Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)

[jskinsd]

1 hour ago, Budget Queen said:

Superior can be independent bear watches because the ship tour routes are fixed.  Lining up at the platform with a bus load of people-isn’t ideal.   I’ve gone all over with an independent covering more potential sighting areas.   Plus never more than 6 people.   

Remember the bubble net feeding off the back of the ship in Hoonah while we were docked.  What an itinerary.  People paying hundreds of dollars and the cruisers eating at the outdoor cafe got a freebee. 

Hoonah is the only place that if you are patient, nature will come to you.

[Sea saw 56]

5 hours ago, jskinsd said:

Hope to see you there next year.  If you want Alaska then Hoonah is a must stop.  To bad that it is usually the first port traveling south and most cruisers are confused about the lack of commercializing.  Where are all the shops?  There are none.  Natures wonderland at your fingertips.

Actually, the tour we took did go to Hoonah.  We took a bus, visited a place where they made totem poles, walked around the little marina, went into a cafe, just walked around the little town and didn't find many places open that day.

[jskinsd]

27 minutes ago, Sea saw 56 said:

Actually, the tour we took did go to Hoonah.  We took a bus, visited a place where they made totem poles, walked around the little marina, went into a cafe, just walked around the little town and didn't find many places open that day.

That is Hoonah.  It is all about Mother Nature.

[lambs2]

6 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Yes had  been around for years but also does disappear. And no guarantee he’ll be around.   I haven’t seen him on several trips including none of 2 trips I did this year.  How did you identify him?   

Freddy was VERY active on our early May HAL Westersterdam sailing!!

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, jskinsd said:

Are you saying that this person got pictures of a bear and whales and then says there is nothing there.  What a complainer.  I bet any cruiser would welcome those pictures if they had taken them.  But not this person☹️

I did not say there was nothing there. We cruise Alaska every year and have been on a lot of different whale watching and bear watching excursions. And we were disappointed with our August trip to Icy Strait. For example, we stood for about 45 minutes on 3 different platforms watching the grass grow. As we were walking back to the bus, one of the trailing guides called the group back to see a bear in the far distance. Since it was "time to go" we got a few minutes to try and see the bear in the distance. With a 30x optical zoom and further cropping to enlarge the picture, I did post a fuzzy bear picture. Compared to other bear watching trips, the experience was a lot less than expected. Yes, I understand nature and that can be hit and miss. We missed. And no, I don't think that any cruiser would welcome paying a lot of money to get a faint glimpse of a bear in the distance on a bear watching excursion. 

[jskinsd]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I did not say there was nothing there. We cruise Alaska every year and have been on a lot of different whale watching and bear watching excursions. And we were disappointed with our August trip to Icy Strait. For example, we stood for about 45 minutes on 3 different platforms watching the grass grow. As we were walking back to the bus, one of the trailing guides called the group back to see a bear in the far distance. Since it was "time to go" we got a few minutes to try and see the bear in the distance. With a 30x optical zoom and further cropping to enlarge the picture, I did post a fuzzy bear picture. Compared to other bear watching trips, the experience was a lot less than expected. Yes, I understand nature and that can be hit and miss. We missed. And no, I don't think that any cruiser would welcome paying a lot of money to get a faint glimpse of a bear in the distance on a bear watching excursion. 

Opps.  My bad.    NOT!!!