Artic Circle Cruise - Is it worth the time?

[PATRLR]

I'm planning a Northern Europe cruise for the summer of 2024.  Probably 10-12 days.  Important stops are the Norwegian fjords, preferably at least 2 of Geiranger, Flåm, Olden or Skjolden.  I want to hit Ålesund or Bergen (prefer Ålesund).  Anything else is gravy.  

 

So, should we include an artic circle component?  As I look at various itineraries with Artic Circle, it's basically 4 days:  2 sea days there and back and 2 days up there at Tromsø and Honningsvåg.   Other than the midnight sun and different-looking coast (vs the deep fjords), what are the highlights?  Is anything going to wow me?  Researching those two ports, it doesn't seem like there is much there. 

I don't mean to disrespect these towns, I am sure they are gorgeous, but is it really worth the 4 days? I'm concluding it's not, but before I rule out those itineraries I want to be sure I'm not missing something.  

 

Thanks in advance. 

[PLee]

We visited the Arctic circle earlier this year.  So grateful we did, it was amazing.  We enjoyed the history, scenery and the people.  Most people aren't in a position to go more than once in their lives.  If that's the case, I would bundle and enjoy yourselves.

[PATRLR]

20 minutes ago, PLee said:

We visited the Arctic circle earlier this year.  So grateful we did, it was amazing.  We enjoyed the history, scenery and the people.  Most people aren't in a position to go more than once in their lives.  If that's the case, I would bundle and enjoy yourselves.

Thanks for the response.  Can I ask what you did in each port?  Was the scenery hile cruising an important part of it (ala Alaska)?

I agree with your sentiment that most people don't go more than once, it's exactly why I am struggling with this decision.

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

I'm planning a Northern Europe cruise for the summer of 2024.  Probably 10-12 days.  Important stops are the Norwegian fjords, preferably at least 2 of Geiranger, Flåm, Olden or Skjolden.  I want to hit Ålesund or Bergen (prefer Ålesund).  Anything else is gravy.  

 

So, should we include an artic circle component?  As I look at various itineraries with Artic Circle, it's basically 4 days:  2 sea days there and back and 2 days up there at Tromsø and Honningsvåg.   Other than the midnight sun and different-looking coast (vs the deep fjords), what are the highlights?  Is anything going to wow me?  Researching those two ports, it doesn't seem like there is much there. 

I don't mean to disrespect these towns, I am sure they are gorgeous, but is it really worth the 4 days? I'm concluding it's not, but before I rule out those itineraries I want to be sure I'm not missing something.  

 

Thanks in advance. 

Tromso: The Arctic Cathedral, the Cable Car, Polaria, and The Polar Museum are a few sights to check out in Tromso, especially the first two. Honningsvag is the stop to visit The North Cape. Geiranger and Flam are two “musts”. I would pick Bergen over Alesund. The above are just my opinion…I am sure others will disagree.

[PLee]

We've also been to Alaska.  Norway and Iceland are like Alaska on steroids.  Absolutely stunning.  Splurge for a balcony.  We spent two days in Tromso prior to departure.  That is about all you need for Tromso.  The winds can be high, so double check before you purchase tickets for the cable car.  The Ice Bar was fun but we feel is a one and done.  No need to go to another one. Walter & Leonard restaurant did a wonderful job with reindeer if you want to give it a try while there.  The Clarion Roof top bar has a great view and cocktails.  We were not big fans of Harstad, Hammerfest or Alta.  Honningsvaag we took a tour with Blue Puffin tours and would definitely recommend them.  Visiting the North Cape is a must while there.  Svalbard is a must, especially due to their location.  Their museum and all was about a 15-20 minute walk.  We also took an excursion on our own called "Svalbard in a nut shell" that was very informative.  It included seeing the exterior of the Global Seed Vault that is worth the walk up to.  Akureyri, Iceland we took a tour w/Imagine Iceland Travel and recommend going to the Pseudo creator area along with the Euro-Asian Tectonic Plate.  Isafjordur we took a tour to explore waterfalls.  In Reykjavik, we took the HOHO bus and spent time at the Perlan museum.  

[edinburgher]

16 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I want to be sure I'm not missing something.  

We have cruised Alaska only twice, 4 weeks in total and wondered if N. Europe would be too "samey" but it was not at all.  When we initially decided to do a Norwegian fjords itinerary, we thought it would be a "one-off" but quickly discovered that one itinerary would not include everywhere, and certainly not additional ports in Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland which we also had an interest in visiting.

