Ideas for the Icy Strait

[Dreamakermom]

Any ideas on what do to at Icy Strait and did you use ship excursions or book excursions outside the ship???

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We did the whale watching tour that HAL offerred and enjoyed it very much. Saw lots of whales. Then ate lunch at Icy Strait and walked around the shops. Next year we'll probably do the whale watching again and take the shuttle down to Hoonah and back.

[Assateague Island Princes]

We've booked a whale watch with Misty Bay Lodge, and then I'm going on a bear search with them right after the whale watch, while my travel mates will be on their own for the afternoon. We leave this Friday, so I'll let you know how it goes when we get back. I've read some great reviews about Misty Bay Lodge on the Alaska boards and seen photos of their boat (6 passenger). Hope and Dan have been nothing short of amazing with customer service - they've called me twice and we've emailed back and forth quite a few times, always prompt in answering my questions, etc. Looking forward to ISP, its one of the two remaining ports in Alaska I haven't been to yet - gotta book something with Haines on the itinerary next time so I've got 'em all!:D

[fleckle]

If you are physically fit and capable of walking, I would take the scenic stroll along the shoreline path to Hoonah rather than ride the shuttle. It is about a mile and half, a very pleasant walk and you have a good chance of spotting wildlife along the way.

 

Walking along the shore in the opposite direction from the dock on the Icy Strait property is another nice, shorter path that first runs along the water and then turns to the right, heading up through the woods and around a small lake.

 

There is a smooth boardwalk, good for people with mobility problems who use wheelchairs or walkers. There are benches where you can sit overlooking the beach. There are picnic tables by a campfire on the shoreline where you can sit and chat with the locals who tend the fire. The views are very scenic looking out across the water.

 

Icy Strait Point has the world's longest zip line, if you care to go ziplining.

There are shops and restaurants in and near the old cannery area by the dock. Local entertainers put on a show with singing and dancing.

 

There are a number of recommended independent local vendors for whale watching trips or fishing trips using small boats. They can all take you out to Pt. Adolphus to see the humpbacks and you have a chance of spotting other types of wildlife on the ride out there and back. Some of them also offer bear watching tours.

 

The private vendors are not allowed on the Icy Strait grounds so they pick passengers up in a nearby parking area outside the Icy Strait property. It is about a 5 - 10 minute walk from the dock where the tender drops you off to the pickup area.

 

The cruise line's own whale watching excursion uses a larger, more stable boat that picks passengers up right at the dock where the tender drops you off. So that one would be better for anyone with mobility limitations, but it can get crowded at times depending on how many tickets they sell that day, while the small, independent boats are limited to a maximum of 6 passengers.

 

They all take you out to Pt. Adolphus to see the humpbacks there. But you may also see whales at Icy Strait Point while walking along the shoreline or right from the cruise ship itself.

 

Be aware that there is a steep ramp leading up from the tender dock to the ground above, so anyone who may require wheelchair assistance should not hesitate to request it.

 

Here are a couple of links to get started:

 

Icy Strait Point (See Excursions under "Plan Your Trip")

 

Things to Do in Hoonah (For independent operators)

[Dreamakermom]

We've booked a whale watch with Misty Bay Lodge, and then I'm going on a bear search with them right after the whale watch, while my travel mates will be on their own for the afternoon. We leave this Friday, so I'll let you know how it goes when we get back. I've read some great reviews about Misty Bay Lodge on the Alaska boards and seen photos of their boat (6 passenger). Hope and Dan have been nothing short of amazing with customer service - they've called me twice and we've emailed back and forth quite a few times, always prompt in answering my questions, etc. Looking forward to ISP, its one of the two remaining ports in Alaska I haven't been to yet - gotta book something with Haines on the itinerary next time so I've got 'em all!:D

 

That will be great!! Have a wonderful time!!!

[Dreamakermom]

Thanks guys!!!! I sure appreciate it!! You are a huge help! I LOVE these boards! :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

We also did the whale watching excursion -- through HAL. We had done it a few years ago through HAL -- loved it!!

 

I would also recommend taking the shuttle into Hoonah.

[IPB4IGO]

We did the zip line at Icy Strait. It was the most fun we have had in years. My wife is deathly afraid of heights, but when we reached the bottom of the line she wanted to get on the bus and go again.

 

Highly recommended!

[Himself]

How is the adrenellin rush with the Zip line. I had tripple by-pass for years ago and I am a type Two Diabetic. Would it be safe for me if I did the same cruise a year from now. I will turn 72 in a few short weeks.

[Dreamakermom]

How is the adrenellin rush with the Zip line. I had tripple by-pass for years ago and I am a type Two Diabetic. Would it be safe for me if I did the same cruise a year from now. I will turn 72 in a few short weeks.

