Traveling to Seattle Washington

Day 1

The day of our departure for this grand adventure was meant with a number of hurdles. 

Our first hurdle involved our house key. We decided to take the house key from the set of keys/car that was used to drive us to our local airport. Little did we know it would be a problem for my sister when she got home. My poor sister had to crawl through the kitchen window to get back inside. The second hurdle we faced was a flight delay of 2 hours. Rather than leave at 6:30am we left at 8:30am. Alaskan Airlines informed us of the delay and immediately gave us a comp for lunch when we got to Washington. I've never had an airline do that before. 

The third hurdle comes for our pick up. When booking the hotel I made sure it had a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the cruise terminal were included. There was an additional fee of $10 dollars a person, but it ultimately was much cheaper than a cab or uber. The hurdle comes in from the miscommunication that took place at booking. We were informed of the hotels shuttle making continuous loops from  the airport to the hotel. That was not the case so we ended up having to call. Not so much a hurdle as it was an inconvenience because of the delay from the plane and us being up early for the flight. 

Upon arriving to the hotel I was graced with an unexpected gift. A couple that was checking out had purchased one to many tickets for the Space Needle and the Glass Gardens (bundle ticket) and offered it to me. I was beyond elated and accepted the generous gift. Otherwise the group tickets ranged between $50-$100. If you're interested in going I recommend looking at Groupon for the best bundle and up to date prices. As we toured the city we thought everything was in the clear till we met fellow cruise ship members. They informed us of the Visa we would need for Australia. You can download an app to assist with purchasing the less than $20 visa. Everything the cruise ship sent out wasn't helpful, so be prepared to do some research. 

Our hotel was the Holiday Inn. At the time we payed $275(ish) for the room. The hotel was in a prime location and allowed for us to walk to the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, Pikes Market Place and all the way down to Pier 54. After checking into the hotel we went for a grand adventure where our first stop was the Space Needle. We were unable to see so we agreed to go back in the morning since we were not able to board the cruise ship till after 2pm. We then headed to Pikes Market Place. It was a cool experience and allowed for us to get some fresh produce. As we continued down the street we made our way passed the aquarium and to Pier 54. Down near Pier 54 there is an assortment of shops, restaurants, photo opportunities, a ferry and more. We did partake in a lot of shopping  and found many souvenirs ranging from $5-$100.