Icy Strait (Hoonah) is being turned into a theme park. Plus the NCL exclusive dock is further from the cannery and town than the original dock. If you don't go on a nature excursion, probably not a lot of reason to get off the boat. ...
We took the whale watching excursion. We were extremely luck and found a group of 4-5 whales that we watched for an hour or so. The boat and the crew were excellent. ...
Only 2 restaurants on shore were open, we chose Crab House and it was expensive, chaotic and did not have any variety to the menu. Took the gondola ride up to the top and a tram tour which was short and uninformative. I had originally planned to stay on the ship and wish I had, we would have had a better chance of seeing whales from our balcony. ...
I am just guessing, but it seems that Icy straight, or things like it will become the Alaskan equivalent of the Caribbean cruise ship private island. Icy straight has a large gift shop as you land and there are some decent items in it, but take the gondola to the main area where the cannery is...many shops there. ...
I would never schedule a trip that goes back here. It is quite literally designed as a money suck stop for cruise passengers. Worse than the private islands in the Caribbean. ...
Docked for 11 hours, entire area is about 100 acres, no phone service, no internet. Way too long there and only 5 to 6 hours in Juneau and Ketchikan. Very poor itinerary stop. ...
Our second time to visit Icy Straight Point. Whale watching is the best excursion. If you have time, walk to the cannery. This port has the best whale watching opportunities. ...