Seattle (Washington)

Port Seattle's cruise passenger shipping business started in 1999 and is currently ranked first among all West Coast USA homeports (departure seaports). Each homeported ship's visit generates USD 4+ million for Washington State's economy, with annual regional revenue USD 0,9+ billion. The city's best-known landmark is The Space Needle observation tower in downtown (height 184 m / 604 ft), having 6 floors (top floor heigth 158 m / 518 ft) and 3 lifts.

Currently, Port's cruise business generates 5500+ jobs and annually ~USD 450 million in revenue (~USD 900M total economic activities) plus ~USD 15M in local and state taxes. Each Seattle-homeported cruise liner call generates USD 2,5+ million for the local economy. Seattle is the homeport of the Coast Guard icebreaker USCGC Healy.

In August 2015 was formed the Northwest Seaport Alliance via a merger of Port Tacoma's and Port Seattle's cargo shipping operations. By annual cargo volumes, the Tacoma-Seattle port terminal operations are ranked USA's 4th-largest (after Port Los Angeles, Port Long Beach and Port New York-New Jersey NYC) and among North America's top-10-largest.

In June 2024, Port Seattle signed a 10-year agreement (through 2033, plus an optional 5-year extension/until 2038) with Carnival Corporation for preferential berthing. The contract guarantees a minimum of U$186 million in revenue (US$273M if extended to 15 years) and annually a minimum of 550,000 cruisers.

Seattle cruise port

During the Port's inaugural cruise season (1999) were handled only 6 ship calls and 6615 passengers. 

Port Seattle (locode USSEA) currently has two cruise facilities - Smith Cove Terminal (at Pier 91) and Bell Street Terminal (at Pier 66).

• Pier 91's terminal serves Carnival Corporation-owned ships (Holland America, Princess) and Celebrity and RCG/Royal Caribbean Group-owned ships (Celebrity and RCI).
• Pier 66's terminal serves NCLH/Norwegian-owned ships (NCL and Oceania).

Statistical data shows that an average turnaround cruise tourist spends USD 1547 in the city (on hotels/lodging, dining/drinking, transportation, shopping). Each vessel call generates USD 4,2 million for the region. Cruise companies' spending includes in-port marine services and also purchasing supplies from local suppliers, including seafood, fresh produce (fruits, vegetables, flowers, eggs), butter, wines.

Since 2017, passengers disembarking in Seattle check their luggage through port's new "Cruise Luggage Valet Program" (cooperation with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) and receive their airline boarding passes prior to debarkation.

On August 12, 2015, the seaport signed a 15-year lease deal with NCLH (Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings). The deal secured all NCLH ships (NCL, Oceania and RSSC-Regent Seven Seas) in Port Seattle for the full term of the lease of Bell Street Terminal (Pier 66). The guaranteed passenger volume was estimated to bring ~USD 73 million of revenue to the cruise port. According to official statistics, Alaskan cruises from Seattle generate ~USD 440 million in economic impact annually. Additionally, NCLH agreed to make improvements to Terminal 66 that were estimated at USD 30 million to expand its facilities. Under the new lease, NCLH manages all terminal operations and has priority berthing rights during the season.

Port Seattle operates Terminal 66's facilities outside the Alaskan season. The 15-year lease deal was estimated to generate USD 2+ billion in business revenue, ~900 new jobs, USD 65+ million in local and state taxes. In 2015, the cruise port handled 192 ship calls and 895,055 passengers. in 2016, passengers number reached 960,000.

In early-April 2016, Port Seattle announced plans to ease flight-cruise passengers at Sea-Tac Airport by temporarily replacing TSA security staff with contractors. This made the security checking faster. Starting May 2016, TSA staff was trained locally to increase the number of processed cruisers at the airport. Also, more checkpoint lanes were opened.

• On May 16, 2016, Explorer of the Seas (West Coast USA's largest passenger ship) arrived in Seattle. Liner's inaugural Alaskan season had scheduled 7-night roundtrips to Alaska and Canada (Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord, Victoria BC).
• On July 30, 2016, at "Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade" (annual event) in downtown was presented a replica cruise ship - Holland America's Koningsdam. The replica was a helium balloon - one of parade's over 100 floats. The balloon ship had length of 45 ft (14 m) and height of 11 ft (3,3 m) and was guided by 30x HAL employees through the streets. HAL is a sponsor and participant of the parade. In previous parades, HAL employees carried an orca-whale replica balloon.
• In October 2016, Port Seattle announced its plans to invest USD 20 million in improvements to Bell Harbor Conference Center (adjacent to Pier 66).

