Cinematic landscapes, epic wildlife spotting and plenty of ice – our unforgettable family cruise through Alaska

Icebergs and cruises may seem like uneasy companions, but at 5am on board Discovery Princess, nobody seems particularly concerned as sheets of ice float silently alongside our ship as if they are joining us for breakfast.

Far from panicking, passengers are wide awake and leaning over balconies, smartphones in hand, snapping away like paparazzi on a polar red carpet.

This is not a dream sequence or the set of a disaster movie – although the snow-capped peaks and icy fjords could easily fool you. There’s no Leonardo DiCaprio balancing on the rails of the Titanic, no Kate Winslet clutching pearls or a raft with room for two. Just the raw and cinematic landscapes of Alaska, where snow-capped mountains kiss the clouds and floating icebergs – known as growlers – as well as the chance to spot wildlife such as bears, eagles and whales draw your eyes and ears to the great outdoors.

We’re sailing through Endicott Arm, a 30-mile-long fjord in the south east of Alaska that is among the gems of our Princess Cruises’ Inside Passage itinerary. It is enough to get my 10- and 12-year-old daughters out of bed early to direct their smartphones away from Snapchat and towards the sea.

Chunks of ice drift gracefully like modern art installations. Now and then, there’s a low rumble in the distance, followed by a splash – the thunder of ancient ice falling off the nearby Dawes Glacier. Thousands of years of geological history peeling away in front of our eyes.

It’s just one of many moments on our sailing where I find myself quoting Disney’s Frozen under my breath: “Now that’s ice!” And for once, the kids don’t roll their eyes.

More than 1.7 million cruise passengers visited Alaska last year, up 3.8 per cent annually, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. It is one of the fastest-growing routes for cruise ships and passengers, with regular departures from ports such as Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver. After a week on board, it was easy to see why visitors keep coming.

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Princess Cruises’ on-board naturalist and Alaska expert Mike Modzelewski advises guests early on in our sailing that the sites and sounds of Alaska will “slather your soul with special effects that Hollywood can’t create” and warns us to keep our camera memory clear. More than 1,100 pictures later, my smartphone and I now understand what he meant.

With 1,400 balcony cabins – the most in the Princess fleet – Discovery Princess is a perfect ship for Alaska. It’s designed for viewing, not just cruising. The Sky Suites offer sweeping 270-degree balconies, which means you don’t have to jostle for position when the scenery starts performing.

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Out in the public areas, the captain even announces wildlife sightings on the tannoy, prompting passengers to dash from one side of the ship to another, binoculars in hand, in the hope of spotting nearby groups of whales and even a submarine at one point.

Wildlife spotting takes priority, with plenty of bars and open spaces where you can sit eagle-eyed by a window looking out to sea. Where else in the world can you say, “Sorry I was late for dinner, but a whale sailed past my balcony and I just managed to catch a picture of its tail”?

This isn't just a cruise for adult explorers, though. Alaska cruises are as family-friendly as any traditional Mediterranean or Caribbean destination when it comes to entertainment and excursions, just with less risk of sunburn.

There is a saying that it rains for 74 days of the month in Alaska and that the region has two seasons, winter and July. It felt like we experienced a whole season of rain in Ketchikan as we wrapped ourselves in waterproofs and optimism after transferring to an excursion on a smaller boat, determined to get closer to the local furry and winged wildlife.

Our binoculars spied plenty of eagles drying off their wings high in trees and our cameras started snapping as a deer with its young fowl emerged on the banks of the Nichols Passage, south of Ketchikan. But despite scanning every soggy corner, none of the headline bears or whales fancied making a cameo in the downpour.

We barely noticed the rain on another wet stop in the Alaskan capital, Juneau, to learn about dog mushing – once a form of transportation in the mountains of Alaska, and now a state sport.

The unique pastime involves 12 excited huskies pulling a sled in the snow. We experienced the fast-paced thrill of a puppy-powered ride in a cart through the rainy mountain trails, laughing hysterically as the dogs dashed through the rain, barking instructions at each other as if they were chasing a long-lost ball. We even got to pet the dogs at the end of the ride, after they managed to put their competitive natures aside for a cuddle.

Aside from the wildlife, Alaska is also steeped in gold. The state is best known for the Klondike gold rush of 1896, where 100,000 people travelled through areas such as Skagway towards the Yukon Valley in Canada when news emerged of discoveries of the precious yellow metal.

We followed in the footsteps of the hopeful miners of the 19th century, minus the pickaxes, on a stop near the Skagway river in Liarsville – named after journalists of the time who told false tales of people finding gold here rather than 500 miles away in the Klondike region of Canada.

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But we weren’t fooled into trekking into the wild for a shiny reward – although a comfortable coach ride into the Yukon Valley and the Alaskan border with Canada meant we were able to see the snowy mountain views and rugged weather of the White Passage that the gold miners of the past would have met. It was also another opportunity to proclaim, “Now that’s ice!”

Back in Liarsville, local guides taught us the art of gold panning, where you use a metallic bowl to sift through grains of mud for gold nuggets. We shook and swirled our pans excitedly at the promise that we could keep as much gold as we could find. Needless to say, I’m not ready to retire yet but did find some small nuggets and a very large sense of accomplishment.

There are plenty of nods towards Alaskan culture across Discovery Princess as well, from (plastic) axe throwing competitions to rival the real lumberjack shows ashore to the food.

The main dining rooms on board are named after Alaska hot (cold) spots such as Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, where we enjoyed local delicacies such as Alaskan salmon and juicy halibut. Mike explains that while the lower 48 – the name Alaskans give to the rest of the US – dine on beef burgers, halibut burgers are actually the local dish of choice – and an option I would highly endorse.

The ship also offered its own wildlife spotting adventures. Forget bears or gold, the most valuable commodity on a cruise ship, if you are a child, is rubber ducks.

There is a tradition on cruise ships where passengers hide rubber ducks around the ship for fellow passengers to find. You can then either keep them, post a picture on social media or hide the object for someone else. It is a great way to pass the time on a wet sea day, and in many ways it was more exciting – and less messy – for my daughters than panning for gold.

We may not have spotted any bears but our children were happy to have a haul of ducks and gold nuggets to take home with them as souvenirs. And while our clothes will get over the wet days, the sights and sounds of Alaska are something we will never forget. And that is an experience worth its weight in gold.

Marc Shoffman was a guest of Princess Cruises.

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How to do it

Several ships in the Princess Cruises fleet offer Alaska itineraries with roundtrip sailings throughout the year from Seattle, Vancouver and San Francisco.

Passengers who are flying from Seattle Tacoma International Airport with British Airways can also try the expanded airport lounge, available to those in First Class, Club World or Club Europe, as well as silver and gold members of the airline’s executive club. Refurbished in February, it offers bright, soft seating where you can charge devices and relax or work surrounded by captivating textile art by local artists such as Hannah Mason.

There is also a sleek modern bar with a wide array of drinks and soft red leather bar stools, inviting you to the 180-degree views of the runway where you can raise a glass to the mountains ahead of your flight, the perfect way to prepare for a long flight home at the end of a cruise.

A seven-day Inside Passage sailing aboard Discovery Princess departing on 7 September starts from £699 per person. Flights are not included.