Icy Strait

[marek165]

Our ship NCL Sun docks here on Jun 6 from 9am to 5pm. I am wondering what activities to do.

 

Are there venders off ship and are the prices better.

 

Is there a better vendor to deal with.

 

How far is the village from the ship and is there a shuttle.

[Ashland]

Our ship NCL Sun docks here on Jun 6 from 9am to 5pm. I am wondering what activities to do.

 

Are there venders off ship and are the prices better.

 

Is there a better vendor to deal with.

 

How far is the village from the ship and is there a shuttle.

Let me just say upfront ISP is my least favorite port...

 

The cannery while interesting the first visit but a bit too staged and not what I was expecting at all, has a few shops that carry specific souveniers..but please don't expect there to be vendors/shops like in other ports.

 

There is a shuttle to get into Hoonah that's $5.00pp roundtrip..Some may say you can and they do walk but I'm glad we didn't as it's farther than it looks (and we are physically fit) and once there "we" found not much to do and the thought of walking back after that :(

 

Booked excursions (like whale watching etc.) seem to be the more popular thing to do in ISP and there's also the zip-line.

 

Many others will post of a completely different opinion of ISP but after 2 visits this is mine.

 

After concentrating on our other ports we found we enjoyed just tendering in walking about a bit and enjoying the amazing campfire set up...a down day in port for us.

 

Regardless of which port we're in...it's Alaska and we're just happy to be there and will be going back again in May :)

[travelbuds]

Our ship NCL Sun docks here on Jun 6 from 9am to 5pm. I am wondering what activities to do.

 

Are there venders off ship and are the prices better.

 

Is there a better vendor to deal with.

 

How far is the village from the ship and is there a shuttle.

 

Each time we have been to Icy Strait (Hoonah), we have gone whale watching with Floyd (F.I.S.H.E.S). He as a small boat that holds 6 passengers. Cost this year $160 per person-3 hours. We will be going with him again in July. Not sure about shuttles because he picks us up just outside the tender area to take us to his boat in the small boat harbor near town, and we walk back to the tender area-maybe 20 minute walk or so along the waterfront. Stopped by to see totem pole carvings on the way back and get lunch.

Edited February 25, 2014 by travelbuds

[mapleleaves]

Most towns/ports have a visitor information site in order to support local industry. Here's the link to Hoonah. Google to see if Icy Strait has a site.

 

http://www.visithoonah.com/index.html

 

Since there are more activity options in Juneau, many folks do a whale watching trip in Icy strait which frees up their time in Juneau for other things,

 

Have a look at the STICKY above, called '2013 Alaska cruise reviews'. Go to reply 45 where the reports are sorted by cruiseline and ship. find your ship and see what others did at ISP to get ideas of activities and vendors,

[ronrythm]

Icy Strait Pt. is a one company town so you probably won't find many independents at the docks. Especially since the one company is owned by approximately 1,350 Alaskan Natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah. The port is better described as a privately owned destination, than a city or town.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Strait_Point

 

Enjoy

Ron

Edited February 25, 2014 by ronrythm
sp

[varoo]

Icy Strait Pt. is a one company town so you probably won't find many independents at the docks. ........

Only the cruise line's own excursions are allowed to pick you up right at the Icy Strait Point tender dock.

 

The independent excursion operators, based in Hoonah, all pick you up with their vans right outside the parking lot.

It is about a 5 minute walk from the tender dock where your ship drops you off to the place where the van picks you up.

 

You can find contact information for the independents at this link

 

Icy Strait Points - Charters and Tours

 

Most of these companies have received very good reviews here on Cruise Critic, especially for their whale watching tours, but you may need to go back through the old threads to find them, if the search feature isn't working.

 

 

For those who like zip lining, Icy Strait Point has the world's longest zip line.

 

Hoonah is a real native Alaskan village that has not been commercialized like the tourist towns of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan so you won't find Diamonds International stores and the like there -- at least not yet. ;)

 

Edited February 25, 2014 by varoo

[Northern Aurora]

As someone who lives in Alaska I have to make a couple of comments regarding Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. I've been there three times, and I find it to be a breath of fresh air. I love Hoonah, which is the largest Tlingit community in the state.

 

ISP/Hoonah is the least commercialized port on most cruise line's itinerary. If you have come to Alaska to shop in a Diamonds International then you will be disappointed in this port. But if you are interested in visiting an authentic Alaskan fishing community, inhabited by Alaskan residents who can tell you what their community is like during the winter, you will appreciate the lack of commercialization here. My husband worked out of Ketchikan the summer of 1974, and his reaction to Hoonah is that it is a clone of Ketchikan in the mid-1970s before the impact of the cruise industry.

 

Also,we find the walk from ISP into Hoonah very easy. There is paved pathway along the coast, and it is flat. On a port call there in 1979 we walked part of the way back to the ship with a young family with two girls -- the oldest was probably 7 or maybe 8 years old, and the younger one was pre-kingergarten. The family had walked in, taking their time, and were walking back as the girls were looking for eagles in the trees.

[bottom-dragger]

..but please don't expect there to be vendors/shops like in other ports.