 

We ended up taking at least 5 (maybe 6) cruises to that Northern/Arctic area as it was the only way we could include most on our wish list and we loved each and every one(and I think most pax do as the area is beautiful, different and interesting in many different ways and Iceland is totally unique in the world)

 

I agree with your sentiment that most people don't go more than once

 

I actually disagree with this.  A first visit for a number of folks would only tempt them to visit again to explore destinations and countries different from their first visit.. Perhaps starting a thread asking members if they visited only once or more often would reveal some interesting replies?

 

I think you will find that you will be wanting to return for additional cruises in the future  so knowing that will perhaps help you decide on an itinerary for your first one.  Of course, if you think this will be your one and only, you have a difficult decision on your hands as you will need to leave out more than you can include.

Edited September 27, 2023 by edinburgher

[kaisatsu]

IMO the highlights are Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands. Both are absolutely beautiful with scenery that's very different from the southwestern fjords. The northern coast is interesting for its limited vegetation and local culture, but it's a bit of an acquired taste. I wondered if I'd regret missing Honningsvåg and Nordkapp on my first trip to the Arctic, but having been back since, I don't feel that it's a must visit.

[Meander Ingwa]

I am a nature nut so the experience of Midnight Sun, tundra flora , sea birds, whales and meeting the people are huge bonuses on my list.  

 

You find wonder where you will.  Some people can see all of this and think nothing of it.  Others get caught up in the magnificence ad cannot get enough. There is no single answer but if I was making only one journey, I would open myself to trying to experience as much as possible.  

 

You never know , when you pull a  string , what whole new world will open to you.

[Nitemare]

Worth the time?  Absolutely

Worth the money?  I'm hoping to find out once I have enough money (and time)

 

Having said that we LOVE Iceland.  Been 5 times.  Not quite Arctic Circle, but we love the desolation you get there.  Drive down a random road and hear nothing and see no one for as far as you can see.

 

We've been to Antarctica once and Loved it, too, but we didn't love it the same, because on a ship you can never get away from other people.  We certainly learned more about everything we saw there, thanks to the incredible naturalists, and the penguins were amazing, but what we like best about getting away is getting AWAY from things and noise and people.   So I'm not sure how much we'll LOVE our eventual Arctic cruise (our big dream is an "over the top of Canada" cruise), as we won't be able to saunter off on our own.  But I'm sure we'll Love it!

Edited October 4, 2023 by Nitemare

[kaisatsu]

On 10/4/2023 at 4:52 PM, Nitemare said:

We've been to Antarctica once and Loved it, too, but we didn't love it the same, because on a ship you can never get away from other people.  We certainly learned more about everything we saw there, thanks to the incredible naturalists, and the penguins were amazing, but what we like best about getting away is getting AWAY from things and noise and people.   So I'm not sure how much we'll LOVE our eventual Arctic cruise (our big dream is an "over the top of Canada" cruise), as we won't be able to saunter off on our own.  But I'm sure we'll Love it!

I don’t want to stray too far off topic, but if you felt that Antarctica didn’t give you enough time alone, be prepared that the Arctic will give you even less. Due to the polar bear risks, landings are usually conducted in groups where you absolutely have to stick with other people and remain in between expedition guides trained for bear protection.

 

I spend a lot of time alone on deck in Antarctica, and at several landings I’d go off by myself (within the perimeter of course) to enjoy the experience. My first trip even made an official announcement at the beginning that this was a common occurrence and passengers should respect each others privacy when they were having a moment to themselves. The alone-on-deck experience was still possible in the Arctic, but the on-shore solitude was not, given the bear risks.

[kaisatsu]

On topic, my experience in northern Norway is also probably colored by the fact that I had already traveled to the high Arctic twice before I visited places like Nordkapp, and they suffered from the comparison.

[hapster85]

I can't imagine going to Norway and not including those ports, especially Honningsvåg. In fact I've only looked at itineraries that include it. While I've wanted to take a trip to the top of the world for years, an episode of Mighty Cruise Ships a couple of years ago finally sold my wife on the idea. It featured Holland America, but we chose Princess. Over 600 days out and I'm already excited about it.

[kaisatsu]

On 10/10/2023 at 10:52 PM, hapster85 said:

I've wanted to take a trip to the top of the world for years

It was also on my wishlist for my first Norway cruise, but we ended up finding one that skipped Honningsvåg but went to Longyearbyen. It took several years to get closer to the top of the world than that!