In May 2017 was opened the renovated Pier 66 cruise terminal facility (see in the "terminal" section below) where are homeported NCL ships. The 15-year lease to NCL (until 2032) is estimated to generate over USD 2,3 billion in total revenue, nearly 900 jobs and over USD 65 million in taxes. 2017 was a record year for the cruise port - with handled 218 ship calls and nearly 1,072 million passengers (9% increase over 2016's 983,539 pax) and total revenue USD 501 million.

In 2017, Holland America Line started an ad campaign on 3 commuter trains running on Seattle's Sound Transit Light Rail System. The trains were operated between January and April 2017, when the Alaskan cruising season begins. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on January 10 at University of Washington (train station). On September 23, 2017, Port Seattle welcomed its 1 millionth cruise tourist in a single Alaskan season (2 passengers on HAL's Eurodam). Industry's regional economic impact in 2017 surpassed USD 500 million.

In early-March 2018, the schedules for ferries leaving from Seattle were changed due to the demolition of the old Washington State Ferries terminal to make space for a new (smaller-sized) facility. Half of Colman Dock (ferry terminal) building was closed off to the public. The wood-piling supported terminal building was considered seismically vulnerable, with many pilings riddled with marine termites. The demolition and construction works were scheduled for completion in 2023. The new/expanded building connects all the 4 ferry slips. Colman Dock serves ferries crossing daily to Bremerton WA and Bainbridge Island.

On May 30, 2018, arrived the largest so far Seattle-homeported Alaskan cruise liner - Norwegian Bliss (gross tonnage 164600 tons, max passengers 5200, crew 1730). The vessel was homeported at Pier 66, operating on weekly roundtrips during summer. NCL Bliss is world's first specifically constructed for Alaska mega-liner. In 2018, the cruise port handled a total of 216 ship calls and nearly 1,072 million passengers (4% increase over 2017).

In late-November 2018, Port Seattle's Terminal 18 (operated by SSA Marine Inc) surpassed the 1 million TEU-container volume. This was Washington state's first time when a single cargo terminal handled 1 million containers in a year. Container Terminal 18 is in North Harbor (Northwest Seaport). In April 2018, CT 18 became the first in Puget Sound with moved 5500 TEUs on and off a single boxship (container carrier), which averaged 30 gantry-crane moves per hour. In 2018, CT 18 was upgraded with new RTGs (rubber-tired gantry cranes), resulting in added two new shipping routes - AL5 (Transatlantic by THE Alliance) and PNS (Pacific Northwest Service by SM Lines).

In early-December 2018, Port's Commission approved budget 2019 and future budget 2019-2023 (capital investment plan). The 5-year plan included USD 348 million for investments in Seattle's waterfront area. Of this budget, USD 100 million were for a new berth (4th cruise terminal / Pier 46), USD 39 million for Terminal 91 developments and USD 35 million for Terminal 91's berth replacement. Budget 2019 (USD 935 million) spent 51% of seaport's USD 1,94 billion capital expenditures, and 23% of all operating expenses. Budget 2019 also included developments for Sea-Tac Airport - North Satellite Expansion and Modernisation Project (started in February 2017), International Arrivals Terminal, high-speed baggage handling system. Works on the new cruise terminal at Pier 46 (Terminal 46) were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID crisis.

During season 2019 (April-October), the cruise port handled 211 ship calls and ~1,2 million passengers (1,114 million were handled in 2018). For 2020 was forecasted a record year with scheduled 225 ship calls and estimated ~1,4 million passengers.

In 2022 was completed NWSA Terminal 5. The new facility (abbrev Northwest Seaport Alliance) is a container ship terminal fitted with 5x super-large STS cranes (ship-to-shore/rail-mounted gantry cranes).

