Hal excursion hop on hop off bus Homer Alaska . Don't water your money

[Augie's mom]

Our group to the hop on hop off bus pushed in our daily program,and announcement on board. Cost $15 per person , 4 stops no commentary , first stop strip mall,there were about 16 people from previous buses wanting to get on our bus since only 2 people got off only 2 could get back on. Didn't go to the spit which is the place to go. We returned to the port y took the free shuttle to the spit, and there was a real hop on hop off trolley therr. We didn't take it instead walked and shopped along the spit. This was the only Hal excursion that was a disappointment .

Terri aka augie's mom

[CruiserBruce]

"Don't water your money"? Isn't that how you grow more? Because it grows on trees, you know. :evilsmile:

[Krazy Kruizers]

We didn't when we went to Homer 2 times.

We just took the free shuttle over to the Spit and enjoyed walking around and grabbing a drink a bite to eat. Lots of cute shops there.

[towhee]

We've done the hop on hop off bus in Homer several times. It's a long way into town, but once there you can easily walk from one area to another. Yes, sometimes you have to wait for a second bus to come along. We knew that there were only 4 stops in town. We knew that the bus didn't go to the spit. It was all in the information about the service.

[oaktreerb]

We had been told that it is best to get off at the Pratt Museum (stop 2) which we did and walked to town from there. We saw a moose mom and her two young ones eating their way through backyards in Homer. That was an unexpected highlight of our trip to Homer a few years ago. We later caught the bus back to the ship. It's too bad that the bus driver didn't give any suggestions for your day in Homer.

[RuthC]

The shuttle into town (what you referred to as a HoHo) is the best way to get to the Pratt Museum, which is well worth your time.

Besides, it's a great way to see all the RVs along the Spit while being amazed at the people who come here and live in them to make a living, and watch for otters in the bay.

 

I found it an inexpensive way to see what life is like in a place very different from where I live.

[woodworker&knitter]

We were on the June 19 Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam. The young lady that drove our "hop on" was very informative. It was a pleasure to be on her bus. The 4 stops were certainly worth the $15.

Sorry your driver didn't work out.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We were on the June 19 Alaska cruise on the Amsterdam. The young lady that drove our "hop on" was very informative. It was a pleasure to be on her bus. The 4 stops were certainly worth the $15.

Sorry your driver didn't work out.

 

What are the 4 stops?

[Copper10-8]

What are the 4 stops?

Stop #1 - McDonalds/Ulmer's Drug (Pharmacy) & Hardware store/Latitude 59 Restaurant

Stop #2 - Homer Bookstore/Cosmic Kitchen/Alibi Bar & Cafe/K Bay Cafe/Youngs Oriental/Den Restaurant/Boss Hogz All American Diner/Alice's Champagne Palace

Stop #3 - The Pratt Museum (cultural & historical museum)/The Homer Theatre/Frontier Building/Cafe Cups Restaurant/Mike's Restaurant

Stop #4 - Bunnell Street Arts Center/Wild Honey Bistro & Creperie/A.J.'s Steakhouse & Tavern/Two Sisters Bakery

There is a Safeway Market (with a Starbucks inside; yes Sir, Homer, Alaska has a real Starbucks!) between stops #3 and #4 and there are more "sights" at those four stops, but my tiny brain fails me and being the bottom feeding knuckle-dragger that I am, I ground-filed the map they give out when you decide to take the HOHO bus.

The HAL daily program (When & Where) on Amsterdam reads verbatim: "A complimentary shuttle from 10:00 am-5:00 pm will take you to/from the pier to "The Spit", where you will find restaurants, pubs and shopping opportunities. You may also purchase a "Hop-On Hop-Off" bus ticket from the Shore Excursions Office in advance or on the pier. This bus makes four stops in downtown Homer. Tickets are $15 each and valid all day"

This is Homer, AK, population 5,000, fellow cruise critics; not New York City, Boston, L.A., San Diego, Barcelona, Spain, London, England, the country :cool:(or even Anchorage, AK), etc. where you can "hop off" at major tourist attractions. Consequently, what Homer calls a "Hop on/Hop off" bus will not be a similar experience as in the aforementioned major cities.

Homer does not have luxury coaches with reclining seats, a/c, folding tray tables, Bose stereo headsets with "play by play" in 32 different languages that you can keep and use in your Southwest Airlines flight back home, post cruise, etc, to whisk you through town; as a result, they use local school buses, yup, the yellow ones (think flashback to your elementary and high school days with your "land of the Giants"/"Scooby Doo"/ or "The Fonz" lunch boxes on your lap) for both their "HOHO" version as well as for the complimentary shuttle to the Homer Spit which has one drop off/one pickup spot right smack next door to the famous Salty Dawg Saloon.

