Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Icy Strait Point

debnrick

By debnrick,
in Alaska

 Share

Recommended Posts

rkacruiser

rkacruiser

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, debnrick said:

Is there anything to do there or is this simply a sit on the ship and watch for wildlife? 

 

I concur with the above post by donaldsc.  Plenty of things to do:  a native cultural show, a narrated tram ride through their rain forest, an interesting self-guided tour of the former salmon canning plant, boutiques in that building that offered Alaskan gifts that I never saw in any other Alaskan port, small cafes and bars, and, I believe, whale watching tours are now being offered.  It is more of a "true Alaskan port" than most of the others a Carnival (or other mass market cruise line) would offer.    

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Northern Aurora

Northern Aurora

Posted
Posted

I love this port.   As a woman I certainly have an extensive collection of earrings, but it is so refreshing to stand out on the balcony shortly after docking and NOT be staring at a Diamonds International store.

 

This is a major whale watching port.  Consider whale watching tour.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CCJack

CCJack

Posted
Posted

Its a very small place but we liked it.  A very nice building at dock, with a good nature walk behind the building.  You can also can walk along the beach.   I would suggest an excursion as you probably can't spend a whole day at the dock area.      We booked a whale watching tour.   We got  lucky and saw orcas up close (as in ramming the boat!) as well as many humpbacks.    All in all probably our favorite stop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lowyfer

Lowyfer

Posted
Posted

It is not a bad port, and compared to every other port, found this one to be the least interesting.

 

There is a bias as I am from the pacific north west. It was similar enough to home that the rain forest was the same as going for a walk in the back yard. The canning station was cool for the history and I did end up buying my hunneh a nice whal tail necklace.

 

No one has mentioned it but there is also a pretty impressive zipline if you are into that.

 

Again.. not a bad port but we found it just not as good as every other port.

 

My favourite part was this port actually did a greeting where they had first nations children in traditional outfits performing music on the dock.

 

As was mentioned unless you do an excursion this should be a quick port for you.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jskinsd

jskinsd

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, Lowyfer said:

 

Again.. not a bad port but we found it just not as good as every other port.

 

 

 

 

How many times have you been to Icy Strait Point?  What did you do on your stops?  What did the other ports have better to offer?  More shopping, restaurants or maybe better tours?  It is all about seeing something different.  One time, one place there is better chance to see wildlife in Hoonah/Icy  Strait than any other port.  Whales, Orca, Sitka deer, sea otters and the best eagles nest you can get close to.  Oh yea, I forgot the Bears at Spasski river.  There are land and sea combo tours where there is a chance to see all.  Or maybe you like to fish.  I once caught a 60 lb halibut on one of my stops.  That sucker was 6 ft tall. ✌️

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Italy52

Italy52

Posted
Posted
Just now, jskinsd said:

How many times have you been to Icy Strait Point?  What did you do on your stops?  What did the other ports have better to offer?  More shopping, restaurants or maybe better tours?  It is all about seeing something different.  One time, one place there is better chance to see wildlife in Hoonah/Icy  Strait than any other port.  Whales, Orca, Sitka deer, sea otters and the best eagles nest you can get close to.  Oh yea, I forgot the Bears at Spasski river.  There are land and sea combo tours where there is a chance to see all.  Or maybe you like to fish.  I once caught a 60 lb halibut on one of my stops.  That sucker was 6 ft tall. ✌️

 

 

We have been to Icy Strait many times -- the one thing this port gives us is a little slice of serenity.  This place is so peaceful to us.  Love walking around or sitting on a bench and taking in all that nature has to offer.  This port is not for everyone --- I get that.  But for us, we try to go whenever we can.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
NikiPinkston

NikiPinkston

Posted
Posted

We did the Ziprider last August and it was incredibly fun!  I highly recommend it.  We booked it through our cruise line (NCL).  You're taken to the top of the mountain via a very informative bus ride about the history of the area.  Once you get there, there's a short downhill hike to get to the zipline, but we're old and we made it just fine. 🙂 The bus driver told us to make a lot of noise as we walked as we had now become a part of the bears' food chain but, again, we had no issues.  It was my first time on a zipline, and it was amazing!  The camera in my husband's lane was broken, so I was happy to get a photo with both of us in it, but then he pointed out that he looks like an oompa loopa LOL.  (Hope he never sees that I posted this picture, but then he's a pretty good sport.) 😁

3zipline.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lowyfer

Lowyfer

Posted
Posted
On 1/27/2022 at 8:28 AM, jskinsd said:

How many times have you been to Icy Strait Point?  What did you do on your stops?  What did the other ports have better to offer?  More shopping, restaurants or maybe better tours?  It is all about seeing something different.  One time, one place there is better chance to see wildlife in Hoonah/Icy  Strait than any other port.  Whales, Orca, Sitka deer, sea otters and the best eagles nest you can get close to.  Oh yea, I forgot the Bears at Spasski river.  There are land and sea combo tours where there is a chance to see all.  Or maybe you like to fish.  I once caught a 60 lb halibut on one of my stops.  That sucker was 6 ft tall. ✌️

 

 

 

Just the one time we did our Alaska cruise. As mentioned we are from the pacific north west so a lot of the culture, history, and wild life is the norm for us.

