Norway cruise info?

[Punam]

Does anyone know the best time of year to go if one of the important goals is to see the Northern Lights? We're considering a Celebrity cruise that starts from Shouthamptom, and I'm unsure about the roughness of the sea from there to Norway. Or would we be better to book a cruise that starts in Norway, and if so - which one? Thanks for any info!

[TrueNorth74]

October to March, when it actually gets dark in the evening, is best for northern lights viewing. Of course, finding a cruise ship for then is another story... :(

[gnome12]

And the North Sea would likely be very rough.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

You might want to look at Hurtigruten. They are a mixture of cruise ship and ferry. They offer Norway cruises all year round, from Oslo.

The best time to see the Northern lights is probably January/February, but there is no guarantee that you will see them even then. Also more likely to see them the further north the cruise goes. At that time of year it will barely get light and will be very cold in the far north.

 

 

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[hallasm]

You might want to look at Hurtigruten. They are a mixture of cruise ship and ferry. They offer Norway cruises all year round, from Oslo.

The best time to see the Northern lights is probably January/February, but there is no guarantee that you will see them even then. Also more likely to see them the further north the cruise goes. At that time of year it will barely get light and will be very cold in the far north.

 

 

Hurtigruten is Sailing from Bergen - not Oslo. 6 days along the coast to Kirkenes and back. You need dark nights in order to see the Northern Light - further north the better. Best chances are from November to March however possible in September and October. And yes, North sea can be rough. Hurtigruten is sailing close to the coast. I have booked a Hurtigruten Cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes with some extra days in Kirkenes in order to see the Northern Light.

 

 

 

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[Capt_BJ]

Viking Ocean

 

"In search of the northern lights"

 

Jan thru Mar, '19

 

London then up the coast of Norway to Alta and Tromso - overnights at these ports … then back south to end in Bergen; 13 days, 7 ports total (alternate sailings will reverse the path)

 

Atla is around 70 degrees north … the Arctic Circle is 66-33

[marylizcat]

The ‘British’ cruise lines, P&O, Fred Olsen and Cruise & Maritime, all offer winter Northern Lights cruises. Ex UK ports.

 

 

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[kaisatsu]

If your primary goal is to see the Northern Lights, I wouldn't recommend doing it from a ship. Not only do you need to travel in winter when it gets dark enough, you also have to travel far enough north in Norway, and you need clear skies and some luck.

 

The auroral belt isn't centered over the pole, so around Russia and Norway, you need to be much farther north than you do in Iceland, Greenland, and North America. You can do this in winter on a Hurtigruten trip, and they sometimes run trips that explicitly cater to aurora watching (e.g. they dim some of the outside deck lights), but you'll have much better odds if you base yourself someplace like Tromsø for a few days.

 

A land-based trip gives you the flexibility to travel elsewhere if it's cloudy, whereas the ship has a predetermined route. There are a lot of northern lights chasing tours based in northern cities, and they typically know the best spots for finding clear skies. Unless you're on a northern-lights-focused trip, you'll also have to deal with light pollution from the ship and won't be able to get away from it as you can on land by traveling into less-populated areas.

 

And finally, if you hope to photograph the lights, even if you're on a ship that's accommodating enough to reduce the exterior lighting and reduce the speed when the lights come out, the natural movement of the sea is a huge problem with the long exposures required. (I've been lucky enough to see a spectacular display from an expedition ship, but even though the lights were out and we were at anchor, even the professional aurora photographer who was traveling with us wasn't able to get any great shots because of the slight movement.)

 

If you won't be heartbroken if you don't see them, and you really want to travel by ship in spite of the limitations, Hurtigruten is a good place to start. Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Viking, Saga, P&O, Princess, and Cunard are all offering a few sailings between mid-October and mid-March. I have no idea which of them caters better to aurora watching, but you might be able to find out from reviews or from posters on the individual cruiseline boards.

 

That said, the Norwegian coastal scenery is beautiful and well worth doing a cruise on its own at another time of year when there's enough daylight to enjoy it.

[marylizcat]

If your primary goal is to see the Northern Lights, I wouldn't recommend doing it from a ship. Not only do you need to travel in winter when it gets dark enough, you also have to travel far enough north in Norway, and you need clear skies and some luck.

 

The auroral belt isn't centered over the pole, so around Russia and Norway, you need to be much farther north than you do in Iceland, Greenland, and North America. You can do this in winter on a Hurtigruten trip, and they sometimes run trips that explicitly cater to aurora watching (e.g. they dim some of the outside deck lights), but you'll have much better odds if you base yourself someplace like Tromsø for a few days.

 

A land-based trip gives you the flexibility to travel elsewhere if it's cloudy, whereas the ship has a predetermined route. There are a lot of northern lights chasing tours based in northern cities, and they typically know the best spots for finding clear skies. Unless you're on a northern-lights-focused trip, you'll also have to deal with light pollution from the ship and won't be able to get away from it as you can on land by traveling into less-populated areas.

 

And finally, if you hope to photograph the lights, even if you're on a ship that's accommodating enough to reduce the exterior lighting and reduce the speed when the lights come out, the natural movement of the sea is a huge problem with the long exposures required. (I've been lucky enough to see a spectacular display from an expedition ship, but even though the lights were out and we were at anchor, even the professional aurora photographer who was traveling with us wasn't able to get any great shots because of the slight movement.)

 

If you won't be heartbroken if you don't see them, and you really want to travel by ship in spite of the limitations, Hurtigruten is a good place to start. Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Viking, Saga, P&O, Princess, and Cunard are all offering a few sailings between mid-October and mid-March. I have no idea which of them caters better to aurora watching, but you might be able to find out from reviews or from posters on the individual cruiseline boards.

 

That said, the Norwegian coastal scenery is beautiful and well worth doing a cruise on its own at another time of year when there's enough daylight to enjoy it.

 

The cruise lines usually sail up to Alta at the very ‘top’ of Norway. Although you may be lucky and see the lights from the ship, the main focus is on the night time tours offered through the ship by the local operator who has the expertise to know which place to take people to that night. We were on P&O and were very lucky the night we went, seeing a great display. They usually stay two nights in port in Alta.

 

However, obviously the more nights you spend in the far north, the better your chances, which a land stay would provide. (But we did stay a week in northern Finland one February and never saw them at all.)