Disney Cruise Line is making a very long-term bet on Alaska, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
Disney recently signed a 15-year preferential berthing agreement with Huna Totem Corporation, the Alaska Native-owned company behind Icy Strait Point. The deal gives Disney preferred access to the destination through at least 2041, with one Disney ship expected to call there each week during the Alaska cruise season.
Fifteen years is a long time in the cruise industry.
Ships come and go. Itineraries change. Cruise lines pull out of ports, add new destinations, and constantly move their fleets around. So when Disney signs a deal that stretches all the way to 2041, it says a lot about how important Icy Strait Point is becoming.
It also says a lot about the future of Alaska cruising.
For years, most Alaska itineraries have revolved around the same familiar ports: Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. They’re popular for a reason, and each one offers plenty to see and do. But they can also get ridiculously crowded when several large ships are in port at the same time.
That’s where Icy Strait Point is different.
Our Disney Cruise Line contributor Jason and his family just visited the port during their seven-night Alaska cruise aboard the Disney Magic, and after reading his firsthand report, Disney’s decision makes even more sense.
This Isn’t Your Typical Alaska Cruise Port
Icy Strait Point sits on Chichagof Island near the small community of Hoonah, which is home to fewer than 1,000 people.
Unlike Juneau or Ketchikan, this isn’t a city that happens to have a cruise port. Icy Strait Point was specifically developed as a cruise destination around a former salmon cannery dating back to 1912.
It’s owned and operated by Huna Totem Corporation, which represents Alaska Native shareholders with deep ties to the region.
That part is important.
A lot of cruise ports like to market themselves as authentic, local experiences, but then you get off the ship and find the same jewelry stores, souvenir shops and chains you see in half a dozen other ports.
Icy Strait Point still has shops, restaurants and plenty of things designed for cruise passengers, so let’s not pretend it’s some untouched wilderness outpost. But it does feel much more connected to the local community, the surrounding landscape and the culture of the Huna Tlingit people.
Money spent there helps support the local economy, creates jobs and benefits Huna Totem shareholders.
That’s a much different setup than a port area filled with businesses owned by companies thousands of miles away.
A Much More Relaxed Port Day
Jason and his family arrived aboard the Disney Magic, which docked at the Ocean Landing area. Island Princess was also visiting that day at the nearby Wilderness Landing dock.
The two areas are connected by a complimentary gondola, so passengers can easily move between them without having to walk the entire distance.
One of the first things Jason noticed was how relaxed the port felt.
There wasn’t the same frantic rush you often get in the larger Alaska ports. There weren’t thousands of people pushing through downtown streets trying to get to the same handful of attractions. There weren’t excursion buses lined up in every direction.
Instead, there were waterfront views, forested mountains, bald eagles flying overhead and plenty of space to wander around.
At the Ocean Landing area, passengers can explore the restored cannery, browse shops, grab something to eat or simply walk along the waterfront.
The Wilderness Landing area is where many of the more active excursions depart, including nature tours, ropes courses and the destination’s enormous ZipRider.
Jason described the atmosphere as friendly and laid-back, and by the end of the day, he ranked Icy Strait Point as one of his family’s favorite cruise ports.
That says a lot, considering how many places they’ve visited over the years.
The Wildlife Is Why You Come Here
The port itself is nice, but the wildlife is the real reason Icy Strait Point stands out.
Chichagof Island is known for its large brown bear population, and the surrounding waters are among the best whale-watching areas in Alaska.
Jason and his family booked Disney’s Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise, a roughly three-hour excursion aboard an enclosed, double-decker catamaran.
Like most wildlife excursions, there are no guarantees about exactly what you’ll see or how close you’ll get. That’s nature.
They started out spotting seals gathered around a buoy before heading toward Neka Bay. They saw a few humpback whales along the way, but then they came across the kind of sight people hope for when they spend all that money on an Alaska cruise.
A group of five or six humpback whales was bubble-net feeding.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, bubble-net feeding is when whales work together underwater to surround a school of fish with bubbles. The fish become concentrated inside the bubble ring, and then the whales come charging toward the surface with their mouths open.
Jason’s group watched the whales repeat this process over and over again.
They stayed in the area for around 45 minutes as the whales surfaced together, disappeared beneath the water and repositioned for another round.
That’s not a show. It isn’t staged. There isn’t a set schedule.
You’re watching wild animals do what they do in their natural environment, and that’s what makes an experience like this so memorable.
Passengers on another boat saw the same group of whales from farther away but also spotted a mother bear and two cubs walking along the shoreline.
That’s how these excursions work. Two boats can leave from the same dock at almost the same time and have completely different experiences.
Jason said the excursion was expensive, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has priced Alaska shore excursions, but he also said he would absolutely recommend it.
Some experiences are worth paying for, and seeing a group of humpback whales bubble-net feeding is definitely one of them.
