which itinerary: Icy Strait Point or Sitka?

[CruisinCandy]

I'm trying to decide on an Alaska itinerary and here's the difference. Of the dates I can go, two weeks have the same itinerary with the exception of one port date. One week visits Icy Strait Point while the other week goes to Sitka.

 

I've never been to Alaska and this a family trip for an active couple with three teens. From my initial research, it seems Sitka has more to see and do. But I wanted to get your opinions/ideas. Can you help me?

 

Andy

[Kamloops50]

I'm trying to decide on an Alaska itinerary and here's the difference. Of the dates I can go, two weeks have the same itinerary with the exception of one port date. One week visits Icy Strait Point while the other week goes to Sitka.

 

I've never been to Alaska and this a family trip for an active couple with three teens. From my initial research, it seems Sitka has more to see and do. But I wanted to get your opinions/ideas. Can you help me?

 

Andy

 

Like both Icy Strait Port and Sitka . Our preference is always Sitka over Icy Strait. More things to do that are related to the Russian time in Alaskan history.

Icy Point has been set more as a commercial stop with tours than DIY. Only the walk thru cannery is DIY.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Kamloops50

[AKStafford]

Both locations are great and have their pros & cons. If you choose Icy Strait, keep in mind there are locally owned & operated tours independent of the cruise line to choose from: http://visithoonah.com/tours_charters.html

[Boo's Mom]

I'm trying to decide on an Alaska itinerary and here's the difference. Of the dates I can go, two weeks have the same itinerary with the exception of one port date. One week visits Icy Strait Point while the other week goes to Sitka.

 

I've never been to Alaska and this a family trip for an active couple with three teens. From my initial research, it seems Sitka has more to see and do. But I wanted to get your opinions/ideas. Can you help me?

 

Andy

 

ISP has an amazing zip line which your active family will probably enjoy greatly.

 

Pair this with a whale watching excursion and it will be a perfect day! ;)

[pizzalady1]

I would vote for Sitka over ISP. We had a super great whale watching tour and went to the Raptor Center then finished up with a walk around the downtown area.

 

ISP was super rainy and cold. Beautiful shoreline to walk to Hoonah, about a mile, but not great in the rain and limited mobility. We had a whale watching set up but the winds were scheduled for 40 knots/hour, so it was cancelled.

[SuperCrewBear]

In May we stopped at both Sitka and ISP. It would be a no-brainer for me if I had to choose only one: Sitka. It definitely depends on what YOU want to do but Sitka will have a more varied amount of things to do, places to eat, places to shop. As soon as we got off the ship we went to the taxi line and grabbed the first one we came to for a 10 minute ride to the airport. We rented a car for the day, which was nice. Our first stop was to go all the way out (10 miles?) to the Fortress of the Bear - interesting what they do with the bears and there are PLENTY of Bald Eagles hanging around so close you could almost touch them. (literally!) On the way back we stopped at the Raptor Center which we enjoyed - they have a large rain forest walking path that's pretty special too. Afterwards we parked at the large (relatively speaking) lot downtown (free) and walked around, had lunch, saw the cathedral, the Russian Bishops House, etc. (We ate at a food truck called ASHMO'S parked about a block from the cathedral - VERY GOOD FOOD!) We had enough time left over that we stopped by the large grocery store for a few things, investigated the neighborhoods a little bit (I was scoping out a retirement location...) and had plenty of time to get the car back to the airport and another cab ride to the ship. (We tied up at the old Sitka dock a few miles out of town.) They had comp buses that would shuttle one back and forth to town but we wanted a little freedom to look around. Sitka was a completely cool small town.

 

Good luck!

 

(I am an eater... :D We had the Salmon Mac & Cheese, Fish & Chips and Tacos. I saw some of the Black Cod Tips walk by and they looked fantastic...)

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2016 by SuperCrewBear

[shadowmeboy]

I was on a cruise that stopped both in Icy Strait and Sitka. I enjoyed both but for different reasons. I would tend to lean towards Sitka. In my signature line are my port pictures from both, it was part of my larger cruise review but you can get an idea of both.

 

HTH

[Budget Queen]

Both are equally worthwhile to visit. YOU need to determine where YOUR interests are more. Take a detailed look at what each port is about, and what activities you want to include. Doesn't matter what anyone else prefers.

[TheCalicoCat]

I'm trying to decide on an Alaska itinerary and here's the difference. Of the dates I can go, two weeks have the same itinerary with the exception of one port date. One week visits Icy Strait Point while the other week goes to Sitka.

 

I've never been to Alaska and this a family trip for an active couple with three teens. From my initial research, it seems Sitka has more to see and do. But I wanted to get your opinions/ideas. Can you help me?

 

Andy

 

My cruise will visit both ports, but if I had to choose, I'd choose Sitka.

[zqvol]

IMO it is not even a close decision, Sitka is the must see location.

[SightCRR]

Make sure to check in port times that each has and that you will have time to do what you want.

Then do a youtube search for Hoonah Zip Rider. Several say world's largest zip but it isn't now but was at one time. Our pre-teens had a great time. 45 min ride up with 90 second ride down. I think in afternoon is better if the weather is cloudy/foggy. We didn't find much for teens to do in Sitka but did have a nice trip on HAL's Great Alaska Adventure including boat across harbor, hike in woods, boats on small lake, one bear at 500 yds and back to ship.

sightcrr

[CruisinCandy]

Thanks all for your replies. We did see the zip line at ISP, however one of our kids doesn't weigh enough to go. We found a local kayak excursion at Sitka that everyone is interested in, so I think we are leaning toward Sitka. Plus after the excursion we can hit the town or see the bears or raptor on our own.

[sherryf]

(I am an eater... :D We had the Salmon Mac & Cheese, Fish & Chips and Tacos. I saw some of the Black Cod Tips walk by and they looked fantastic...)

 

 

The Black Cod Tips are delicious!