Icy Strait Point Cruise Port
Many people on my cruise were extremely disappointed when Skagway was replaced with Icy Strait Point.
I would say Icy Strait was not very well thought of from what I had heard about it. It’s a small port in a small town. Having now been there, I can say it was one of my favorite ports of the cruise. Actually, I don’t think any of the Alaska ports were bad. I’m sure Skagway would’ve been great. But I found a lot to like about Icy Strait Point.
In this article I’m going to cover excursions, restaurants, bars, transportation to town, and all of the things you can do for free at the Icy Strait Point cruise port.
Icy Strait Point was originally built in 1912 as a salmon cannery. It operated as a cannery until 1953. It was then used as a storage facility until the 1990’s when it was changed into a cruise port.
Excursions
The first thing you see when you get off of the ship is a sign directing you to all of the tour meeting locations. I was on a whale watching tour which left from the same pier as the ship. I think I’m going to show you that you don’t necessarily need to book an expensive excursion in Icy Strait Point.
This is the Adventure Center which is directly across the bridge from the ship. Most of the non-whale watching excursions meet in the Adventure Center.
When you walk in the adventure center they have a desk where you can book your unlimited Sky Glider pass for $50/day or other last minute excursions
Here is a look at the excursions that were leaving from the Adventure Center when I was there.
This is the ZipRider. It’s a 1,300 foot high zip line that takes up to six people at a time to the bottom at 60 miles per hour. I believe you need to book it as an excursion with the cruise line.
This is the Kayak Center where your Icy Strait Point Kayak Adventure tour would leave from.
At the far end of the property is this ticket booth. This is where you can get a round trip ticket to town on the shuttle you see in the background.
When I was looking for dinner I asked these people if I should buy a ticket to town or eat in the port. Instead of selling me a ticket they were honest and told me to stay at the port and get halibut pizza at Duck Point Smokehouse. It was great and I appreciate the recommendation.
Restaurants
Mug Up Coffee
Let’s start off with the first place you come to and the first thing you want in the morning. Mug Up Coffee shop is in the Adventure Center.
Here is a look at the Mug Up menu.
Lil Gem’s Mini Donuts
Sticking with the breakfast theme, you have to walk to the far end of the port to try Lil Gem’s mini donuts. When I came through here they had an internet outage and closed the window so I didn’t get to see or try any of their donuts.
I did get a shot of their menu before they closed up. It is quite extensive for such a small shop.
Duck Point Smokehouse
Duck Point Smokehouse is where I ate both lunch and dinner in Icy Strait Point. This is where you want to go for burgers, pizza, salmon, and bar snacks.
When you come out of the Adventure Center you will find yourself at the entrance to Duck Point Smokehouse.
You can sit inside or outside. I sat outside for lunch and inside for dinner. From here you can watch Eric the Eagle.
This is the Salmon I had for lunch.
This is the halibut pizza I had for dinner. I think all of their pizzas are probably good but this one was especially good.
Here is a look at the Duck Point menus.
Seafood Feast
In the middle of the port area is an outdoor dining venue called Seafood Feast. This is where you would go if you want oysters.
Cookhouse Restaurant
Down a little further is the Cookhouse Restaurant. This venue was closed the entire day I was there. The website seems to indicate it’s open so maybe it was just closed that day. Many people still took advantage of their outdoor seating.
Myself included.
The Crab House
As you probably guessed, this is where you would go if you want to eat some crab.
Their kitchen opens at 10am. I got there just a touch before that.
Here is a look at the Crab House menu. The bartender here was from New Orleans. I have to wonder if that’s how the chicken jambalaya ended up on their menu.
I didn’t eat at The Crab House but I did get a look a someone else’s crabs.
Bars
Duck Point Bar
As you would imagine Duck Point Bar is right next to the Duck Point Smokehouse. I spent a lot of time in this general area.
This is the side angle of the bar. You can’t see the taps very well.
When I moved to the front I had a much better view.
They have a good selection of local beers here which is great for me. If you just want to drink Miller Lite every where you go, you’re going to hate this cruise.
This is the Alaskan Amber.
This is the Kassiks Oatmeal Stout.
I didn’t like that the bartender reused my cup that had the Amber in it for the Oatmeal Stout so I put the cup where he couldn’t see it when I ordered a red ale.
This is the Cannery Red Ale in a fresh cup.
They have a walkup line that the bartender took care of before closing me out. If you are going to have to leave in a hurry, don’t run a tab.
The Crab House Bar
The Crab House Bar is in the Crab House Restaurant. This is where I was sitting when the people next to me had crabs. At the bar I was looking for local beers I didn’t have at Duck Point.
I started off with a blueberry beer.
Alaskan Summer Ale was one I sampled and ended up buying. They allowed a lot of sampling here. I think some just took a bunch of free samples and left.
Free Activities
One thing that surprised me about Icy Strait Point is how much you can actually do here without spending any money.
Tribal Dance
This is a free show. They had three of them while I was there 12:30, 2, and 3:30. The only one I could make was the 12:30 because I had an excursion that conflicted with the other two. And I missed the 12:30 because the bartender at Duck Point took care of his entire walkup line before closing out my check. It says to get there 15 minutes early and they mean that. They lock the doors during the show.
The 12:30 show let out at 12:50. Here is a look inside.
Transporter
You can sit by the fire in front of Duck Point or take the free transporter to the other side of the port.
Nature Trail
I didn’t get a picture of it but there’s a nature trail on the other side of the transporter.
Walk on the Beach
It’s not exactly a sandy beach but they do have a beach here at Icy Strait Point.
Watch Eric the Eagle
You don’t have to book an excursion to see eagles here. Eric the Eagle lives right where the cruise ship docks.
Watch Fred the Whale
You don’t have to book an excursion to watch whales either. I took this picture of Fred the Whale while sitting at the Duck Point Bar. I was sitting at the bar, not Fred.
Pet the local wildlife
There are a couple of friendly cats hanging around the port area. There are a couple of private residences. It’s very possible the cats belong to the people who live there.
Cannery Museum
Icy Strait Point is where the first Hoonah Packing Company cannery was located from 1912-1953. For no charge you can go through the museum and see all of the old equipment that was used to can salmon. I went through it backwards.
Shopping
There are a lot of shops in the port area starting out with this small one in the adventure center. There is a large shopping area in the middle of the port a gift shop on the other side of the transporter.
Without spending any money you can sit by the Duck Point Bar & Smokehouse and watch whales and eagles. You can walk on the beach. You can visit the canary museum and walk through stores. You can watch the native show. And you can take the transporter over the the other retail store and nature trail.
For just five dollars you can have a round trip shuttle ticket to town.
You could easily fill the entire day at Icy Strait Point without spending any money if you wanted to.