 

 

shouldn't that be reason enough to go there?

 

for your own benefit, never come to Petersburg, you'd be tragically disappointed. in the late 80's when the state had oil money squirting out of every available orifice, we voted down the state building us a deep water port because we didn't want to be "like in other ports".

Edited February 26, 2014 by bottom-dragger

[Ashland]

shouldn't that be reason enough to go there?

 

for your own benefit, never come to Petersburg, you'd be tragically disappointed. in the late 80's when the state had oil money squirting out of every available orifice, we voted down the state building us a deep water port because we didn't want to be "like in other ports".

Nothing wrong with giving information on what "not to expect".

 

Thanks for your advice on where I should "never come"..you never know what might and might not "benefit me".

[AmberCascades]

We did the zipline in ISP. It was fun, but it's really just a fast ride straight down - fun and scary, but not like canopy ziplining. It was fun to do once. We walked into Hoonah and took pictures along the way of eagles and the whale playing in the harbour. We spoke to a local man for a while and that was very interesting. We bought some unique gifts in the shops in the cannery building. If we ever go back I'd walk into Hoonah again and stop for a drink at the Office Bar. I'd also spend more time at the cannery museum and definitely buy more salmon jerky to bring home. We loved that there were no port stores like you see everywhere else.

[Donut23]

As someone who lives in Alaska I have to make a couple of comments regarding Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. I've been there three times, and I find it to be a breath of fresh air. I love Hoonah, which is the largest Tlingit community in the state.

 

ISP/Hoonah is the least commercialized port on most cruise line's itinerary. If you have come to Alaska to shop in a Diamonds International then you will be disappointed in this port. But if you are interested in visiting an authentic Alaskan fishing community, inhabited by Alaskan residents who can tell you what their community is like during the winter, you will appreciate the lack of commercialization here. My husband worked out of Ketchikan the summer of 1974, and his reaction to Hoonah is that it is a clone of Ketchikan in the mid-1970s before the impact of the cruise industry.

 

Also,we find the walk from ISP into Hoonah very easy. There is paved pathway along the coast, and it is flat. On a port call there in 1979 we walked part of the way back to the ship with a young family with two girls -- the oldest was probably 7 or maybe 8 years old, and the younger one was pre-kingergarten. The family had walked in, taking their time, and were walking back as the girls were looking for eagles in the trees.

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

Our first trip was pre Zipline and we fell in love. We did a busy whale watch and just walked all over. Perhaps because the weather that day was Chamber of Commerce perfect, perhaps because everyone was so pleasant. We were charmed. Oh boy did we get photographs!

 

Next trips we have returned to whale watching, BEAR watching was great!!!!! DH hated seeing the Zipline invade the pristine beauty but because it was so big and long, he took a ride. Of course he was hooked!

 

Maybe BECAUSE there are NO Alaska Tee Shirt Shops this place has a quiet charm for us.

 

Yes, we are careful. The Company Store has items Made in China.....we do not do our shopping there.

 

Shopping for us is the Anchorage weekend Market or the little store at the end on the right in Skagway which sells only authorized Made in Alaska items.

 

Icy Straight is a gift for those of us who prefer to take a moment to celebrate the gifts of Nature.........and the occasional ride on a Zipline.

[Northern Aurora]

Thank you!

 

Our first trip was pre Zipline and we fell in love. We did a busy whale watch and just walked all over. Perhaps because the weather that day was Chamber of Commerce perfect, perhaps because everyone was so pleasant. We were charmed. Oh boy did we get photographs!

 

Next trips we have returned to whale watching, BEAR watching was great!!!!! DH hated seeing the Zipline invade the pristine beauty but because it was so big and long, he took a ride. Of course he was hooked!

 

Maybe BECAUSE there are NO Alaska Tee Shirt Shops this place has a quiet charm for us.

 

Yes, we are careful. The Company Store has items Made in China.....we do not do our shopping there.

 

Shopping for us is the Anchorage weekend Market or the little store at the end on the right in Skagway which sells only authorized Made in Alaska items.

 

Icy Straight is a gift for those of us who prefer to take a moment to celebrate the gifts of Nature.........and the occasional ride on a Zipline.

 

 

So glad you enjoy visiting an authentic Alaskan community.

 

And also thank you for quoting my post, because as soon as I glanced at it I realized I had an interesting typo -- we were in Hoonah on a port call in 2009 (not 1979) when we walked back to the ship, joining the family with the two young girls. The Huna Totem Corp. didn't purchase the old cannery, which was developed into Icy Strait Point, until the mid to late 1980s.

[deladypilot]

I am so looking forward to our day in ICP. Sounds like the perfect retreat from a very busy lifestyle and hectic cruise ports.

 

We have no real plans on our trip except to walk around and see the beauty. Maybe make some new friends along the way.

[joecichlid]

I absolutely LOVE Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. Early in the season I have seen more whales there than anywhere else. Heck, just hang out on the pier out over the water and you can see more whales than most will see on whale watching tours at other ports.

I have done two whale watching tours in ISP and will again next year. You can see some of my photos from the trips through the links in my signature here.

