Sitka

[Traveller20074]

is there a walkable area to see the area?  not really wanting an excursion, was just wondering how the town is to walk around from the cruiseship (NCL Bliss)

[Northern Aurora]

Sitka is a very easy DIY port.  Unless there is some unusual issue with the NCL Bliss the ship will be docked north of downtown Sitka.  Free shuttles are provided which will take you to the Harrigan Centennial Center in downtown Sitka.  The HCC is located beside the small boat harbor.  A lovely walk along the small boat harbor to the National Historical Park (referred to as “Totem Pole Park” by the locals).  Check the Sitka visitor’s bureau website (should be listed in the “2019 resources …) at the top of this forum page for more ideas.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Sitka is a lovely town, and it's real--no Diamonds International or Del Sol or other cruise stores. Real locals own the shops and restaurants. Local food trucks set up on days when ships are in. The pharmacy has an old-fashioned soda fountain with yummy ice cream concoctions.

[Glaciers]

Sitka is one of the best walking ports in Southeast Alaska.  Much less touristy with a lot of history.

https://visitsitka.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-VS_AttractionsMap_FINAL.pdf

[DaveOKC]

12 hours ago, Glaciers said:

Sitka is one of the best walking ports in Southeast Alaska.  Much less touristy with a lot of history.

https://visitsitka.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-VS_AttractionsMap_FINAL.pdf

Great map!  Thanks.

[KenveeB]

Trying to tell from the map -- is the Raptor center or Fortress of the Bears walkable? If not, is there a shuttle there, or how would we work that out? We're wanting to DIY our Sitka visit as well, and the Raptor center is top of the list!

[donaldsc]

3 minutes ago, KenveeB said:

Trying to tell from the map -- is the Raptor center or Fortress of the Bears walkable? If not, is there a shuttle there, or how would we work that out? We're wanting to DIY our Sitka visit as well, and the Raptor center is top of the list!

 

According to the internet, Sitka has a bus line w 3 routes.

 

DON

[Traveller20074]

thank you !!!!

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, KenveeB said:

Trying to tell from the map -- is the Raptor center or Fortress of the Bears walkable? If not, is there a shuttle there, or how would we work that out? We're wanting to DIY our Sitka visit as well, and the Raptor center is top of the list!

I would like to know this as well. The poster telling me their are 3 bus lines isn't helping as I was expecting a bit more detail since they'll be 4 adults and two young kids. Hopping on and off different bus's and when their running and where to catch them is a concern. 

 

I was hoping their would be a vendor offering transportation from in town and back for these two things.

[Kellie in Texas]

We are also wanting to see the Fortress of the Bears and the Raptor Center.  Our ship, Royal's Serenade, offers an excursion that includes both plus the totem pole park, but for some reason, when you try to book it, the selections are grayed out.  We may try to book it once we get on the ship. 

[NavyCruiser]

46 minutes ago, Kellie in Texas said:

We are also wanting to see the Fortress of the Bears and the Raptor Center.  Our ship, Royal's Serenade, offers an excursion that includes both plus the totem pole park, but for some reason, when you try to book it, the selections are grayed out.  We may try to book it once we get on the ship. 

That ship's tour is sold out.  

We have 10 people in our group who has booked same tour with private tour company, also says it's now fully booked also.

So the rest of us will just do the walk thru National park with totem poles & visit the bears & raptor centers on our own, via Uber/taxi...

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for that info, @NavyCruiser. I've been looking at that excursion when signed into RCCL for a few weeks now and it never would let me select it; today -- for the first time --  it show as "online booking not available; check onboard".  Maybe they'll get another bus. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

[Northern Aurora]

3 hours ago, KenveeB said:

Trying to tell from the map -- is the Raptor center or Fortress of the Bears walkable? If not, is there a shuttle there, or how would we work that out? We're wanting to DIY our Sitka visit as well, and the Raptor center is top of the list!

 

We have walked through the Sitka National Historical Park (AKA "Totem Pole Park") and on to the Raptor Center.  

 

At least in the past vendors were set up outside of Harrigan Centennial Center, which is the shuttle drop off point, selling excursions.   Those excursions included both the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bears.

[martincath]

3 hours ago, KenveeB said:

Trying to tell from the map -- is the Raptor center or Fortress of the Bears walkable? If not, is there a shuttle there, or how would we work that out? We're wanting to DIY our Sitka visit as well, and the Raptor center is top of the list!