The drivers of them buses are locals, some are actual school bus drivers during school season, others are mechanics, store employees, fishermen, you name it. They will however, answer your questions about the four stops, and will even give you their recommendations for what they feel are the best eating spots in their town. I was there twice in a month and can recommend Wild Honey Bistro & Creperie and Cafe Cups for lunch ;p

They do indeed use a limited amount of school buses for this four stop circle route in Homer; there were initially three when Amsterdam first arrived and, at the end of the day, it went down to two and then one for the final pickups. The wait for a bus at the stops was approx. fifteen minutes for the next one to arrive

When you walk down Homer's Deep Water Dock from the ship and past the hundreds of seagulls (think Alfred Hitchcock's move "The Birds" :eek: without Tippi Hedren) , you'll get to the main gate/check point where, to your right, you'll find the p/u spot for the HOHO bus, and to the left, a similar p/u spot for the free shuttle/bus to the Spit. If you want to see downtown Homer, you contact a lady in a red jacket and a clipboard who will sign you in and will give you a nicely xeroxed red or green (depends entirely on the color of the day) colored map of the City of Homer which will have all four stops plus the "sights" by those stops on it (your fifteen dollars will go on your shipboard account/you do not pay the lady and/or the bus driver any cash).

As stated, Homer, AK not being a "metropolis", the majority of the four stops are "eateries" with the exception of Ulmer's (kinda/sorta a general store where you can get anything from Hemorrhoid medication to a full set of rain slickers, and from a candy bar to a stuffed animal or an Ulu knife), the Pratt Museum, Homer Bookstore, Homer Theatre, etc.

Bottom line and my sincere apologies for yakking too long once again; if you want to check Homer, AK off your "all-time bucket list" and you don't mind spending fifteen cool ones a person, by all means take the HOHO. If you don't want to spend all that dough, take the 100% free yellow school bus for the eight minute ride to the Spit, and instead spend that hard-earned moolah there on that 4.5-mile long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay, and in one of its restaurants, T-shirt souvenir shops, bars, et all

Have fun!

Edited August 3, 2017 by Copper10-8

[3rdGenCunarder]

This is Homer, AK, population 5,000, fellow cruise critics; not New York City, Boston, L.A., San Diego, Barcelona, Spain, London, England, the country :cool:(or even Anchorage, AK), etc. where you can "hop off" at major tourist attractions. Consequently, what Homer calls a "Hop on/Hop off" bus will not be a similar experience as in the aforementioned major cities.

Homer does not have luxury coaches with reclining seats, a/c, folding tray tables, Bose stereo headsets with "play by play" in 32 different languages that you can keep and use in your Southwest Airlines flight back home, post cruise, etc, to whisk you through town; as a result, they use local school buses, yup, the yellow ones (think flashback to your elementary and high school days with your "land of the Giants"/"Scooby Doo"/ or "The Fonz" lunch boxes on your lap) for both their "HOHO" version as well as for the complimentary shuttle to the Homer Spit which has one drop off/one pickup spot right smack next door to the famous Salty Dawg Saloon.

 

(trimmed to keep the quote short)

 

Thank you, Copper, for both good information and a good laugh! I shall adjust my expectations, but I think the bus will work for us, as our main goal is to see the Ocean and Islands Visitor Center.

[oaktreerb]

We also enjoyed the Islands and Ocean vIsitors Center on that first Amsterdam cruise as well as Two Sisters Bakery. Last year we planned in advance for a guided tour of Peterson Bay field station across Kachemak Bay...which ended up being a private excursion since it is not well publicized.......great way to see Alaska off the beaten path and very educational.

[TheCalicoCat]

We returned to the port y took the free shuttle to the spit' date=' and there was a real hop on hop off trolley therr. .

Terri aka augie's mom[/quote']

 

We missed that free shuttle (I don't read the when & where beyond "Smart Casual" or "Gala" to let me know how to dress.), only heard about the HOHO. As a consequence, we walked fast/ran to our meeting spot for our excursion on the spit. We made it, but combined with the beach walking my shins ached the next day.

Edited August 3, 2017 by TheCalicoCat
clarification

[wander]

Cooper10-8 - loved your comments, so true. I would add, however, in my many HOHO bus experiences around the world, including many places in the US, I have NEVER experienced cushy, reclining seats tray tables and usually no AC, on HOHO buses. They are usually more "bare bones" as you know.

 

I do remember in the late 1970s when ALL tours in SE Alaska were on school buses!