I'm not surprised to see they have a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating on Yelp…read more I'll add five more stars to it! This trip was amazing, one of the best highlights of the cruise. The crew is so passionate and well informed about all of the wildlife (whales, bears, eagles, etc - we saw them all). It was almost a spiritual event. Couldn't recommend enough!

We booked this whale watching though our cruise ship and it did not disappoint…read more The crew was amazing. Gave such great information. We saw humpback whales, Stellar Sea Lions, porpoises, harbor seals and even a couple of bears! It was a great day out on the water in Icy Strait Point!

The whale watching tour was amazing! We go to see about 13 whales bubble net feeding, it was…read moreunbelievable. We also saw several otters and sea lions. Captain Denise was knowledgeable and thoughtful in sharing information about Hoonah. Annalisa, the naturalist on board, was very knowledgeable about the whales. We learned a lot! The boat was clean and comfortable. Our 5 year old and 7 year old loved this tour.

Somehow, I managed to book the wrong tour. I thought this was a walking/hiking tour to look for…read morebears, but it turned out to be a three-hour drive in a van with limited space, windows that did not open, and was either too hot for some or too cold for others. The driver/tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, at best, some of us saw the rear end of a bear running off the road into the bush. The rest of us saw nothing. There were some eagles at a distance and a buck far, far away. We stopped several times and spoke to other van drivers, and it seemed like sightings that day were very infrequent. While it's not anyone's responsibility (tour company or cruise line), it would be helpful to guest comfort if we were reminded to bring bug spray with us when leaving the ship. After we took the tram to the waiting area, everyone was eaten alive while waiting for their next mode of transportation.

My family and I went whale watching with Hoonah Matata on 7/29 and we had a wonderful experience…read more Captain Jaromy knew just where to go to find a bunch of humpback whales that we're all around us the entire afternoon. The vessel is fast, brand new, and provides a much more nimble and private experience than you get on the larger boat tours my extended family went on. We even got to see a bunch of bald eagles fishing as we watched the whales. If you want an intimate whale watching tour with a knowledgeable and friendly crew, Hoonah Matata is the way to go.

Absolutely recommend doing your whale watching tour with Catch of the Day!…read more They take smaller groups which allows you to get some really great photos and to chat with the knowledgeable crew about the area. We got to follow a humpback right away and also saw some bears on the shore which gave us bragging rights when we got back. Plus they pick you up in a LIMO! What a fun extra touch. I get sea sick very easily on smaller boats and I didn't have any problems on this ride. Thanks so much to the Catch of the Day team for such a memorable experience!

This was such a great trip! We saw a humpback within minutes of leaving the harbor. Then they…read moregot word in a pod of Orcas so we went there. We stayed for quite a while and had orcas surfacing all around and very close to the boat. On the way back we passed a group of sea otters, were successful on a bear hunt and a huge bald eagle. Great trip. Great crew!

The weather was great and we were able to take the red gondolas to try the salmon hotdog, take hike…read moreand enjoy the views. We also took the free green gondolas to explore the town (Hoonah Cannery). I tried the salmon hotdog and it was a unique taste. It stayed with me for the entire day and the next. This is a food I tried once and that is enough for me but definitely an experience to say you tried salmon or reindeer hotdogs.

Icy Strait Point is located in the town of Hoonah on Chichagof Island. where one's Alaska adventure…read moretruly begins. From walking the halls of a century-old salmon cannery to soaring over thick forest on the world's largest zip rider, every experience is steeped in the natural beauty and deep stories of this place. This is the most "natural" port of call on our day 3 and the only private cruise ship destination in Alaska owned by the local tribes. Our excursion consisted of a red gondola for up to six people to the top of the mountain; one would see the bay, mountains, cruise lines, and wonderful, amazing views. One can hike to a hidden lake and a cave. It can also be a good location to see bald eagles and a nest. The green gondola is free and transports one to the Cannery. It is very well designed and blends in with the landscape. Inside there are some very well-laid-out and spacious shops, together with an interesting museum. What's missing? High priced jewelry stores and a slew of trinket shops. Great place for adventure activities!

THIS IS THE TOUR TO TAKE! LOCALLY owned and operated! They…read moreare natives and know the land in and out and where to go and not to go. They know the history in depth, they grew up here! We had the most amazing time and my kids have been non stop talking about the whole experience. They took use to get local berries, we saw grizzlies and the most amazing views. They are the nicest couple and I wish they lived closer so we could have them over for dinner. You don't find people like them anymore. If you are going to spend money on a tour, look no further, please, this is the one! 10/10 ! We will be back and we will do it again!

This was the absolute most amazing excursion we did while on our Alaskan cruise. John and Marilyn…read moreare natives of the island and could not have been more knowledgeable about where to go and what to look for. They are true EXPERTS of Hoonah. They gave us so much information during the excursion that we left with not only seeing multiple bears, it also with so much new knowledge about Alaska, their culture, the wildlife, the history of the land, and everything in between. They brought us to eat wild berries, took our pictures, and most important put on the bears! We felt 100% safe with them. My one animal I wanted to see was Bear and they made sure we did it! They went above and beyond and I could go on forever.

