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Northern lights on a cruise?


nil6000
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Yes, we have during our early September RCI Radiance (last of the season) cruise. Well after midnight..thanks to the Captain sounding the horn and our adult kids calling our cabin phone.

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We didn't see it on our mid-September cruise on the Eurodam last year. However we were asleep fairly early. Would have loved to have been able to see it from our verandah but no one else had mentioned seeing it, either.

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There's not a good way to predict it and we are (probably) entering the solar minimum, so this summer, you probably won't see a lot of activity, no matter how far north you are.

 

 

 

We are going in 2019. Crossing fingers!

 

 

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In all of our 13 cruises to Alaska we've only seen the Northern lights once and that was about 2010. You have to be out on deck about 3am if they are going be visible.

 

 

 

My husband is a night owl. If anyone will see it he will.

 

 

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I have worked about 200 Alaska cruises over the past decade. Most were Southeast Alaska, out of Vancouver and Seattle. The Bridge staff has always had standing orders to telephone me if they see the Northern Lights.

I received one call about 5 years ago. The lights were barely visible.

You need to get further north if you really want to see them.

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Not likely and if they are out, they will be very dim. Since the ship's lights will be on, it will be even harder to see them. Also, is the moon out at the time of the cruise?

 

The one time that I did see aurora in September, there was no moon and we were on a small 50 passenger ship so they woke all of us up and they turned off all the lights on the ship except for the navigation lights.

 

If you really want to see aurora, go to Fairbanks in February or March when there is no moon out. I went there for a full week a few years ago and then stayed in a place north of town where there were no artificial lights to interfere.

 

DON

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I have been on 4 Alaskan cruises and never saw Northern lights. However on my next Alaskan cruise this coming June, I downloaded a free app called My Aurora Forecast to my Iphone. You can probably download it to your IPAD. It will supposedly be able to tell you if you have a chance of seeing based on your present location. Chances are slim in June with nearly 19 hours of sunlight. Should be better in Sept.

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We saw the Northern Lights on a cruise in Iceland last September. I was beyond thrilled even though the colors were muted. The changing shapes and color changes were magical.

 

Given the opportunity, I would love to see them again with with more color. However - my memories of that one time will last me forever.:)

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Ii have only seen aurora twice from a cruise ship, with having taken over 60 Alaska cruises. I have seen them several time mainland, Denali area and north, including several "winter" (March) trips- with at least 2 weeks invested. :)

 

I do- -daily_ check prediction stats when I'm there in Sept/winter etc.

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I have been on 4 Alaskan cruises and never saw Northern lights. However on my next Alaskan cruise this coming June, I downloaded a free app called My Aurora Forecast to my Iphone. You can probably download it to your IPAD. It will supposedly be able to tell you if you have a chance of seeing based on your present location. Chances are slim in June with nearly 19 hours of sunlight. Should be better in Sept.

 

In June "slim" is actually pretty close to zero.

 

Having an active prediction of aurora, has no correlation to viewing. Essential- clear darkness, meaning no clouds and the ability to see stars. Even a full moon can greatly impact.

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Thank you for the info. We have decided on sept 2019 I have booked the week with the least amount of moon light. If it happens awesome if not they I'm still in Alaska!

 

 

 

 

 

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