Icy Strait Point Blog
Today we’re docking in Icy Strait Point. We went to bed early last night, and were up early this morning. We did some laps around the inside of the ship while we waited for the Seven Seas dining room to open. We were able to get another window seat with a view of the coast. I got a mushroom, spinach and cheese omelet and Ben had biscuits and gravy while we shared the french toast. We still had time after breakfast to do some laps around the ship before we docked in port. They’ll be letting us off the ship around 10:00. Today was a little bit different, we weren’t able to just walk off the ship like yesterday. Everyone was ready and waiting in line to get off, probably because it was 10:00 and not 7:00.
We got in line at just the right time and were still among the first few people off the ship. Our ship docked at the Wilderness Landing dock so we will need to either walk or take the gondola over to the main area. Our plan is to take the gondola over and walk back later this afternoon. Walking around Icy Strait Point before the crowds start in is highly recommended. We walked around the pier and through the cannery museum before we went to the meeting point for our excursion. Icy Strait Point is a cruise destination designed similarly to how cocoa kay is in the Bahamas. We waited for our shuttle to come pick us up at the excursion hub and took a 15 minute ride into Hoonah.
We boarded our whale watching boat, which had two seats on one side and four on the other. We opted for the four because some of our friends we met were on that side. We ended up regretting this choice because we weren’t able to get out of our seats quickly when we needed to. We stood outside for most of the tour though, and only had to stay inside when the boat was moving. We saw nearly a dozen whales and no less than 40 spouts. A few of the humpback whales were bubble feeding close to shore. Right before we began to head back to Hoonah we saw a whale breach right next to our boat. I was too slow with the camera but it was amazing to see in person. If you are ever in Hoonah, check out Huna Adventure Company.
The tour ended in Hoonah, and we opted to take the mile and a half walk back to Icy Strait Point. There isn’t much left for us to do here other than explore so we might as well take our time. We had a couple beers at Icy Strait Point Brewing Company then meandered back. There was a really cool rock formation on the beach inbetween ICP and Hoonah. I had read about Lil’ Gen’s donuts in my research of the area, and we got in line once we got back. It is located right outside the cannery and they serve dozens of different flavored mini donuts. We opted for maple and apple cider flavored.
Our afternoon in Icy Strait Point was wrapping up, and we began making our way back to the ship when we got lured into the Duck Point bar. It overlooks the water and there had been several whale sightings right from the porch. Taking the nature trail back to the Wilderness Landing dock gave us some extra time to see the natural landscapes of the forest around us.
We got back on the ship somewhere between lunch and dinner, and since it wasn’t late enough for dinner we headed for the buffet. We tried to sit in the hot tubs but pre-dinner and heat didn’t mix well. We did a couple laps on the jogging track as we port before we headed for our “official” dinner. The newlywed game show is tonight, and that is always my favorite one to watch. After that I imagine we will crash early again tonight.