royal caribbean icy strait point excursions

Icy Strait Point, sometimes called Hoonah after the native people who live in this area and run the cruise port, is one popular stop on Alaska cruises but it can be hard to decipher the marketing language to know which excursions will be worth your time and money. They had a blast doing things there. Juneau's Premier Whale Watching! Icy Strait Point was a nice place to spend a few hours. While you are here, you can even take a tour aboard a traditional hand-carved Tlingit dugout canoe! Yes is does have substantial tourist oriented shopping, and the main attraction the Ziprider. We just rode the Dragon's Breath zipline in November so we aren't leaning towards the zipline. In the unlikely event we do cancel the tour, we will provide you with a full refund. Josh has captained in this area for many years and knows the area well! Typically a short-sleeve and long-sleeve mid layer and a waterproof jacket, long pants and sturdy shoes you dont mind getting wet. Skip the hassle of a rental car and admire views during the bus journey to the glacier. That being said, if you call and book you will save the 6% fee the booking platform we use charges. Get ready for fjords, majestic mountains, vast forests, potential animal sightings, and an experience you will never forget! Is our tour still on? Very small place with lovely scenery but limited activities. . Love your blog. Seeing whales on your tour is guaranteed. Required fields are marked *. Our dedicated staff (85% of which call Hoonah home) is committed to providing a one-of-a-kind experience for every guest that is infused with our local Native culture and hospitality. Departs From The Tlingit people have lived in Southeast Alaska for many centuries in what is now Glacier Bay National Park. Icy Strait is home to a wide array of wildlife, including orcas, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, porpoise, and the majestic humpback whale. - More time on the water! My husband and I were excited to take the sky glider up to the top so we could do the Alice Lake trail 1.5 mile hike to hidden lake. Reserve your dining now. Hike red cedar forest trails, relax beachside, take a horse-drawn carriage ride, or view the Brockton Point totem poles. I mean, you can zip-line in many ports around the world, so is it any surprise that theres an epic zip-lining experience in Alaska? Your previous content has been restored. Bear Viewing on Chicagof Island 3. For critter enthusiasts, there is really no need to book a whale watching tour as youll be able to spot humpbacks, orcas, and harbor seals directly from your cruise ship, especially in the wee hours. Opened a decade ago by the Huna Tlingit Native Alaskans, it's easily one of the best spots in the region for fishing and whale watching. We did the Spasski River Wildlife and Bear tour. Guests must be able to climb in and out of a 15 passenger van. However, for those of you who are thinking about taking a vacation, The Icy Strait Point is the divider between mainland Alaska in the north and the Chichagof Island in the south. This is a small group tour that provides you the opportunity to get up close and personal with nature! Dive into Native Alaska culture at a tribal dance show or pay a visit to Hoonah, Alaska's largest Tlingit village. We are a family-run company based right here in Hoonah. You soon will be where you can sight humpbacks, Orcas, sea otters, sea lions, porpoises and seals, all attracted to the nutrient-rich waters of Glacier Bay. This is the most popular year in Alaska ever, so it doesnt surprise me that things are sold out. Hoonay is the first stop of our cruise. (That means each excursion gets its own number, no ties), I gave each excursion a boost or deduction for being a good value based on the. The home of Icy Strait Point Excursions. Who Offers This Icy Strait Point Cruise Excursion? And don't worry, a safe, brake-activated landing awaits at Icy Strait Point. Finally, I added up the metrics to come up with a final score. RSSC-Regent, Royal Caribbean International. Description (Courtesy of IMDb ): "After surviving the destruction of Isla Nubla, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing took in young Maisie Lockwood. If you want to see whales in Juneau, please check out Harv and Marvs. Yaakw Kahidi Cultural Center Check out our list of the the best things to do in Icy Strait Point for more ideas! Along the rugged coastline, you can spot humpback whales, brown bears, otters, seals, eagles. Our wilderness tour will take you to Chichagof Island, where the population of brown bears per square mile is the highest of any place on Earth. Alaska-Sized Adventure With over 30 exciting tours, a restored 1912 salmon cannery and museum, nature trails, and even a beach! Drive old logging roads to a picnic spot. I was born on the East Coast and currently live in the Midwest but my heart will always be out West. Top Things to Do in Icy Strait Point Meet a Local Favorite, Freddy, the Humpback Whale