Northern Lights cruises

[cruzer0007]

I have some FCC to use by end of 2022, and one of the items still on my bucket list is a trip to view the northern lights.  I see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused but they also clearly cite there is no way to ensure actual viewing can happen.  I understand the natural phenomenon and the impossible nature of trying to predict it (along with the weather that permits a clear sky). The "season" as best I can determine is about 5 months wide, winter being the prime time to get the opportunity.  I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).   Keep in mind, my primary objective is to see the northern lights.  Thanks in advance

[fsdorado]

I can't speak to seeing the Northern Lights on a cruise but seeing them was on my 83 year old mother's bucket list so we flew to Iceland at the end of September.  The most important factors to see the Northern Lights is a dark and clear sky.  For the most part, there is usually sufficient solar activity to allow for them to be visible.  We discovered the Glendale App (https://aurora-alerts.uk/) about a week into our two week stay.  It does a great job of providing information on favorable conditions and includes a place for people to report Aurora sightings (and also cloudy skies).  The best time for dark skies in the Northern hemisphere is the middle of September to the middle of March.  If you're cruising in the summer, I don't think it will get dark enough to really see much.  We were able to see this from the back porch of the Airbnb we rented in Fludir, Iceland (about 90 minutes from Reykjavik).

 

[Ken the cruiser]

34 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

I have some FCC to use by end of 2022, and one of the items still on my bucket list is a trip to view the northern lights.  I see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused but they also clearly cite there is no way to ensure actual viewing can happen.  I understand the natural phenomenon and the impossible nature of trying to predict it (along with the weather that permits a clear sky). The "season" as best I can determine is about 5 months wide, winter being the prime time to get the opportunity.  I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).   Keep in mind, my primary objective is to see the northern lights.  Thanks in advance

We were booked on the Princess Northern Lights cruise scheduled for last month, before it was canceled, that sails every October. We weren’t aware of any that Celebrity was advertising as Northern Lights cruises. If I might ask, when and on what X ship did you see these advertised?

[cruzer0007]

Here's a link that I started with ...  https://www.celebritycruises.com/destinations/european-cruises/northern-lights-cruise-stress-free-way-to-see-the-aurora-borealis/

 

The particular cruise that caught my attention is a 12 night itinerary, sailing date of 29-Aug 2022, out of Southampton. Headline says Iceland and Ireland, the photo backdrop clearly depicts the northern lights ....

[CRUISENSNOOZE]

49 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

I have some FCC to use by end of 2022, and one of the items still on my bucket list is a trip to view the northern lights.  I see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused but they also clearly cite there is no way to ensure actual viewing can happen.  I understand the natural phenomenon and the impossible nature of trying to predict it (along with the weather that permits a clear sky). The "season" as best I can determine is about 5 months wide, winter being the prime time to get the opportunity.  I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).   Keep in mind, my primary objective is to see the northern lights.  Thanks in advance

Hello cruzer, I wrote the following on another thread, so have copied it here. With this in mind, the next new moon dates for Feb/March are 1 Feb, 2 March and 1st April 2022. 

"Northern lights are also dependent on the moon phase and the 11 year solar cycle. We worked this out for our last cruise and we came up trumps on 3 nights. Feb/March is usually the better months. Approx 12 days after full moon. Best time is 11pm to 2am, but remember in northern Norway the temperature will be around -28 deg C, so wrap up warm. Also any cloud cover will diminish any sightings. With regards the 11 year solar cycle, best years next is 2024 to 2026, with 2025 being the best.

We were also amazed that what you see with the naked eye is not what you see in a photo. Photos are so much better as the eye cannot catch 8-15 seconds of light and hold it. If there is any camera tuition on board which is usually free…go!!. Also practice before at home on the stars or whatever at night. For the basics, you will need a tripod. Camera settings will be as a ball park anything from ISO 400 to 1600 and shutter speed will be anything from 8 seconds to 20 seconds (hence needing a tripod).

Excursions: We were so pleased in Alta we arranged our own excursion for the lights. P&O usually stop 2 nights in Alta (this also gives time to do dog sledding privately). The P&O excursion was 15 minutes down the road to a car park and had very little in the way of northern lights and lasted about 2 hours. We went on a private tour which was only slightly more money but we were out for nearly 5 hours chasing the lights and had well over 3 hours of lights and covered some 50 miles chasing them in land. We were also given hot drinks and food on ours. The tour was for only 4 persons. If you want to know details, please ask."

 

Chris

[Jim_Iain]

While not a feature of our cruise we did an Alaska cruise in September pre-Covid.   The Captain came on the PA in the rooms at about 10:30 PM (something they virtually never do) and announced the Northern Lights were very active on Port Side of the ship.   Incredible display and was happy the Captain let us know. 

 

They also have a number of Northern Light Prediction Apps in the smart app stores.

