Why Sitka

[Debbie&Chaz]

This June will be our second cruise to Alaska. I have seen several comments on the boards that Sitka is a really neat port. We didn't get to Sitka last year, but will get a long stop there this year. So my questions are:

 

Why do some like Sitka so well?

 

What are absolute "must see" things in Sitka?

 

What are the best excursions?

[lydialoves2cruise]

My DH and I visited Sitka on a cruise last summer. It was much less crowded than any of the other Alaskan ports I've been to (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway). We enjoyed a private wildlife boat tour. We booked it from someone selling tickets at the tender dock. Sitka is well known for sea otter sightings. They are very cute and the boat tour was fun.

We walked to the Alaska Raptor Center. The center was worth a breif visit. The walk took us through the Sitka National Historical Park, which is a lovely walk. There is a center at the beginning of the park that has Totem Pole displays and information. There is also a lot of Russian history and influence in Sitka.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Lydia

[gordons4]

My husband and I did the 4X4 Rhino tour--which was an absolute blast. Afterwards, they dropped as at the Raptor Center (our request), which is a must-see on Sitka. We walked through the totem pole park--also a must-see--on our way back to the dock. It POURED the entire time we were in Sitka, but we still had a wonderful time anyway.

 

We also bought some local jams and pickles from a roadside stand. The town is very cute, and the port feels much less "touristy" than the "big three."

[Assateague Island Princes]

Like Gordons4, we too took the Rhino 4X4 (booked thru HAL) in Sept. of 2006, and it was THE best!!! We really loved it! We had an afternoon excursion with them, so we walked the town (our favorite AK port by far!), then walked to the Raptor Center and spent an hour or so. It is really amazing to see those eagles, hawks, etc. up close and personal. The work those folks do to rehabilitate and rescue these magnificent birds is admirable. This past year in Sitka, we went sea kayaking, and that was great (booked thru HAL) too - saw these incedible, huge jellyfish, starfish in rainbow pastel colors (the lavender ones were stunning!), and some sea lions. I understand the boat tours with Ester G is a great experience as well to see the puffins. Next time maybe....:p

 

Sitka is very picturesque, like a small fishing village with mountains (and a volcano too!) surrounding it! Russian heritage is big in Sitka, so lots to see at the totem parks and the heritage center. Its very pedestrian friendly, terrific little shops, etc. There is one in particular that is run by a local family, down near the docks (sorry, the name escapes me right now) that make their own jelly and jam using AK berries, flavored vinegars, candies, and other edible products along with terrific homemade soaps and lotions. Try the reindeer sausage from the street vendor - yummy! Sitka is where my heart lives, I think...could go back there again and again and never be bored!

[agabbymama]

My first cruise to Alaska, I had to decide between Sitka and Skagway. I chose Sitka, and I wasn't disappointed. It is such a quaint little town, still so very Alaska-esque. The harbor isn't large enough for ships to dock, so you have to tender in. The very first big building (looks like a hospital or apartment building) turned out to be a home for Pioneers down on their luck. The amazing thing is it is still in operation today for the homeless.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitka_Pioneer_Home

 

After that, you are at the pier. There is a large hill (Baranhof, the last Russian ruler had his palace ther) but it is also the site of where the 1st US flag was raised after purchasing Alaska from the Russians.

 

http://www.well.com/~wolfy/Sitka/page21.html

 

And of course there is a beautiful Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the center of town.

 

http://dioceseofalaska.org/sitka.html

 

There is a small hop on/hop off bus right at the pier that does like 7 stops. I think it runs about $10. We rode it up to the Raptor Center and walked back through the Rain Forest National Park seeing totems, Russian Memorial and dancers.

 

http://www.alaskaraptor.org/

 

Sitka has a really nice website of their own too.

 

http://www.sitka.org/tours.html

 

No streets full of International Diamond jewelry stores, or fakeness to the town. Just a quaint lived in town in the rain forest. We loved it, and it's remoteness.

[canagal]

We too are visiting Sitka in June. Is the walk to the Raptor Center very far? Anyone know the name of the hop on/off bus? Do you really have to book ahead for Sitka?

Canagal

[Marie321]

Sitka just seems like a real town. It is NOT a bunch of diamond stores. While there, we have done the things listed below. Here are some links:

 

Wildlife tour with Davey of Esther G. Davey gives a wonderful tour and we saw all sorts of wildlife including whales, seals, otters, puffins, bears, bald eagles, muir, cormorants, star fish, hawks, etc.