From their connection to nature to their tribal dance, the spirit of their people is something to behold. Wow, we will be cruising with a celebrity. Retired after 10 years as a college professor to focus full-time on her primary research interest: travel. Read more in my Privacy Policy. We offer the lowest rates in Hoonah! Unfortunately, only one cruise company offers it which handicapped it in the rankings for 2023. Royal Caribbean Group. What to expect when you get there - Amy will meet up with you at your pre-arranged meeting point (we were off a cruise ship, so Icy Straight Point excursion hub for us). This salmon cannery was shut down in the 1970s and now is clean and remodeled with a free museum, beautiful gift shops and a display of the salmon processing equipment. The bicycle is designed specifically for rugged terrain, so you can maximize the experience with the least amount of effort. Im grateful Johan allowed me to paint him in his regalia as the dance was incredibly inspiring and definitely worth the short walk through the shops. This is the real Alaska! The full cancellation policy can be found here. When Maisie goes missing, Owen and Claire set out to find her, and eventually . The view is pretty nice but not warrant the ticket price. Our small group experiences offer a unique and thrilling memory of the pristine natural beauty around Icy Strait, Alaska. Even waking up to warm, sunny skies can turn cool and rainy. That said, its not exactly unique to encounter these kinds of excursions, so it doesnt rank particularly high on my personal list of the best Icy Strait Point cruise excursions. Everything was close together and easy. From land to sea to sky, envelop yourself in the natural beauty of Alaska, and get close (but not too close) and personal with the wildlife, and the locals! . Opened a decade ago by the Huna Tlingit Native Alaskans, its easily one of the best spots in the region for fishing and whale watching. View All Cruises, We're having trouble retrieving these cruises. Only Seabourn offers this one. Located about 35 miles west of Juneau, this area offers some great nature and adventure opportunities as well as rich Tlingit heritage. We keep our groups small, so we can take you off the beaten path, where the locals go. Was thinking the adventure park and zipline would be fun but cant find it. Icy Strait Point is a cruise destination located in the small Alaskan village of Hoonah. I looked at the number of cruise companies offering that excursion in 2022. While in Icy Strait, we also give you the chance to enjoy some incredible and famous Icy Strait seafood. Youll find plenty of authentic Alaska gifts just a quick stroll from the dock at the historic Cannery Shops. This is your chance to see brown bears, Sitka black tail deer and other wildlife up close in the natural scenic beauty of the last frontier. . Has anyone booked the whale watching excursion in Icy Strait Point through the ship (Radiance of the Sea)? Unless you are going to ride the Zip Line, save your money and just walk around the small tourist town. In Icy Strait Point, this new excursion which includes both biking and hiking before beachcombing does the trick. The old cannery is now home to a museum, restaurants, and locally owned arts and crafts shops. On this 2- to 3-hour excursion, youll board a helicopter, cruise up to the top of the mountain, unload your bikes, and ride back down. Climb onboard a wheeled training cart and relax as your team of Alaskan huskies take you on a 1.5-mile journey through the rainforest! Nicolas LaBarre Owned by Huna Totem Corporation, Icy Strait Point is located 35 miles west of Juneau in Hoonah, Alaska on the Chichagof Island. View below tower 6. . Our tours have been providing exceptional customer service for over a decade now. We've analyzed this ship's atmosphere, facilities, activities, cabins, cuisine and service, based on ratings from U.S. News & World Report and other expert sources. We receive a constant stream of updates on the cruise ships timetables. Come experience the birds and nature of Chichagof Island, near Icy Strait Point! Glacier garden hours are 9:00 to 6:00 everyday our first tour is it 9:15 our last tour leaves at 4:00 p.m. Glacier Gardens rainforest adventure is a guided tour through the Tongass Forest on 18 passenger trams. This is truly an experience for the books, and cameras. Watch members of the Huna Tlingit Dancers troupe tell the story of their tribal heritage through song and dance at the Native Heritage Center Theater. I want to get the most out of Alaska but excursions over $400 per person are out of the picture. Website Season:$180 per person3.5 hrs. Does this also mean that THE Twangsterwill be on the May 13, 2019 sailing? The buildings that once was a cannery provided a very nice historical perspective of how it really use to be. I'm a newbie to Cruise Critic. I now know August is the peak of the rainy season. Carnival, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess, Regent, and