Who remembers their first ever cruise? Mine was on Island Princess out of Miami in the Noughties – after getting over the size of the ship (considered mid-sized these days), I embarked on the adventure of my life, feeding nippy-toothed stingrays in the ridiculously clear waters of the Cayman Islands, marvelling at everything to do with the Panama Canal, spying lazy sloths in the Costa Rica rainforest and eating my body weight in food.
And when I’d got used to the movement, I loved dressing up for formal night and lazing by the aft pool soaking up the tropical heat. I was hooked, so much so that I now cruise for a living. Sound familiar?
Princess Cruises has come a long way since then with lots of newness and innovation (see our piece on forthcoming ship Sun Princess for proof), although their Alaska product is 50 years old and more guests choose to sail with Princess in Alaska than any other cruise line. Here are some fast facts for the 2025 season:
- Seven ships will serve Alaska: Caribbean Princess, Coral Princess, Discovery Princess, Grand Princess, Royal Princess, Ruby Princess and Sapphire Princess
- 5 departure ports including Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Anchorage and Los Angeles
- 18 cruise itineraries
- 21 cruise destinations (including cruise ports of call, scenic cruising destinations and embarkation ports)
- 4 glaciers: Glacier Bay National Park (92 sailings visit here), Hubbard Glacier, College Fjord, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier
- 5 cruisetour types and 27 cruisetour itineraries (all visit Denali National Park). The ultimate Alaska experience includes a 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise plus three or more nights in the wilderness – guests enjoy scenic rail travel and stays at one of five Princess-owned wilderness lodges.
Also new for 2025, Ruby Princess will offer a 22-day Ultimate Alaska Solstice itinerary that will explore the Great Land on the longest day of the year, while Grand Princess will sail a 17-night Ultimate Alaska itinerary with three glacier-viewing experiences. This season also features a 16-day Inside Passage itinerary with Glacier Bay National Park roundtrip from Los Angeles on Grand Princess; the top-rated Voyage of the Glaciers cruise takes guests to Glacier Bay National Park, as well as Hubbard Glacier or Collage Fjord and three ports of call – Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.
Juneau town. Image: Rebecca Barnes
The ports are signature Alaska
This 7-night Inside Passage (Seattle round trip) itinerary included calls at marquee ports Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway, with scenic cruising in Dawes Glacier to Endicott Arm, a narrow fjord located around 50 miles southeast of Juneau. We also docked in Victoria, Canada.
Discovery Princess docked downtown in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, which is a very walkable city. It was interesting to see the original architecture, although I’m going to be honest and say that it felt quite touristy. Whale watching, kayaking and tours to the spectacular Mendenhall Glacier are popular things to do here.
Located at the southernmost entrance to the Inside Passage, Ketchikan is another very walkable port and is known for its stunning scenery, rich native culture and totem poles! Alaska’s first city is mainly accessible by sea, and attractions include the Tongass National Forest, the salmon-rich Ketchikan Creek and lumberjack shows.
Skagway is set in the Inside Passage and is famed for the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, which operates vintage trains along the steep Chilkoot trail, dog sledding and salmon runs. Chilkoot Lake State Park is where to spot wildlife including bears and eagles.
Our scenic cruising day started very early – 5am to be precise. But oh was it worth it; more on this later on.
Located on the southern tip of Vancouver island off Canada’s pacific coast, Victoria is one of my favourite cruise ports – it’s also said to be one of the most British cities in North America. We arrived just before sunset and loved wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf which is walkable from the port, eyeing up the vintage cars driven by the locals and exploring the city. History and culture abounds and there’s lots to see and do for all the family; popular attractions include Butchart Gardens, Craigdarroch Castle and Royal BC Museum.
Endicott Arm. Image: Rebecca Barnes
Balcony cabin. Image: Rebecca Barnes
The perfect floating home
Life onboard Discovery Princess Alaska cruises are mostly pretty casual affairs. On a typical Princess seven day itinerary there are generally two dressier evenings, including a ‘Dress to Impress’ night and a formal night, although it’s entirely your choice if you want to participate or not.
All the Princess specialities – Movies Under the Stars, the Good Spirits at Sea cocktail experience and now the immersive and excellent 360 Dining Experience (now bookable for all passengers for $149pp) – are available for guests to enjoy; there’s also a range of dining, bars and lounges, and on this ship, two speciality restaurants – Bistro sur la Mer and Sabatini’s. We also made use of the adult-only lounge area The Sanctuary, along with the Lotus Spa and The Enclave.
As this is an Ocean Medallion enabled ship, those on beverage packages can use OceanNow ordering to have drinks delivered anywhere on the ship.
I also want to give a massive mention to the crew on this ship who were exceptional – from our singing cabin steward to the ladies in the juice bar and spa reception, every crew member went above and beyond with smiles on their faces from dawn to dusk.
Douglas, Juneau. Image: Rebecca Barnes
Lots of adventures ashore
Our first Princess excursion was in Ketchikan, where we had signed up for the Wildlife Safari Cruise and Beach Bonfire (KTN 640). We lucked out as there was only six of us, and our driver Terry from Texas was a real character, telling us we were “going to find some critters” as we set off towards Annette Island. And we saw a fair few harbor seals and humpback whales in Nichols Passage, although none were super-close.