 

http://www.puffinsandwhales.com/

 

We walked to the Totem National Park. We got a totem guide. There are wonderful pathways through a beautiful park.

 

http://www.nps.gov/sitk/

 

 

When we came out on the other side of the park we walked to the raptor center.

 

http://www.alaskaraptor.org/

 

If you enjoy quilting, there is a very nice quilting shop.

[J&KCruisers]

Sitka is one of the best ports we have been to. The main reason is that it is very walkable. No need for taxi's or bus tours, you can get around this very beautiful and historic place with little effort.

 

From the Raptor Center to the National Park, you can plan a route and your day at your own pace. The place is very quaint and unlike the many ports with diamonds this and tanzanite that. There are places to buy some smoked salmon and a couple beers to enjoy the scenery.

 

I have been looking for another cruise there for 2010.

 

Go and enjoy!

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I loved Sitka. It is so full of history. I really liked St. Michaels. The town is very cute. I also found a Lutheran church (just stumbled upon it) that also had a lot of history. It's a great walking town.

[Budget Queen]

We too are visiting Sitka in June. Is the walk to the Raptor Center very far? Anyone know the name of the hop on/off bus? Do you really have to book ahead for Sitka?

Canagal

 

About 15 minutes, but up hill to the Raptor Center, very doable with a stop at the Sitka Heritage National Park.

 

The shuttle bus will be available right from the tender dock.

 

No you don't have to book ahead, IF doing the above list. You most certainly do however, if doing boat tours, which in my opinion is the top choice here. You only accessable puffin viewing on the Inside Passage and loaded with varied wildlife.

[Debbie&Chaz]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm sure we will enjoy Sitka.

[canagal]

Thanks for all the info for our stay in Sitka- sounds great. Don't think we will be doing any boat tours etc. Looking around on our own sounds good. Do want to see the Raptor Center as well as the Russian Dancers. It's our first port, can't wait -Canagal:)

[lmt1022]

This June will be our second cruise to Alaska. I have seen several comments on the boards that Sitka is a really neat port. We didn't get to Sitka last year, but will get a long stop there this year. So my questions are:

 

Why do some like Sitka so well?

 

What are absolute "must see" things in Sitka?

 

What are the best excursions?

 

What date will you be in Sitka?

[ShibaInuMom]

MDH and I visited sitka while on the Celebrity Infinity a couple years back and it was a favorite stop. We did not do an excursion, we walked the shoreline up to the totem poles/rapture center. There are benches and stone walls to sit on along the way - you have to take a camera since it is a feeding place for eagles. They were walking on the beach looking for fish.

 

This year we will be on the Pacific Princess and it does not stop there. We will miss it - we hope Kodiak, and Valdez will make up for our loss. Happy sailing!!!:)

[lmt1022]

If you decide to do the Wildlife Tour...

We will be using both Sitka Sound Tours and Davey's Esther G Tour.

Both Davey (who many on the boards have talked about) and Jim Seeland with Sitka Sound Tours www. sitkasoundtours.com have been wonderful in helping me plan the trip,

Jim, especially, has gone above and beyond in accomodating our group - very flexible, patient, and informative.

I will update all after we return.

Lynda

[Cruizer Bill]

Quick question: Why do so few of the cruise lines visit Sitka? I see HAL goes there but not Princess, RCCL or Celebrity. Does Sitka require the cruise lines a permit to visit their port or is it because the other cruise lines just don't believe Sitka is a popular draw?

Thanks!

Bill

:)

[agabbymama]

Quick question: Why do so few of the cruise lines visit Sitka? I see HAL goes there but not Princess, RCCL or Celebrity. Does Sitka require the cruise lines a permit to visit their port or is it because the other cruise lines just don't believe Sitka is a popular draw?

Thanks!

Bill

:)

 

Sitka has a small harbor and you have to tender. I think the mega ships of Princess and RCCL might have a problem even fitting in the harbor, let alone tendering those thousands of people to such a small town. Thank goodness, that's why it has retained it's originality.

[StarTrkGeek]

Sitka has a small harbor and you have to tender. I think the mega ships of Princess and RCCL might have a problem even fitting in the harbor, let alone tendering those thousands of people to such a small town. Thank goodness, that's why it has retained it's originality.