That all depends how far you and yours can comfortably walk, in all the potential weather conditions!

 

For most cruisers I'd say it's pretty unlikely to be deemed walkable at over 5 miles from downtown on country roads without sidewalks for much of it - the map linked above actually states the 5 mile distance, along with a super-obvious '1/2 a mile is this long' scale notation -  but the Raptor Center and the outdoor Totems in the national park area absolutely are easily walkable for folks with even modest mobility, we've done it on a leisurely wander (do bring bug spray - under the trees gets a little bit bitey!) but direct from a likely visited downtown site, the Russian Bishop's House is a smidgen under a mile on foot.

 

Google maps is always your friend for exact distances and routes - and it even has the local Sitka transit bus schedules available so you can check stop locations and timings on the exact day of your visit! I don't believe the Fortress has their own shuttle, not a big enough attraction to warrant that sort of expenditure, so plan on transit or cabs.

Edited May 12, 2022 by martincath

[don't-use-real-name]

Google Map for reference:

 

Google Maps

 

Fortress of the bear is at extreme right of image - - -

***watch your port time a 5 mile walk out and 5 mile back would take over 3 + hours

average individual speed 3 mph -

To visit this attraction and a few others is heavily dependent on the cruise port time available !

 

The cruise ship shuttle drop-off point is at the extreme left - - -

basically near the Baranof Castle - Russian Bishop house - Sitka Historical Society

 

That Raptor Center is an easy round trip in a little over an hour

 

Zoooom in for more or less detail

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

We have walked through the Sitka National Historical Park (AKA "Totem Pole Park") and on to the Raptor Center.  

 

At least in the past vendors were set up outside of Harrigan Centennial Center, which is the shuttle drop off point, selling excursions.   Those excursions included both the Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bears.

Any idea approx how much from vendors offering this ?

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

That ship's tour is sold out.  

We have 10 people in our group who has booked same tour with private tour company, also says it's now fully booked also.

So the rest of us will just do the walk thru National park with totem poles & visit the bears & raptor centers on our own, via Uber/taxi...

Any idea what the ship was offering this for?

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

Any idea approx how much from vendors offering this ?

 

 

The last time we were in Sitka on a cruise ship was in the fall of 2018 when Sitka was the last stop in North America before heading to Japan.  Quite frankly I didn't pay any attention to the rates, just observed the sandwich boards.

[familycruzinnewbie]

On Royal I see $109 for adults and $85 for children. I know think includes admission but Thinking a taxi would be considerably cheaper. 

[NavyCruiser]

Private tour company (think it might be the exact same company that does the ship's excursion, since it's the exact same itin, destinations, & description) charged $79.  RCCL Serenade charged $99 before it sold out, now shows $109 & sold out...

[3rdGenCunarder]

There will be taxis. On our first visit to Sitka, we were at the "old dock," and the line for the shuttle was very long. We spotted a taxi and it wasn't terribly expensive for the ride back to the ship. She said she could have taken us around the places we had visited on our tour (raptor center, bears, etc). So you can probably arrange something with a taxi.

 

Of the various places you can see, I would recommend the Raptor Center as first choice. They do great work and it's an interesting place to visit. 

[SightCRR]

I just read that one of the two piers in Sitka is out of commission since a ship hit part of mooring 5/9 so if your day has two ships in port you have a 50/50 chance of tendering until it gets repaired.

Damaged mooring dolphin leaves cruise ship terminal at half capacity - KCAW

sightcrr

[Kellie in Texas]

There are websites that tell you how many ships are in port on a particular day. We'll be in Sitka in early June on Serenade.  Radiance will be there too, but Radiance gets there an hour before Serenade, so we may be tendering.  I bet they get the damage fixed asap though. 

[SightCRR]

Cruise Ship Schedule Calendar Combined Ports (secureservercdn.net)

They are STI and STO. I bet you are correct about the repairs but repair of anything always takes longer than first guess. sightcrr

Edited May 13, 2022 by SightCRR

[3rdGenCunarder]

STI (inside) was damaged. I'll be there in a little more than a month on QE, scheduled for STI. Norwegian Bliss, with twice the number of passenger has STO (outside). So if a ship has to tender, it's likely to be QE, even though we arrive earlier. IF they tender us to the downtown dock, I'd actually prefer that to taking the shuttle bus from out of town. If they tender us to the cruise terminal, it's a double minus for me.