Question for those who have done Northern Lights voyage

[notjaded]

We are thinking of doing the Northern Lights voyage, and have a few questions:

 

1. Have heard various reports that they (A) call the room to wake you up vs. (B) make an announcement on a TV one needs to have on all night: Which is it?

 

2. When the northern lights are out, does Viking keep the outdoor lights of the ship off on the viewing platforms?

 

3. Have heard that there are inland excursions to see the northern lights: Wondering how that works?

 

Thank you for your insights!

[KBs mum]

You need to keep the TV on for announcements, but there are issues with the reliability of this system. 

It is possible to set the TV volume so that the background twaddle is silent and the announcements are audible. 

Not all the ships lights are turned off, it doesn't really matter for aurora, but would for astronomy. 

Shore aurora excursions need to be booked in the same way as any other, they are not the included ones 

[ClayAyers]

We were on this cruise this March.  They made announcements over the PA system, which you could hear in the room provided the volume is up.  On about the second or third day they were visible a lot, but the best viewing for us was on an excursion that took us out into the countryside away from all the ambient light.  It was really cold though.  Might want to bring hand warmers

[notjaded]

1 hour ago, ClayAyers said:

We were on this cruise this March.  They made announcements over the PA system, which you could hear in the room provided the volume is up.  On about the second or third day they were visible a lot, but the best viewing for us was on an excursion that took us out into the countryside away from all the ambient light.  It was really cold though.  Might want to bring hand warmers

Thanks ClayAyers. Just one more question: When watching the aurora when on board, does Viking turn off deck lighting to improve the view?

[uktog]

27 minutes ago, notjaded said:

Thanks ClayAyers. Just one more question: When watching the aurora when on board, does Viking turn off deck lighting to improve the view?

No but deck lights didn’t distort the view at all   These are all deck view’s including some in port in tromso 

[Haqdeluxe]

32 minutes ago, notjaded said:

Thanks ClayAyers. Just one more question: When watching the aurora when on board, does Viking turn off deck lighting to improve the view?

No! 

[notjaded]

1 minute ago, uktog said:

No but deck lights didn’t distort the view at all   These are all deck view’s including some in port in tromso 

Wow, that is awesome. Thanks for sharing. Did it look a lot less vivid without the camera?

[Breckski]

14 minutes ago, notjaded said:

Wow, that is awesome. Thanks for sharing. Did it look a lot less vivid without the camera?

 

I found they looked a lot less vivid to the naked eye.  My iPhone made them look a lot better than how they appeared to me.

[KBs mum]

Which phone you have makes a difference for photographs. Hubby's IPhone 10 greatly enhanced the colours, my cheap Huawei was the same as the naked eye, despite it having a fairly good camera. 

[madmedic]

On 8/3/2023 at 11:49 PM, mwike said:

 

I found they looked a lot less vivid to the naked eye.  My iPhone made them look a lot better than how they appeared to me.

I think I may be disappointed with the real thing having only seen the vivid images in the glossy brochures. Still considering the Northern lights cruise in the future. 

[frickwg]

One thing to remember!

 

Seeing Northern Lights is like gambling or two roulette wheels: The Lights and then the Weather.  Even if you will a million bucks on one wheel you can lose it all on the second.  Both must hit to see anything.  We had a great time on a similar Viking cruise, but saw nothing!

[KBs mum]

A week in a hotel somewhere likely has more of a chance. Anywhere reasonably precipitation free, without light pollution andfar enough north. Eg  Northern Scotland (even Northern England gets sightings a few times a year) is a good bet. 

[The Other Tom]

On 7/31/2023 at 2:44 PM, notjaded said:

We are thinking of doing the Northern Lights voyage, and have a few questions:

 

1. Have heard various reports that they (A) call the room to wake you up vs. (B) make an announcement on a TV one needs to have on all night: Which is it?

 

2. When the northern lights are out, does Viking keep the outdoor lights of the ship off on the viewing platforms?

 

3. Have heard that there are inland excursions to see the northern lights: Wondering how that works?

 

Thank you for your insights!

This winter is the time to go.  Sunspot activity is approaching or at maximum, so you have a good chance of seeing the lights (assuming the sky is clear)

 

1.  Leave you TV on the bridge channel.  Yes, it brightens the room somewhat but they make the announcements on that channel.  

2.  No, but it's ok.  If they're out, you'll see them.

3.  We had really good luck with the "Chasing Lights" excursion out of Tromso.  Northern Lights Big Bus Chase | Chasing Lights

We had an overnight in Tromso so it didn't matter if we were "late" getting back to the ship.  The Viking excursion was sold out, but our excursion went out of their way to find a clear spot to see the lights.  They said they will drive into Finland if necessary. How does it work?  You get on a bus and ride for an hour or so to a clear spot, then get out and enjoy the show.  It was icy where we stopped and I wish I had trekking poles, which I think would have worked better than the crampon things you put on your shoes (hard to get on/off).  Our bus had a restroom and our guides were ok if we used it.  The Viking busses have a restroom but it's generally locked and the driver doesn't want anyone using it. Note that it can be cloudy in and around the port area and sometimes you have to ride several hours to get to a clear spot.  Our excursion was willing to do that but not Viking, so in the end I'm glad the Viking excursion was sold out.  We took a Viking excursion at our next port but the location was cloudy, so we didn't get to see the lights.  But we had a good time talking to the locals around a campfire at the location so all was not lost. 