The Gondolas and That Massive Zip Line
Icy Strait Point also has a gondola system connecting the various areas of the destination.
The green gondola between Ocean Landing and Wilderness Landing is complimentary, while the Sky Peak Gondola carries passengers approximately 1,500 feet up Hoonah Mountain.
The gondola system was built by Doppelmayr, the same company behind Disney’s Skyliner at Walt Disney World.
That had a little extra meaning for Jason because before we bonded over our shared obsession with cruising, the two of us worked together as part of the opening team for Disney’s Skyliner.
He immediately noticed similarities between the systems, although riding a gondola alongside an Alaskan mountain is just a little different than floating over Caribbean Beach Resort.
At the top, you’ll find views of the surrounding forest, water and cruise ships below. There are also a few small shops, a food truck, a fire pit and the launch area for the ZipRider.
The ZipRider is one of Icy Strait Point’s signature attractions. It stretches more than 5,000 feet down the mountain and drops riders about 1,300 feet while reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
Jason’s daughter decided she wanted to try it, but by the time they went back to buy a ticket, the remaining time slots before the Disney Magic’s departure were sold out.
So here’s a good piece of advice: if the ZipRider is on your list, buy your ticket early. Don’t wait until the end of the day and assume you’ll be able to walk right on.
There are plenty of other excursions available, including bear searches, kayaking, fishing, ATV tours, culinary experiences, tribal performances and nature walks.
You can make the day as active or as laid-back as you want.
It’s Not Perfect, and That’s Fine
Icy Strait Point isn’t perfect, and it isn’t some completely undiscovered piece of Alaska.
It’s a developed cruise destination designed to handle thousands of passengers.
On the day Jason visited, Island Princess left early enough for Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas to arrive later. Alaska’s long summer daylight hours make it possible for the destination to handle different waves of passengers throughout the day.
As more cruise lines add Icy Strait Point to their itineraries, there’s always a risk that the destination could eventually lose some of the peaceful atmosphere that makes it special.
That’s the challenge.
How do you continue growing without turning into exactly the type of crowded port passengers are trying to get away from?
Jason also found the cannery museum a little disappointing. Rather than being one large museum, it’s made up mostly of smaller displays scattered throughout the shopping areas.
The top of the mountain was also less developed than he expected. Unless you’re riding the ZipRider, you probably won’t need a tremendous amount of time up there.
Those are fair criticisms, but they didn’t take away from the overall experience.
Not every port needs to be packed with attractions, shops and nonstop activities. Sometimes the location itself is the attraction.
Why Disney Wants This Port Locked Down
Disney’s agreement with Huna Totem makes sense on several levels.
First, it gives Disney guaranteed access to a port that delivers the type of Alaska experience people expect when they book these cruises.
Whales. Bears. Mountains. Forests. Native culture. Fresh air. Space to move around.
Second, it works well for families.
Parents, grandparents, teenagers and younger children can all find something to do without having to travel far from the ship. One person can go whale watching, another can ride the gondola, someone else can try the ZipRider, and another can spend the day walking around the waterfront.
Third, Icy Strait Point fits Disney’s focus on storytelling and immersive destinations.
Disney sells Alaska as more than just a cruise. The destination is the main attraction, and Icy Strait Point gives Disney another port where guests can experience something that actually feels connected to the region.
Most importantly, the deal gives Disney stability.
Alaska is getting more crowded, and dock space is becoming more valuable. By locking in preferential access through 2041, Disney can plan future itineraries knowing it has a reliable place for one of its ships to visit each week.
That becomes even more important as Disney continues expanding its fleet.
Is This the Future of Alaska Cruising?
Icy Strait Point may be a good example of where Alaska cruising is heading.
Cruise lines want destinations that can handle large ships without dumping thousands of people into already crowded downtown areas.
Passengers want something that feels a little more authentic than walking past the same souvenir shops they saw during their last cruise.
Local communities want more control over tourism and a bigger share of the money being generated by cruise passengers.
Icy Strait Point checks all of those boxes.
It’s controlled by an Alaska Native corporation, it offers direct access to wildlife and outdoor experiences, and the local community benefits from the tourism it creates.
That doesn’t mean Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan are going anywhere. They’re still important Alaska cruise ports and will remain that way.
But destinations like Icy Strait Point give cruise lines another option, especially as Alaska becomes more crowded and more ships compete for space.
A 15-year agreement through 2041 is a major vote of confidence in Icy Strait Point.
Disney isn’t just securing another place to dock. It’s locking in access to a destination that offers wildlife, local culture, family-friendly activities and a much more relaxed atmosphere than some of Alaska’s larger ports.
Icy Strait Point may not have a large downtown area, endless shops or a long list of familiar attractions.
That’s probably the best thing about it.