Review-10 night independent; 8/17 Volendam Southbound

[SEPyle]

WARNING: LONG REVIEW

To begin: I'll start with our background. Myself, husband and our best friend set out for trip on August 7th. We flew from Charlotte to Seattle on US Air then from Seattle to Juneau on Alaska Air; then connected to Hoonah/Icy Strait Point on Wings of Alaska; thank goodness all flights on time! As a bit of background; this was our 3rd trip to Alaska since 2005, and we decided to visit Hoonah first because we have grown to love this great cruise destination. Since our cruise was not to call on Icy Strait Point, we made the desision to spend 3 nights and experience it w/o the hustle/bussle of cruise ship days. I must say a couple times prior to the trip I wondered if we would have enough to keep us busy for 2 1/2 days...of course not to worry; we loved every minute!

The flight to Hoonah was a beautiful one...the pilot even positioned our little plane so I could see some whales! The weather in Juneau was raining with some fog but once we got in the air, the weather improved and was even better in Hoonah. Our friend Howard (Koo Hook) picked us up at the airport and took us to settle in at Wild Frontier Lodging which is above the Galley Restaurant in downtown Hoonah. Our first surprise was a large Halibut Pizza. Trust me when I say it is absolutely delicious! More about that later! We put down on bags; checked out our very nice lodging; and headed off for the Office! To say we had a great time at the office is another understatement...having too many beers (maybe just one too many ;); and stayed a wee bit too late, especially considering the 4 hour time difference! Howard introduced us to so so many of his friends, and many of which are also family. We had more fun saying: "You're related to Howard too???" One girl wasn't and my husband said: "What's wrong with you???"

I woke up quite early (that darn internal alarm clock)! I had the most incredible time simply watching Hoonah wake up. It was a beautiful morning and so so so peaceful. Nice large windows overlooking the harbor made for some great pics and time for me to reflect the reason I LOVE Alaska in general and Hoonah in particular! Wild Frontier Lodging is really nice. It's brand new; has 3 bedrooms; a bath; two living areas and a full kitchen. It's very tastefully done; very comfortable; and so convenient to everything in Hoonah! It's perfect for a family group, and next year will have an additonal bedroom and bath. I really don't mean to sound like a commercial, but I love to share good 'finds' with people and I feel Hoonah really needs to be experienced for more than a cruise ship day to be truely appreciated!

We got up and about then headed downstairs to the Galley and had a really delicious breakfast! Of course most cruise ship passengers won't be needing breakfast, but I will say, it's a great place to eat! They have excellent sub sandwiches for lunch, and Halibut sandwiches, and now about the Pizza. I will include a pic of the pizza, because the thought of Halibut and Pizza didn't sound too appetizing to me until I tasted it. No red sauce, but a blend of I think 7 different cheeses in a very rich creamy sauce; a piece is just about a meal!!! By the way, since it's Alaska Halibut there's no fishy taste at all! The galley is just a bit further down from the Office on the opposite side of the street...worth a stop for sure!

We had an un-expected treat on our first morning. Have I mentioned why we love Hoonah? It's because this tiny town has the most amazing people I've ever met! We were having coffee before we ordered breakfast and I saw an whale in the harbor. I went across the street and started to take pictures. To make a long story short...one of the men having coffee with his friends offered to take the three of us out in his skiff (a bit bigger than a row boat with a motor); to get a better look at the whales. He didn't know us from Adam; he was just a very nice man who wanted people who didn't see whales in their front yard be able to experience what he sees every day! And boy, did we see whales!!!! Let me just say to see two bubble net feeding of a group of 4 whales is an amazing experience; especially from a small boat! The best part is that he is making a trip to North Carolina in the fall, so we'll be able to repay his hospitality (he wouldn't even let us pay for the gas)! His biggest concern was that he didn't want to steal Ora's (Alaskan Raven Charters-who we would be going whale watching at Point Adolphus the next day) thunder since we had such an incredible whale watching trip already! Not to worry, since when we went out with Ora later in the weekend; we had an over the top experience with so many whales we didn't know where to look!

OK, I have more, but this is getting way too long...I will post more tomorrow. Bottom line: My recomendation is if you want to see whales; book an excursion out of this incredible destination!

Here's a picture of Hoonah's Halibut Pizza! Click on the pic to enlarge, and to view a few pics of the whales we saw on our little informal whale watch!

