Icy Strait Point is an Alaskan port we had never visited. We had heard that if you can only do one whale watching tour, then Icy Strait Point is the port to do that tour. Many cruisers will tell the tale of being able to see a whale even from the cruise ship. This whale is seen so frequently, he has acquired the moniker of Barry.
With an endorsement like that, non refundable OBC to burn, and nothing else in the other ports that really caught our eye, we booked a ship tour for our time in Icy Strait Point. This tour was called Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise, listed as a 2 1/2 hour excursion, and cost $199 per person.
Here is the tour description:
- Watch for humpback whales breaching the water's surface as they feed.
- Get a deeper understanding of whales and other marine creatures from the naturalist.
- Look for playful porpoises, sea lions, and harbor seals.
- Scan the sky for majestic bald eagles.
- Scour the shorelines for mammals such as bears and deer.
Watch humpback whales and other marine creatures cavorting in the nutrient-rich waters at Point Adolphus, one of Alaska's premier observation points. During the cruise, a naturalist will describe the diversity of animals that converge here each summer. They come primarily to feed in the waters that are extraordinarily rich in halibut, salmon, and plankton. Point Adolphus is noted for having the highest concentration of humpback whales in the Alaskan panhandle, so be on the lookout for these majestic and intelligent creatures. You can expect them to be breaching the water's surface, waving their flukes up and down as they dive, and feeding voraciously to fatten up for their winter migration south. You might also observe frolicking Dall's porpoises, stellar sea lions, curious harbor seals, and Orca whales. You may also see graceful bald eagles swooping down to grab fish in their talons, and perhaps even bears and deer in the surrounding wooded landscape.
Helpful Hints:
Wear warm layered clothing and flat comfortable shoes with non slip soles.
Bring waterproof outerwear if you expect to sit on the open-air observation deck.
Don't forget binoculars and a camera.
Please note:
This tour includes very limited walking although there are stairs to negotiate for those who wish to sit on the open-air observation deck. The tour is available to wheelchair guests who have a collapsible wheelchair and a companion to assist them. Those guests who are prone to seasickness should take appropriate pre-emptive measures before commencing the tour.
I have since heard from frequent Oceania Cruises passengers that Oceania has switched to having every excursion meet up on the pier. That may be different in the case of tender ports as most cruise lines will give the shore excursion guests priority on the first tenders going out that day. It seemed very disorganized with only one or two crew members standing outside on the pier holding a spreadsheet on a clipboard.This led to them being constantly questioned about where each tours' meeting spot was as passengers came off the ship. Most lines with excursions meeting on the pier will have someone holding up a sign for each tour so that you can scan the signs as you come off the ship and find your tour's specific place to gather. Much better than trying to push through the crowd and wait for the chance to ask the one crew member with a clipboard. Eventually, when it was close to our tour start time, our tour name was called and we were instructed to line up against the railing. After a long while standing in this line, we were then directed to descend the winding ramp in order to board our whale watching boat that had been parked next to the dock the entire time since we'd come off the ship.
The main level where you enter the boat had rows of two seats running along the perimeter of the room with some seat groupings in the middle and back that allowed for sitting at a table. There was coffee and snacks available for purchase. The windows were spacious enough that both the person sitting next to them and the person next to them could see out. There was an observation deck at the front of the boat as well as more of an open-air observation space for those who climbed the split staircase. If you chose to stay inside on the main level of the boat, you had no wind, no cold, and no water spray but you will if you venture out.
Customary "Nice aft!" shot during those rare moments when you get a view of the exterior of your ship.
Our water this day was relatively calm and the cloud cover gave everything a grey cast. You did need to hold on even moving around inside the boat as you felt it rocking under your feet.
The boat crew did a great job providing continuing commentary that could be heard no matter where on the boat you chose to be. One of them gave the tip that if you're using your phone to take pictures, set it instead to be taking video. A lot of the time you miss getting a picture of that split second whale appearance but you can review a video and create still pictures out of screenshots. This was one experience though where I really regretted not bringing my proper digital camera with the high zoom interchangeable lenses.
One thing that always frustrates about doing a large group ship tour is that you are competing with possibly 100 of your not so closest fellow passengers all trying to see and/or photograph that one gone in an instant moment. We had a fairly good view out the side windows and the front except that once we got moving, all we could see was the backs of about 25 people who crowded the front viewing platform. After one of the moments of high whale activity, I was chatting with one of the guides. He mimicked how it was while he would point out activity on the left side and 100 people all holding their phones out moving as a clump to the left. Then he mentioned seeing activity on the right side and the clump moved as one to the right. Whales popped up on the left again and the clump pivoted again. After a few minutes of watching everyone move like bobbleheads, he decided it was better not to mention the sides. The waves might not have triggered any seasickness but watching the masses outside try to follow the guide's spotting very well could.
Please enjoy this photo montage of the best shots I captured during the tour. We had a lot of humpback and orca whale activity as well as seeing two bears on the shoreline.
These pics turned out unBEARably blurry. Or maybe this bear has seen some things in the woods and now is in the bear version of the witness protection program.
After we returned from whale watching, we took the provided trolley for mobility assistance to get up the dock ramp into town. We rode the green gondola system to get back and forth. This gondola is free but I think the red gondola which takes you to things like the zipline and a mountaintop restaurant has a cost.
You get a nice view during the ride of all the adventure courses set amongst the trees. You can see out all sides of the gondola. It's a slow ride without much rocking but you may want to have your acrophobic friends sit in the middle with their eyes closed.
We even completed the shore excursion description and spotted a deer who came running out from one side of the woods to run across the grassy hill as we passed over them.
Once we stepped off the gondola, we walked to the end of the boardwalk area. There were a couple restaurants, lots of shops, and a campfire pit with adirondack chairs to sit around. I was surprised to see the small block of houses that were residents' private property interspersed among the boardwalk. Followed by the not surprising countless warnings from parents yelling at their kids to get out of that person's private flowerbeds. Followed immediately by the chorus of children's voices responding with "But why?!"
After browsing the shops and stopping occasionally to scan the water for signs of marine life, we rode the green gondola back to the ship.