 

Finally you might get a good idea at NOA Space Weather Prediction Center -  they have a 30 minute forecast where they may be visible.

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast

Edited November 16, 2021 by Jim_Iain

[upwarduk]

I would suggest that cruising from Southampton in August is too early to see the Northern Lights.

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused

 

[Northern Aurora]

@cruzer0007:  I suggest you read the aurora forecast section of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute.  Just use google to find it.  

 

In addition to explaining the phenomena this website is also helpful in interpreting Kp index values and the importance of the Carrington Rotation.   There is also a list of sites around the world with good aurora viewing possibilities.  I understand that you have FCC which needs to be used so you want to do a cruise.  You will need to compare the cruise itinerary with the locations with good viewing possibilities.  

 

In Fairbanks we are having some amazing auroras this winter.  Earlier this month it was simply spectacular.  The last few days we have had bands of very light snow, so no clear nights.  But if aurora viewing is on your bucket list consider a March visit to Fairbanks and stay for several nights at the Chena Hot Spring Resort.  

 

Or go to Iceland.  We have done two land trips and one cruise to Iceland and simply love it.

[keesar]

7 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

I have some FCC to use by end of 2022, and one of the items still on my bucket list is a trip to view the northern lights.  I see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused but they also clearly cite there is no way to ensure actual viewing can happen.  I understand the natural phenomenon and the impossible nature of trying to predict it (along with the weather that permits a clear sky). The "season" as best I can determine is about 5 months wide, winter being the prime time to get the opportunity.  I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).   Keep in mind, my primary objective is to see the northern lights.  Thanks in advance

We were on a cruise which listed one of the highlights being the Northern Lights.  We also went to a couple of apps which predicted a very good chance of seeing them over a period of 3 nights.  Guess what?  We never got to see them.  So you have got to be lucky to be at the right place at the right time.  I have heard that land trips to Iceland or Norway may be the way to go...

[D C]

7 hours ago, CRUISENSNOOZE said:

Hello cruzer, I wrote the following on another thread, so have copied it here. With this in mind, the next new moon dates for Feb/March are 1 Feb, 2 March and 1st April 2022. 

"Northern lights are also dependent on the moon phase and the 11 year solar cycle. We worked this out for our last cruise and we came up trumps on 3 nights. Feb/March is usually the better months. Approx 12 days after full moon. Best time is 11pm to 2am, but remember in northern Norway the temperature will be around -28 deg C, so wrap up warm. Also any cloud cover will diminish any sightings. With regards the 11 year solar cycle, best years next is 2024 to 2026, with 2025 being the best.

We were also amazed that what you see with the naked eye is not what you see in a photo. Photos are so much better as the eye cannot catch 8-15 seconds of light and hold it. If there is any camera tuition on board which is usually free…go!!. Also practice before at home on the stars or whatever at night. For the basics, you will need a tripod. Camera settings will be as a ball park anything from ISO 400 to 1600 and shutter speed will be anything from 8 seconds to 20 seconds (hence needing a tripod).

Excursions: We were so pleased in Alta we arranged our own excursion for the lights. P&O usually stop 2 nights in Alta (this also gives time to do dog sledding privately). The P&O excursion was 15 minutes down the road to a car park and had very little in the way of northern lights and lasted about 2 hours. We went on a private tour which was only slightly more money but we were out for nearly 5 hours chasing the lights and had well over 3 hours of lights and covered some 50 miles chasing them in land. We were also given hot drinks and food on ours. The tour was for only 4 persons. If you want to know details, please ask."

 

Chris

I presume you're referring to land-based photography? There's way too much movement on a ship for a tripod to do any good. 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

@cruzer0007:  I suggest you read the aurora forecast section of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute.  Just use google to find it.  

 

In addition to explaining the phenomena this website is also helpful in interpreting Kp index values and the importance of the Carrington Rotation.   There is also a list of sites around the world with good aurora viewing possibilities.  I understand that you have FCC which needs to be used so you want to do a cruise.  You will need to compare the cruise itinerary with the locations with good viewing possibilities.  

 

In Fairbanks we are having some amazing auroras this winter.  Earlier this month it was simply spectacular.  The last few days we have had bands of very light snow, so no clear nights.  But if aurora viewing is on your bucket list consider a March visit to Fairbanks and stay for several nights at the Chena Hot Spring Resort.  

 

Or go to Iceland.  We have done two land trips and one cruise to Iceland and simply love it.

 

Curious about Iceland -   We are currently booked on a B2B to and From Greenland and Iceland in August.  Would that be too early to expect to see the Northern Lights.   

 

We were on the last cruise Alaska cruise prior to the Japan crossing we were on with you.   We saw them both in Talkeetna and from the ship.    The Talkeetna Lodge had an option to be called if they were visible. 

