‘Spectacular detail on my Alaskan cruise that had nothing to do with the glaciers’

It was day two of our Alaskan cruise, and we were standing on the promenade deck of the Grand Princess as she glided into Glacier Bay National Park. Vast, ancient glaciers carved through impossibly blue water – a sight that drew a collective gasp across the deck.

But beneath the awe, I was quietly battling a secret agony: I was absolutely bloody freezing.

My bright idea to don a robe in chilly temperatures was doing nothing against the glacial air, and my chattering teeth were ruining the ambience.

Not wanting to miss a second of the view, I dashed to the nearest restroom to thaw my numb fingers under the hand dryer for 30 seconds.

But on my way there, a crew member saw my frozen state. He grinned. “Hot chocolate?” I could have married him.

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Within moments, he handed over a steaming mug topped with whipped cream, marshmallows and a generous splash of Baileys for good measure.

Minutes later, I was back on deck clutching the warm mug, smiling giddily alongside my partner Jelle as we took in a spectacle we never thought we’d see in our lifetimes.

That single moment sparked a realisation: it’s not just the dramatic landscapes that make a voyage like this spectacular – it’s the crew.

The human touch

The crew on our Grand Princess cruise were bloody brilliant in every sense of the word.

They paid such meticulous attention that they knew our names by day two, and it felt like we were all best buds by the end of the trip.

Our bed was remade whenever we left the room, cocktails were hand-delivered directly to us wherever we happened to be (the top-deck hot tub included), and a friendly bartender would pause to tell us stories about his life in the Philippines as he mixed us a sassy Alaskan-themed drink.

They asked genuine questions, anticipated our needs and made sure we were wanted for nothing – even if that meant heating up a fresh pastry at 2am after a round of late-night karaoke (I forced my partner to sing The Shallow with me, not realising how utterly crap I was until trying to reach the high note).

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Somehow, that team gave a 2,600-passenger ocean liner the intimate, welcoming feel of a boutique mountain lodge – a pretty rare commodity when you live in the daily hustle and bustle of Sydney.

The crew also loved the fact we were from Sydney, which happens to be where many of them are heading when Grand Princess docks in Australia on November 3 for her home port season.

Half the crew were already grilling us for local recommendations, and we happily obliged. They certainly got the crew down to a tee, but what was the rest of a Grand Princess cruise to Alaska like?

Waking up inside a moving postcard

We spent a week on Grand Princess as part of our 11-day Denali Explorer Cruisetour, with Jelle and I calling a spacious mini-suite home for a week.

For a bucket-list destination like Alaska, having a private balcony view is a game-changer. We’d wake up every morning bursting to pull back the curtains, taking in views so crisp and outrageous we could barely believe they were real.

The ship features a full wrap-around promenade deck, allowing you to walk the entire perimeter whenever you want a 360-degree look at the ocean.

Our suite came kitted out with a desk, pull-out sofa, two TVs (which we barely touched) and ample storage for all our clothes.

What I certainly didn’t expect was a bathroom featuring a full bathtub, a far cry from the tiny, airplane-style shower stall I’d pictured in my head.

I hate to admit I’m someone who gets motion sick – I almost bottled our whale-watching excursion because of it (thank God I grew up) – so I feared that might ruin the vibe.

But I barely felt like we were on the water at all. It was smooth sailing the entire way.

And as a lazy traveller, the fact that our Medallion – the handy little disc you carry to order drinks and navigate the ship – sensed us approaching our room and unlocked the door automatically? Absolutely elite.

Wilderness, whales and Tuesday afternoon cocktails

Our 11-day itinerary gave us a week on land exploring the Alaskan interior across three Princess lodges – Fairbanks, Denali, and Mt. McKinley – before we even set foot on the ship.

The beauty of a cruise is that you can make it as relaxed or as adventurous as you want. Once onboard, we hit three distinct ports and made the absolute most of each one.

On our first afternoon through Yakutat Bay, we skipped the busy public decks for a private Ultimate Balcony Dinner, enjoying a multi-course feast on our stateroom deck as ice-capped peaks drifted past. Outrageous, really.

In Skagway, we boarded the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, riding vintage train carriages along cliffside tracks built during the 1898 Gold Rush. In Juneau, we zipped out on a local boat for a whale-watching excursion that left us speechless.