This was a great tour. There were a variety of birds and other wildlife seen. We saw a lot of…read moreEagles. The guide was knowledgeable about the birds a other wildlife. I recommend this tour.

Booked this tour through my cruise line and I'm so glad I did. I had an amazing day with Amy. She…read moreis extremely knowledgeable about all the birds that are native to Alaska. We saw so many beautiful birds. Her passenger van was extremely clean and she had water & snacks for us. She even has a spotting scope to get a really great view of birds far away. Would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who loves nature & birds.

This Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is not a standalone building. It's actually situated…read moreon the 2nd Floor of the Glacier Bay Lodge. What confused me about this VC was that... When I was researching coming to Glacier Bay, I knew I was only going to be here on a quick 48 hour getaway. And...since I wasn't staying at The Lodge and only here for the All Day Boat Tour...I wanted to make sure I had enough time to come check out the Visitor Center. It's mentioned on Google and the NPS website that the VC is only open from 11am - 1pm, daily. But...the Gift Shop area inside The Lodge is open from 6am - 10pm daily. And...it's at the Gift Shop where you can purchase park souvenirs. In my head...I was just perplexed as to why the Glacier Bay VC would only be open for 2 hours a day...from 11am - 1pm? I don't get it...and I have visited a lot of National Parks. Well...now after spending my weekend in Glacier Bay, I can reveal what the 11am - 1pm hours were all about... This only means that a Park Ranger will be present at the VC from 11am - 1pm. So...if you're interested in speaking with a ranger or have any questions/concerns, that's the time to come. What I also noticed outside of 11am - 1pm was that... The shelves and on-site displays are locked up too. So, you're not able to read about some of the histories on Glacier Bay. But for me...that was okay. I just wanted to know that I could purchase some keepsakes from my time here and have my Parks Passport stamped. Otherwise...nothing else mattered. A side note... On the Glacier Bay Boat Cruise, there was a Park Ranger onboard for the 8 hour tour, and he had with him a Parks Passport stamp pad. Also, inside the Visitor Center while outside the hours of 11am - 1pm, the stamp pad was left out for the day, which was nice of the NPS to do. And...anytime you wanted to head up to the 2nd floor, there were tons of extra Park Pamphlets to take as well as Park Guide Booklets. Again, a nice gesture. Then...back downstairs on the 1st floor near the entrance was the Glacier Bay Gift Shop. Though, I found the options for purchasing little gifts and knickknacks such as magnets, keychains and postcards to be minimal. I only a bought a few items despite desperately searching for more...there really just wasn't much. And the Gift Shop was small...it was hard to maneuver around when there were a few people shopping at the same time. I do wonder...during 11am - 1pm, if maybe the Park Rangers have more souvenirs to offer guests when they are present? But, overall, the Gift Shop was just okay. Another note I'd like to mention... There was no park film to watch at the VC. But...if you walk down to the Tlingit Hut...(which is located just outside The Lodge to the right hand side), there's a more broad/wide range film to view in terms of histories and backgrounds about Glacier Bay. I stopped by the Tlingit Hut and watched the film which was informative. Overall, this Glacier Bay Visitor Center was fine for being situated on the 2nd Floor inside The GB Lodge. I just wish there was more clarity about the opening hours. You can scare a lot of National Park Enthusiasts out there for only being open 2 hours day from 11am - 1pm, lol. And...the Gift Shop should showcase more options for purchase as well.

The Glacier Bay National Park Visitor Center is on the second floor of this building, where you can…read moreget your National Park passport stamp. Be warned, although you can walk around and look at the exhibits, there is not a ranger staffing the desk after 4 PM, and the National Park stamp is not left out. This is what happened to us. When we got to the hotel, the National Park Visitor Center portion was closed for the day so we were worried about not getting our National Park passport stamp after coming all this way. We walked a trail around the lodge and ended up catching the tail end of a presentation of the park rangers in the Xunaa Shuká Hít Huna tribal house, just past the Snow the Whale skeleton. The presentation began about 7 PM. In the morning, we dropped off our luggage at the front desk and had it tagged with the airline that we were flying back with. This is because checkout is before we'd be back from the official 8 hour boat tour through Glacier Bay with the actual park ranger (and the National Park passport stamp and Junior Ranger program.) After dropping off the luggage, we walked from the lodge down a trail to Bartlett Cove dock to visit Glacier Bay National Park. After the boat tour, it was a mad dash to get to the bus on time, as it leaves for Gustavus at 3:45 PM. All of our luggage was waiting for us on the bus. If you're staying at the lodge for one night and taking the boat tour, you'll need to check out this visitor center after hours, otherwise, you won't have time to see it and make it back to the bus on time.