[Jim_Iain]

I know this is off topic but the best display I ever witnessed was at 40,000 feet.    While living in Europe I use to commute from London to San Francisco once a month for about 3 years.    One night I looked out and there was an absolute spectacular show that lasted for about 3 hours.   I was just memorized.   

I only saw them 2x in all of the flights I took, but could have been asleep on many of the flights as I had to work upon arrival.

[Paulhc]

If your primary objective is to see the northern lights, don’t do it on a cruise.  If you want to travel in comfort and have an off chance to see them then a cruise is a great way to do it. The best way to see them is a land based trip to Tromso or Alta Norway, Iceland or Fairbanks Alaska in the dead of winter. 

[cublet]

Hello,

 

I disagree with the  post above - depending on the itinerary.

 

Crusing to Iceland is not a good choice because of the time you will be at sea and taking pictures while at sea requiring timed exposures will produce unsatisfactory results. I've been to Iceland twice with Celebrity and not seen the northern lights - though that's not why I went.

 

You really want a cruise concentrating on Norway with lots of ports of call and overnight stays - perhaps even going to the North Cape and for this I would recommend P&O.

 

I was on Aurora, I had my camera on a tripod on the balcony with two remotes - one taking single pictures the other taking a series of varying timed exposures. I was able to stay in the warm (drink in hand) and occasionally move my camera across the night sky as the northern lights moved. I was very pleased with the results. A word of warning: P&O push a night-time excursion to see the lights for approx £200 - don't take it, it's a rip-off.

 

Whilst I would add a note of caution that we are dealing with an unpredictable act of nature, I would suggest that the best viewing times would be November to February and that, in turn, rules out Celebrity from the UK.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[the penguins]

15 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

I have some FCC to use by end of 2022, and one of the items still on my bucket list is a trip to view the northern lights.  I see Celebrity has a select few itineraries sailing out of Europe (Southampton) that they market as northern lights focused but they also clearly cite there is no way to ensure actual viewing can happen.  I understand the natural phenomenon and the impossible nature of trying to predict it (along with the weather that permits a clear sky). The "season" as best I can determine is about 5 months wide, winter being the prime time to get the opportunity.  I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).   Keep in mind, my primary objective is to see the northern lights.  Thanks in advance

Save your FCC for something else. Best way to see the Lights is on Hurtigruten. Take the Classic 12 night your at the right time of year and they guarantee you will see the lights or you get another 7 night cruise for free. You don't need to take the extra expensive special cruises with all the experts etc on board (of course you can if you want) the Classic with the lights guarantee will be fine. We went on the Christmas/ New Year cruise. Very, very cold and icy. Make sure you have boots with spikes/ grippers.

Hurtigruten is also the perfect line for the Antarctic - now our Roll Call name makes sense. We have been twice. Once on Celebrity which is fine if you just want to cruise amongst ice bergs. Once on Hurtigruten where you get to land and be with the wildlife - we sat 20 feet from nesting Albatross, waded ashore close to dozens of seals and stood in a colony of over 25000 King Penguins.

[Ken the cruiser]

Here’s the Princess Northern Lights cruise in October that we were so looking forward to going on in Oct 2021 before it was cancelled. Luckily they do it every year.

 

 

https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details?voyageCode=2218 

 

[cublet]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

Save your FCC for something else. Best way to see the Lights is on Hurtigruten. Take the Classic 12 night your at the right time of year and they guarantee you will see the lights or you get another 7 night cruise for free. You don't need to take the extra expensive special cruises with all the experts etc on board (of course you can if you want) the Classic with the lights guarantee will be fine. We went on the Christmas/ New Year cruise. Very, very cold and icy. Make sure you have boots with spikes/ grippers.

Hurtigruten is also the perfect line for the Antarctic - now our Roll Call name makes sense. We have been twice. Once on Celebrity which is fine if you just want to cruise amongst ice bergs. Once on Hurtigruten where you get to land and be with the wildlife - we sat 20 feet from nesting Albatross, waded ashore close to dozens of seals and stood in a colony of over 25000 King Penguins.

Hello,

 

I've not looked at Hurtigruten for a while, but when I looked at the port timings it struck me as being less of a cruise and more of a ferry service - though I admit things may have changed.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

I've not looked at Hurtigruten for a while, but when I looked at the port timings it struck me as being less of a cruise and more of a ferry service - though I admit things may have changed.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

A mixture of both. The ship stops at ports throughout the 24 hour period. Everywhere it stops in the day going north it stops in the  night on the return and vice versa. Some stops are only for a few minutes some for several hours. In some ports there are "normal" excursions in others you depart from one port and rejoin the ship hours later at another.

On board if you are on a "cruise" the price includes breakfast, lunch and dinner plus unlimited tea and coffee. You can also upgrade to ala carte dining. Meals are served in the main restaurant.

There is a big viewing lounge and lots deck space.