 

Man, that is a good question!!! I am a 53 yr old scaredy cat of heights but want SO badly to conquer my fear!! It LOOKS fun, but I am wondering if I can handle it!! Scared I would embarrass myself and wet my pants!! :eek: BUT... when it is over I would have alot to brag about!! I am interested if both of us (you with your issues and me with mine) can handle this "Bucket List" item.

[IPB4IGO]

The only real heart-pounding part of the ride was when I was in the chair, feet braced against the boards, waiting for them to release our chairs (my wife and I went at the same time on adjacent chairs).

 

Once the ride starts, it's one mile of flight, hitting 55-60 MPH, they said. Except for the wind in your face, there is no sensation of high speed because you are way above the forest. It's exhilarating, but not frightening. IT feels very safe. The termination of the zip line is very gentle. You simply step off.

 

If you are physically challenged, check into how much walking you need to do to get to the chairs. An entertaining Hoonah native drove the group of us up the mountain, through the village, telling us about the area. ("That pile of junk cars is our NAPA parts store", for example.) At the end of the road, though, there was a fairly long walk up the rest of the way. We saw a lot of folks much older and more frail-looking than us make their way up. Nobody turned back.

[Dreamakermom]

I am thnking the price will help determine whether we go. There will be three of us. Two adults and one 11 year old. Maybe I should start getting in shape now and climbing ladders!!!!! :p

[ironin]

Check out Floyd @ F.I.S.H.E.S. - we did his whale watching tour last year. Had a great time. IIRC, 6-8 is the max. # of passengers. All the boats know/share info about where the whales are being sighted. Advantage of using one of the smaller operators is they tend to get to the areas first. Doesn't always work to advantage, but can. Check out their reviews here and on Trip Advisor.com. They have a website, too. Very fair fee. Will pick up just outside of dock.

[Spinner2]

We're on the Sept 2 cruise; will be in Icy Strait on Sept 7. We booked an adventure today with F.I.S.H.E.S. for that day; we've heard so many good things about them. At this point we're their only customers for the morning trip; I'm sure they'd love to have a few more! E-mail me if you need information on contacting them.

[vbmom87]

We ran into quite a few passengers on our recent Alaska cruise who were very disappointed in Icy Strait. They had not done their homework and ended up walking around both Icy Strait and Hoonah and just didn't find anything to do that interested them.

 

I do think it is a good idea to book a tour in this port. We booked with F.I.S.H.E.S and had an outstanding morning of whale watching. The whales were busy bubblenet feeding and it was so awesome to experience this!!! Anyone who was out in the morning was very lucky indeed. By the time the afternoon tours came out, the whales were no longer bubblenet feeding. I felt very lucky indeed!!!

 

After our tour we walked around Hoonah. I happen to be someone who enjoys walking around small town America neighborhoods to see how others live. It was soon obvious that it must be very costly to get rid of old unusable items in Hoonah. Many homes had unused items piled up in their yards. One homeowner was quite creative and recycled an old kitchen range into a flower bed and displayed it proudly on their front lawn. We walked back to the dock from Hoonah and enjoyed the walk very much.

 

I strongly suggest all cruisers do their homework for each port. I ran into way too many disappointed people who just didn't realize that they needed to plan out their days.

[cdkempton]

We've decided on the ziprider. We did the zipline in Maui for my 65th (a few years ago) and looking forward to this one. It was scary at first but turned into a great time. Other than that we'll shuttle and walk. Whatever you do......ENJOY!!!!

[Assateague Island Princes]

I totally agree with VBMom - we were on the same cruise and we sure got a show from the whales that morning in ISP. Book a whale watch for sure! We went with Misty Bay Lodge and LOVED it! We saw numerous breaches (some right from the tender as we were going over to the port!), and several instances of bubblenet feeding - I got some great videos of that! Of course we also saw a ton of blows, humps, tails and flukes, and several whales congregating around our small 6 passenger boat, which was a thrill! We could clearly hear them singing, smell the blow (blech!:D), and felt like we could almost reach out and touch them. Hoonah is small town Alaska at its best - we loved strolling thru the town as well, but that is our thing. The more remote, the better in our opinion. Stop for a bite to eat at the Office Bar, talk to the fisherman down on the pier, speak to the locals as you pass by - you'd be surprised how enjoyable it is to hear from them first hand. Also sent bear searching in the afternoon with Misty Bay Lodge and that was wonderful as well - spent 45 minutes watching a bear fish a stream just 12 feet below the bridge we were standing on, and watched another for a 1/2 hour winding his way thru the plentiful blueberry bushes on a hillside. I loved ISP, this was my first time at this port, and I would so enjoy going back there again!