• The 5x STS were constructed in China (by ZPMC-Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co) and were delivered in June 2021 via ZHEN HUA 36 (2003-built Heavy Load Carrier/IMO 9254903).
• By height (316 ft / 96,3 m) and outreach boom (240 ft / 73,2 m), the Chinese cranes are among the largest on the US West Coast, with capacity to handle even the world's biggest boxships.
• The ZPMC cranes' owner and operator is SSA Marine Inc (1949-founded, currently subsidiary of Carrix Inc/1994-founded company specializing in transportation and logistics services).

Following the Coronavirus crisis, in 2021 (July 19 thru Oct 23) Port Seattle handled 83 cruise ship calls and ~230,000 passengers. In 2022 were handled 296 cruise ship calls and ~1,28 million passengers (+6% over 2019). Homeporting operations were conducted by 7x major companies operating 14x ships.

In 2023 (April-October) the Port received 291 ship calls and 1,778 million passengers.

In August 2023, the Port's Commission approved US$32,6M budget for transforming (renovation and modernization) the historic Ship Supply Building at Fishermen’s Terminal (Port's oldest) into a Maritime Innovation Center (Living Building Challenge/LBC-certified facility). The construction started with the groundbreaking ceremony on May 21, 2024.For the project was contracted Miller Hull Partnership (Seattle-based architectural firm).

In 2024, the cruise port reported a total of 275 booked berthings with estimated 800,000+ passengers.

Since 2024, Pier 66's dock provides shore power connectivity/cold ironing. Shore-to-ship power capability allows berthed ships to shut down their engines and plug into the city's electrical grid for all shipboard equipment and hotel services, thus reducing in-port noise and air pollution. On June 11th (2024), the Port Commission approved mandate shore-power usage for all Seattle-homeported cruise ships, effective from 2027.

Cruise itineraries to and from Seattle WA

Follows a list of destinations visited by cruise ships leaving out of Seattle:

• 7-day round-trip Inside Passage Alaska cruises out of Seattle visit the Alaskan ports Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway. These itineraries often include a day stop at call port Victoria (BC Canada).
• Itineraries on small ships or luxury cruises visit also the Alaskan ports Wrangell, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka (Baranof Island).
• One-way Alaska repositioning cruises from Seattle to Vancouver BC (Canada) - and the reverse Vancouver to Seattle, are special 1-day cruise deals. Those are offered, respectively, in late Fall / Spring when cruise ships relocate out of Alaska. Seattle to Vancouver deals on longer itineraries (up to 17 days) may include visiting Hawaii before returning back to Vancouver.
• Other repositioning cruise deals to and from Seattle include ports in California (departures from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco), even in Caribbean (with Panama Canal transition), to Hawaii and Australia, and rarely to South America.
• Among the passenger shipping companies leaving from Seattle are CCL-Carnival, Celebrity, HAL-Holland America, NCL-Norwegian, Princess, RCI-Royal Caribbean, Oceania, Lindblad-National Geographic.

In 2019, the US company Vigor Industrial opened a new drydock facility in Port Seattle, with capacity to handle mega-yachts and mid-sized cruise liners. The company's other (larger) drydock is in Portland Oregon. New drydock's operations started with the 3-week long refurbishment of Oceania Regatta.

Seattle cruise terminal

Seattle tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

Space Needle: enjoy beautiful city center views, buy souvenirs or dine at the rotating SkyCity restaurant.

Pioneer Square: situated a mile away from Bell Street Pier, the original center of the pioneer town and the place of the first timber mill in Seattle.

Seattle Aquarium: located by Pier #59, offers interesting sea creatures like the Pacific coral world, brightly colored fish, Puget sound fish and tentacled octopus. You can also visit the shop of the aquarium.

Museum of Flight: aviation devoted museum where you can see superb full WWII fighter planes collection, Shuttle space plane, flight attendants fashion and International Space Station mockup.

Pike Place Market: great farmers’ city market, a place where you can walk and watch plenty goods. It is located right to Bell Street Pier.

Seattle Art Museum Downtown: the biggest museum of art in the region, enjoy artworks from all over the world while touring in the galleries.

Olympic Sculpture Park: free park with thought provoking and abstract sculptures, located a mile away from Bell Street Pier in northwest direction.