I Thought I Didn’t Like Alaska. Then I Realized I’d Never Actually Met Her.

ByMonte Mathews

I’m about to confess something that, in certain cruise circles, may get my press credentials revoked.

The first time I cruised Alaska, I didn’t fall in love.

Mind you, none of that had anything to do with the ship. It was magnificent. The company was even better. I was traveling with my parents, whom I adored, and any journey with them now glows with the kind of golden light memory tends to bestow.

But Alaska itself? It left me strangely cold. There was Anchorage, which somehow felt farther from wilderness than the brochures suggested. The Kenai Peninsula was undeniably beautiful, but also oddly circular, somehow managing to leave me feeling as though I had ended up exactly where I started.

A cruise ship docks at Chugach Glacier Gateway in Whittier, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
A cruise ship docks at Chugach Glacier Gateway in Whittier, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

Then came the glaciers, one after another, until my mother—never one to waste a perfectly good observation—looked out from the deck and quietly said, “Seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

It was funny. It was brutal. And if I’m being honest, it wasn’t entirely wrong. I came home thinking Alaska simply wasn’t for me. Now, years later, I suspect something else entirely. I don’t think I missed Alaska. I think I missed the Alaskans.

A Different Way to See the Great Land

That thought came rushing back this week as I learned more about Huna Totem Corporation, the Native-owned corporation that has been reshaping how cruise visitors experience the Great Land through Icy Strait Point, Klawock Island and Chugach Glacier Gateway.

Better still, this isn’t some niche cultural experiment tucked away on the margins of Alaska cruising. If you’re sailing north this summer aboard Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbbean International, Celebrity Cruises –or newer arrivals like Virgin Voyages, MSC Cruises and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection—there’s a very good chance Alaska’s most memorable shore excursion may begin not in a jewelry store, but in an Alaska Native community.

Hoonah: Where the Story Begins

An aerial view of Hoonah, Alaska, home to Icy Strait Point, the state’s first Alaska Native-owned cruise destination. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
An aerial view of Hoonah, Alaska, home to Icy Strait Point, the state’s first Alaska Native-owned cruise destination. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

At Icy Strait Point—the state’s first Alaska Native-owned cruise destination—visitors step ashore in a beautifully restored salmon cannery village where the story begins not with a sales pitch, but with the Tlingit people who have called these waters home for centuries. This summer brings new hiking routes, expanded experiences at Sky Peak—reached by gondola high above the forest canopy—and perhaps the most Alaska lunch imaginable: local king crab paired with craft beer from Icy Strait Brewing while bald eagles circle overhead.

  • Visitors gather outside the historic cannery welcome center at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    Visitors gather outside the historic cannery welcome center at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • The Transporter Gondola carries passengers through the forest canopy at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    The Transporter Gondola carries passengers through the forest canopy at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • A local guide displays freshly caught Dungeness crabs at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    A local guide displays freshly caught Dungeness crabs at Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • Kayakers encounter breaching orcas off Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    Kayakers encounter breaching orcas off Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

For travelers accustomed to rushing from pier to bus to gift shop, it’s an altogether different rhythm—one that feels less like a shore excursion and more like an introduction.

Klawock: Alaska at Your Own Pace

Farther south, Klawock Island may be the most intriguing new call of the season. Developed as a partnership between Native corporations, this quiet corner of Prince of Wales Island offers something almost unheard of in cruise tourism: independence.

A cruise ship arrives off Klawock Island on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
A cruise ship arrives off Klawock Island on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

One of the newest excursions hands visitors the keys to their own vehicle, a packed picnic basket, and even a Polaroid camera before sending them into the rainforest to explore at their own pace. Travelers will explore ancient cedar forests, quiet coves, and one of Alaska’s richest collections of carved totem poles. Smaller ships from Azamara Cruises, Crystal Cruises, and HX Expeditions are among those discovering it this summer.

  • An Indigenous carver works on a traditional totem pole in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    An Indigenous carver works on a traditional totem pole in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • An Indigenous artist works inside a carving shed in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    An Indigenous artist works inside a carving shed in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • A hand-carved totem pole rests inside a carving shed in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    A hand-carved totem pole rests inside a carving shed in Klawock, Alaska. Photography by Richard Dalton III and courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
  • Visitors explore Klawock Totem Park on Prince of Wales Island. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
    Visitors explore Klawock Totem Park on Prince of Wales Island. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

Whittier: When Glaciers Come with Context

Then there’s Chugach Glacier Gateway, where glaciers still dominate the horizon.

Passengers take in cascading waterfalls and rugged scenery during a Portage Glacier Cruises excursion through Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska. Photo: Richard Dalton III. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
Passengers take in cascading waterfalls and rugged scenery during a Portage Glacier Cruises excursion through Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska. Photo: Richard Dalton III. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

Here, visitors can board glacier cruises through Prince William Sound while guides share stories of the Chugach people. Their ancestors crossed nearby Portage Pass as a trade route long before maps, railroads, or cruise itineraries ever found their way north. Food and wine are now served onboard, evening cruises are being added, and shuttle service from Anchorage makes access easier than ever. But the real addition may be something less tangible: perspective.

An aerial view of Chugach Glacier Gateway in Whittier, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.
An aerial view of Chugach Glacier Gateway in Whittier, Alaska. Courtesy of Huna Totem Corporation.

The Alaska I Missed the First Time

Together, these Alaska Native-owned destinations welcomed more than 620,000 cruise guests aboard 280 ships last year. Those are impressive numbers, certainly, but after all these years, I’m beginning to suspect Alaska’s greatest shore excursion was never about seeing another glacier. It was about finally meeting the people who were here first.

Share
Threads

Similar Posts