*The view from our Central Sea Terrace Balcony*

This morning, Brilliant Lady is docked at Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska. Icy Strait Point is Alaska’s only privately-owned cruise destination. Located on Chichagof Island near the Native Tlingit village of Hoonah, it is owned by the Huna Totem Corporation, meaning 100% of profits directly support the local community. It is famous for pristine wilderness, wildlife viewing, and authentic cultural heritage.

Before dismbarking to explore this new-to-us destination, we visit The Galley for breakfast. The Galley is very busy this morning at 9am making it difficult to find a place to sit. We had to wait for a table to be cleaned by staff members, then quickly grabbed a seat. The Galley is Virgin Voyages answer to a cruise ship buffet. The long-standing buffet concept has been replaced with a multiple food station concept offering a variety of ethnic choices. Diner & Dash is place for a traditional American or english breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, beans etc.

The scrambled eggs were pretty good, as was the bacon, but the chicken sausage (large one on the right) was really bland and cold. The smaller pork link sausages had an unusual sweet taste. Stick with the bacon.

*Breakfast from Diner & Dash, The Galley*

Icy Strait Point is basically a purpose-built tourist attraction for cruise passengers.

World’s Largest ZipRider: Features a 5,330-foot zipline with a 1,300-foot vertical drop, sending riders soaring over forests and oceans at speeds up to 60 mph.
Wildlife Viewing: Chichagof Island has one of the highest concentrations of brown bears in the world, and the surrounding waters are renowned for humpback whale watching.
Skyglider Gondola: A scenic, high-speed gondola that takes guests up the mountain for sweeping views of Glacier Bay and access to nature trails.

Our dock is connected to one of two cruise ship landing areas by a long, modern walkway.

After the stroll down the walking bridge we arrive at an area with several buildings and two different gondola rides. The Skyglider Gondola is one that goes up 1,600 feet to the top of a mountain. It looks like one of the longest and steepest gondola rides we have seen. The Skyrider gondola is the only way to reach the starting point for the Ziprider, the world’s longest zipline. If you purchase a ticket for the Ziprider, the cost of the Skyrider gondola is included in the price. If you only want to do the Skyrider, the cost is $49.95 per person ($39.95 children).

The Transporter is another, much more sedate gondola ride that connects the two cruise ship docks, transporting passengers a half-mile between the Wilderness Landing (where Brilliant Lady is docked) and the Adventure Center. There is also a nature walking trail between these two docks should you wish to walk. There is no charge to ride the Transporter gondola.

The Transporter gondola climbs up a modest incline through a forrest, then back down to the Adventure Center. If your cruise ship docks at the Adventure Center dock, there is really no reason to go to the Wilderness Landing, other than to ride the Skyrider or Ziprider. The majority of sights, restaurants and shopping can be found at the Adventure Center. The Transporter ride only takes about ten minutes.

Once we arrive at the Adventure Center, we begin a nice walk down a seaside boardwalk. The ocean is on our right and some local resident housing on our left. It is a beautiful sunny day in Alaska and perfect for getting in our steps. The boardwalk leads to an historic cannery which now houses restaurants, a museum and many souvenir shops.

On our walk, we watched a bald eagle fly overhead and land in a tree above us. People started lining up to take photos. Unfortunately, all I had with me today was my iPhone. But, the 8X zoom did a respectable job.

Soon we arrived at the Icy Strait museum, home to more souvenir shops than we have ever seen in one location.

It did not take long for us to find a refrigerator magnet to add to our huge collection. Now, more than 287 magnets adorn Rickee’s office wall! I should make a video about her magnet collection, showing all of the places we have traveled.

*Tons of refrigerator magnets, ornaments and other branded souvenirs*

On the gondola ride back to Adventure Landing we see a doe and fawn grazing beneath us.

What an incredible day to take a photo of Brilliant Lady docked in Alaska.

*Brilliant Lady docked at Icy Strait Point, Alaska*

After we embark Brilliant Lady, we head up to The Dock on Deck 7 aft to enjoy a cocktail and do some more eagle gazing from the aft deck. We spotted two more bald eagles in the distance.

At 5pm we head up to Richard’s Rooftop to enjoy a glass of complimentary Moët & Chandon champagne during Sunset Happy Hour. It is such a beautiful day today, we just had to visit. Richard’s Rooftop is accessible exclusively to Rockstars who occupy a Rockstar suite*.

Tonight we have dinner reservations at the Test Kitchen. The Test Kitchen on Virgin Voyages is an experimental, Michelin-inspired dining experience designed like a science lab. Instead of a traditional menu, you receive a set menu card with single-word ingredients (e.g., Mushroom, Scallop, Venison). Each course focuses on modern cooking techniques, textures, and unique flavor combination

We are seated at the counter with four other guests for tonight’s dining experience.

*We are seated at the counter where we can see dishes being prepared*

Joy is our host waiter this evening. He greets us and gives us a thorough explanation of The Test Kitchen dining experience works.

*Joy greets guests and describes the evening menu*

There are three different menus at the Test Kitchen which are served in rotation. Menus change every few days. Our menu tonight is called the “B” menu. The first course of Eel has be squirming in my seat as it is something Rickee and I have sworn we would never eat.

Joy explained that guests can choose between the non-vegetarian menu (left side) or the vegetarian menu (right side). You can even mix and match courses between the two menus.

*Guests can choose from non-vegetarian or vegetarian set menus*

Joy put me at ease about trying the Eel. To be safe, I also ordered the Eggplant Nori from the vegetarian menu, just in case I was unable to get the Eel to stay down. Turns out the teriyaki glaze and soy sauce made the Eel quite good. Even Rickee tried one piece. It was much milder than I was expecting.

My second course was the Scallop/Black Garlic. I like scallops, but Rickee does not, so she opted for the Vegetable Pappillote, which she claimed was delicious. My scallops were good, but not the best scallops I have had. The third course was a cheese tart which was a combination of cream cheese, goat cheese and blue cheese. I am not a fan of goat or blue cheese. Rickee loves blue cheese but not goat cheese. This course was very blue cheese forward in the flavors. Rickee at the entire tart. I was only able to make it through about half of mine thanks to the delicious warm onion bread they served on the side.

The main course was Study of chicken. Three slices of perfectly cooked, juicy chicken breast along with a three-layered breast/chicken sausage/chicken thigh

*Virgin Voyages PR department extended Rockstar perks to us as influencers and members of the cruise media so that we could report on the perks for our audience.

Day 4 - Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Day 3 - Ketchikan, Alaska