2nd honeymoon - alaska cruise in july!!

[Sharonie]

We used Paul's hotel points and booked a cruise to Alaska the week after 4th of July. We will be spending two days in Seattle on the 4th and 5th and take Amtrak to Vancouver on the 6th. The cruise is an one-way northbound cruise sailing out of Vancouver and ends in Seward on the 13th. We'll then take red-eye flights from Anchorage.

 

I am so exicited. The last few weeks I've done a lot of researched and finalized our excursions plan. They're every expensive but I think we'll have a wonderful trip!

[Lilpaisley]

That sounds like so much fun. I've been tempted to take one of those cruises o many times.

 

I live in Seattle, so if you need and help with Seattle questions, just let me know.

July is an awesome time to be in Seattle.

[Sharonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilpaisley That sounds like so much fun. I've been tempted to take one of those cruises o many times. I live in Seattle, so if you need and help with Seattle questions, just let me know. July is an awesome time to be in Seattle.

We want to spend one day hiking around Seattle. Do you have any good suggestions? I am looking at either Snoqualmie Falls, Mount Rainier, or Olympic National Park. Which one will be better?

[Lilpaisley]

Personally Olympic is my favorite. The Lake Ozette trail is a hike through the rainforest that dumps you out onto the beach at the end. Simply incredible. However, Olympic Park is an all day adventure. It's a long drive and a ferry ride from Seattle. There are lots of great little towns along the way. If you are an antique shopper at all...there are tons of great places along the way. The drive and ferry ride are beautiful. I'd suggest this one if you don't mind hitting the road early.

 

Snoqualime Falls is the closest to Seattle. The falls are beautiful and there is a cool lodge to have lunch at. If conditions are right you can hike all the way down to the base of the falls. I've actually jumped in the water at the base before. It was COLD!!

 

Mount Rainer is also worth the trip. There is lots to do there, but it's a bit of a drive as well. In July you should have no problems with road conditions, but it's always wise to check the road status before leaving...just in case:

Mount Rainier National Park - Road Status (U.S. National Park Service)

[Sharonie]

Thanks for the info! We don't mind getting up early for a full day. Since there are 2hr time difference, it won't be too early to us anyway.

 

A few more questions please. Where do you take the ferry to ONP? I heard that there're construction, so the traffic might be bad getting to Hurricane Ridge, is that true? How long does it take to get to ONP?

[Lilpaisley]

Here is the link that has the most up to date info about the Hurricane Ridge contruction:

Olympic National Park - Hurricane Ridge Road Construction (U.S. National Park Service)

 

You can take a few different ferries to cross the sound. Which one you take depends on where you are staying and how much af a senic drive vs. fastest route you are interested in. You can also drive south to Tacoma and take the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. I like the ferries much better, but the toll bridge is allot cheaper. Bsiclly you just need to get on US 101 to get there...and however you get to the 101 is up to you. Normally I think we take the Edmonds to Kingston ferry, but I think Seattle to Bainbridge isn't a bad choice if you are coming from Downtown.

 

I think it's about 2.5 hours to get there from Seattle.

[Sharonie]

Thanks for your advice! We're staying north of downtown, so I'll look into the best way of getting there. I've heard so many positive reivews regarding ONP and Seattle in general. I can't wait to visit soon..