 

When in Icey Point we walked along the boardwalk and passed the restaurent(s) and such. Looked at the zip line from the bottom.. did a little browsing at the few shops they had. Enjoyed the mini-cannery mueseum. On our way back to the boat we did a short nature walk through the forrest and noticed "Hey what the heck flower is that? We do not have that one where we come from."

 

We ended up going back to the boat pretty early to use our drink package and go for a swim.

 

The other ports had WAY more shopping which is not exactly our thing but I did buy a wat- wait, I am informed I have to call it a "time piece".

 

For other ports:

 

We did the mendenhall glacier by taking a bus (not with cruise) which was amazing. They have a neat interpretive center and I got to see white fuzzy mountain goats! Not the usual big horn I am used to seeing on the highway but the small fuzzy ones. We also did the nature walk to the waterfall and looked at the glacier. It was great!

 

We went to an animal rescue and saw a bunch of animals that I had not seen in person before. I saw a Lynx which was amazing. Whatched a wolverine bite a guy right on his butt. I kissed a moose right on it's schnoz! and also fed a cariboo some food. That was skagway which caused us to miss doing the train trip everyone does instead. We are doing that and the saloon on our upcoming trip this year.

 

We did a kayak trip post cruise in seward so that we could kayak amongst ice burgs, that was awesome. We also did a glaicer husky dog sled thing post cruise (found what I thought was the most ethical, and with snow).

 

Those were the big things we did. Whale watching we did not do because when not cruising we go to a kayak camping spot where they wander by twice or more a day so was not a must see for us.

 

So again for us icey point did not have that much to offer and totally understand why someone from across the planet would be way more hype about it.

 

Sitka is a new port for us this trip and we are ALL over the eagle and bear rescues. Super excited to do that.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jskinsd

jskinsd

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Lowyfer said:

 

Just the one time we did our Alaska cruise. As mentioned we are from the pacific north west so a lot of the culture, history, and wild life is the norm for us.

 

When in Icey Point we walked along the boardwalk and passed the restaurent(s) and such. Looked at the zip line from the bottom.. did a little browsing at the few shops they had. Enjoyed the mini-cannery mueseum. On our way back to the boat we did a short nature walk through the forrest and noticed "Hey what the heck flower is that? We do not have that one where we come from."

 

We ended up going back to the boat pretty early to use our drink package and go for a swim.

 

The other ports had WAY more shopping which is not exactly our thing but I did buy a wat- wait, I am informed I have to call it a "time piece".

 

For other ports:

 

We did the mendenhall glacier by taking a bus (not with cruise) which was amazing. They have a neat interpretive center and I got to see white fuzzy mountain goats! Not the usual big horn I am used to seeing on the highway but the small fuzzy ones. We also did the nature walk to the waterfall and looked at the glacier. It was great!

 

We went to an animal rescue and saw a bunch of animals that I had not seen in person before. I saw a Lynx which was amazing. Whatched a wolverine bite a guy right on his butt. I kissed a moose right on it's schnoz! and also fed a cariboo some food. That was skagway which caused us to miss doing the train trip everyone does instead. We are doing that and the saloon on our upcoming trip this year.

 

We did a kayak trip post cruise in seward so that we could kayak amongst ice burgs, that was awesome. We also did a glaicer husky dog sled thing post cruise (found what I thought was the most ethical, and with snow).

 

Those were the big things we did. Whale watching we did not do because when not cruising we go to a kayak camping spot where they wander by twice or more a day so was not a must see for us.

 

So again for us icey point did not have that much to offer and totally understand why someone from across the planet would be way more hype about it.

 

Sitka is a new port for us this trip and we are ALL over the eagle and bear rescues. Super excited to do that.

 

 

So you spent your money on pre cruise tours.   You saw whales that didn't mean anything.  You went to a zoo.  Did you even know Icy Strait point was a stop?  Did you research activities to do in Icy Strait?  Did you go past the cannery and walk into town and see the eagles' nest and the eagle family.  Or catch out the ranger station.   Because if you just try to wing it you might be disappointed. One jewelry store.  One shopping area.  One restaurant.  One bar.  And a zip line.  Just you and the locals.

