Seattle CityPASS – It is worth it?

Seattle, the Washington State’s largest city sits in the Pacific Northwest region. The city is home to a breathtaking sightseeing and great eateries not to mention the coffee. Surrounded by water, evergreen forests, and mountains, Seattle has vast acres of parkland. It hosts the iconic landmark Space Needle that is a symbol of the 1962 World’s Fair legacy.  If you plan to visit this city, having the Seattle CityPASS gives you an opportunity to explore the best attractions at unbeatable discounted prices. Whether you are a solo traveler, a group, a family, or travelling with friends, you can take advantage of the Seattle CityPASS that gives you access to the top attractions without spending too much.

 

What is Seattle CityPASS?

 While it is called a pass, it is actually a ticket booklet that you can use for 9 consecutive days once you have started using it. Seattle CityPASS ticket booklet brings you a collection of top attractions bundled up in the best prices to allow you enjoy what the city has to offer.  With this pass, you will save time and money as you discover the buzzing Seattle at your own pace. You will get spectacular views and a double shot of the best attractions.

 

How Does Seattle CityPASS work?  

When you purchase the pass, you skip paying admission fees at the gate.  When using Seattle CityPASS, it is easy, you only need to show up at the eligible attractions and produce your booklet. Sometimes, you can have a printed or mobile voucher that you later exchange for the booklet when you arrive in Seattle.  When you visit the attractions and present the booklet, an attendant removes the ticket.  You can flip the tickets over to see information regarding the use of the ticket, the attractions and their addresses, hours of visits, and how to get there via transit. You also find information on the best times to visit the attractions, dining, gifts, and tips to make the most of the visit.

Since you have 9 days to use the city pass, that’s plenty of time and you don’t need to hurry. If you purchase a voucher, it must be exchanged for the Seattle CityPASS booklet within 6 months. If you have purchased the booklet, it expires after 12 month, so you should visit Seattle within that timeframe.  There are different options for the ticket in the booklet that give you a chance to select the attractions to visit.  You don’t have to decide upfront the locations or attractions you will visit, you can decide when you get to Seattle.

Also, if you want to explore both options, there are admission discounts you can enjoy.  The tickets contained in the booklet are the admission tickets and you use them for one visit unless it is specified otherwise. It is important that you leave them intact without removing them until the attendants at the admission points tear them out. If they are removed, the tickets may be deemed invalid.

Once you visit your first attraction, the entire pass is valid for nine consecutive days.Considering it covers five attractions, that’s plenty of time to make the most of your visits.

With the pass, you gain entry to five of the leading seven attractions in Seattle city. You will have three of the attractions included with each pass, so you have to choose the remaining two from the available four attractions. This is important because it allow flexibility in people who may feel undecided or have a different choice.

 

How Much Seattle CityPASS Costs

Depending on the age of the individual, the cost may vary.

  • Adults $89 and children $69

 

Adults are those aged 13 and above while children are of the ages 5 to 12. You may find that children under five may get free or discounted tickets within some selected attractions.  These prices may change so you would want to refer to the official website to check the current prices of Seattle CityPASS price.

 

Attractions You Can Visit Using Seattle CityPASS

 

When you get Seattle CityPASS you can access five of the seven top attractions in Seattle including:

  • Seattle Aquarium ($29.95)
  • Space Needle ($46.20)
  • Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour ($33.58)

 

These three are included in each ticket, so you have to select the remaining two. You can choose

  • Woodland Park Zoo ($20.95) or Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) ($28)
  • Pacific Science Center ($23.95) or Chihuly Garden and Glass ($27.30)

 

By using the pass, you can cut the cost of visiting these attractions by almost half.

Space Needle

This iconic feature offers you an opportunity to get a panoramic view of the city from 520 feet up.  A 21-second elevator ride takes you to the observation deck of the Space Needle.  Since the view of Seattle is splendid both day and night, there are two admissions offered for Space Needle visit with the Seattle CityPASS. This is to allow you decide whether you visit at day time or at night time, or both.

You can visit with the daytime entry that is timed, and you can also visit during the end of operation- last three hours of operation. Since Space Needle is quite popular, it is would be best if you make your daytime entry ticket reservation in advance. You can make the reservation about 9 days before you visit Space Needle, this is the timeframe in which the Seattle CityPASS remains valid after the first day of use.

 

Seattle Aquarium

 hether you are a couple, a solo traveler, or a family, the Seattle Aquarium gives you an amazing treat. About 13 exhibits feature different kinds of sea life.  Think of seals, salmon, octopus, tropical fish, and much more. You have plenty of Puget Sound sea life lined up for you.  Life on the Edge  gives you a chance to touch and interact with various sea life in the tide pools of Puget Sound, and kids particularly love it. There are dive shows that you can indulge yourself in. These dives are conducted in the giant 120,000-gallon tank, and they take place three times a day.

