuttle Premier’s kiosk on garage Level 3, or inside Door 4 for Seattle Express Seattle Express lists 45 minutes Seattle Express lists $30 a passenger, Premier’s fares vary
Link plus a car SeaTac/Airport station 39 minutes to Westlake, then a car $3 plus the car

Find your pier before you pick a ride

Pier 66 is the Bell Street Cruise Terminal (2225 Alaskan Way) on the downtown waterfront, home to Norwegian Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises. Pier 91 is the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (2001 West Garfield Street), north of downtown. The Port lists Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, MSC, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages there.

Your cruise confirmation names the pier. If it doesn’t, the Port’s Find My Ship and Terminal page matches a ship to its terminal. Check before you leave the airport. From Westlake, Pier 66 is a 20-minute walk or a six-minute car ride, and Pier 91 is a 15-minute car ride.

Our Pier 91 guide compares rideshare, taxi, shuttles and cruise-line buses.

Driving and parking at the piers

For Pier 66 from I-5, take Mercer Street (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 covered spaces, booked online with Republic Parking. It takes vehicles up to 6 feet 6 inches tall.

For Pier 91, take the same Mercer Street exit (exit 167) and continue onto Elliott Ave., following the signs to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal. The Pier 91 lot has 800 spaces and a free shuttle to the terminal, with rates as low as $27 a day. Overheight vehicles and RVs park for as low as $47 a day. Reserve online.

The cruise-line bus, if you booked one

Head to the baggage claim level and follow the signs to the cruise bus pickup area. The Port says cruise reps are there to direct you. The Port says to verify your arrival window at the ship with the cruise line.

A group with its own chartered bus loads elsewhere. The Port’s charter lot is on garage Floor 1, and the Ground Transportation Booth at (206) 787-5906 dispatches the bus once the group has its bags. The charter bus page has the walk from carousel 16.

Taxi and rideshare from garage Level 3

From baggage claim, go up one floor to a skybridge, cross into the garage and go down one level. The Kointraveler channel filmed the same walk from Skybridge 6 and showed taxis, rideshares and hotel buses waiting together on that level.

The Cruise Ports channel said taxis offer flat rates to certain downtown zones, but the Port’s listing says taxis are metered only, so ask the driver before you get in. Taxis board at the north and south curbs of garage Level 3, listed on our taxi page.

The Cruise Ports channel called the rideshare zone clearly marked but huge and chaotic. Rideshares board at stalls 1 to 34 on garage Level 3, and our rideshare page explains the assisted pickup.

No official source sets a taxi or Uber price from SEA to the cruise piers

The Port doesn’t publish a fare from the airport to either pier, and Uber doesn’t either. The Port says SEA taxis are metered by mile and time, with a $20 minimum fare on any trip from the airport under King County Ordinance 19700, plus an allowed $1 surcharge for on-demand taxis.

Uber’s own SEA page says the cost depends on the ride type, the trip’s length and duration, tolls, city fees and current demand. It says you get your actual price in the app, and that an Uber Reserve booking locks the price up front. Its page gives an average only for rides from Seattle to the airport, not from the airport to a pier. Travelers’ reported prices to Pier 66 and Pier 91 are further down. They’re reports, not quotes.

Where each ride drops you at the pier

At Pier 91, the two rides end in different places. The Port says taxis go right to the terminal entrance, while rideshares stop at a dedicated lot about a 10-minute walk away, with a free shuttle to the terminal. With heavy bags, a taxi saves you that walk or the wait for the shuttle.

At Pier 66, drop-off is the curb lane on Alaskan Way in front of the terminal, and the Port posts a security officer there to direct traffic. One Norwegian passenger’s check-in video on the Cruise Alaska + channel shows drop-off at the north end of the terminal, where baggage handlers took the checked bags. Check-in was at the south end, and the passenger kept passports and medications in hand.

Both piers ask drivers to avoid 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. unless that’s your scheduled time.

Shared shuttles

Premier Airport Shuttle’s kiosk is on garage Level 3, across Skybridge 4. The Port lists Premier’s cruise transfers as seasonal, and Premier says on its own site that it needs a reservation and a card payment. It also lists express cruise transfers every 30 minutes.

Seattle Express lists shared transfers from the airport and SeaTac hotels to both piers at $30 a passenger and 45 minutes. At SEA, check in with the Seattle Express airport agent inside Door 4 on the baggage claim level.

If your flight runs late, call Premier’s office right away. The Port says Premier monitors flights and can adjust a reservation. Other scheduled airporters board at the curb outside Doors 00 and 02, and our shared shuttles guide lists each operator and where it boards.