To come: Our super Wildlife Search and Whale Watching

[I Teach]

Thanks for posting! Looking forward to reading about your adventures!!!

You have some terrific whale shots!!!

Hoonah looks so peaceful!! It is not on our trip scheduled for next summer so I guess we may to start planning yet another trip to Alaska for the following year!! Ha!:D

[NancyIL]

You're off to a great start, and your whale photos are incredible!

[CalifCruiser1]

Nice photos. thanks for posting looking forward to the next one. where exactly is Hoonah? karon

[Chat Noir]

Wow, your independent touring puts ours to shame! What a fabulous review! So far...:)

[SEPyle]

Thanks for the kind words.

 

Karon, Hoonah is a 20 minute flight from Juneau. It has quite a history. When the glaciers advanced during the 2nd ice age around 1750AD, the people who inhabited the area (Tlingit Native Alaskans) fled and the largest group settled in what became known as Hoonah on Chichagof Island which is near the mouth of Glacier Bay. Let's put it this way, you can only reach Hoonah by cruise ship (at this time only Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, and I believe a few Cruise West ships); by air (Wings of Alaska); and by the Alaska Ferry system.

 

I will post my review in parts, since people can either read each destination or skip same. My goal is to share our experiences so others who plan independent can find some useful information. I will say right now, that this trip was incredible for us. I wouldn't really change anything...I take that back. We did choose one place to eat in Soldotna that was oh so not good. We decided to eat at the King Salmon taking advantage of a Northern Lights coupon...it wasn't worth the savings...breakfast might be better, but NOT dinner!

 

And sym1966, please don't think one trip is better than another. This is our third trip. We've come to realize that you can't do or see everything in one trip. Maybe that's why Alaska is addictive!

 

Bottom line, to understand our choices I have to say, we don't look for cookie-cutter experiences. We are into learning about the culture; history and what makes a people who they are. That's why we love Hoonah. When we visited Hoonah on other trips we knew Hoonah was more than a cruise ship destination. This time in visiting with the locals, we learned so much. We listened as people what happens when someone from another culture marries into either the Ravens or the Eagles; or what happens when an Eagle falls in love with an Eagle. We listened in fascination (and sorrow) the stories of the missionaries, both Protestant and Russian Orthodox. We learned from a Tlingit, then we spent some time visiting with a Russian Orthodox priest in Kenai. Bottom line the Russian Orthodox way was to learn the language and ways as they came to convert; the Protestants chose the alternative of changing the language and ways; washing mouths out with soap when Tlingit was spoken. In Haines a Tlingit/elder/master carver shared with us the same stories...his parents had an arranged marriage and remember their mouths washed out with soap...no bitterness, just fact. Oh yes, with the above said: I in no way want to say we have full or necessarily accurate knowledge...just a glimpse and for that we're so grateful!

[Chat Noir]

 

And sym1966, please don't think one trip is better than another. This is our third trip. We've come to realize that you can't do or see everything in one trip. Maybe that's why Alaska is addictive!

 

Bottom line, to understand our choices I have to say, we don't look for cookie-cutter experiences.

 

Absolutely. Next summer will be our 4th trip there, it's VERY addictive. We've just never taken the time (or the funds) to bunny hop as you have done, however. Ours are more cookie-cutter than yours! So I am enjoying reading your non-cookie-cutter adventure. Gives me something else to consider...:)

[SEPyle]

We had two great pre-planned excursions while in Hoonah. We went out with Ora/Alaskan Raven Charters and had a great time on our Wildlife search. We had a great encounter with a Mama Bear and two cubs. When we pulled up, Mama bear had a salmon perfectly hanging from her mouth. Missed that pic, but it will remain with me, that's for sure! Ora made sure we were safe. Even though we were on a bridge looking down on the bears. he knew Mama could easily come up the embankment if she sensed danger. We were downwind, so that gave us a bit of security, but he was careful for our safety. It pays to go out with someone who knows what they're doing! The pics will speak for themselves, but just know; it was an amazing experience to be so close! Then he pointed out the Salmon on the other side of the road. Then on the other side the salmon were actually spawning right there in front of us. Ora explained how the female kind of lays on their side and the male kind of shimmies next to her fertilizing the eggs. Then they both die. Talk about the circle of life on both sides of the road! Ask me if I felt like an intruder at an intimate moment??? The views we saw as we continued were absolutely beautiful. Chichagof Island is certainly beautiful!

