Heading to Seattle, Washington? Check out my Puget Sound Cruise experience with Argosy Cruises. This half-day excursion was part of my 4-night Seattle Girls trip. Feel free to pre-book any Seattle tours & excursions with my affiliate link as well. Note that Argosy Cruises’ Puget Sound Cruise departs from Pier 54. So my recommendation is to arrive a few hours early so you have time to shop and eat before your cruise.
Pier 54
Pier 54 is a tourist pier in Seattle. Located on the famous Alaskan Way. Previously an active shipping pier and warehouse, Pier 54 was originally known as Pier 3 until it was renumbered during World War II. Today on this pier, you will find waterfront restaurants, shops, and attractions. The most famous attractions here include Ivar’s Acres of Clams and Ivar’s Fish Bar, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Simply Seattle (one-stop shop for Seattle sports apparel), Premier Meat Pies, and Argosy Cruises.
Before lunch, we went shopping for souvenirs. Ye Olde Curiosity Shop didn’t have what I was looking for, so we went to nearby Seattle Shirt Company. The Seattle Shirt Company had so many decent priced souvenirs that I was looking for – shirts, hoodies, postcards, and baby onesies.
Lunch at Ivar’s Acres of Clams
After some light shopping and people watching, it was time for lunch. We chose Ivar’s Acres of Clams because of their long-standing history and reputation. Overlooking Elliott Bay, Ivar’s looked like the perfect spot to enjoy seafood. To satisfy your craving for Northwest seafood, their chefs created award-winning preparations to reflect the season’s bounty. Yet they still showcase Ivar Haglund’s world-famous original recipes. Choose from wild Alaska salmon, deep-water halibut, Alaska King crab, and Dungeness crab, to name a few. I went with the Pier 54 Cioppino. It consisted of salmon, halibut, cod, prawns, clams, mussels, and bread. It was good – but could’ve used more flavor (tasted watered down a little).
Argosy Cruises – Puget Sound Cruise (Ballard Locks)
My girlfriends and I were trying to figure out which excursion to choose from out of Seattle – it was down to Mt. Rainier and a Puget Sound Cruise around the Ballard locks. Since none of us brought appropriate hiking gear, that made the decision-making pretty easy (LOL).
The 2-hour Locks Cruise by Argosy Cruises was a nice way to see more of Seattle in a short amount of time. Get 120 years of Seattle history in just 120 minutes! Venture beyond the waterfront and explore three Seattle neighborhoods in a one-way trip on the Locks Cruise! This fully narrated tour provides you with knowledge, fun facts, and the one of kind experience of going through Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks. Become the attraction to those on shore as the vessel transitions from salt to fresh water! Who wouldn’t want to take a ride on the boat elevator? This tour included:
- Trip through the Hiram M Chittenden (Ballard) Locks
- Full narration with facts about Seattle history and industry
- Up-close views of large fishing vessels, seaplanes, floating home communities
- Getting to see the famous floating home in “Sleepless in Seattle” movie
- Coverage of multiple Seattle neighborhoods and well known attractions like Gas Works Park and the Space Needle
- Full-service bard on board with cocktails, local wine and beer, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks (for purchase)
Floating Home Communities
These floating homes on Lake Union are as old as the city of Seattle itself. They were first built to house the workers of the logging camps. Later in the 1920s some houseboats were built as summer homes for the wealthy. You can actually be a homeowner of one of these homes for the low low price of $1.3M starting! The charming houseboat that Tom Hanks’ character in “Sleepless in Seattle” lived in sold for around $2.5M. I can see the appeal of living by the water (though me personally, I’d like to live near warm water and somewhere south). But this was a nice visit riding through here and hearing about the history of these once-upon-a-time logging camps.
Ballard Locks
The next stop on our Puget Sound Cruise by Argosy Cruises was a stroll through the Ballard Locks. Completed in 1917, the locks link the Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington. Once in the lock, the water level drops as much as 26 feet to bring the boats even with Puget Sound. The fresh water is exchanged with salt water (SOURCE). Typically, the process of crossing can take 10-15 minutes but during busy times, it can take longer. While cruising the Ballard Locks be sure to be on the lookout for people floating in hot tubs! Yes, you read that right. As tourists, you can rent out floating hot tubs and soak while you float around the water. It looked like a good time and if my husband came on this trip I would’ve booked it!
Sea Lions & Nature
After successfully passing through the locks, we were greeted by some lounging sea lions. They were just chillin on the rocks and living their best life. Be on the lookout for other wildlife too like different birds. Additionally, you may be able to view migrating salmon in the harbor from June – September (too early for us in May). I wish we could’ve seen whales – since my whale watching cruise in Iceland years ago proved to be uneventful. Guess I’ll just have to keep that on my bucket list for now!
Alaska Cruises
While we were cruising along the water, we came across a Princess Cruise ship. Visiting Alaska has definitely been on my bucket list for some time. I was planning to redeem my free Commodore Cruise with them in 2020 but I don’t even need to say why that got cancelled. Sigh. I’ll get there some day! Cruises to Alaska depart from a few different ports but Anchorage and Seattle are going to be the two most popular. I recommend combining land + cruise so you get the full experience. For the land portion, you can visit Denali National Park. If you are interested in booking your future Alaska cruise with me, shoot me an email at cassandra@accent-on-travel.net. I’d love to help you plan! Many major cruise lines cruise around Alaska including Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Carnival, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.
Food & Drink
Onboard you’ll find a full-service bar serving local alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and local snacks such as sandwiches, salads, chips, and popcorn. You can also find Chukar Dried Cherry Trail Mix with Northwest-grown cherries. Washington-grown Chukar Cherries can be purchased inside of the Pike Market Place and you can check out my Pike Market Place Food Tour here. On this Puget Sound Cruise, I went with the local red wine and some popcorn to snack on.
Seattle Skyline
Taking a cruise allows for you to get a different snapshot/perspective of Seattle, the Emerald City. “The entire purpose of our tour is so you see the city in a different manner,” Argosy Cruises Locks Cruise deckhand Spencer Edgers says. “What we’re used to is seeing Seattle while driving around in a car. But if you take a cruise, it’ll be like you’re seeing an entirely different city. There is the visual side to it and then just the feel since we move from sailing on salt water to fresh water” (SOURCE).
“What always makes it fun for me is that it’s never the same,” Locks Cruise Captain Greg Kramer says. “One day there might be a new container ship docked or maybe a cruise ship is coming in. It’s unpredictable and eye-opening.” Overall, it was a nice experience and a great way to spend a few hours if you need a change of scenery from the city. P.S. note the orange top of the Space Needle. That was to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the landmark structure, which was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Planning your trip to Seattle or anywhere else? Send me an email with the details and I’ll get working on a quote: cassandra@accent-on-travel.net. Minimum deposits of just $300 per person locks in your flights + hotel.
