A 24-Hour Seattle Itinerary Before Your Alaskan Cruise

If you're on an Alaskan cruise that embarks from the U.S., there's a high chance you'll find yourself in Seattle. I'd last been to Seattle in 2017 (on an AMAZING solo trip where I went snow shoeing in Mount Rainer National Park), and was thrilled to be back in the Emerald City with my husband + his family, even if it was just for a short 24 hours. Of course, I planned our itinerary to maximize our time and see all the highlights. I recommend that you book your hotel room as far in advance as possible, as Seattle during Alaska cruise season is very busy. There are multiple ships are embarking and disembarking every day and so prices can also be high. We just stayed at a middle of the road Marriott, and it wasn't cheap.

Now for any cruise, I HIGHLY encourage you to book your flights to arrive into your port city at least a day in advance, to give yourself that buffer in case there are any travel hiccups. We ended up having some minor delays, and I was so glad we didn't have to be stressed to make it to the ship before embarkation that same day! A cruise is a major purchase + you're liking using hard earned vacation time, so you don't want to take any chances missing it!

Now that my PSA is out of the way, it's time for the itinerary. We didn't end up getting to our hotel room until close to lunchtime so this was a pretty ambitious itinerary for our short time there. While we did walk to a lot of the main attractions, you should plan to be taking Ubers/Lyfts to get your destinations, especially at night. We overall felt safe in our group (with three men!), but I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable by myself. Like with any big city you need to be aware of your surroundings and take necessary precautions.

Pike Place Market: This is a must do! Explore the lively stalls, grab a cup of coffee from the original Starbucks, and witness the famous fishmongers in action. My favorites include Beecher's Cheese + Ellenos Yogurt (which I was devasted to find closed while we were there!). We got lunch right outside of Pike Place Market at Ivar's Fish Bar - the clam chowder was delicious, and the fish and chips were solid (although I did like the fish and chips I ate in Juneau, better).

From there, we walked to Chihuly Garden + Glass. I'd recommend taking an Uber instead as the walk was pretty far! This was the highlight of Seattle for me, to see all of the stunning glass sculptures created by Dale Chihuly, and the beautiful gardens. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets in advance and doing the joint tickets with the Space Needle, to save a few dollars. We had a gap in our timed tickets, so we stopped at the restaurant attached to the museum for a drink + snacks.

Space Needle: To be honest, I had done this last time so it wasn't on my "must do," but I would recommend it to first timers. Plan to stand in line for at least 30-40 minutes after your ticket time, and be prepared for some crowds. We loved the floor that had the rotating views (which was a restaurant, last time I went!) We went on a cloudy + rainy day, so the views weren't as special but it was still a fun experience.

By now it was late afternoon, and we headed to T-Mobile Park for a Seattle Mariners baseball game. This was my first indoor baseball stadium, which definitely created a different vibe. I loved how spirited the fans were and was surprised to find Detroit-style pizza!

By this point we were exhausted since we were all still on east coast time, so we went back to our hotel to go to bed and get ready for our Alaskan cruise the next day!

Have more time in Seattle? Here are a few other ideas for things you can do -- many of which I did my first time visiting!

• Scenic Ferry Ride: Enjoy a leisurely ferry ride across the Puget Sound, taking in the picturesque views of the city and surrounding waters.

• Seattle Waterfront: Explore the waterfront area, visit the Seattle Aquarium, and take a stroll along the scenic piers.

• Seattle Aquarium: It's right downtown on the pier and a great spot to escape any rain!

• Museum of Pop Culture: Immerse yourself in the world of music, science fiction, and pop culture at this unique museum.

• Fremont Neighborhood: Visit the Fremont Troll, and browse quirky shops in the eclectic neighborhood.

• Kerry Park: Capture postcard-perfect views of Seattle's skyline and the majestic Mount Rainier in the distance. (I took an uber here when I did it!)