Icy Straight help please

[ARI421]

We have things planned for the stops except ICy straight and Victoria BC

My husband says we can just walk around icy straight? Have people done this? What's to see? Thanks so much for you input!

[Coral]

I find Icy Straight too fake. A made up cruise stop. I loved my whale watching in Hoonah: https://www.g-wind.com. I also did a bear watching tour: http://www.geestahuntours.com 

 

Victoria is nice to walk around downtown. It looks very British. I love going to Butchart Gardens there though it is probably 30-40 minutes away so you will need to take a tour or arrange transportation.

[smarterman64]

Icy Straight is the port for Hoonah. You can walk to Hoonah, about 1-1.5 miles or shuttle over. iN Honnah, you can see totem poles, a totem carver, and an eagles nest near the school that will likely have Eagles nearby. 

 

A lot of people like Glacier Wind for whale watching in ISP.

 

I wouldn't recommend the gondola. The views were a bit restrictive. 

[CCJack]

I agree that ISP is a made up stop and the port area is fabricated for the cruise.  However, it is quite nice.  The building and displays are new, clean and you can spend an hour or so walking through.   The nature trail next to the port buildings was very nice as well.

 

Whale watching is the thing to do in ISP.   We had outstanding whale watching there...

 

[Coral]

33 minutes ago, smarterman64 said:

Icy Straight is the port for Hoonah. You can walk to Hoonah, about 1-1.5 miles or shuttle over. iN Honnah, you can see totem poles, a totem carver, and an eagles nest near the school that will likely have Eagles nearby. 

 

A lot of people like Glacier Wind for whale watching in ISP.

 

I wouldn't recommend the gondola. The views were a bit restrictive. 

Correct - I should have clarified. I found the port shiny (and made up) but did enjoy Hoonah. Though Hoonah is a real Alaska village and that may bore individuals unless they do a tour.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the gondola.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Icy Strait Point is one of my favorite ports-of-call.  The setting is beautiful, the views are amazing, and the buildings are low and very understated.  It is a very walkable area, from the Cannery to the village of Hoonah.  It is also one of the ports that you can walk out to the water, and there is a decent chance of seeing a whale from the shoreline.  I also recommend whale watching while at ISP.  I did the ship excursion (Sept '21) and saw lots of whales who were bubble feeding, and in May '23 we went out with Capt. Sean with Glacier Wind (6 person boat) and saw lots of whales, 3 bears, porpoises, otters, eagles, deer, and puffins.  Amazing.  Also, on each of these two excursion we were lucky to see a whale breach (which doesn't always happen)

 

Whatever you do, don't stay on the ship and miss out on this wonderful place.  I have been to ISP twice in three years, and while I don't do much shopping, it is the only place I do shop (at the Cannery), especially if you are looking for good, affordable Native Alaskan made/designed items.

 

I would encourage you to take the free gondola (I think the Green one) which goes about half way up the mountain (it's near the large community fire pit), and up there you can walk around, and either return via the gondola, or walk back down via the Beach Trail (about 15-20 minutes - be aware that the trail goes up for a bit, before it goes down - it surprised me).  

 

I hope you enjoy Icy Strait Point as much as I do.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[SightCRR]

here are some web cams from ISP and Juneau to give you still shots of what it is like. Also check youtube for latest videos of excursions as just every one will be there. 

TheSnowCloud Juneau area Webcams

[kayehall]

How late are the shops open in ISP?  We are docked 130p to 1030p.  

[quack2]

I like Icy STRAIT.  The Alaska Native Corporation has done a nice job of developing the port.  As @Ferry_Watcher noted, the shops here are more authentic than in other ports.  No jewelry stores!

 

If the weather is decent and time permits, I would take the tram to the top of the mountain.  I would also recommend the zip line if that's your thing.  But for me, Icy STRAIT is, first and foremost, about whale watching.  Glacier Wind runs great 3 hour trips to wherever the whales seem to be.  Book early if you're interested.

 

[CCJack]

1 hour ago, quack2 said:

I like Icy STRAIT.  The Alaska Native Corporation has done a nice job of developing the port.  As @Ferry_Watcher noted, the shops here are more authentic than in other ports.  No jewelry stores!

 

If the weather is decent and time permits, I would take the tram to the top of the mountain.  I would also recommend the zip line if that's your thing.  But for me, Icy STRAIT is, first and foremost, about whale watching.  Glacier Wind runs great 3 hour trips to wherever the whales seem to be.  Book early if you're interested.

 

Awesome photo of the humpback. 

[Coral]

I agree about the whale watching. I think it is better than Juneau. It has been a long time since I have had a good whale watching experience in Juneau. It is pretty to walk around. 

[lisaloo]

We did a backwoods Jeep tour - it was the best excursion of the trip

you drive the Jeep with the tour guide leading and narrating via radio. We drove through Hoonan and went up into the mountains on logging roads and down to a beach 

To me it is the equivalent to Labadee in the Caribbean - happy with the experience 

[jerseygirlinAZ]

12 hours ago, kayehall said:

How late are the shops open in ISP?  We are docked 130p to 1030p.  

 

They started shutting down around 5 in Hoonah when we were there in late May.  

