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…
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