GO WITH THE FLOE

GREG MORGAN TRAVELS TO ALASKA IN STYLE FOR A CRUISE THAT IS OVERFLOWING WITH NATURAL HIGHS

- GREG MORGAN

WE'VE been on enough cruises now to safely say we are familiar with the format, but not so many we have become nonchalant about each fresh adventure.

This time, as Claire and I boarded Discovery Princess, the excitement we felt crossing the gangway kicked on to unprecedented levels. Firstly because Discovery is the sixth, the newest and final Royal-Class newbuild vessel in the company's fleet. And secondly, this beautifully-appointed ship was going to ferry us, in some style up the North Pacific coast as far as the Hubbard Glacier on the edge of the Wrangell-St Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska.

This was the launch of Princess's Alaska season and the line is using seven ships throughout to explore the Last Frontier.

With a special dinner-suit treat planned the following evening, and after a busy day cycling around Vancouver, we needed a quick tasty bite and some decent wine, so it was off to one of our favourite casual restaurants on the ship, Gigi's Pizzeria.

Replete, it was back to the swish mini-suite stateroom cabin on Riviera deck to gaze at the horizon over the moonlit, calm waters before retiring for a blissful night's sleep.

We had another day and night at sea before our first port of call at the state capital, Juneau. It was a day we spent reacquainting ourselves with our choice of the Princess facilities, from the gym and upper-deck pools, to the art gallery and show lounge theatre (more on that later).

Then, suited and booted, we made our way to Discovery's 360 Experience, hosted in an intimate space off Sabatini's restaurant.

This unique event elevates the whole idea of "dinner and a show" to a new level... the dinner is the show in this virtual voyage across the Mediterranean.