Royal Caribbean. Whale Watching in Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska. Wind along back roads in search of wildlife, including bald eagles, brown bears, and Sitka black-tailed deer, and enjoy spectacular views of the natural beauty that surrounds you along the way. The boat was much smaller than the typical whale watching boats (6 people!) This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Chichagof Island's Spasski River Valley is equally renowned for having one of the highest densities of coastal brown bears anywhere. View All Alaska Cruise Lines; . However there is so much more. Take in the views on the bus ride to the top, then race to the bottom on the zip line at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, 300 feet above the forest! Dive into Native Alaska culture at a tribal dance show or pay a visit to Hoonah, Alaskas largest Tlingit village. There may be 3rd party options you can explore directly. Would love the wildlife search! Your personal view of the whales is not repaced with drones; just supplemented! There is a high demand for the CareCart which often presents you with a delay to meeting at the prescribed time. Shore Excursions Group takes you on a journey in the Icy Strait to see the bears, fish, bald eagles, and whales that call Icy Strait home. The island is roughly 25 miles from the port town of Hoonah. Look for jewellery made from fine gold nuggets, handcrafted objects and warm winter fashions. Its always an honor to share the backyard beauty in our mist-shrouded rainforest and our coastal city, steeped in history and Native Southeast Alaska culture alike. Display as a link instead, I spent three summers working for one of the major cruise companies, and during that time I had to make recommendations for excursions for thousands of Alaska cruisers. Nestled among those trinket shops you will find authentic local art, jewelry, and even hand-carved headdresses such as the one Johan is wearing here. About Prof. Cruise. We currently offer excursions for saltwater fishing, whale watching and marine nature tours in the waters of Icy Strait, long renowned for it's abundance of marine wildlife and excellent . I hope you properly set expectations very low or else you may very well be disappointed. Approaching the lattice tower. ISP is small and I would have no issues with straying from an RCL excursion at this port. While we love delivering stunning target birds like Varied Thrushes, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Bald Eagles, and Stellers Jays, we arent just about birds on this tour. We want your port call in Hoonah, and our Icy Strait Point excursions, to be the highlight of your Alaskan cruise. It's operated by a native corporation but the charter of ISP dictates only one ship at a time. For each excursion, I list which cruise companies offer that one so you can see whether your cruise is on the list. The majority of us, when we think of Alaska, probably picture a big area covered in ice, frozen land, and maybe even caribou running free across the tundra. The ticket agent for the sky glider was the one that advised us about the hike. If you book the Icy Strait Exclusive Wildlife and Bear Search Tour through Alaska Shore Excursions, you'll receive an e-mailed ticket along with detailed meeting directions as seen below: Be sure to print it out and bring it along with your other cruise documents. In that sense it's easy to get to because it's only a few miles from the ship. We also invite you to learn about one of Icy Strait's native peoples, the Huna Tlingit, and the town of Hoonah. 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A convenient meeting time and place. Given name Sarah, but also answers to Prof. Cruise. Thanks for reading, Helen! Norwegian Communications Center. Our Alaska cruises are your ticket to adventure amidst the Great Land's glaciers, wildlife and national parks. We rarely cancel on our guests as the weather is typically pretty stable. Icy Strait Point is a new cruise port option with new dock, new facilities, and great signage for the limited options here in the land of the Hoonah Tlingit people. We are constantly evaluating ourselves, innovating, and improving to ensure that every customer gets an amazing experience from the first contact to the last touch. My wife and I have booked an August 2012 southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver on the RC Radiance of the Seas. It was one of the stops that sold me on this May 13 cruise since it's absent on Royal's Seattle based cruises. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. We did an independent whale watching tour in ISP and it was amazing. Our fishing shore excursions are offered in Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka. As a tourist, you have a lot to do at Icy Strait, thanks to Alaskas rich history, wildlife, and native, The Icy Strait Point in Alaska is a hub for tourists because of the various activities that they can be a part of during their tours.