 

Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour

Touring Seattle by sea gives you a fresh perspective of the fabulous Emerald City using the one-hour Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour.  Cruising in the sea to tour Seattle offers you a magnificent view of the waterfront shoreline. You can view the shipyards and terminals, Washington State ferry fleet, container ships, towering cruise ships, and some sea animals basking on the rocks. A live narration of the history of the city keeps you excited and amused throughout the cruise. You can listen to the stories and facts surrounding the busy port and the unique maritime history.

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

Do you love music, movies, TV shows, and video games? The MoPOP features exhibits of pop culture icons such as Star Trek, Marvel superheroes, Jimi Hendrix and many others. You will find it very lively as you get entertained with interactive exhibits including the Indie Game Revolution as well as the Sound Lab.

 

Woodland Park Zoo

Probably you aren’t a fun of pop culture, Seattle CityPASS gives you an option to choose between enjoying nature and indulging in pop culture. Woodland Park Zoo has a big collection of wildlife from different parts of the world including Australia, Tropical Asia, and African Savanna. A penguin exhibit is among the delightful features you will find in this zoo. In addition, you can explore the Baby Gorilla Yola and the Assam Rhino Reserve.

 

Chihuly Garden and Glass

A 40-foot glasshouse housing a beautiful 100-foot long sculpture is the iconic feature of Chihuly Garden and Glass. The garden has a unique blend of botanicals and art to make sure your experience remains a memorable one.

 

Pacific Science Center

If you are a health and wellness enthusiast, there is more to get in Pacific Science Center. You can visit Professor Wellbody’s Academy of Health and Wellness to spruce up your health and fitness. This highly innovative exhibit allows guests to up their game on the interactive Fitness Play Zone. You can duck flying specks at the Sneeze Wall or see your future self through the aging software. The tropical butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are reserved for the nature loving visitors.

 

Others Perks for Using Seattle CityPASS?

 Great savings: You have close to 50 percent of savings on admissions to leading attractions.

 Get extra discounts: In addition to the main benefits of savings on admission prices, you also have extra savings. For example, you have discounts at Aquarium, Space Needle, and MoPOP gifts shops, especially if you are purchasing souvenirs. You can also have $5 off the admission fees at Pacific Science Center and Chihuly Garden and Glass. A $3 discount at Woodland Park Zoo and MoPOP isn’t something you can let go if you want to visit the attractions. So, if you are looking forward to visit the entire seven attractions featured in the Seattle CityPASS, you should be able to get discounts on the two that weren’t taken care of by the pass. 

Speedy entry: Because the Zoo, Aquarium, and the Science Center can get too busy, when you have the Seattle CityPASS, you skip the line. It makes you make the most of your time as you visit different attractions.

 Spread out sightseeig:  Having 9 consecutive daysto use the pass means that you cancomfortably allocate sufficient time for the spots you want to visit.

 

Shortfalls of Seattle CityPASS

You only have five attractions to visit using the pass, anything beyond that will be out of your pocket. The booklet format requires you to have the ticket booklet otherwise you may not gain entry to the sites. The booklet contains the actual tickets and you can’t temper with them. If you accidentally removeone out, it may be invalid. If you lose it, that’s another problem. An electronic voucher, ticket, or pass would perhaps be more convenient and safer than the booklet.

 

Who Needs The Seattle CityPASS?

 Families and groups:  If you’re a family or group and are interested in visiting the attractions featured in the Seattle CityPASS, you can save a lot on admission fees. Most of the attractions are kid-friendly, that’s again pretty a nice feature, your kids could get free entry.

 First-time visitors: You are likely to benefit more if you are visiting Seattle for the first time. This is because you want to see the top attractions, which are the ones featured on the Seattle CityPASS.

 Who Shouldn’t Purchase the Seattle CityPASS

 

There are visitors may not need to have the Seattle CityPASS.

 

Repeat visitors:  Once you have seen the top attractions, if you want to revisit Seattle, you may be looking forward to see something different. With only five attractions on your first visit, your second, third, or even fourth visits would mean you look for something else.

 Those not interested in sightseeing:  The pass isn’t your choice if you are visiting Seattle for other reasons other than sightseeing. If you only want to visit a few of the attractions, it would be better if you don’t purchase it. The only way you can save money is to visit three or more of those attractions.

 

How to Get the Most of the Seattle CityPASS

 The main reason you are buying the pass is to save money, although it will also make the visits convenient because you skip the lines. You can make the most of this pass by:

Visiting five attractions:  Plan you trip and time so that you visit at least five of the attractions. This is the best way you can save hugely on admission.

For extra attractions, visit Chihuly Garden and Glass along with MoPOP:  The pass allows you to save more when you visit the high ticket items like Chihuly Garden and Glassor MoPOP. When selecting the last two attractions of the five, choose the aforenoted because they are costlier than the Pacific Science Center and Woodland Park Zoo. Use the coupon that is in the pass to help you save some more bucks off admission.

Don’t tamper with the tickets:  It’s only the attendant at the gates who can tear the tickets from the booklets, so don’t remove them.

Seattle CityPASS

 

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