What did you do in Icy Strait Point?

[cruisehopeful]

I've been on a couple Alaskan cruises before. I have one next year that has a stop at Icy Strait Point (never been there before). Most reviews make it sound like a tourist trap stop. I don't have any issues with booking activities from vendors other than DCL. We're adults and most interested in wildlife. If you've been to this port, what did you do?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Whale watching is very popular -- Icy Strait Point is supposed to have lotsa whales. We saw a few, but when we got back to the ship there was a whale swimming right next to the ship -- up close and personal. Wonder what DCL paid to have the whale perform like that for us. We also went on a bear watching excursion. IIRC the two excursions were combined into one. To get to the bear-watching area we had to take a tour bus through town -- very poverty-stricken area which made it quite obvious why the locals were allowing the influx of tourists -- they badly needed the $$$$$. Some of the locals were rather hostile toward the tourists, but it's better than starving, I suppose.

 

[bcwife76]

We were there in 2019 on the Wonder and went whale watching. It was phenomenal! One of our best excursions to date.

 

[5Texans]

We went on a bear watching excursion. We didnt see any bears, but it was a lovely, easy walk. We had a lovely time walking along the shore looking at all the beautiful starfish. There is some shopping and a little museum there. It is touristy, but very picturesque.

 

[Dug720]

I took a locally owned and driven bus to see a big eagle's nest, then went back to the ship. I'm one who definitely sees it as a created tourist trap port that was built as a port specifically for cruise traffic. It felt created. It's one that would make me change to an itinerary that avoided it.

 

[Disnsyncey]

Definitely not a tourist trap stop, because it is a port stop specifically built through a partnership between the local tribe and the cruise lines. It is a wonderfully purpose built area for a low populated area. There are a lot of nature excursions, and as everyone knows, it is the best whale watching from all of the whale watching ports. We saw multiple whales, VERY close, and it seems like the area is "smaller" than the VAST expanse of the waters near Juneau so its easier to see them when they are active. The BEST meal I had on my two cruises was in Hoonah, the Fisherman's Daughter, their salmon tacos, and I enjoyed going to town and seeing the totem carvers and being in a "real" Alaskan town. I also found some of the best souvenirs there too.

Tourist traps are places who prey on tourists for more money and subpar experiences. Definitely not that.

 

[msmama]

We did Whale Watching and Bears and came up empty on the bears. It should've been bear season, but apparently some heavy rains were keeping the salmon from spawning quite yet. Still, it was a lovely walk through the woods. We picked berries and ate them straight from the bush.
It was also a good spot for souvenirs if that's your thing. We were the only ship there so it was significantly quieter than other stops (with a lot of the same stuff). Some of the stuff was the usual Alaska tourist stuff but one of the stories said all their proceeds went to the local school so I do think the locals benefit from the partnership of the town.
There was also a little shack that sold the best mini doughnuts with like dozens of different flavors.

 

[justafigment27]

Icy Strait Point was our favorite stop in July 2019!

We did a private whale watching excursion with Glacier Wind Charters. Our boat held 6 people and it was amazing. We saw lots of whales as well as sea lions and sea otters. The views from the boat were absolutely spectacular! Also, just having 6 people was so nice because we could easily see the whales breaching all around the boat.

We learned from the naturalist onboard the Wonder that you’re practically guaranteed to see whales at ISP because of its proximity to Point Adolphus.

After the whale watch we wandered the little nature trail and went down to the shore and checked out the shops and the history of salmon canning display.

I really can’t express how absolutely stunning the views from the water were. And watching the whales breach all around us was incredible - our boat was silent except for camera sounds - it was just incredible. We also had fabulous weather … it was 70-ish degrees with sunny skies.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Thank you for all the responses so far. I was able to find a YouTube video of the port and it looks beautiful. I also saw a few threads on Reddit about people looking for jobs there. It looks like a great place to support the locals, which is important to me.

 

[Disnsyncey]

We did Whale Watching and Bears and came up empty on the bears. It should've been bear season, but apparently some heavy rains were keeping the salmon from spawning quite yet. Still, it was a lovely walk through the woods. We picked berries and ate them straight from the bush.
It was also a good spot for souvenirs if that's your thing. We were the only ship there so it was significantly quieter than other stops (with a lot of the same stuff). Some of the stuff was the usual Alaska tourist stuff but one of the stories said all their proceeds went to the local school so I do think the locals benefit from the partnership of the town.
There was also a little shack that sold the best mini doughnuts with like dozens of different flavors.

oh yessssss forgot to mention the Salvation Army doughnuts!! So a lot of this port helps the local community!