Icy Sraight

I have found excursions in most ports- but looking for recommendations here.

looks like most want you to go through the ship!?

Mysty Bay lodge is a good alternative.

I so agree w/Legran about Misty Bay Lodge for whale watching and/or bear search. I did both with them in August of 2011 and had a wonderfully productive time - tons of whales, breaching, bubblenet feeding, humps, backs and blows galore! We sure did get lucky that day! Afterwards, I went on a bear search with them - and again struck gold! A young brown bear feeding in a stream just beneath the bridge we were standing on, then an older male brown bear eating his way thru a hillside right next to the road where the van we were in was parked. It was thrilling! Their boat is a six passenger boat, and Capt. Dan was so intent on us seeing whales. A great guy who filled us in on life in Hoonah, where he and his wife also run the Misty Bay Lodge. All in all it was a fantastic day and I would highly recommend a whale watch/bear search with them.

Hope you enjoy ISP as much as we did - visting Hoonah, a real small town slice of Alaska life was great, exquisite scenery, amazing wildlife, and friendly folks. Happy sailing!

We took a whale watch from 10am to 1pm with Icy Strait Whale Adventures. We wanted to have a more personal experience so we independently booked a small boat (6 passengers). Captain Coleen guarantees that you will see whales or you get ½ your money back. [this is not really important since everyone sees whales in Icy strait] We loved our whale watch. We saw lots of whales (mostly heads and tails as they breeched the surface). Last year was their first year giving tours. The boat was brand new. Very nice!

By the end of our trip we were cold and tired (in a good way) and headed back to the ship for hot soup.

:)

We did our favorite excursion ever in Hoonah with Glacier Wind Charters. It was a combined fishing and whale watching trip. Caught lots of halibut and then saw many whales. It was spectacular.

We love Icy Strait for its uniqueness and it's whale watching opportunities. On this board you will get a lot of preferences for small boat operators. My suggestion to you is to read comments and research reviews on Trip Advisor as well --- then make up your own mind. I know people are looking for quick answers sometimes but it does pay off to do your own research before making a final decision. We can only make recommendations --- it's your cruise.

For us, we have gone with FISHES (4 times) and Glacier Wind (2 times) and enjoyed them both. Whenever we do a back-to-back cruise we go both companies.

Have a great time in ISP.

We are whale watching in Icy Strait through Glacier Wind Charters. I got their name from Trip Advisor. I too was in your predicament and someone suggested looking at Trip Advisor to get ideas.

Last year we did the ATV + zipline combo through the ship and thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautiful scenery and the zipline was a great experience!

I have found excursions in most ports- but looking for recommendations here.

looks like most want you to go through the ship!?

To clarify in case you didn't know, Icy Straits in the name given to the port by the cruise industry. The little town outside the dock's gates is Hoonah. There are shuttles into town or it's walkable for the healthy.

If you've been trying to do some internet search and coming up with nothing but ship excursions, it's because the 'sight' of Icy Strait was build by the industry and is exclusive to passengers. I as an Alaskan cannot get past the gates to visit anything in there. :(

To clarify in case you didn't know, Icy Straits in the name given to the port by the cruise industry. The little town outside the dock's gates is Hoonah. There are shuttles into town or it's walkable for the healthy.

 

If you've been trying to do some internet search and coming up with nothing but ship excursions, it's because the 'sight' of Icy Strait was build by the industry and is exclusive to passengers. I as an Alaskan cannot get past the gates to visit anything in there. :(

and the locals who are not planning the cruise lines games are not allowed to make a living off cruise line passengers who don't do their own research and make their own bookings.

Most cruise passengers stay in the cruise company's bubble. The on board port lecturers scare them.

We booked a charter boat with Misty Bay Lodge. Cruise line wanted $159 pp for 3 1/2 hour whale watching tour. We booked a 6 hour whale watching / bear watching / photography / sightseeing / fishing tour for $225 each and it includes lunch with homemade bread. We have a party of 6, with 2 photographers, 1 fisherman, and 3 sightsee-ers. It just made more sense for us to book the charter and do things at our own pace, be able to spread out our camera equipment, not fight the crowds. Will post a review when we return. (our cruise is June 10 -17 )

The type of cruise passenger comes to Alaska to shop at a Diamond's International will be disappointed in Hoonah/Icy Strait Point. In the early 1970s, just before we were married, my husband worked one summer out of Ketchikan, and his reaction the first time he saw Hoonah was that Hoonah looked just like Ketchikan in the early 1970s, before Ketchikan became so touristy.

Another vote for Misty Bay! They were really great to go out with and the boat was perfect for whale viewing.

We have booked the bear search with Misty Bay Lodge in the morning. Hope was very helpful. I actually called them for info and got them while they were vacationing. She took the time to answer all my questions and return calls. I am very much looking forward to meeting her in June.

I have also booked an afternoon whale watch with Icy Straight Whale Adventures. We will be a group of 5 with Colleen that day. Much more of an enjoyable experience than sharing a boat with lots of cruise passengers. Colleen was more than helpful.

If all of the people in Hoonah are as nice as these 2 ladies we are all in for an enjoyable day in their town.

The type of cruise passenger comes to Alaska to shop at a Diamond's International will be disappointed in Hoonah/Icy Strait Point. In the early 1970s, just before we were married, my husband worked one summer out of Ketchikan, and his reaction the first time he saw Hoonah was that Hoonah looked just like Ketchikan in the early 1970s, before Ketchikan became so touristy.

As I was in Ketchikan in the 1970's, I can relate. The first cruise ships (HAL and Princess) were making their runs. They were tiny ships by today's standards but were well run and squeaky clean. I arrived in Ketchikan on the long ago Veedam (HAL) and the port visit was pleasant and the town very quiet. I took myself for a long walk.

I used that cruise as transportation from Vancouver to Juneau (as far north as the cruise ships went back then) and flew on to Anchorage. The one way trip on the Veendarm was about $200 double occupancy. I wanted to see South East Alaska. I spent several days in Juneau at the old Baronoff Hotel. The flight to Anchorage included a spectacular take off above Mendenhall Glacier.

I enjoy using cruise ships as one way transportation north to Alaska as the time on the cruise gives me the geographic and emotional separation I need to enjoy Alaska.