Entertainment is minimal, a lounge with a pianist. Also a series of talks on subjects related to the cruise. The main point is the scenery, excursions and, at the right time of year, the northern lights. Cabins are "basic" compared to Celebrity but perfectly adequate. Good shower with a wonderful heated floor which is ideal for drying washing. Onboard prices are high as they are everywhere in Norway. Food is excelldnt, usually buffet style,  with lots of local dishes to try. Tables are allocated in the dining room.

The ship delivers and collects cargo at every port which adds to the interest. It also collects day passengers- usually locals  which can also be interesting - day passengers don't have access to the cruise passengers restaurant.

[CRUISENSNOOZE]

16 hours ago, D C said:

I presume you're referring to land-based photography? There's way too much movement on a ship for a tripod to do any good. 

Hello DC. No, I was talking about a cruise, but we had a 1 night and a 2 night stay at 2 different ports. (P&O). This gave us the time to do private tours (I do not recommend the tours from the ship) for both sledding and chasing the lights.

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for all the comments on the Northern Lights.   My main purpose of the B2B cruises to and From Iceland is not to see the Northern Lights but like spotting an occasional whale it would be a nice treat.  

 

 

[Northern Aurora]

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Curious about Iceland -   We are currently booked on a B2B to and From Greenland and Iceland in August.  Would that be too early to expect to see the Northern Lights.   

 

We were on the last cruise Alaska cruise prior to the Japan crossing we were on with you.   We saw them both in Talkeetna and from the ship.    The Talkeetna Lodge had an option to be called if they were visible. 

 

 

Jim:  Fairbanks' latitude is 64.8.  We are located under the "auroral oval," and our aurora viewing season extends from August 21 to April 21.  From April 22 to August 20 we simply have too much light to view them.  I just googled Reykjavik, and their latitude is 64.1.

 

Further complicating the issue is the 11 year cycle factor.  The last solar maximum was in 2014 so it is anticipated that the next will be in 2025.  I can predict with great certainty that Fairbanks will be full of aurora chasers in February and March of 2025.  The Chena Hot Springs Resort will be totally booked and their outdoor rock pool will be filled in the evenings with folks hoping to be able to boast that they saw an aurora while outdoors soaking in a hot spring fed pool.

 

Most, if not all, of the hotels in interior Alaska offer wake-up calls during the winter if the aurora is out.  And we also have viewed them from an airplane.  

 

Gerry

 

PS:  Our Kp reading for today in Fairbanks is a 3.  During the winter a Kp value is generally included in weather forecasts.  But there will no aurora views for us tonight as a band of light snow is coming through.

[Baron Barracuda]

Viking runs 13 day Northern Lights sailings from London each Jan - March.  Great food and service and they reach all the way to Alta.

[OnTheJourney]

On 11/16/2021 at 12:16 PM, cruzer0007 said:

 I am wondering if anyone on the forum has sailed on Celebrity (or any other line) for the purpose of viewing the northern lights, and can you share the experience (it was a good way to do so, or perhaps it was *not* a very good experience).  

I did it....Viking Sky March '19...the one Baron just referred to.  It was a terrific cruise, at least until it wasn't. What happened to us quickly became worldwide news. You can google it - Viking Sky March 23, 2019 if you care to read about the incident. We sailed north from Bergen (Norway) and went as far as Alta. Here is the cruise we did - highly recommended. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/in-search-of-the-northern-lights/index.html  

 

Anyway, it was a trip designed to explore and search for the Northern lights. They ran it from January to March. I believe ours was the next to last sailing. I'd say that taking a cruise is definitely a good way to see the northern lights, though there is no guarantee. We had two good sightings while onboard the ship, and then the ship offered evening excursions with local companies that know where the best places are based on forecasting info.

 

If you decide to go, I highly suggest getting an aurora app for your phone AND an app designed to take pictures. Unless you have really good equipment and/or know how to obtain the proper settings for long exposure, it's tough to photograph them. I got pretty decent shots with  just my phone using an app designed for it. While the lights are certainly the main attraction, we also had some terrific experiences with ship excursions - reindeer and dog sledding among them. The scenery along the coast of Norway and winding through some of the channels, etc. was spectacular. It's just unfortunate that we never got to finish the trip. 

 

Good luck with your research on this. I hope you decide to go.  I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Edited November 18, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

10 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Here’s the Princess Northern Lights cruise in October that we were so looking forward to going on in Oct 2021 before it was cancelled. Luckily they do it every year.

Alta and Tromsø are both amazing ports!!! 

 

23 hours ago, keesar said:

Guess what?  We never got to see them.  So you have got to be lucky to be at the right place at the right time.

Exactly. I think the sailing either before or after ours had no sightings. Luck of the draw. 

[OnTheJourney]

Cruzer...a few pics from our trip to whet your appetite 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by OnTheJourney