Taking our family on a cruise from Seattle in July and will be staying one night and two days in the city prior to sailing. Looking for nice but affordable accommodations downtown where we could take a city tour on bus or trolley (not sure of the options)and walk to some places of interest -- don't want to be out on Interstate away from activities and restaurants. There will be 13 of us including 5 children.

I stayed at the comfort suites near the Space Needle last year which was in a decent location and reasonable price.

The heart of the retail and entertainment core is 5th and Pine. Nearby hotels include the Mayflower, Andra, Sheraton, Westin, Roosevelt, Max, and Warwick (which is likely to have the best deal--perhaps including breakfast).

A few blocks farther is the Sixth Avenue Inn and La Quinta, which has one bedroom apartments with breakfast at a good price.

Least expensive motels in downtown Seattle include: Days Inn, 6th Avenue Inn, 8th Avenue Inn, Best Western Loyal, Kings Inn.

Mediterranean on lower Queen Anne is nice and close to Seattle Center but a longer walk to downtown.

Next price jump up I'd includ the Mayflower Park Hotel and the Warwick.

Some people report good results bidding the usual hotels (Westin, Sheraton) on Priceline.

Yes, you can get around with a combination of on-foot, Metro bus, the new Seattle Trolley, monorail, etc.

I would contact a travel agent familiar with group travel. You might well qualify for a group rate, or possibly get one room comped for the "group leader."

"Affordable" is a pretty imprecise term - anything less than $200 a night at the peak of peak periods is about as good as one could expect.

The gap in amenities and comfort between the mid-range hotels in downtown Seattle and "bargain" hotels can be quite big.

We stayed at the Inn on the Market and took the less expensive city view room which was just fine. I stepped into the harbour view room one day with the maid's permission and it was quite a bit fancier but also quite a bit more expensive.

The location is great because you're steps from the market -- a great place for inexpensive breakfasts and lunches and for browsing.