Icy Strait Warehouse Shops Hours of Operation

[quack2]

Does anyone know if the Warehouse Shops at Icy Strait stay open past 5:00 p.m. when there is a ship in town?

[Northern Aurora]

My recollection is that the shops in the old cannery structure do stay open as long as there is a ship docked.  But the last time I was there was in September, 2021 on one of the limited cruises which were allowed due to the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act legislation.

[quack2]

I love the whale watching in Icy Strait/Hoonah.  I also like the food, shops and exhibits in the area.  What I don't like is their apparent limited operating hours when ships are in town. 

 

You can't just roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. when some ships don't even arrive until 6 p.m. and several others stay until 11 p.m.  I love the port, but it could be so much better if they stayed open later for their customers willing to drop some revenue onshore.

[wolfie11]

2 hours ago, quack2 said:

I love the whale watching in Icy Strait/Hoonah.  I also like the food, shops and exhibits in the area.  What I don't like is their apparent limited operating hours when ships are in town. 

 

You can't just roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. when some ships don't even arrive until 6 p.m. and several others stay until 11 p.m.  I love the port, but it could be so much better if they stayed open later for their customers willing to drop some revenue onshore.

Since almost all their employees are local and probably in fairly short supply, their hours are designed to maximize peak passenger times.  It’s hard to talk locals into working 60 hour weeks when they have to cook dinner, take care of kids, tend salmon nets, pick berries, hunt seals and deer, and all the other activities that make up a subsistence lifestyle in an Alaskan summer.

[quack2]

4 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Since almost all their employees are local and probably in fairly short supply, their hours are designed to maximize peak passenger times.  It’s hard to talk locals into working 60 hour weeks when they have to cook dinner, take care of kids, tend salmon nets, pick berries, hunt seals and deer, and all the other activities that make up a subsistence lifestyle in an Alaskan summer.

But . . . if they want the port to succeed . . .

[Northern Aurora]

4 hours ago, quack2 said:

But . . . if they want the port to succeed . . .

 

Why did you ask the question?  When we have been there, most recently in 2021 (not in 2022), the shops were open.  And as far as I know the Huna Totem investment is successful, hence the recent expansion.  The expansion reflects a significant amount of investment.  Why do you speculate that ISP is not successful?

[quack2]

6 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

Why did you ask the question?  When we have been there, most recently in 2021 (not in 2022), the shops were open.  And as far as I know the Huna Totem investment is successful, hence the recent expansion.  The expansion reflects a significant amount of investment.  Why do you speculate that ISP is not successful?

According to the official Icy Strait website, the shops close at 5 p.m.  Many of the visiting cruise ships arrive later in the day than in other ports; some, like the Eurodam, arrive don't arrive until 6 p.m.  Many departure times tend to be between 8-10 p.m.  My point is that by closing at 5 p.m., ISP is missing out on serving many of its arriving cruise passengers, especially those who are doing an excursion while in ISP.

 

https://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ISP-Icy-Strait-Point-2023-1.pdf

 

I have no idea how ISP is doing financially or otherwise.  Like I said in original post, I really like this port.  The whale watching is the best in Alaska (IMO), it has a beautiful natural setting, it's not overrun by tacky shops like other ports.   I just wish it didn't close down so early.

[Ferry_Watcher]

11 hours ago, quack2 said:

But . . . if they want the port to succeed . . .

 

The port is doing just fine.

Please remember that there were probably a couple of ships already there earlier in the day, and as the other posters mentioned, the staff available to work at ISP is limited.

It is such a beautiful location, that just walking along the beach and watching for whales from the shore would be a nice way to enjoy your time there.

[quack2]

3 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

The port is doing just fine.

Please remember that there were probably a couple of ships already there earlier in the day, and as the other posters mentioned, the staff available to work at ISP is limited.

It is such a beautiful location, that just walking along the beach and watching for whales from the shore would be a nice way to enjoy your time there.

I've been to ISP probably five times.  I was just making an observation about the odd mismatch between the times ships are in port and the closing times of the retail part of the operation.

[AKStafford]

Why not just call them: (907) 789-8600 ?