08/03/2016
Icy Strait Point dock nearly ready
By Tom Stieghorst / March 07, 2016
The cruise port at Icy Strait Point in Alaska said a dock that has been in development for several years is nearly complete and will open with the cruise season in May.
Completion of the dock means cruise ships will no longer tender passengers as they have done sincy Ice Strait Point opened a dozen years ago. Instead, passengers will step off the ship onto a 400-foot floating dock, which will lead to a new Adventure Center and restaurant.
The 7,000-square-foot Adventure Center, located in front of the dock’s covered trestle, is a wood-beamed structure in the style of the Native American tribe that owns the port. It will serve as the departure lounge and tour booking center for shore excursions.
The adjacent Duck Point Smokehouse will feature house-made smoked salmon, Alaska seafood, pizza and crab tater tots.
The dock, built in partnership with the City of Hoonah, is 99% complete and will be finished well in advance of the first cruise ship call on May 11, said Tyler Hickman, Icy Strait Point’s vice president of operations.
Icy Strait Point, about 35 miles west of Juneau, expects 78 ship calls this summer to bring nearly 160,000 passengers.