 

Joe W.

[AlohaPride]

I think ISP is the port I'm looking forward to MOST on our upcoming 14 day cruise! Thank you. Our girls (6, 5, and 3 when we cruise) will LOVE the walk into town hunting Bald Eagles :)

[lovetotraveltx]

Each time we have been to Icy Strait (Hoonah), we have gone whale watching with Floyd (F.I.S.H.E.S). He as a small boat that holds 6 passengers. Cost this year $160 per person-3 hours. We will be going with him again in July. Not sure about shuttles because he picks us up just outside the tender area to take us to his boat in the small boat harbor near town, and we walk back to the tender area-maybe 20 minute walk or so along the waterfront. Stopped by to see totem pole carvings on the way back and get lunch.

 

What does his 3-hour tour entail ad you just google his website and book that way ahead of time??

 

Thank you!

[joecichlid]

I think ISP is the port I'm looking forward to MOST on our upcoming 14 day cruise! Thank you. Our girls (6, 5, and 3 when we cruise) will LOVE the walk into town hunting Bald Eagles :)

 

If you have time to *and if the tide is out* you all should walk along the shore in ISP, lots of cool little critters for the kids to look at. If you are lucky they might even get to touch a live star fish! The last time I was there I watched a family with two young children exploring the wildlife up close and personal. The kids were all smiles and giggles, it was very cool. :)

 

Joe W.

[AlohaPride]

If you have time to *and if the tide is out* you all should walk along the shore in ISP, lots of cool little critters for the kids to look at. If you are lucky they might even get to touch a live star fish! The last time I was there I watched a family with two young children exploring the wildlife up close and personal. The kids were all smiles and giggles, it was very cool. :)

 

Joe W.

 

Awesome!! We go to the tide pools here a lot, and I'm SURE my girls would love to do that in Alaska!

[AKStafford]

I grew up in Hoonah... One of my favorite former teachers has been working on doing Tlingit native carvings for a new display at Barlett Cove in Glacier Bay. It sounds like visitors are free to stop by and take a look.

You can read a little about the effort here:

http://wildernessblues.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-glacier-bay-tribal-house-project.html

[SightCRR]

I have always had great luck at Icy Strait Point when looking for sea glass. Look under where the walk ways are, a lot of the old time workers at the cannery left a lot of glass bottles in bits and pieces. In three of my four trips there I would safely say I have left with more than a gallon ziplock bag full of assorted glass. If you have access to the shore near any of the old canneries I would look them over carefully and enjoy.

 

Joe W.

 

Joe W. posted this earlier this month and since we don't have much sea glass around where we live we plan on doing some searching.

Sightcrr

[EagleRocker]

I think ISP is the port I'm looking forward to MOST on our upcoming 14 day cruise! Thank you. Our girls (6, 5, and 3 when we cruise) will LOVE the walk into town hunting Bald Eagles :)

 

I have never seen as many bald eagles in one place as I saw when walking to Hoonah from ISP. An amazing amount swooping around a cannery area and in the trees - it was fantastic. Your girls should love it. It is a longish walk, so you may want to take the shuttle one way to save the little ones' legs.

[joecichlid]

Joe W. posted this earlier this month and since we don't have much sea glass around where we live we plan on doing some searching.

 

Sightcrr

 

I might have to give it another go myself. :) I always find tons of brown, green and clear but every so often I find some older stuff that has a nice blue tint to it. I always keep an eye out for the odd colors though, reds and oranges are hard to find there. :)

 

Joe W.

[lovetochill]

As someone who lives in Alaska I have to make a couple of comments regarding Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. I've been there three times, and I find it to be a breath of fresh air. I love Hoonah, which is the largest Tlingit community in the state.

 

ISP/Hoonah is the least commercialized port on most cruise line's itinerary. If you have come to Alaska to shop in a Diamonds International then you will be disappointed in this port. But if you are interested in visiting an authentic Alaskan fishing community, inhabited by Alaskan residents who can tell you what their community is like during the winter, you will appreciate the lack of commercialization here. My husband worked out of Ketchikan the summer of 1974, and his reaction to Hoonah is that it is a clone of Ketchikan in the mid-1970s before the impact of the cruise industry.

 

Also,we find the walk from ISP into Hoonah very easy. There is paved pathway along the coast, and it is flat. On a port call there in 2009 we walked part of the way back to the ship with a young family with two girls -- the oldest was probably 7 or maybe 8 years old, and the younger one was pre-kingergarten. The family had walked in, taking their time, and were walking back as the girls were looking for eagles in the trees.

 

This was one port of call we weren't sure what to do about and whether to stay on board, but you have swayed us. We now look forward to the nice little coastal walk to Hoonah and to be able to interact with the locals and see how they live. No shops? No problem as this isn't what we were looking for.

 

Thanks again for sharing!

[GatorMomInNC]

What is it like in September? Do you still see whales?

[joecichlid]

What is it like in September? Do you still see whales?

 

Sad to say I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Alaska that late in the year. Something I need to change one of these days.

 

Joe W.