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.