Cruising in the last wilderness; travel Louise Cahill returns to visit the wild beauty of Alaska.

Byline: Louise Cahill

THE growing army of British cruise fans is more than a million strong and growing fast every year - but many of them don't feel like fully-paid up members of the club until they have tackled the frozen wastes of Alaska.

It is 16 years since I first made this voyage out of Vancouver - and the memories of that trip stayed so vividly in my mind that I felt bound to slot a repeat visit into a marvellous six-week adventure across the length and breadth of Canada.

One big change, as I realised when I first glimpsed the 90,000-tonne mighty Radiance of the Seas on the dockside, is that cruise ships have moved spectacularly into the 21st century since my last voyage in these remote waters.

At the heart of 13 decks of activity, entertainment and passenger cabins on Radiance is a dazzling, nine-deck Centrum of curved staircases, domed ceilings and public rooms with some great views out to sea.

Passengers can count on spectacular views of Alaska's awesome wilderness from broad decks and private cabin balconies.

The highlight for 2,500 passengers on our voyage (300 on a return visit) - a nine-night fly-cruise to the Inside Passage, Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glacier, Ketchikan and back to Vancouver - was surely Hubbard Glacier, Disenchantment Bay.

Hundreds of us gathered on the heliport on Deck 5 to watch as Radiance crunched easily through the wide ice. We stopped six football fields away from the glacier's blue face.

"Holy moly", exclaimed exuberant cruise director Gordon What man, as the mighty 1350 sqmile Hubbard glacier split in two in front of us with a laudable crash and explosion of white. A thousand cameras clicked. Radiant faces lit up the crisp, clear air.

With pod propulsion to aid navigation, Radiance was also by far the smoothest ship we'd ever been on. At times, my partner, Ron, and I had to remind ourselves we were sailing, by riding in the glass lifts with their panoramic sea views. Besides the Cascades dining room, we had the choice of five alternative dining venues - and the buffet-style Windjammer usually won, for its outdoor seating.

Radiance travels 60ft on each gallon of fuel, on seas which were delightfully smooth for the entire week. Onmost days, the hotel director's biggest worry seemed to be the prospect of running out of lobster.

You go to Alaska ("great land"), "the Last Frontier", for something more than marine life. Its community includes Athapascans, Tlingits, Eskimos and Aleuts. And with the best glaciers, awesome scenery and space, it is truly a wild place.

There's a huge choice of excursions - on my first visit, I could choose from seven Skagway excursions and this time the programme ran to 29.

Ron and I chose different Juneau excursions. He loved the Guide's Adventure Hike, while I went for the Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens tour. The few hundred permanent residents of Skagway (the Home of the North Wind) share some 35 faiths, and still some how cope with an immense influx of visitors.

In 2004, 722,000 cruise passengers arrived there - against 150,000 at the time of my last visit.

Once an Indian fishing village, it breathes gold rush history. The gold rush began in 1897, a year after George Sarmack, a sourdough prospector, and native partners, SkookumJim and Dawson Charlie, found gold in Bonanza Creek, in the Klondike.

About 100,000 headed north to Alaska, some sailing from Vancouver and Seattle to seek their fortune. Few succeeded but many stayed.

Time for hot cider and cookies at "Liarsville", a re-created gold rush trail camp, before coaching up the Pass, past the one-sided suspension bridge, to quartz-veined mountains (gold's present in these veins).

We walked through the US/Canadian border, and Tormented Valley, with its pink fireweed. Thirty types of mosquitos rubbed their wings in anticipation.

Back on Radiance, we relaxed in our spacious, ocean view stateroom, with its gorgeous private balcony. Balconies are definitely worth booking - over half of the ocean view staterooms have them.

Then it was time for action as, cowboy-hatted, we headed to the Colony Club for the Klondike country dance party.

Our final port was Ketchikan, where we walked to Creek St, then watched salmon spawning, before heading for the lively, Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.

Another memorable show, on board our ship, was the Karaoke competition, when Patrick from Cork gave us his rendition of a rather splendid Cockles And Mussels.

Ay, ay, on Radiance of the Seas, we truly felt "alive, alive, oh".

LOUISE Cahill was a guest of Royal Caribbean, which offers nine-night Alaskan fly-cruises during 2007 from pounds 1,526, including return flights ex-Heathrow to Seattle, one night's hotel accommodation, transfers, flight to Anchorage and seven night voyage departing Seward (Alaska) via Juneau, Skagway, Icy Straight, Ketchikan (Alaska ) to Vancouver (British Columbia). Meals and entertainment onboard also included. From Glasgow and Manchester, prices start at pounds 1,626.

CAPTION(S):

Ketchikan, Alaska, on the cruise itinery; The Radiance of the Seas at Hubbard Glacier, Disenchantment Bay; The Radiance of the Seas cruise ship