Ketchikan is known as the fourth wettest place in the world and we did indeed get wet, although the beach bonfire on Annette Island was a highlight despite the downpours (we were under a tarpaulin so stayed relatively dry), and I can now say I’ve toasted marshmallows and eaten s’mores on an island in Alaska. Also included was a walk around the island where we learnt about the forest and its edible flora.
In Juneau we signed up for Glacier View Sea Kayaking (JNU 770) in a rainy North Douglas island, where we spotted seals just metres from our kayak, along with a sea lion which we were told not to get too close to. We were quite far from the Mendenhall Glacier but it was fun despite the weather – it would’ve also been better if they had split the group into beginners and experienced, as we had to slow down and wait for those who hadn’t kayaked before.
There are other options when it comes to excursions in Alaska: we did a Chilkoot Wilderness and Wildlife Viewing excursion in Haines, Skagway with Venture Ashore, which included a high speed catamaran transfer and visit to the Chilkoot Lake State Park in Haines, with the possibility of seeing eagles, harbour seals and bears lured by a salmon-filled river.
And as luck would have it, we spotted a few bald eagles and a family of brown bears – a mother and two cubs – who we watched playing and fishing for pink salmon from the safety of our small bus, and outside from a bridge overlooking the river.
There was only six of us on the small-group tour so it felt private and intimate, and according to our excellent and very experienced naturalist guide, our bear sighting was the best he had witnessed all summer. It certainly made my year, too. We were also given a packed lunch to eat on the bus while we drove through the park searching for wildlife.
Top tip when in bear country: use your thumb – if it covers the bear you are safe, if not, “you’d better make some plans,” in the words of Discovery Princesses‘ resident Alaska naturalist Michael Modzelewski.
Endicott Arm in the early morning light. Image: Rebecca Barnes
On board immersion impresses
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Puppies in the Piazza which saw lengthy queues to meet the cute Husky canines, but it was totally worth waking up at 5am for the dramatic approach to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.
Blessed with perfect weather for the sail in, this cruise highlight was enhanced by a wonderful and fascinating commentary on the ship cam TV channel by Modzelewski, who is known by some as ‘The Prince of the Princess ships’ – guests are known to only book cruises that he is on.
We also sat in on an interesting glaciers talk, and a Close Encounters with Alaskan Wildlife talk, during which Modzelewski told us that orca are nicknamed sea wolves as they inhabit every ocean, and that eagles can spot an ant on the ground from a 10th floor building with their high definition eyesight.
Wrapped up well against the morning chill, we enjoyed a hearty in room breakfast while taking in the breathtaking views of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, the slumbering seals on ice floes and the stunning light that can only be witnessed getting up at dawn. Now that is what memories are made of – and why you must insist that clients book a balcony cabin when sailing in Alaska.
Victoria, the last stop on the cruise. Image: Rebecca Barnes
Pre and post will sell itself
Alaska cruise passengers get the choice of sailing from a number of iconic cities ideal for exploring pre or post cruise. Seattle is one of the wonderful Alaska gateways in which to start your adventure, and the Port of Seattle has two downtown cruise terminals, with around 200 departures each season.
We stayed in the heart of the action at the boutique Palihotel, which is on the doorstep of Pike Place Market and the perfect base for our two day stay; it’s ideally located for Seattle’s key attractions and of course the cruise port.
We also made use of the Seattle CityPass, which costs $119 (adults) and $89 (children 5-12) and includes admission to the Space Needle and Seattle Aquarium – you then get to choose three additional attractions; we opted for MoPOP Museum, Chihuly Gardens and the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, which was good for city views. Some of the these needed to be booked beforehand, but it was super easy to do online and the passes were downloaded onto our phones.
Seattle pictured from the harbor cruise boat tour. Image: Rebecca Barnes
The deal
A seven-night Inside Passage Alaska cruise on Discovery Princess (Vancouver to Seattle) on May 4, 2024, costs from £549pp excluding flights. Calling at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Glacier Bay National Park (scenic cruising). princess.com
Our editor’s view 9/10
“I didn’t know quite what to expect on a ship the size of Discovery Princess but I needn’t have worried, as the experience felt intimate and immersive, and I now feel I can tick Alaska off my bucket list. Another bonus was getting to spend almost three days in Seattle pre and post cruise. A well-established and enjoyable Alaska product that would suit many clients.”
Rebecca Barnes
Agent view
“Princess was my first choice when choosing an Alaska cruise and it truly was the trip of a lifetime. As Princess has such prominence in Alaska we were really looked after, from seamless boarding, to the excellent food and service from the staff. The onboard Naturalist was knowledgeable and gave an impressive insight into the locals, landscape and history of the area, and sailing Glacier Bay National Park was spectacular, plus the Captain did a 360 degree turn in the heart of the bay so everyone got a chance to experience the ice up close.”
Marcia Thompson, Cruise Club UK
Tags: Rebecca Barnes, Princess Cruises, Alaska
