Icy Strait Point

[loti]

Hi All,

We are on the Serenade OTS in Late Aug and it stops in Ict Strait. Any recommendations for that port? We are doing Whale Watching out of Juneau so we won' out of Icy Strait. I've heard rumors of a good restaurant there. Any names?

 

Thanks for everyones help in advance.

 

Brian

[GMoney]

You should really reconsider whale watching. IMO, it is the thing to do in ISP. It's good in Juneau too, but that port offers many alternatives where ISP does not.

 

I just spent a full day whale watching in ISP with Capt Floyd and FISHES and it was a great experience. Even better than last year. At any given time we were watching 10-15 humpbacks. Some got very close. Pt Adolphus is as close as you can get to a sure thing for good whale sightings.

 

I prefer the independent tour, as you see more for longer with fewer people (http://www.visithoonah.com/fishes), but the ship tour sees much of the same.

 

The restaurant is the Office. It's a mile walk (or shuttle) into Hoonah. Or Floyd will drop you there. :)

[davis0056]

Brain

 

Since you doing whales in Juneau I would recommend doing Bears in ISP with FISHES. Here a link to there web http://www.visithoonah.com/fishes/. It show whale watching but they do the bear adventure also. We went with them in Aug of 2006 and have great trip and spotted four bears. We also did whales with them and in my OP was better then Juneau.

 

Dave

[lucywestie]

Hi there, we were on the Serenade last year for the end of season cruise and really enjoyed ISP. Actually, we did nothing there except take a leisurely walk into Hoonah itself, stopped at the little cafe and had a great cup of coffee [better than the molasses they serve on board the Serenade!], oh and they gave us free Halibut pizza to try.

Bought some souvenirs and took a slow walk back to wander round the cannery. Its approximately a mile and a half into town and we saw Bald Eagles and Seals on the shoreline. Some people do the Zipline there and they seemed to be having a good time plus there is a walk around one end of the peninsula [i think where the zipline ends].

Some people on our stop booked bear watching tours but I guess because it was the end of the season they didnt see anything and were a bit disappointed, but then again, nature doesnt exactly appear on cue in Alaska! Still, ISP, was probably our most favourite spot just because of the peace and quiet and total lack of jewellery stores and pushy sales people, we did tend to avoid those places anyway.

I believe the crew members go to a place called "The Office" which is enroute into town and apparently serves fantastic Crab though you may have to try and do a search to find recent info or maybe someone else on the board can help with that. I seem to remember passing a bar on the way into town.

Either way I hope you enjoy your stop there. We are looking at doing the same 14 day cruise on Serenade next year as we enjoyed it so much the first time. [it was our first ever cruise in 2007]

Cheers

Pete

[coolrider]

There are a few things you could do while there. Icy Strait does do a bike tour through town if you are into that, and there is the Native Theater and you will find shopping here like no other port. You could also head into town and have lunch at at The Office Bar (fresh crab!!!) You could go the the Huna Tour Connection (907 945 3810) and get hooked up with one of the local tours. If you are going to do a tour I would suggest booking it in advance. Hoonah is small and it you wait until you get there you might miss out!

[labeachcomber]

You should really reconsider whale watching. IMO, it is the thing to do in ISP. It's good in Juneau too, but that port offers many alternatives where ISP does not.

 

I just spent a full day whale watching in ISP with Capt Floyd and FISHES and it was a great experience. Even better than last year. At any given time we were watching 10-15 humpbacks. Some got very close. Pt Adolphus is as close as you can get to a sure thing for good whale sightings.

 

I prefer the independent tour, as you see more for longer with fewer people (http://www.visithoonah.com/fishes), but the ship tour sees much of the same.

 

The restaurant is the Office. It's a mile walk (or shuttle) into Hoonah. Or Floyd will drop you there. :)

 

Captain Floyd sounds great and I will seriously consider his tour. $150, but definitely a lot more value than you get for a $90 ninety second zipline! But why does he not take credit cards? What a pain in the butt to have to mail a check!

[GMoney]

Captain Floyd sounds great and I will seriously consider his tour. $150, but definitely a lot more value than you get for a $90 ninety second zipline! But why does he not take credit cards? What a pain in the butt to have to mail a check!

 

I don't know for sure why FlSHES doesn't take credit cards. My guess is that they are just old school and prefer to avoid the transaction fees. It's a small hassle but well worth it.

[4WINGDINGS]

I bought a book (by Frommers - all about 2008 Alaksa Cruises) that said that you could ONLY book excursion through your cruise line, in advance, because "...is tightly controlled by the Hoonah Totem Native Corporation."

 

Not ever been on an Alaskan cruise, I heeded this advice.

 

Should I reconsider, in your opinion?

 

BTW - I did book a whale watching tour, through RCI, in Icy Strait Point

[GMoney]

I bought a book (by Frommers - all about 2008 Alaksa Cruises) that said that you could ONLY book excursion through your cruise line, in advance, because "...is tightly controlled by the Hoonah Totem Native Corporation."

 

Not ever been on an Alaskan cruise, I heeded this advice.

 

Should I reconsider, in your opinion?

 

BTW - I did book a whale watching tour, through RCI, in Icy Strait Point

 

Frommer's isn't incorrect. There are a handful of independent tour operators that you can book with directly, though.

 

I much prefer the independent route, esp in ISP. Here's why:

 

> Floyd carries a max of 6 people. The cruise ship tour carries dozens.

 

> Floyd's boat is faster and more nimble than the ship tour's.

 

> Floyd has sailed those waters for decades and knows them well. The ship's tour captains are not local.

 

> Floyd sails close to the coast which allows for bear sightings (we saw 3). The ship's tour doesn't.

 

> Floyd's boat has a hydrophone so you can hear whale chatter. I don't think the ship's tour boat does.

 

> I like knowing that my money is going to nice, hard-working people, not being split 3 ways between Allan Marine, the cruise line and the tribe (the latter of which I have no problem with).

[coolrider]

I bought a book (by Frommers - all about 2008 Alaksa Cruises) that said that you could ONLY book excursion through your cruise line, in advance, because "...is tightly controlled by the Hoonah Totem Native Corporation."

 

Not ever been on an Alaskan cruise, I heeded this advice.

 

Should I reconsider, in your opinion?

 

BTW - I did book a whale watching tour, through RCI, in Icy Strait Point

This may be true for the excursions at Icy Strait Point, it is partly owned by a local native corporation. Icy Strait Point is located in Hoonah, AK and their are many independant vendors there. I know there have been some new guides who have moved into Hoonah once the tourism started, but Floyd with FISHES (www.visithoonah.com/fishes) and Shawn with Glacier Winds (www.g-wind.com) and Keith with TECKK ( teckkoutfitters.com ) have been doing this way before the ships started coming to town, and you can contact them personally.

[4WINGDINGS]

Thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated. I will take everyone's advice and if Floyd has any openings, I think I will cancel the excursion booked directly through the Serenade.

 

Will this effect when we can get off the ship, as the Serenade is tendered that day?

[GMoney]

Thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated. I will take everyone's advice and if Floyd has any openings, I think I will cancel the excursion booked directly through the Serenade.

 

Will this effect when we can get off the ship, as the Serenade is tendered that day?

 

It didn't for me last week on Radiance. I was off on the first tender.