The mega ships might have a problem, but most ships do not have a problem. We were on the Celebrity Infinity (a 90,000 ton ship) in 2007, and it stopped in Sitka. Most of the ships that visit Alaska are no larger than that.

[gazingm42]

On our last visit we with to the Raptor center on the way we walked there

via the Sitka national forest park. It was a nice walk and we all really enjoyed it.

 

 

[Disneyworld]

My DH and I visited Sitka on a cruise last summer. It was much less crowded than any of the other Alaskan ports I've been to (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway). We enjoyed a private wildlife boat tour. We booked it from someone selling tickets at the tender dock. Sitka is well known for sea otter sightings. They are very cute and the boat tour was fun.

We walked to the Alaska Raptor Center. The center was worth a breif visit. The walk took us through the Sitka National Historical Park, which is a lovely walk. There is a center at the beginning of the park that has Totem Pole displays and information. There is also a lot of Russian history and influence in Sitka.

I hope you enjoy!

 

Lydia

We posted this question on another post, but are really curious about the answer so are trying this one too. You mentioned that you went out on a wildllife boat tour. We are thinking about taking a whale watch tour out of Sitka since our days (we are doing b2b cruises in July) are filled and we can't fit in a Whale watch on those tours. A poster mentioned seeing whales out of Sitka. When we called the boat captain, he said that he whales on all of his trips. He said that only once in his 4 yrs did his tour not see whales, and that was just one tour of the day, the other tours the same day saw whales. As much as I'd like to see otters and other wildlife our main reason for this would be to see whales, input please!

[Yukon]

As much as I'd like to see otters and other wildlife our main reason for this would be to see whales, input please!

 

See the pics from our last tour at Sitka with Captain Davey at http://www.youralaskacruise.com/reviews/2007/page4.html - while we did see one whale, it was a tiny part of an extremely good and incredibly varied day.

[Budget Queen]

We posted this question on another post, but are really curious about the answer so are trying this one too. You mentioned that you went out on a wildllife boat tour. We are thinking about taking a whale watch tour out of Sitka since our days (we are doing b2b cruises in July) are filled and we can't fit in a Whale watch on those tours. A poster mentioned seeing whales out of Sitka. When we called the boat captain, he said that he whales on all of his trips. He said that only once in his 4 yrs did his tour not see whales, and that was just one tour of the day, the other tours the same day saw whales. As much as I'd like to see otters and other wildlife our main reason for this would be to see whales, input please!

 

I replied elsewhere. BUT, this is not a whale watch, it's a varied wildlife trip. Humpbacks are "new" to Sitka in season. They used to power fed at the end of the season, with it being very rare to see any during the cruise season. You might get 15 minutes of humpback viewing before you move on. IF humpbacks are a priority, you get a far extended view of them out of Juneau.

[StarTrkGeek]

I replied elsewhere. BUT, this is not a whale watch, it's a varied wildlife trip. Humpbacks are "new" to Sitka in season. They used to power fed at the end of the season, with it being very rare to see any during the cruise season. You might get 15 minutes of humpback viewing before you move on. IF humpbacks are a priority, you get a far extended view of them out of Juneau.

I agree with Budget Queen. We were in Sitka 2 years ago and did not see any humpbacks.

 

Icy Strait Point (at Pt. Adolphus) is actually the BEST place to see humpbacks.

[happycat Bainbridge Is]

Be sure to be somewhere with a good view as you come in to Sitka - it's gorgeous!

 

We did a private tour with Capt Davey which was wonderful, did see one humpback -- if you want whales specifically book a trip on another stop (i.e. Juneau if you're going there). Another year did the sea otter quest in Sitka which was also great - again we saw humpbacks but that was only a part of the trip - also eagles, otters, sea lions. We love Sitka. Enjoy! HCBI

[intopuffins]

We've been there 3 times and are going a 4th time this summer! It is our favorite town in all of our travels. In fact, we'd love to retire there, but it's expensive. We have gone with Captain Paul (www.sitkacharter.com) each time and had amazing experiences. We saw puffins (my favorite!), sea otters, orcas, humpback whales, sea lions, seals, brown bears, jumping salmon and tons of other birds. The tours were small and private and the captain is also a geologist. This year we have time for 2 excursions so we're also going to also do the dry suit snorkel! That sounds exciting too! We can hardly wait!