There is a lot to do on the Seattle waterfront. The problem is once you get down there, it is uphill all the way back. Once I realized just how bad it was, I knew I wasn’t going to be making many trips down there.

I wanted to get all of the waterfront activities done that day, but I mismanaged my time. I should’ve done the aquarium first because they stop letting people in at 5pm.

The first thing I did on the riverfront was the Argosy Harbor Tour which was included in the City Pass I purchased. You can read about that in Seattle Harbor Tours.

When we got back from the harbor tour, NCL Encore was sailing away. I got to catch a little bit of that.

After that I still had time to get into the aquarium but I headed to the Great Wheel instead. The line for Great Wheel tickets was long. While I was in line I realized I made a mistake by not going to the aquarium first since the wheel and Wings over Washington are open later. But I decided to stay in line.

At this stand you are able to purchase tickets for The Great Wheel, Wings over Washington, the Pier 57 carousel, and Salish Sea Tours which is the primary competitor of Argosy Cruises.

Salish is five dollars cheaper and has a different boat design with stadium seating in the front. But they have a pre-recorded audio tour where Argosy has a live narrator who can adapt to what is actually in the harbor that day and answer questions. Here is a look at the Salish boat.

It took 15 minutes to get through the line. I purchased tickets for The Great Wheel and Wings over Washington. The total came to $38.

The line to get on the wheel wasn’t long but it did take about 15 minutes to get on.

You get three rotations. I didn’t think The Great Wheel was anything special, especially considering the observatories they have in Seattle. If there’s one thing I did in Seattle that I would say could be skipped, this would probably be it.

After The Great Wheel I did Wings over Washington. I heard it was similar to Soaring at Disney World, which I enjoyed.

When you go in you have to go up one flight of stairs to the briefing room. The audio wasn’t synched up right. You could hear an echo and the echo is what was synched up to our video. It was a little strange.

Next you go into the room and it does look exactly like Soaring did at Disney World.

I am not a fan of this type of seat belt. Watch the jewels! I don’t think I want that seat belt to have to save me

It turns out you aren’t allowed to take pictures but I did get a couple in before he told us that.

Wings over Washington is indeed just like Soaring at Disney World. The difference is it has a Washington theme where you’re flying through the woods and the mountains. You even do a Blue Angels flyover at a Washington Huskies football game. It was a lot of fun and I do recommend it. If I were picking between it and the Great Wheel, I would pick Wings Over Washington.

A little seagull feeding is happening outside.

On the my second day I returned to the waterfront to make another attempt to get into the aquarium. I knew it closed at 6pm and was thinking you could still get in at 5:30. I was wrong. They stop allowing people in at 5pm. I totally missed out on the aquarium despite having a ticket for it through City Pass.

Another thing you can do down here is eat. I had heard Ivar’s was a good place for fish & chips and chowder. I tried both while I was down on the waterfront.

You can feed the seagulls at Ivar’s if you want.

 

In summary, there’s a lot to do on the Seattle waterfront. If you want to do Pike Place Market and work your way down to the waterfront, that’s a good way to do it. I highly recommend doing a Harbor Cruise. I would lean towards Argosy myself. Wings over Washington is a lot of fun. I can do with or without the Great Wheel. If you want to go to the aquarium, make sure you get in before 5pm. The Wheel and Wings over Washington are open later.

 

 

 

 

 

• Seattle