See Northern Lights during a cruise

[orwell-g]

hi,

 

I am looking for any recommendation to see the Northern Lights during a cruise (can be anywhere; Norweg, Island, Alaska, ...)

 

at which route or itinerary do I have the best change to see those beautiful lights?

[CruiserBruce]

Not in summer time. Very early or late in cruise season, and the further north you go, the better. But conditions have to be right, and they aren't often during the cruise seasons, particularly in Alaska.

[GeezerCouple]

4 hours ago, orwell-g said:

hi,

 

I am looking for any recommendation to see the Northern Lights during a cruise (can be anywhere; Norweg, Island, Alaska, ...)

 

at which route or itinerary do I have the best change to see those beautiful lights?

 

Look into the Hurtigruten sailings, especially the 12 night Round Trip Norwegian Coastal cruises.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/663-hurtigruten/

 

During the "season", they offer a monthly "Astronomy Package".  Even if you don't participate in the "package" (we did), it will assure you that it's at a time when there won't be overwhelming moonlight.

 

Also note that the dramatic glowing colors one sees in photos/videos is typically *not* what one sees with the naked eye.

 

We had one of the most memorable trips ever just a year ago, and hope to go back.  By going in March, we had lots of night sky, but also lots of daylight for the magnificent scenery.

On the RT, the ports that are "daytime" on the NB trip are visited during the night on the SB.

 

But do read up on Hurtigruten, as it is a bit different from the "typical" cruise.

 

GC

[kaisatsu]

Beyond the Hurtigruren, there are also a few traditions cruiselines that offer winter sailings in northern Norway to try to see the Northern Lights.

 

Another region that offers aurora-oriented cruises is eastern Greenland. There are some expedition cruises that depart from Reykjavík and sail up to Greenland in the early autumn. While potentially more cruise-like than the Hurtigruten ferries, note that expedition cruises are significantly different from traditional cruises.

 

While I’ve seen a few amazing displays from a ship, it’s really not the greatest option for chasing the aurora. Far more than the moonlight, the weather plays an important role. If it’s cloudy, you won’t see the lights. Traveling by ship, you’re at the whim of the weather, and for the most part, the ship won’t be able to deviate from its course to find an area of clear skies. Many of the traditional cruises will plan an overnight or two in some of the aurora base locations, so that if it’s cloudy, passengers can join land-based aurora safaris where guides seek out patches of clear skies using local knowledge and real-time weather reports.

 

Some other concerns related to seeing the Northern Lights from a cruise include the ship’s lighting. On some aurora-focused trips, the ship may extinguish some of the exterior lighting, but otherwise the light pollution from the ship’s lighting can make it hard to see the aurora. Also, the movement of the ship and even the vibration while docked can make it difficult to shoot the long-exposure photographs needed to capture the lights.

 

If there are other reasons you’re interested in a fall/winter cruise in the area, then the lights can be a nice bonus indeed, if you’ll enjoy the trip without them. However, if you’re considering the cruise solely for the aurora, I’d recommend a land-based trip in someplace like Tromsø where you have more flexibility to move around at night (and plenty of activities to stay busy during the day).

[orwell-g]

thank you all for these details, very helpful.👍

[Coral]

Princess is doing an October cruise to Norway looking for Northern Lights.

[hallasm]

Can be very cold standing at the bow of the ship during night - remember to be properly dressed.

Edited April 4, 2019 by hallasm

[reggid]

We did Hurtigruten trip in Feb 2017 and trust me, if you want to make sure you don't waste your money take suitable clothing. It is much better to wear a number of thin layers than just a few thick ones. The air trapped in between thin layers warms to your body’s temperature and acts as valuable insulation.
Not a cruise ship, but totally worth it. 

[lynncarol]

We were on a Translatlantic cruise in September with stops in Iceland enroute.  Just west of Iceland, I woke in the middle of the night and through the glass door to our balcony I could see what seemed to be a big smeary white cloud in the sky.  I woke my husband and we both stared at it awhile but eventually decided it couldn't possibly be northern lights as the only color visible was white.  The next day, when someone showed us their photos of the event, the colors came through. Nice to know we actually saw the phenomena but kind of anti-climatic.

Edited April 6, 2019 by lynncarol