[johneb2]

As the Other Tom points out, location makes a big difference. On the March 2019 cruise, Viking offered several excursions on the same night.  We had great viewing and saw the lights, while the other group had clouds with a little bit of rain.  Attached is the picture I was able to get.   JohnB

[madmedic]

1 hour ago, johneb2 said:

As the Other Tom points out, location makes a big difference. On the March 2019 cruise, Viking offered several excursions on the same night.  We had great viewing and saw the lights, while the other group had clouds with a little bit of rain.  Attached is the picture I was able to get.   JohnB

What a wonderful shot! How was it to the naked eye? 

[johneb2]

5 hours ago, madmedic said:

What a wonderful shot! How was it to the naked eye? 

We actually did see some green in it with the naked eye, but the camera does bring out more color.  As the aurora gets stronger you will see color with the naked eye.  Of course there is no guarantee you will see a strong aurora.   JohnB 

[DGHOC]

I love that photo John, I saved it to my screen last time you posted it!

 

Another thing to remember is that different people see the lights differently. I could see them building when others with me couldn't. That was most odd and there were a number of accusations of witch craft!! Our private guide said it was definitely a thing.

 

We were in the first year of the Viking NL trips along with Johneb2 above. We were woken by the bridge channel in the middle of the night and I jumped out of bed and dashed to the window. The sky was ablaze but it was a massive shock when I opened the door. Remember to keep your boots and a coat by the window but move fast as they can be gone in the blink of an eye.

 

We were also eating in Manfredi's one night when the call went up. The staff dimmed the lights and wrapped us tightly behind the curtains to get the best view.

 

We took a private tour to search for the lights. Our guide drove us to an isolated quarry where we set up camp, however, as we stood waiting the clouds came in. He directed us back to the bus and we chased the skies. We ended up by a frozen lake between Sweden and Finland. We saw them but it wasn't one of the dramatic displays so often seen on screens. Still wonderful though!

 

On this tour we were instructed to use the loo at the tour companies headquarters, then made to put on  mahoosive padded suits and boots. Once out in the wilderness there was no facility to pee. The snow outside of the clearings was thigh deep and potentially dangerous so the guide barked at anyone trying to wander off. I understand that the Viking chasing tours on our trip drove to a place with a public lavatory, though I don't think they were successful at seeing the lights.

 

It was a fabulous trip, go and enjoy!

[aungrl]

9 hours ago, johneb2 said:

As the Other Tom points out, location makes a big difference. On the March 2019 cruise, Viking offered several excursions on the same night.  We had great viewing and saw the lights, while the other group had clouds with a little bit of rain.  Attached is the picture I was able to get.   JohnB

You just need to find a way to keep posting this photo periodically, since it's the best photo ever! 😊

[JDincalif]

On 8/5/2023 at 8:28 AM, madmedic said:

I think I may be disappointed with the real thing having only seen the vivid images in the glossy brochures.

 

On the March 2019 voyage, what we were startled and captivated by when viewing the lights on deck was the indescribable way the shapes changed, not the gradual shifting that we observe in clouds or the rhythmic pulse of light shows but sudden unpredictable transitions. Initially we observed what looked like a sharp edged arch across the sky that seemed to embrace the ship from port to starboard that suddenly softened and blurred, with other cloudlike shapes emerging that, without any distinct interim change, turned to fingers in the sky. This was among the finest memories of a once-in-a-lifetime voyage.

[johneb2]

Thank you everyone for the compliments on my picture.  I am advanced photographer and feel blessed to have captured it.  I found photographing the lights to be very challenging with a success rate of about 40%.  In summary, I had many failures.  If you plan on taking pictures a tripod is a must, even if you are using a camera phone.  As JDincalif mentioned, they are not stationary but moving, and varying in intensity, and duration.  So you need to have patience.   JohnB

[KBs mum]

If your aim is to photograph the northern lights on a cruise you may be disappointed. If your aim is to visit Norway in winter you will be happy

As ever, depends on your priorities. We saw the lights several times but only took a few photos with phones. Good enough for us as reminders

[notjaded]

OP here. Thanks for the information. Just booked our NL cruise!

[johneb2]

12 hours ago, notjaded said:

OP here. Thanks for the information. Just booked our NL cruise!

Hopefully you will get to see the lights.  Even if you don't you will find it is a great cruise with spectacular scenery, and complimented with the hospitality of the Norwegian people.  Enjoy it, JohnEB