By the time we hit Ketchikan, we were exploring historic wooden boardwalks along Creek Street before heading out wilderness fishing with Baranof Excursions, where we cooked up our catch onshore.

Jelle caught a fish so absurdly massive that even our local guide looked stunned. Safe to say, he hasn’t shut up about it since.

Yet, as incredible as the land tours were, one of the most unforgettable parts of the journey was simply sailing through the fjords.

The mid-sized design of Grand Princess allows her to navigate narrow waterways that megaships simply can’t reach, bringing us astonishingly close to towering blue glacier walls.

Sitting in an outdoor hot tub with the person you love, holding a cocktail while snow-dusted peaks loom overhead, is delightfully surreal.

The ship itself doesn’t have any bells and whistles – there are no rollercoasters, waterslides, or anything else. Turns out, you don’t need them.

There are activities, like a basketball court and a giant chessboard (why not), but the deck is mostly reserved for relaxing and watching the views. And there are a number of swimming pools because that to me is 100 per cent necessary.

I spent a surprising amount of the cruise wrapped in my robe. Between a massage at the Lotus Spa, a little downtime, and having nowhere in particular to be, I fully embraced the art of doing nothing – and doing it in total comfort.

Our evenings were spent being entertained by the onboard performers, which can traditionally be very hit-or-miss on a cruise ship. But the calibre here was world-class without once tipping into tacky territory.

One night, we caught British Invasion in the Princess Theatre – a high-energy show packed with classic English bangers I grew up with (I am a proud Brit, after all) and I found myself singing along to every word.

It had the kind of big, polished production value you’d expect in a West End theatre – only in this case, it came as an added bonus in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

There’s a fine art gallery, a gym (which, frankly, I did not use), an area to watch movies under the stars and even a wedding chapel.

Then there’s The Sanctuary, where you can just relax and watch the world go by for a bit of extra cost – not entirely necessary, but good if you want to escape family members for a minute.

The Food. THE FOOD!

It’s weeks since I stepped off the ship, and I’m still thinking about the food.

To be clear, I’m a woman of simple tastes – give me a solid pub curry on a Friday night and I’m a happy human. So I was fully prepared for cruise dining to feel a bit like a glorified school cafeteria. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

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The onboard kitchens turn out roughly 10,000 meals a day, yet the execution is seamless. From sprawling buffet spreads after a long day trekking past glaciers to proper sit-down dinners in the main dining rooms, every meal hit the mark.

We had the Princess Premier Package, which bundled together Wi-Fi, drinks, specialty dining and gratuities, allowing us to sample some of the best the ship had to offer.

Crown Grill was an absolute highlight, serving up steaks and lobster tails larger than my head, alongside a French onion soup encased in a golden glaze of melted cheese.

Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria offered a lineup of fresh pasta dishes so rich and delightful we could barely make it through to the second course. The lobster ravioli is something else entirely.

But the undisputed crown jewel was the Chef’s Table: an exclusive, multi-course culinary event with wine pairings hosted directly by the executive chef.

Limited to around 12 guests per seating, it’s available to book for an extra cost ranging from $90 to $155 per person. A little indulgent, sure, but my God, you’ll never forget it.

We were treated to course after course of fresh salmon, oysters, a palate-cleansing sorbet and a lemon dessert that was practically a work of art. Each dish was paired with matching wines, thoroughly explained by a passionate sommelier.

I’ve never been so full, or so utterly content.

The verdict

Jelle and I still look back at our photos and marvel at how a single trip managed to be so wildly adventurous yet completely relaxing.

But that’s what you get on a ship that brings you face-to-face with nature, and a crew that knows how to make a mammoth vessel feel like a home away from home.

And the best news for Aussies? You won’t have to fly across the world to experience it.

Grand Princess is heading Down Under for a dedicated homeport season, arriving in Sydney on November 3.

She’ll be running sailings across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific – alongside epic grand voyages like a 79-day Circle Pacific itinerary that takes in Hawaii, Japan and, yes, Alaska.

If you’ve always sworn that cruising isn’t your cup of tea – worrying it’ll feel too crowded, too regimented or too impersonal – this ship and her crew might just render you completely, delightfully off-course.

God, I’d do it all over again in a second.

The writer travelled as guest of Princess Cruises.