Near the west coast of the United States, located between Lake Washington to the east and Puget Sound to the west sits Washington State’s biggest city, Seattle. Beyond these waters lie two high mountain ranges, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades on the east.
White settlers arrived at the Seattle area in 1850 to establish a townsite they named New York. The settlers then moved a short distance to the district now called Pioneer Square, which offered a good sea harbor. This second village was named Seattle, honoring a local Indian leader who had assisted the new arrivals. Processing and exporting timber was the first commercial enterprise of the new town. A further resource based industry came into being when coal was discovered in rich veins near Lake Washington.
In the 1880s and 1890s the population rose quickly when the city was joined up with the North Pacific railroad. In 1889 the city was largely ruined when a raging fire raged through the center. A period of reconstruction followed, this time employing fire resistant materials. The early 1900s heralded a period of strong growth, as people from all over the world flooded in to work in the business, resource and service industries.
During World War I, the city’s ship building industry underwent huge expansion. In 1919, the five day work stoppage of over 60000 workers led to the press and politicians to compare the population of the city to Russian revolutionaries.
In the following years, the Depression effected the city enormously, with business output slowing greatly. The city’s economy recovered in WWII, helped by the aeroplane manufacturer Boeing, who employed many more people to manage a strong orderbook.
Boeing’s success continued after the war, above all with the commercial success of the 707 airliner launched in the early 1960s. In 1962 Seattle sponsored a fully-fledged world's fair, the exciting Century 21 Exposition. The world fair left the city a permanent legacy of iconic structures like the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Center, the monorail and the Space Needle. Today the city is a world center for industry, commerce and trade, home to well-known enterprises like Starbucks, Microsoft and Amazon.
From early days the economy of the city has been closely linked to the success of its port. The export of lumber and coal was the main activity of the port in the early years.
Apart from large cargo vessels, small ships followed the coastal route northwards, servicing resource-based businesses, which were based on mining, wood and fishing.
Summer voyages to Alaska were popular even in the early 1900s, with Alaska Steamship Company offering 7 day cruises. By the 1950s demand had slumped, and the Alaska Steamship Company stopped operations. No cruise line businesses ran cruises out of Seattle for the next 50 years.
But in 2000 the Port of Seattle constructed the Bell Street Pier cruise terminal, and from then the rise of Seattle as a cruise departure port has been remarkable. In 2009 the Smith Cove port was built to add more cruise ship capacity. In 2010 Seattle boasted 223 cruise ship visits with 931,698 passengers.
Seattle Port
Bell Street Cruise Port
The Bell Street Pier cruise port was inaugurated in 2000 as a central component of an 11-acre, city center, waterside, multi-purpose scheme. The terminal sits on Pier 66 which has a historic past all the way back back to 1914. During the following years the pier had many functions including CPR railroad station, storehouse and refrigerated storage. The terminal is 2 floors high, with a modern bridge platform giving transfer to the ship from the upper floor. Amenities at the terminal include snackbar, restaurant, concierge service, check-in, customs, baggage handling, rental car desk and shops. A 1700 space parking garage is sited just across the road. The cruise terminal has a single mooring, 1600ft long, 35 feet draught. Pier 66 homeports Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
Smith Cove Cruise Terminal
The Smith Cove cruise port is positioned 2 miles from the city center, on Pier 90 and Pier 91. The property was purchased by Seattle Port in 1912 for use as a commercial port. During World War II the navy managed the port as a supply station. On account of its previous use, Smith Cove surroundings have a very industrial looking appearance.
Facilities include customs, check-in, shops, luggage handling, concierge and car rental kiosk. A 1,000 car parking lot is sited not far away with a free shuttle minibus to the terminal. The cruise port has 2 ship moorings at Piers 90 and 91. Smith Cove is home to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.For the port website see Port of Seattle. For a full schedule of cruises see cruises from Seattle.
Excursions
Space Needle
Seattle’s iconic Space Needle is 605 ft tall, and has an exciting viewing level just under the top of the tower. You can see the islands in the sound, the far mountains, the sound and the downtown skyline. Drop by at the retail outlet for a souvenir or, for a meal with a twist, dine at SkyCity, the needle’s revolving restaurant that completes on orbit per hour.
Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square is the site of Seattle’s first timber mill, the center of the original pioneer town. The original buildings were razed to the ground in the great 1889 fire. Today the area is distinguished by 1890s stone and brick buildings, and offers splendid architecture, interesting shops, welcoming cafes and art galleries. Pioneer Square is situated a mile south of Bell Street Pier.
Seattle Aquarium
Positioned by Pier 59, the Seattle Aquarium keeps an incredible range of sea life. Watch playful otters, long tentacled octopus, brightly colored fish, the coral world of the Pacific, Lake Washington fresh water reatures and Puget sound fish in excellently presented exhibits. Have a break at the stylish Aquarium café, then browse the aquarium shop.
Museum of Flight
The Seattle Museum of Flight has over 85 aircraft detailing the past and present of flying. Find out about the development of flight from the Wright planes, through WWI and WWII, to modern military and commercial airplanes. Check out a truly impressive collection of WWII fighter planes, a full size replica of the International Space Station, a history of air hostess style, the reusable Shuttle space plane and the supersonic passenger jet Concorde. Seattle Museum of Flight is situated 4 miles south of downtown.
Space Needle
Seattle’s iconic Space Needle is 605 ft tall, and has an exciting viewing level just under the top of the tower. You can see the islands in the sound, the far mountains, the sound and the downtown skyline. Drop by at the retail outlet for a souvenir or, for a meal with a twist, dine at SkyCity, the needle’s revolving restaurant that completes on orbit per hour.
Pioneer Square
Pioneer Square is the site of Seattle’s first timber mill, the center of the original pioneer town. The original buildings were razed to the ground in the great 1889 fire. Today the area is distinguished by 1890s stone and brick buildings, and offers splendid architecture, interesting shops, welcoming cafes and art galleries. Pioneer Square is situated a mile south of Bell Street Pier.
Seattle Aquarium
Positioned by Pier 59, the Seattle Aquarium keeps an incredible range of sea life. Watch playful otters, long tentacled octopus, brightly colored fish, the coral world of the Pacific, Lake Washington fresh water reatures and Puget sound fish in excellently presented exhibits. Have a break at the stylish Aquarium café, then browse the aquarium shop.
Museum of Flight
The Seattle Museum of Flight has over 85 aircraft detailing the past and present of flying. Find out about the development of flight from the Wright planes, through WWI and WWII, to modern military and commercial airplanes. Check out a truly impressive collection of WWII fighter planes, a full size replica of the International Space Station, a history of air hostess style, the reusable Shuttle space plane and the supersonic passenger jet Concorde. Seattle Museum of Flight is situated 4 miles south of downtown.
Useful To Know
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Currency USD
Timezone PST/DST