Icy Strait Point from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM - What to do?

[Smokeyham]

Hello,

 

The itinerary for our cruise has us stopping at at Icy Strait Point from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM after a day of cruising in Glacier Bay.   Sunset for the day we will be at Icy Point Strait will be at 8:51 PM.   Our cruise is in August.

 

I'd like to get your thoughts on what we should do with that time.  

 

I'm thinking it would be interesting to tour the cannery museum, but is that relatively close to where the ships berth?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

 

[quack2]

Not ideal for a whale watching trip.  I imagine the ziprider will be running.  Otherwise I might just enjoy the nature walks near the pier.

 

[Glaciers]

If you don’t have time for a whale watch tour they do a wonderful job with their Tribal Dance & Cultural Legends show.  We’ve been to several in a few SE Alaska communities and this is one of the better ones.

[don't-use-real-name]

4 hour port call - heck that is worse than Victoria BC.

You get off the ship and turn around and have to get right back on !

Some will be lucky to ride that Zip Line right back onto the ship before leaving !

You walk into Hoonah - halfway there turn around and walk back !

 

All in all ship at half capacity - things should not be overly crowded.

Given the time you have make the most of it !

 

OK on a +Positive+ note that Cannery visit would be perfect and it is about a

football (soccer) field length from the end of the ships gangway - primary pier -

that new pier they are building a gondola ride to the Cannery ?

Catch a shuttle to Hoonah and you will have time to walk and shop around a bit.

Shore excursions {ify} make sure the operator gets you back on time.

 

Google Map to orientate your bearings:

 

 Google Maps

 

Zoom IN-OUT Pan Right-Left with mouse

 

Pier is at the top of the map image

Hoonah at bottom about a mile away

Zip Line at the end of that brown snakey line 

[Smokeyham]

Thanks for the responses.  It sounds like this might be just enough time to step ashore for a walk around the area.  Looking at Google maps it seems like a path to the cannery exists and it might be enough time to walk from the ship  to the cannery and back.  

Any thoughts on that?

 

[donaldsc]

Typical cruise line actions.  With a 4 hour port time, it means that you basically have on 3 hours off the ship.  Hardly worth getting off the ship. About what I would expect from a cruise line.

 

The comparison with Victoria is meaningless as the Victoria port stop is or I should say was to satisfy the foreign port visit requirements.

 

DON

[Crew News]

15 hours ago, quack2 said:

Not ideal for a whale watching trip.  I imagine the ziprider will be running.  Otherwise I might just enjoy the nature walks near the pier.

 

Just checked my 2018 whale watching in ISP and it lasted 2.5 hours since it was so close to the port.  It was one of the better whale watching experiences I have had to date.  The photo lighting that late in the day should enable amazing whale photos.

[Glaciers]

Check your cruise line's excursion list for ISP.  They're always trying to make more money so there should be even a small list of what there is time for.

[rkacruiser]

If the Cultural Show is available, there ought to be enough time to connect that with a tour of the Cannery.  The Cannery tour is self-guided and one can spend as much--or as little--time you choose.  Their is a very nice gift shop in the same facility that offers some items one won't find in other Alaskan ports.  

 

I would think that the cafes/bars also will be open for drinks and dinner.  

[Smokeyham]

35 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

If the Cultural Show is available, there ought to be enough time to connect that with a tour of the Cannery.  The Cannery tour is self-guided and one can spend as much--or as little--time you choose.  Their is a very nice gift shop in the same facility that offers some items one won't find in other Alaskan ports.  

 

I would think that the cafes/bars also will be open for drinks and dinner.  

Thanks!  That sounds like a good plan.

[Smokeyham]

Just an update on what we did....   We did the Zipline and it was an incredible experience!  My first zipline and I understand it is the world's longest.   Definitely worth doing and the loading point (for a bus to the top of the mountain) and the unloading point were a short walk from where the ship docked.

[don't-use-real-name]

5 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

Just an update on what we did....   We did the Zipline and it was an incredible experience!  My first zipline and I understand it is the world's longest.   Definitely worth doing and the loading point (for a bus to the top of the mountain) and the unloading point were a short walk from where the ship docked.

Thanks for the photo - - -

 

Map Photo LINK for reference:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ziprider+(World's+Largest+ZipRider)/@58.1212306,-135.4456262,4412m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x54016f7a59808bc1:0x5fc65593f09179f9!8m2!3d58.1277153!4d-135.432702

 

Pan and Zoom - - -

 

The second pier is to the right out of view -

To the left of the gangway is the half block walk to the cannery museum and concessions 

and the terminal point of the Zip Line.

Further from that point less than a mile is Hoonah -

The port of Icy Strait Point is at the cannery pier and not Hoonah 

Edited September 11, 2021 by don't-use-real-name

[home-mom]

We enjoyed the gondola ride to the cannery area.  So many little shops to walk through and a small beach to explore.  If it's open we highly recommend Lil' Gen's Donuts!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, home-mom said:

the cannery area.  So many little shops to walk through and a small beach to explore

 

Agree.  I found some gifts in their shops that I never saw anywhere else in Alaska.  And, their prices were right!  

[bottom-dragger]

recreational marijuana

 

i was there on 9/11. three days before we could get a ferry out. no planes, our dispatcher lectured us for being out of the office building.

 

blue water over the bow for 3 hours then a turn to port and took it on the starboard side.

 

recreational marijuana, yep that's the answer

[quack2]

A ridiculously short amount of time for a stop in a very unique part of Alaska.

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, quack2 said:

A ridiculously short amount of time for a stop in a very unique part of Alaska.

 

One could make the same comment for even the 1 day or half day stops at the other places that cruise ships stop at in AK.  When we did our extended land trip in AK, we did a lot of the ferry based stops by Alaska Marine Highway ferries so we were forced sometimes to spend 2 or 3 days in a place.  Although most people to not have the luxury of time that we had, spending several days at a place is a much better way of seeing AK.

 

DON

[Smokeyham]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:45 AM, quack2 said:

A ridiculously short amount of time for a stop in a very unique part of Alaska.

Of course, more time would always be great but we ended up enjoying our short stop there as we did the zip line.   I feel this was a bit of an "add on" for the majority of the day was spent in Glacier Bay which was an incredible experience.

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, Smokeyham said:

I feel this was a bit of an "add on" for the majority of the day was spent in Glacier Bay which was an incredible experience.

 

I agree with your thinking that is was a bit of an "add on".  But, in my opinion from having been there, it is a winner for both the cruise guest as well as the local citizens who have developed Icy Point Strait.  Icy Point Strait provides a different "taste" of Alaska that the other ports don't do.