Homer, Alaska: A Super Chill Port Day
You know what they say about the best laid plans–they often…do something? I don’t think the thing they do is even in modern English. Still. You know the saying. And surely you can relate.
We had extensive plans for every. Single. Port day. Of a 14-day cruise.
And so it came to pass that we found ourselves in the quiet fishing town of Homer, Alaska on a lovely-if-overcast July day. And we didn’t want to do the overly-ambitious thing we planned for that port stop. So we didn’t. We expected it to be cold, but not this cold and windy. Moving around was going to be complicated and unfun. If you guys ever travel here make sure you’re setup with airport transportation. This is not the place to be waiting outside looking for a way to get to your hotel.
Here’s a really short video featuring our lack of motivation. And some gulls:
To be fair, we did more in Homer than is featured in that short clip. Because the other thing I didn’t feel like doing that day? Recording video. Instead, we walked on the beach, visited a touristy bar, did some window shopping, and went on a self-guided halibut crawl.
And honestly? It was a lovely day. Everything I read about Homer told me that the spit area–which is where the cruise ships dock–is ugly and flat and industrial. Everything I read about Homer was wrong. If you’re going to just wander around and do nothing at any point on a 14-day Alaska cruise, do it in Homer. Because Homer is beautiful. Check it out:
If you’re feeling more motivated on your visit to Homer, feel free to consider the hike we planned but did not take. Here’s how to plan an epic port day in Homer, Alaska, for people more motivated than us:
Homer, Alaska for Motivated People
Contact Mako’s Water Taxi and arrange a water taxi ride over to Glacier Spit in Kachemak Bay State Park to do the hike to Grewingk Glacier lake. For $75/pp they will drop you off near the trail head and you can hike to the lake and then back down a side trail for a later pick up. Plan to arrive at Mako’s Water Taxi by 10am; you should be back on the Homer Spit by around 3:30pm, which would leave you enough time to grab some quick halibut before getting back on the ship.
While I cannot give a first-hand recommendation of Mako’s Water Taxi as we clearly didn’t do this hike because we were not being motivated people, I can tell you that all communication with them was great. They were friendly and helpful and understanding when I cancelled at the semi-last-minute.
Up next: my last Alaska Cruise Ports On Your Own and On a Budget blog and vlog post, featuring Sitka. Stay tuned!
We found Homer, especially the Spit, to be delightful ! We had a beautiful, sunny July day. My fond memories were of the dozens of bald eagles hanging out for “the catch of the day” to arrive. What a sight ! The huge halibut hanging there waiting to be processed. Yikes ! My first taste of calamari (squid) which wasn’t bad but the rubbery texture left a bit to be desired… The biggest, best tasting blueberry muffins ever !!!
My one regret was not taking the boat to Kachemak Bay…we debated it for awhile but decided not to spend the money…what fools we were… I wish that everyone could experience Alaska at least once in their lifetime..It’s pure MAGIC !
We also regretted not going out into the park across the bay. Next time! And yeah, the fishermen with the giant halibut?!? I didn’t take photos because it felt rude, but wow. That was awesome. I must return some day.