We loved ISP, especially Hoonah.  Took the shuttle and saw the totem carvers.  Went to a very small aquarium they have there, which was very enjoyable for our seven-year old.  Very nice, friendly people.  Did some shopping and had a beer at the brewery.  Closer to port, we took the free gondola and hiked the short nature trail back.  

[kayehall]

14 minutes ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 

They started shutting down around 5 in Hoonah when we were there in late May.  

We loved ISP, especially Hoonah.  Took the shuttle and saw the totem carvers.  Went to a very small aquarium they have there, which was very enjoyable for our seven-year old.  Very nice, friendly people.  Did some shopping and had a beer at the brewery.  Closer to port, we took the free gondola and hiked the short nature trail back.  

That's what I was afraid of.  If we do the excursion that leaves at 2p, it will be 530p before it is over.  So we will miss the town as all will be closed.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

8 minutes ago, kayehall said:

That's what I was afraid of.  If we do the excursion that leaves at 2p, it will be 530p before it is over.  So we will miss the town as all will be closed.

 I believe the shops at the port by the gondola were still open though, but I could be mistaken.

[AKJonesy]

On 7/24/2023 at 4:44 AM, kayehall said:

How late are the shops open in ISP?  We are docked 130p to 1030p.  

WE had a pretty late PM arrival into ISP (6pm to 10pm) on our cruise and everything was open.  

Edited July 25, 2023 by AKJonesy

[quack2]

8 hours ago, AKJonesy said:

WE had a pretty late PM arrival into ISP (6pm to 10pm) on our cruise and everything was open.  

Thanks.  I've been curious about that.

[harryfat1]

As others have said, Icy Strait Point (ISP), is a cruise line/locals-created port stop. It is very “sanitized” like the Caribbean private island shops.  Some people like this type of artificially created port, some don’t.

 

If you want a detailed walkthrough of the ISP shopping area/walk to Hoonah, you can check out my trip report from last year. Under my signature below and starting with post #381 onward.

 

For those who don’t want all the detailed info, here are a few sample pics of ISP and the walk to town:

 

Depending on where your ship is docked, you can either just walk right into the main shopping area at ISP (where Radiance is docked in the picture below) or we were docked and then you will take the free (green) tram to the shops.

 

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the shop area within ISP:

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to venture outside of the compound, you can walk to the town of Hoonah

 

 

 

If you are lucky, you might catch some whales from the shoreline while walking 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by harryfat1

[Ferry_Watcher]

Some more photos of ISP

The local harbor where Glacier Winds leaves from.

The Solstice docked with the mountains behind it.

The community fire pit.  You can see the zipline cables behind the wooden fence

An Eagle waiting to say 'Good Bye' to the Solstice just before our dock lines were thrown off

 

[Sai1]

A related question on excursions in ISP - for our cruise next summer (planning ahead!!!!) - Royal lists a 3.5 hour bird watching opportunity, but the pricing sounds excessive (about $225 US for 3.5 hours, per person for birds and a walk/hike .... a group of 8 would rake in almost $2K). I can't imagine this being worth it at that price point... but perhaps it is an absolutely incredible experience? (We are quite familiar with eagles, and their fishing habits and such, so that is not a big draw itself). Are there any private tour guides at a more reasonable price, or is it all controlled by the tourist group there? (I have emailed them and Royal, but so far haven't heard anything further.) Thanks.

[Coral]

9 hours ago, Sai1 said:

A related question on excursions in ISP - for our cruise next summer (planning ahead!!!!) - Royal lists a 3.5 hour bird watching opportunity, but the pricing sounds excessive (about $225 US for 3.5 hours, per person for birds and a walk/hike .... a group of 8 would rake in almost $2K). I can't imagine this being worth it at that price point... but perhaps it is an absolutely incredible experience? (We are quite familiar with eagles, and their fishing habits and such, so that is not a big draw itself). Are there any private tour guides at a more reasonable price, or is it all controlled by the tourist group there? (I have emailed them and Royal, but so far haven't heard anything further.) Thanks.

Looks like you can book direct and there is a savings but I agree, this is expensive: https://www.icystraitbirding.com/booking-a-tour 

[mkkao924]

In addition to Glacier Wind, do you have other recommended whale watching operator? We are group of 10, but with one toddler (2) and one young boy (7). Glacier Wind tour has age limit of 9 yr old.

 

If whale watching is just not possible, is there recommended private tour (land or sea) that you recommend given our party size?

[surgie]

It was recommended to me to reach out directly to Glacier Wind and they may accommodate your children if you are willing to do a private tour. We have 11 including two kids under 9 and the captain is willing to take the younger kids as long as we book a private boat. It is expen$$$ive but we all have to determine the value gained by the money spent:) 

[XFrenchieX]

We did whale watching in Icy Straight (July 2023) and saw orcas, humpbacks and then along the shoreline after the trip a whale breached bubble feeding ( didn't get the mouth open feeding but got him/her travelling down the shore on the video)  I would do a trip there, it is very commercialised so not somewhere I'd walk around all day. Hope you enjoy!

[john bowtie]

Another recommendation for Glacial Wind tours--just incredible. Saw a pod of 6 whales bubble fishing--must have been a lot of food in the area because they surfaced again and again.