Seattle cruise terminals: Pier 66 and Pier 91

Seattle has two cruise terminals, and they are not next to each other. The Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66 is on the downtown waterfront. The Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 is at the north end of the waterfront, which the port describes as 10 minutes from the city's retail core. Which one you need depends on your line, and once or twice on your ship.

Which terminal your line uses

This is how the port's 2027 schedule assigns them:

Line	Terminal	Address
Norwegian Cruise Line	Bell Street Cruise Terminal, Pier 66	2225 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
Oceania Cruises	Bell Street Cruise Terminal, Pier 66	2225 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
Silversea	Bell Street Cruise Terminal, Pier 66	2225 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
Carnival	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
Celebrity Cruises	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
Holland America Line	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
MSC Cruises	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
Princess Cruises	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
Royal Caribbean	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119
Virgin Voyages	Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91	2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA 98119

The port's own pages disagree about one ship. Its "Find my ship and terminal" page puts Norwegian Jade at Pier 66 with the rest of Norwegian's fleet, and this site follows it. Its 2027 preliminary schedule lists Jade's three September 2027 departures at Pier 91. If you're sailing on Jade, check your cruise documents for the pier. The port calls its schedule preliminary and says it can change during the season.

Holland America's own blog says it usually leaves from Pier 91 but "sometimes" from Pier 66, and tells passengers to check their embarkation documents. Every Holland America departure on the port's 2027 schedule is at Pier 91.

Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66

Pier 66 is on Alaskan Way, an easy walk from Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium and the Great Wheel, according to the port, which calls it home to Norwegian and Oceania.

Driving in. These are the port's directions. If you put Norwegian's own directions page into a GPS, note that it gives the pier as 2711 Alaskan Way. The port's address for the terminal is 2225 Alaskan Way. From Interstate 5, take the Mercer Street exit (exit 167) and keep straight. Turn left on 5th Avenue North and move to the right lane. Bear right onto Broad Street, under the Monorail, and follow it to Alaskan Way. Turn left and head south to the terminal. A security officer on Alaskan Way directs traffic, and drop-off is in the curb lane in front of the terminal.

Drop-off and pick-up. The ground transportation lot is directly in front of the terminal entrance. Buses, taxis, airport shuttles and private cars all use it.

Parking. The Bell Street Pier garage is across Alaskan Way from the terminal, at 9 Wall Street, with its entrance on Wall Street just east of the railroad tracks. Republic Parking runs it and says you cross a skybridge to reach the terminal. The parking guide has the rates.

Luggage storage. The port offers same-day luggage storage at $6 a bag, in the Crew Center at the south end of the terminal building. Bags have to be collected by 3pm or a late fee applies. The port quoted that price on 23 October 2026.

Early bag drop for Norwegian. If you are sailing on Norwegian Bliss, Joy or Encore, the port says you can drop your checked bags from 8am on embarkation day, go into the city, and come back to the terminal by 2pm to finish boarding.

Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91

Pier 91 is on Smith Cove at the north end of the waterfront, and most lines sailing from Seattle use it. It has an on-site parking lot, a dedicated rideshare lot and a cell phone waiting lot for whoever is collecting you.

Driving in. From Interstate 5, take the Mercer Street exit (exit 167). Continue for 1.7 miles, then turn right onto Elliott Avenue West. Turn right onto the West Galer Street flyover, which is the Magnolia Bridge, and follow the signs to Smith Cove Park and the cruise terminal or to cruise parking.

Drop-off and pick-up. There is a ground transportation lot near the terminal entrance for buses, taxis, airport shuttles and private cars, plus the separate rideshare lot and the free cell phone lot.

No public transit. The port says public transit does not reach Pier 91. The bus stop at the Magnolia Bridge and Pier 91 (stop 20860) has closed permanently, and the pedestrian staircase from the north side of the bridge is closed too. Plan on a taxi, a rideshare, a transfer or your own car.

Parking. The lot is on site, with a free shuttle to the terminal. The parking guide covers prices and booking.

Luggage storage. Same as Pier 66: $6 a bag, collected by 3pm, in the Crew Center north of the ground transportation center. That is the price the port listed on 23 October 2026.

When to arrive

Every line gives you an arrival time or window when you check in online, and that is the time to follow. These are each line's general rules, from its own site, not Seattle-specific ones:

Line	What it says
Carnival	You choose an arrival appointment during online check-in, which closes at midnight Eastern time before sailing day. Checked bags are taken until 2 hours before the published departure.
Holland America	Boarding begins at noon, and everyone must be checked in at least 90 minutes before the published sailing time. Online check-in is due 72 hours before.
Norwegian	Arrive after 12pm and at least two hours before departure. You must be on board at least an hour before.
Royal Caribbean	Arrive within the time slot you picked during check-in in the Royal app.
Celebrity	Arrive during the window you selected at check-in.
Princess	Arrive within the check-in window you selected online. Princess strongly recommends flying in at least a day early.
Virgin Voyages	Boarding generally begins at 2:15pm, but follow the terminal arrival time you selected. Virgin emails printable luggage tags 7 days before you sail.

MSC and Oceania do not let automated tools read their pages, and Silversea's Seattle page doesn't say, so for those three go by your cruise documents.

Getting there from the airport

The port puts both terminals 30 to 40 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by road. Link light rail runs from the airport to downtown but to neither terminal, so the last stretch is a walk or a short ride to Pier 66 and a taxi or rideshare to Pier 91. The airport guide has the options and what they cost.