Now about our whale watching at Point Adolphus…We went out on Ora’s boat (Alaskan Raven Charters), which is a real fast one, so you can get to where the fish are or to the whales real fast! That means more time for fishing or whale watching! We had a real treat to have two captains with us. Royal who owns Royal Charters and Tours came along as well! Ora’s boat is equipped with a hydrophone and to hear the whales communicating was something I’ve heard about, but to experience it was fascinating! We literally lost track of all the whales we saw. We simply didn’t know where to look next! As I went thru my pics, I ended up not saving all the pics of tails. I remember whale watching in 2005 in Juneau and was so excited to get even a couple pics of the backs of whales and a tail would have been over the top. Between the blowing; breaching; flipping; flapping; and splashing so hard against the ocean we had an amazing auditory experience as well as visual overload! We were supposed to fish for halibut as well, and to say it was amazing to start fishing and then hear another loud explosion to look and see another show! It was hard to concentrate! I’m afraid I must have had a sign on my hook telling the halibut I was a rookie because I didn’t catch any, but nonetheless it was fun and I really didn’t want to tear away from the whales anyway! Ora had to get back for a kayaking excursion and to our surprise; Royal took us back out to try for Halibut. My husband ended up catching two; but they weren’t big ones so he threw them back. They will be nice and big next year for someone else to find! All in all, it was an amazing day…one we’ll never forget!

We had an incredible time in Hoonah. If anyone has any questions, I’ll be happy to try to answer!

[CalifCruiser1]

Thank you so much for your post. I normally wil read them but with yours I feel like I'm there with you. I'm planning our 3rd trip and you are giving me some great ideas! Thanks again keep posting Karon:)

[SEPyle]

Guess it’s obvious we love Hoonah!. If anyone is considering a great way to begin an Alaska cruise, then Hoonah is a great place to begin. To get there you either have to take a short (and beautiful) 20 minute flight from Juneau. It’s also possible to reach Hoonah on the Alaska Maritime Hwy (Ferry); but with time limited it made more sense to get there via plane.

By the way, if you’re in Hoonah on a cruise ship day and don’t want to go back to the ship for lunch; there’s great food choices. Others have reported delicious crab; fresh/hot/wonderful! I was disappointed because there was no crab since there were no cruise ships in town when we were there. Not to worry, the 2nd night we were there I found out I could order an iced crab, and was it delicious! Some have reported that food at the office is limited and I do agree. If someone doesn’t like crab, simply walk a little further down the street and on the left (a red two story building is the Galley. You can have a sub made to order and take it back to the Office…that way everyone will have a great lunch! The bread is even fresh baked!

If anyone has any questions about Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), either by cruise ship, or staying a two or three days; I’d be happy to share our experiences.

[coolrider]

Sounds like you had a great time! I love Hoonah also and take a trip there every year. I just returned from my week long trip, and plan to return again before the end of this month.

[Bucky3]

What fun to read your Hoonah review! We were there a year ago in July on our Dawn Princess cruise, and DH said that he would love to spend some time there. We had the crab lunch at The Office and went looking for bears with Keith of Teckk Outfitters. Did you happen to meet him? We had a great day, saw three bears, gorgeous scenery, delicious lunch. We want to go back! Thanks for posting of your experience.

[SEPyle]

What fun to read your Hoonah review! We were there a year ago in July on our Dawn Princess cruise, and DH said that he would love to spend some time there. We had the crab lunch at The Office and went looking for bears with Keith of Teckk Outfitters. Did you happen to meet him? We had a great day, saw three bears, gorgeous scenery, delicious lunch. We want to go back! Thanks for posting of your experience.

 

Glad you asked if I met Keith. Yes I did! Actually I met him in 2006. He and his wife have a cute coffee shop (it's just about next door to the Galley). We stopped there for a breakfast sandwich and Keith was hosting a wressling camp for the high school wresslers in the area. One of the speakers was actually an Olympic wressler. We had a nice visit with him. We also got the chance to visit with his wife. Had a fascinating conversation with her about some of the traditions in the Tlingit culture.

 

Bucky3, I really do hope you have the opportunity to go back to Hoonah and stay for a few days. It's such a great community, and I really do think tourism (other than cruise ship day visits) will only increase in the near future. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to stay for a few days before Hoonah becomes a bigger draw to tourists!!!