Dutch Harbor, Kodiak and Homer ports

[lorif]

We are on a repositioning cruise, and will be at these ports from 18th to 21st of April.

It is still early but there are no excursions listed at this time for the cruise.  Does anyone have experience of these ports?    Thank you!

 

[Northern Aurora]

We have been to all three.  What specific questions do you have?  Any specific interests?

[lorif]

One of the people in our group is a photographer, and may want to take any opportunities available for that.  I am not sure what to expect weather wise at that time, land vs water. We are all in our 50's, mobile and enjoy walking.

I saw that Kodiak Island has (had?) a Grey Whale Festival in April and wondered if whales are in the water there at that time of year.

If there are any suggestions in general for those ports, anything is appreciated.  Thanks,

[Northern Aurora]

First -- all of these communities have visitor centers.  In these small Alaska communities they are often associated with the Chamber of Commerce.  Just use google to find them.

 

Homer is one of my favorite Southcentral communities.  It is connected to the road system and is a popular destination for Alaska residents.  It has a very "arty" feel to it.  The spit has interesting funky shops and small restaurants/cafes.  The Pratt Museum is interesting but needs a little work as, in my opinion, they need to pay more attention to how it is curated.  

 

Seldovia is across the bay and a private ferry makes several runs daily -- if it is working.  I am not sure I would try to take that ferry unless it was a ship excursion as you don't want to be over there and not be able to return.  

 

But do consider an air tour to Katmai National Park.  On a clear day it is worth the flight even if the salmon are not yet running.

 

I have been to Kodiak both on business and as a tourist in my own state.  The Russian presence is strong.  Lovely Russian orthodox cathedral (which may or not be open to the public) and an active congregation.  And I think that the grey whales arrive in April.  

 

Museums inclue the Alutiiq Museum and Baranov Museum.  There is also a Kodiak Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center.  All of these are centrally located in the commercial district.  

 

I have been in Kodiak when a cruise ship docked was on the south east side of the harbor.   While a shuttle was run folks also just walked to downtown.  If your ship is small you may dock at the Alaska Marine Highway ferry dock which is just below downtown.  

 

Outside of downtown Kodiak is the Ft. Abercrombie State Park which is lovely on a nice day.  And a drive toward Chiniak is also interesting.  Lots of WWII gun embankments.  Also look for the famous bears.  If there is a recent bear sighting at Ft. Abercrombie there will be signs.

 

While the car rental agencies have cars at the airport at least in 2016 one of the national agencies had cars at a downtown gift shop; we rented from that location but I don't remember the name of either the gift shop or car rental agency.

 

Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is absolutely spectacular on a clear day.  Just be aware that when they have a rainy day with high winds that there will be mud blowing horizontally.  Absolute mess.  Depending on the size of your cruise ship you may dock where the state ferry Tustamena docks; if it is a large ship you may be at one of the berths used by the commercial fishing vessels.  This is the port where the ships from the "reality" show Deadliest Catch operate.  I have been in Unalaska when a cruise ship visited and the community ran a school bus shuttle around town.

 

When a cruise ship visits, whether large or small, the Aleutian WW II National Historic Visitor's Center will be open.  It is located at the airport and was the WW II air control tower.  It is nicely curated and worth a visit.  

 

The other museum is the Museum of the Aleutian.  Through the years they have had a difficult time keeping a director due to a multitude of issues, so it may or may not be open.  

 

A drive to the top of Ft. Schwatka (on the top of Mount Ballyhoo) is spectacular on a clear day with the old WW II remnants of the fort and the view of the volcanos.  Dutch Harbor was bombed by the Japanese during WW II and there are a number of packards around the community about the two days of bombing. The drive from Unalaska along the coast is spectacular on a clear day with lots of WW II remnants.  

 

Unalaska also has an interesting Russian Orthodox cathedral which may be open to visitors from the cruise ship.

 

Rental cars are at the modern airport terminal.

[lorif]

10 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

First -- all of these communities have visitor centers.  In these small Alaska communities they are often associated with the Chamber of Commerce.  Just use google to find them.

 

Homer is one of my favorite Southcentral communities.  It is connected to the road system and is a popular destination for Alaska residents.  It has a very "arty" feel to it.  The spit has interesting funky shops and small restaurants/cafes.  The Pratt Museum is interesting but needs a little work as, in my opinion, they need to pay more attention to how it is curated. 

Thank you so much!  This is all amazingly helpful. 

 

[edinburgher]

20 hours ago, lorif said:

Does anyone have experience of these ports?  

Only Homer which we really enjoyed visiting.  Lots of online info if you search for sites such as Tripadvisor.

 

We explored The Spit which was a nice thing to do, lots of quirky stores, eating places etc.then took the free shuttle across from The Spit into "town".  We are Brits and were excited to discover the shuttle bus was a yellow school bus, an iconic image we have seen multiple times on tv shows and films and never imagined we would ever ride.  The American passengers were actually like kids again, whooping, laughing and exclaiming about how so many  childhood memories came flooding back to them.  They also mentioned that the bus had the same familiar smell that many also remembered and which we had not known about from films and tv shows.!!  We saw many many bald eagles by the ship and on The Spit.