Sound Transit’s route starts at carousel 16 on the baggage claim level. Go up one floor to the skybridge level and cross Skybridge 6. Turn left through the garage to reach the station. The Destination 4 Vacation channel put the walk at about five minutes, all level. The free Train-to-Plane cart runs from 5 a.m. to midnight and carries bags on the back. Kointraveler’s video rode the cart to the station.

Pay at a ticket machine, tap a card or use the Transit GO Ticket app. The same channel found the machines on the mezzanine level and noticed lines at the most visible ones while other machines nearby sat empty. Youth 18 and under ride free, and weekday trains leave the airport every 8 to 10 minutes from 4:51 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. Board the northbound train, the one signed Lynnwood City Center in two channels’ videos, and ride to Westlake. Our Link guide has the full timetable, and the Link page has the fare rules.

Link gets harder with bags. Kointraveler’s video caught a station announcement asking riders with luggage to use the elevator. Destination 4 Vacation’s host, traveling alone with an oversized suitcase, found the train roomy and air-conditioned. A commenter under that video warned against bringing much.

Westlake to Pier 66

The Port puts Pier 66 at 20 minutes on foot or six minutes by car from Westlake. Kointraveler walked from Third Avenue to the waterfront along Bell Street, then north to the pier, and said Pike Street through Pike Place Market also reaches the water. With rolling bags, the car is the easier choice.

Westlake to Pier 91

Take a car. The Port puts Pier 91 at 15 minutes from Westlake by car, and the walk is a poor fit for luggage.

Skip Metro routes 24 and 33. The Port says the Magnolia Bridge and Pier 91 stop is closed and the staircase from the north side of the bridge is unavailable.

Travelers reported these car prices.

Trip Reported price Reported by
Westlake to Pier 91, rideshare About $22 Travels Large channel
Westlake to Pier 91, rideshare About $20 Destination 4 Vacation channel
SEA to Pier 91, rideshare $50 to $60 Destination 4 Vacation channel
SEA to Pier 66, rideshare $45 to $65 Cruise Ports channel

On the two Westlake reports, Link plus a ride came to about $23 to $25, against the $50 to $60 direct in the Destination 4 Vacation report.

If your flight lands late, or you’d rather not rush

Your flight lands after the last train. Taxis and rideshare run around the clock. The last train toward downtown leaves SeaTac/Airport at 12:05 a.m. on weekday nights and 11:18 p.m. on Sunday night, and our light rail guide lists the rest.

You’d rather not rush. Destination 4 Vacation’s host always flies in at least a day early as insurance against delays, and the Cruise Ports channel gives the same advice. The Port says to check with your hotel about shuttle options. Our courtesy shuttles page shows where hotel vans board on Level 3, and our neighborhoods guide shows which areas sit on the Link line.

Going back to the airport after the cruise

The Port lists three ways to reach SEA from the pier. Use the cruise-line shuttle if you booked one. Take a taxi or rideshare to the Departures drive. Or ride to Westlake by cab or rideshare and take Link.

Port Valet is the free option for flights the same day. It moves your checked bags from the ship to your airline, so you go straight to security. Sign up online or with the form in your stateroom. It covers seven airlines, and the Port’s FAQ says Delta takes domestic flights only.

Your flight must leave on the day you disembark, before 1:30 a.m. the next day.

Without Port Valet, both piers hold bags the same day, and you collect them by 3 p.m. to avoid a late fee. At SEA, arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one. Our bag storage guide covers the desk by carousels 9 and 10.

Sources

This site’s pages:

Official pages:

Company pages, named as each company’s own figures:

  • Seattle Express
  • Uber: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
  • Premier Airport Shuttle: Seattle cruise transfers

Traveler reports:

  • Destination 4 Vacation: “SeaTac Airport to Downtown Seattle for $3? Learn all About Seattle’s Link Light Rail for Your Cruise”
  • Kointraveler: “Seattle Airport to Pier 66”
  • Kointraveler: “Seattle Airport to Pier 91 Cruise Terminal by Light Rail and Bus (Step-by-Step) via Downtown Seattle”
  • Travels Large: “Why Seattle’s Light Rail is a Game-Changer for Cruise Passengers”
  • Cruise Ports: “Cruising from Seattle? Watch This Before You Go! (Port Guide & Hotels)”
  • Cruise Alaska +: “2026 NCL Check-In Process – Pier 66 – Seattle, Washington”