Homer and Kodiak on our own

We have decided to explore Homer and a Kodiak on our own for our May HAL cruise. I’m wondering about...

Kodiak - if the weather is decent, we want to take a taxi to Fort Abercrombie. I’ve heard people saw taxis waiting in town, but didn’t know if these were prearranged pick-ups. Can we get a taxi last minute?

Homer - looks like a great place to explore on the spit or in “town”. My question is are there any must-see stores, sites, or points of interest. So far The Salty Dawg and the Seafarers Memorial are on my list.

Thank you fellow cruisers!

If you're looking for a place to eat in Homer in the SW corner of the boardwalk is a rest. that advertises fish on a stick. Very good food.

In Homer we had a fantastic meal at Captain Patties. It's on The Spit, on the west side of the street. There are nice views out their windows. The place is also much larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Ha Ha We had the King Crab Legs and some halibut fish & chips. It was very good and their French Fries are "German" quality - in Germany they somehow have the best fries I've had in the whole world and the fries at Captain Patties were that good.

I don't know how someone on a cruise would get there (we were on a land road trip...) but before you get to Homer there's an overlook with an information center that has a pretty cool view of The Spit. It looks tiny from there but is really about 4-1/2 miles long. A taxi might drive you there and back...

We have been to Kodiak twice.

I don't remember a lot of taxis.

If you can pre-arrange something ahead of time I would.

Maybe trip advisor could be helpful.

Keith

ratdoggie: Did you ask essentially the same question regarding Kodiak several weeks ago? In any event, Kodiak is gorgeous on a clear day, and Ft. Abercrombie has lovely trails and views. We've never taken a taxi there but drive there in a rental vehicle. Ft. Abercrombie is essentially on the edge of Kodiak so isn't that far from where the ship will be docked. If you do try to take a taxi be sure to also have your cell phone in case there is confusion regarding the pick-up location.

In Kodiak the car rental companies have the cars stationed at the airport. But there is one national company which has a satellite location at one of the gift shops, and that shop is very close to where you will be docked. When we were in Kodiak in 2016 spending a few days before catching a state ferry to Unalaska that is where we arranged to pick up the car.

Homer has the Pratt Museum, which focuses on natural history. Homer is also a rather "arty" place and I find the lack of yet another Diamonds International shop rather refreshing. Several of the restaurants on the famous "spit" have been there for some time while other properties tend to change over frequently. But most of them offer excellent fresh seafood. And if you purchase a sweatshirt from the Salty Dawg you will fit in like a local as most of us who live in Alaska have one.

We have done the same HA 14 day cruise that goes to Homer and Kodiak in both September 2016 and June 2017. We took a cab right from the ship to Ft. Abercrombie and hiked around for a few hours. We did not prearrange a ride. There was a line of cabs waiting when we got off the ship. You can get a map at the rangers station when you get there if I remember correctly. I looked up a few cab companies for Kodiak before we left home and put their numbers in my phone. We called one of them for a ride back to the ship when we were ready.

In Homer we have eaten at The Little Mermaid both times and loved it! We also shopped some and walked on the beach. I am a fan of the show Deadliest Catch, so I really enjoyed walking down to the dock from the cruise ship to see some of the crab boats.

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Thanks for the great information and ideas!

And yes, I did ask about taxis on someone’s Kodiak post but it wasn’t clear to me if there would be any available ones waiting or if we had to prearrange, but now I know. I hadn’t considered renting a car since we will only need it for a couple of hours but I will check it out along with some of these other ideas.

Ratdoggie: I thought that your question had been asked recently, and your CC name is distinctive. Actually, a rental car would also allow you to drive out toward Chiniak. Interesting if you are a birder (I am what in the bird-watching world is called a SOB -- which means "spouse of birder") but also an eye-opener regarding life in a very small rural Alaskan community. But if you are only interested in Ft. Abercrombie than a rental car is apparently not necessary.

We did the 14 day cruise in 2015, so my information may be out of date. There was a shuttle from the dock available to Homer Spit, and I think it was complimentary. There was also a shuttle to Homer the town, with a per person charge that I cannot remember.

In Kodiak, we walked to town (about 1 mile each way, I think) but there seemed to be a LOT of taxis at the dock. I don't think they were all pre-reserved, as we watched for a while, and there were always taxis pulling in to pick up people.

I know you said on your own but my idea would be to consider Memory Makers tour in Kodiak if they are available on your date. They book up fast. You will see lots more. If the weather is bad you will may get a stop to see the salt water fish tanks across the bridge. Great tour of Kodiak.

COST OF TAXI TO FORT ABERCROMBIE

We took a cab right from the ship to Ft. Abercrombie and hiked around for a few hours. We did not prearrange a ride. There was a line of cabs waiting when we got off the ship. . . I looked up a few cab companies for Kodiak before we left home and put their numbers in my phone. We called one of them for a ride back to the ship when we were ready. . . .

How much should a taxi ride to Ft. Abercrombie cost, and then to call for a ride back, if it is not pre-booked?

THANKS!

COST OF TAXI TO FORT ABERCROMBIE

 

 

 

How much should a taxi ride to Ft. Abercrombie cost, and then to call for a ride back, if it is not pre-booked?

 

THANKS!

My husband paid and he said he thinks it was around $15 each way. It was 2 years ago when we visited Ft. Abercrombie so we can’t remember for sure. :)

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SarahCBL,

Thank you for the info! About how long did you have to wait once you called the taxi to take you back? Also, how much time should we plan for the scenic trail?

Thank you!

W

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SarahCBL,

 

Thank you for the info! About how long did you have to wait once you called the taxi to take you back? Also, how much time should we plan for the scenic trail?

 

Thank you!

Sorry I hit submit too soon on that last post. We probably waited about 10-15 minutes for a cab to pick us up. You might be able to arrange a pick up at a certain time with your initial cab driver. We just didn’t like our first driver very much. We hiked for about 3 hours and definitely didn’t see it all, but any amount of time would be fun there. The trails were beautiful!

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