 

Our next sight, and possibly the highlight of our day, was visiting The Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, on the Highway a short walk from the shuttle drop-off which we thought both interesting and informative. There were also some short outside trails to explore, accessed from the building.  We were told many of the summer staff spent the summer there each year, unpaid, living in their motorhomes, and volunteering simply for the joy of spending summer in Alaska.   Entry was completely free at the time, and the staff were super nice, even loaning us binoculars for our short trail walks.They keep records of daily sightings and their locations inside.  Do look for it online and on Tripadvisor for description, reviews and images. For anyone into birding, or fishing,Homer is the place to visit.

 

And do call into the public  library, across the street from the AIOV center for WiFi and internet access.  While there, admire the "fish wall" where each metal fish displays the name of a donor.  It is a work of art.

 

Our KODIAK call never happened.  We did dock there, but there was torrential rain, so much that unless going on a shorex, most pax didn't venture off the ship at all. It was also a Sunday morning and we were told that pretty much everything was closed so it wasn't much of an incentive to venture out in such a downpour. I hope you have better luck.

Edited September 14, 2023 by edinburgher

[lorif]

Thanks @edinburgher We are hoping for good weather, not sure what to expect in April.

Happy to hear about the trails from the Visitor Centre, and the abundance of bald eagles.  My brother, the photographer in the group, has visited a raptor centre previously to do some photo shoots and loved it. I am sure he will get some good shots.

[edinburgher]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:59 PM, lorif said:

Thanks @edinburgher We are hoping for good weather, not sure what to expect in April.

Happy to hear about the trails from the Visitor Centre, and the abundance of bald eagles.  My brother, the photographer in the group, has visited a raptor centre previously to do some photo shoots and loved it. I am sure he will get some good shots.

Thanks for responding as not everyone does.  We had a very pleasant day in Homer and hope you do too. The outdoor trails are short so no great physical effort required and at least parts of some are on a boardwalk. You could try googling something like "outdoor trails at the AIOV Center" as you may find additional info by doing that.

Edited September 16, 2023 by edinburgher

[AKJonesy]

The Shorebird Festival in Homer is a few weeks later, but the migration will already have begun before that so you might see some spectacular birds.  You can go to Homer Shorebird Festival website and on you tube and see what people have captured for photos in years past.  As mentioned, go to the Visitor's Center and there is a boardwalk there and bring your binocs as well.  The Visitor's Center is very nice.  

[lorif]

45 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

The Shorebird Festival in Homer is a few weeks later, but the migration will already have begun before that so you might see some spectacular birds.  You can go to Homer Shorebird Festival website and on you tube and see what people have captured for photos in years past.  As mentioned, go to the Visitor's Center and there is a boardwalk there and bring your binocs as well.  The Visitor's Center is very nice.  

Thanks, this will definitely be of interest.  There's lots of info on that site looking at the 2023 program.

[SightCRR]

Homer and Kodiak is easier to find info about than Dutch Harbor. Here is interesting youtube on Dutch. 

Catching 1200 lbs (544 kg) of Fish and Exploring a WWII Battlefield!!! - YouTube

Have fun. sightcrr. 

[lorif]

1 hour ago, SightCRR said:

Homer and Kodiak is easier to find info about than Dutch Harbor. Here is interesting youtube on Dutch. 

Catching 1200 lbs (544 kg) of Fish and Exploring a WWII Battlefield!!! - YouTube

Have fun. sightcrr. 

Thanks!  Will give that a watch.

[disneyochem]

We loved our time in Homer.  We were there two years ago for a couple of days.  

 

In addition to seeing all the shops on the Spit, I highly recommend at trip across Kachemak Bay to visit the Grewingk Glacier.  We took a boat across the bay and got dropped off at one end of the park, hiked to the glacier, had a packed lunch and then hiked to the pickup point.  Absolutely beautiful!  The hike isn't too difficult.  The ride to and from is like a wildlife cruise--saw otters, seals, puffins, etc.  

 

We did not get to go to Seldovia due to weather.  This summer we hope to take the boat over to Seldovia and spend the day.

 

Haven't been to Dutch Harbor or Kodiak yet--we're scheduled to visit them this summer.

[lorif]

2 hours ago, disneyochem said:

We loved our time in Homer.  We were there two years ago for a couple of days.  

 

In addition to seeing all the shops on the Spit, I highly recommend at trip across Kachemak Bay to visit the Grewingk Glacier.  We took a boat across the bay and got dropped off at one end of the park, hiked to the glacier, had a packed lunch and then hiked to the pickup point.  Absolutely beautiful!  The hike isn't too difficult.  The ride to and from is like a wildlife cruise--saw otters, seals, puffins, etc.  

 

 

Thank you, that sounds like a lovely day.