Sea-Tac airport to the Seattle cruise terminals

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is about 30 to 40 minutes from either cruise terminal by road, according to the port. There is no train or bus all the way to a pier, so every option ends in a vehicle: a cruise line transfer, a shared shuttle, a taxi or a rideshare. Check which terminal your ship uses before you book anything, because Pier 66 is downtown and Pier 91 is at the north end of the waterfront.

The options at a glance

Option	Cost	Good to know
Your cruise line's transfer	Carnival: from $37.99 a person each way on 23 October 2026. Others don't publish a price.	Runs on embarkation day only, and usually needs a morning arrival
Shared shuttle	Seattle Express: $30 a person each way on 23 October 2026	Seasonal, April to October
Taxi	Metered, with a $20 minimum from the airport	No flat fare to downtown or the piers
Rideshare	Not published	Pickup on the third floor of the airport garage
Link light rail plus a taxi	Check Sound Transit for the fare	Downtown only; then a walk or short ride to Pier 66, and no transit to Pier 91

Cruise line transfers

Most lines sell a coach transfer from the airport to the ship on sailing day. They are the simplest option when they fit your flight, and the times are strict.

• Carnival. Shuttles leave the airport hourly from 10:30am until 1pm, and your flight must land by noon. Carnival listed the fare as "starting at $37.99" a person each way on 23 October 2026, with a separate transfer back to the airport at the same price. Return flights can't leave before noon. You meet the transfer at baggage claim 12, and you can buy it up to two days before you sail.
• Holland America. Go to the podiums across from baggage carousels 8 and 14. Transfers to the pier start at 10am, and only run on the ship's turnaround day. Holland America does not publish the price online, and it does not run transfers from Paine Field.
• Princess. Sells transfers whether or not you booked your flights through Princess. A Princess representative meets you after you collect your bags.
• Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. All sell airport transfers but don't list a Seattle price. Norwegian needs them booked at least 4 days before sailing, and Royal Caribbean recommends two weeks.
• Virgin Voyages. Its Seattle page offers a shuttle from the terminal to the airport after the cruise, not one from the airport on sailing day.

The airport's cruise and charter buses leave from floor 1 of the parking garage. Its directions: walk to baggage claim 16, take the elevator or escalator up to the "Parking" level, cross the sky bridge into the garage, take the blue and white striped elevators to floor 1, and follow the signs for "Cruise and Charter Buses".

Shared shuttles

Seattle Express runs shared shuttles to both piers from April to October. On 23 October 2026 it listed $30 a passenger each way, with drop-offs at the terminals at about 10:05am, 11:05am, 12:05pm and 1:05pm, and $15 for each extra bag. Its published pickups are SeaTac-area hotels rather than the airport itself, and its FAQ says it only serves SeaTac-area hotels, so check before you plan to board it straight off a flight. After the cruise it runs back to the airport between 7am and 11am. Its 2026 season ended on 11 October.

Premier Airport Shuttle is the shuttle company listed on the airport's own site. The airport says it runs seasonal scheduled transfers to the cruise ships, and Premier's site offers shared and private rides to both piers. It doesn't publish the cruise fare. Its kiosk is on the third floor of the airport parking garage.

Shuttle Express offers private cars, SUVs and vans to the piers, booked and paid in advance. It doesn't list prices.

Taxis and rideshares

Taxis wait on the third floor of the airport parking garage, on the north and south curbs. They are metered. Under the City of Seattle and King County fare rule in force since 6 August 2025, a taxi or for-hire trip from the airport costs at least $20, the meter starts at $2.60 and then charges $2.70 a mile at speed, and there is no flat rate to downtown. The airport adds that taxis run around the clock and that wheelchair accessible vans are available.

The lines' own estimates for a taxi from the airport to Pier 91 are $55 to $65 from Holland America and $45 to $60 for a taxi or rideshare from Virgin Voyages. Those are estimates, not fares.

Rideshare pickups are also on the third floor of the garage, in the Orange and Purple sections. Pier 91 has its own rideshare lot for the drop-off.

Light rail

King County Metro, which operates Link light rail, says the line stops at Sea-Tac Airport and in downtown Seattle and runs every 6, 10 or 15 minutes depending on the time of day. It doesn't reach either terminal. The port says there is no direct transit from the airport to Pier 66, so from downtown you walk or take a taxi or rideshare. For Pier 91 it says public transit is not available at all, and the bus stop that used to serve it has closed for good.

With luggage, the train makes most sense if you're spending a night downtown first. See hotels near the cruise terminals.

After the cruise

The Port of Seattle offers Port Valet, a free service that takes your checked bags from the ship to your airline. Holland America and Virgin Voyages both describe it. Virgin says it is for flights leaving Sea-Tac at noon or later, and the enrollment deadline depends on the line, so ask yours early.