Each port has its specialty.  Ketchikan has Misty fjords and Deadliest catch.  Juneau has Mendenhall glacier, Whale watching and Tracy Arm.  Skagway has the Train and gold rush history.  Stika has Russian history and a zoo.  Icy Strait is about Mother nature and the natural Alaskan experience.  Why go to a zoo in Sitka when you could have seen eagles and bears in their natural habitat in Hoonah.  And what can be better than seeing a mother bear and her cubs walking along the road or fishing for salmon in Spassky river.✌️

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JSSpence

JSSpence

Posted
Posted
On 1/28/2022 at 2:26 PM, Lowyfer said:

 

Just the one time we did our Alaska cruise. As mentioned we are from the pacific north west so a lot of the culture, history, and wild life is the norm for us.

 

When in Icey Point we walked along the boardwalk and passed the restaurent(s) and such. Looked at the zip line from the bottom.. did a little browsing at the few shops they had. Enjoyed the mini-cannery mueseum. On our way back to the boat we did a short nature walk through the forrest and noticed "Hey what the heck flower is that? We do not have that one where we come from."

 

We ended up going back to the boat pretty early to use our drink package and go for a swim.

 

The other ports had WAY more shopping which is not exactly our thing but I did buy a wat- wait, I am informed I have to call it a "time piece".

 

For other ports:

 

We did the mendenhall glacier by taking a bus (not with cruise) which was amazing. They have a neat interpretive center and I got to see white fuzzy mountain goats! Not the usual big horn I am used to seeing on the highway but the small fuzzy ones. We also did the nature walk to the waterfall and looked at the glacier. It was great!

 

We went to an animal rescue and saw a bunch of animals that I had not seen in person before. I saw a Lynx which was amazing. Whatched a wolverine bite a guy right on his butt. I kissed a moose right on it's schnoz! and also fed a cariboo some food. That was skagway which caused us to miss doing the train trip everyone does instead. We are doing that and the saloon on our upcoming trip this year.

 

We did a kayak trip post cruise in seward so that we could kayak amongst ice burgs, that was awesome. We also did a glaicer husky dog sled thing post cruise (found what I thought was the most ethical, and with snow).

 

Those were the big things we did. Whale watching we did not do because when not cruising we go to a kayak camping spot where they wander by twice or more a day so was not a must see for us.

 

So again for us icey point did not have that much to offer and totally understand why someone from across the planet would be way more hype about it.

 

Sitka is a new port for us this trip and we are ALL over the eagle and bear rescues. Super excited to do that.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ferry_Watcher Excellent Advice! Rare

Ferry_Watcher

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, JSSpence said:

What was the animal rescue in Skagway? We haven’t decided if we’ll do the train or not, we’re looking for active/interactive things for our 10 yo

It did sound like a fun place to visit.  I would love to see a wolverine.

 

I was kind of put off by another cc poster who got down on the decision to visit the animal rescue (calling it a zoo), rather than taking the train ride.  I though it was overly harsh.  Thanks @JSSpencefor asking about the animal rescue. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jskinsd

jskinsd

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, JSSpence said:

What was the animal rescue in Skagway? We haven’t decided if we’ll do the train or not, we’re looking for active/interactive things for our 10 yo

I think Lowyfer is referring to Kroschel wildlife refuge.  But it is in Haines not Skagway.  Can't drive a car to it.  You take a boat from Skagway.✌️

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jskinsd

jskinsd

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

It did sound like a fun place to visit.  I would love to see a wolverine.

 

I was kind of put off by another cc poster who got down on the decision to visit the animal rescue (calling it a zoo), rather than taking the train ride.  I though it was overly harsh.  Thanks @JSSpencefor asking about the animal rescue. 

Not putting down the zoo.  Animal rescue, wildlife conservation center, animal sanctuary, fortress of the bears, raptor center or ZOO.  All places where  animals are cared for and fenced in.  Sorry to hurt your feelings. But this is Haines and  the topic of this thread is Icy Strait. 

My preference is seeing wildlife in its natural habitat and Icy Strait/Hoonah has given me my biggest bang for my bucks.  If you never walked into town in Icy Strait towards the ranger station, you missed half the show.✌️

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
NikiPinkston

NikiPinkston

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, jskinsd said:

Nice map but only shows the cruise port area.  Not the village a little more than a mile in.✌️

Ah, thank you, I didn't realize that as we only went on the Ziprider last summer.   I see now that there's an arrow pointing to Hoonah.  Hope to make it to Hoonah this year.

 

Edited by NikiPinkston
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ferry_Watcher Excellent Advice! Rare

Ferry_Watcher

Posted
Posted

When we were in ISP early Oct '21, there were notices posted saying that Hoonah was closed to cruise ship passengers due to a Covid outbreak in the village.  In speaking to one of the staff at the ISP welcoming center, she explained that they closed the village to visitors to 'help keep the elders safe'.  If anyone tried to walk down the road to the village, they were met with barriers with signage about the closure.

 

While we were there, we were fortunate to experience spectacular weather - cold clear frosty morning, turning into a beautiful sunny afternoon.  As we departed, we sat out on our balcony drinking champagne.  Just beautiful.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...