Joprisco Posted July 6 #1 Share Posted July 6 We are planning on Jan 18 on the Balmoral - should we book a port or starboard balcony cabin? Has anyone done this itinerary, what should we expect in the winter sailing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tring Posted July 7 #2 Share Posted July 7 (edited) 14 hours ago, Joprisco said: We are planning on Jan 18 on the Balmoral - should we book a port or starboard balcony cabin? Has anyone done this itinerary, what should we expect in the winter sailing ? It will be incredibly cold, so need to get a lot of thermal clothes and ice grips for your shoes will be useful at times. You should be able to search advice on that in this forum and in the "ports of call" section of cruise critic. It was minus 27C on a night excursion to (hopefully) see the lights when we went in late March one year. Not sure if a balcony will be the best place onboard to view the lights if they appear as you need to find the darkest place possible. It may work, not sure and of course you would need to be facing the lights. As the ship moves, I do not see one side being better than the other overall - all chance, as is the chance of seeing the lights at all. They take you off to somewhere that is both dark and has the best chance of seeing the lights on the night excursions, again all chance though. It is Norway, so prices of that and other excursions will set you back quite a lot, but if you are paying for the cruise, best to consider some excursions. Again the "Ports of Call" board for Norway will probably be useful. Edited July 7 by tring 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #3 Share Posted July 7 Hi Joprisco I see that you are booked on Balmoral ‘Search for the Northern Lights’ cruise in January 2025.. We have done 2 Northern Lights cruises. The first one was with P&O in late February 2017 and the second one was Fred Olsen’ Borealis in mid-February 2022. We had amazing experiences on both cruises. Tring has given you a lot of very sound advice and I will reiterate that daylight hours are very short and it is very cold so a balcony really isn’t very useable. I keep a very detailed diary and these are relevant entries that you might find useful for your planning. I will post them in a series of posts. Notes from my Review of our Feb 22nd 2017 P&O Oriana cruise ‘To find the Northern Lights’ I have some mobility difficulties so wasn't able to participate in the more strenuous activities....booo!... but my husband is fit and active. This is my pre cruise check list. I bought most of our cold weather clothing in places like Aldi and Mountain Warehouse when they had sales. Cold weather clothing and items Clothes Accessories Thermal underwear Crutch clamp Snow boots Snow grips Thermal socks Lip balm Silk glove liners Snow glasses Thermal gloves tripod Thermal trousers Camping chair Thermal hat Thick fleece Wind/waterproof jacket scarf Forgotten but needed Highlighter pens Polo shirts Casual, thin day wear for around the ship Brought and used. Thermal vests, long johns, socks. Water/wind proof jacket Fleeces to layer Scarf Neck warmer Thick hat with ear protectors Thermal gloves Silk glove liners Camera tripod Fur lined snow/waterproof boots Crutch/walking stick ice spike Hand/foot warmer gel pouches torches Brought and not used Ski goggles Crampon studs General Information The captain will make an announcement when the lights appear over the PA system in public areas and on channel 1 on the cabin TV. The advice was to leave the TV on through the night with the volume turned up if you wanted to hear the call. The ship is warm inside so have appropriate clothing for that too. We had concentrated so much on Arctic weather clothes that I didn't pack much indoor wear! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #4 Share Posted July 7 Alesund Feb 2022 Fred Olsen – February 2022 Day 4. Monday 14th February 2022 Alesund, Norway. 08.30 to 15.30 (all aboard time) A.M. cold (high of 3*c), mainly overcast P.M. Sea conditions: extremely rough through the night until we got into the Alesund fjord. I’d set the alarm for 07.00 so we could watch part of the sail-in but we were almost docked by the time we got outside. There was snow on the mountains which surround the city but it was just wet underfoot in the built-up areas. We had not booked a tour and were hoping that the tourist train would be running which it was!! Jim decided to go for a wander and I got the tourist train. He climbed the stairs to the viewing point and then walked down the hill to the town Alesund. the ship docks very close to the city centre. There is a small terminal building with toilets and helpful visitor information personnel. It is a short walk to the commercial centre where there is a good variety of shops although Norwegian prices are very high! The busses for the ship's excursions are parked near to the terminal building There is a bus station for local busses on the quayside. The hilltop viewing point can be accessed by a flight of 400+ steps or by road City Tourist Train. the train was parked just a short walk from the terminal exit. Today’s journey was for 40 minutes and cost NOK 200pp (£16.65) Unfortunately, the road to the viewpoint was too icy so the route was changed to doing a tour round the town. The commentary today was in English and was informative. The first train was at 10.00. The carriages were enclosed so it wasn’t too cold but there wasn’t a lot of knee room. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #5 Share Posted July 7 Scenic cruising 2022 Day 5. Tuesday 15th February 2022 - crossing the Arctic Circle. At Sea - Scenic cruising passing Torghatten and Seven Sisters Mountain A.M. icy cold with high cloud and short sunny intervals P.M. as above Sea conditions: much calmer in the early hours and calm during the day. The Scenic cruising began around 08.15 so we dressed early and went out on deck for a while. The scenery was stunning but would have been even more stunning with proper sunshine. We crossed the Arctic Circle just after 13.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #6 Share Posted July 7 Narvik 2022 Day 12. Tuesday 22nd February 2022 (22022022!!!!) Narvik - 07.15 to 19.30 (all aboard time) Ship’s excursion- Ofoton Arctic Train A.M. Brilliant sunshine but extremely cold P.M. as above Sea conditions: Calm We had a leisurely start to the day as our tour didn’t start until 11.00. Narvik Port. the port is small and industrial There isn’t a terminal building Tour busses are parked about 100m from the gangway There were a couple of taxis parked in the car park. There was a private 'yacht' docked next to Borealis that belonged to a Russian billionaire (£54,000,000 to build)! Narvik Town The town centre is about 1km from the port and the road is uphill The town has a variety of shops and cafes, a war museum and the railway station Ofoton Arctic Train we met in the theatre at 11.05 and were advised to set off walking to the bus as I walk slowly. We were both issued with a packed lunch as our trip took place over the lunch period. I had a seat near the front of the coach already reserved. The coach journey to the railway station took 5 minutes and went through the centre of Narvik. The train was chartered by FO and was waiting for the 5 shuttle busses when we arrived. We were directed to specific seating compartments depending on our bus number. The seats were in a 2&3 configuration. There were toilet facilities at the centre of the train. The journey goes out and returns by the same route and doesn’t turn round so it is important to sit on the right hand side if the seat faces forward (left side if backward facing) The journey takes approximately 2 hours. There was a taped commentary in English on the outbound journey where information was given on points of interest. The scenery was spectacular, especially since we had glorious sunshine for the whole route. The train made 3 stops where passengers could disembark for a few minutes. It was comfortably warm on the train but bitterly cold on the small stations…..-15*c!! We arrived back at the ship at 14.20 A great experience 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #7 Share Posted July 7 Alta - P&O 2017 Tuesday 28th February 2017 Tromso to Alta with scenic cruising Arrival in Alta at 13.30 A.M. Very cold, sunny and clear until mid-morning and then increasingly cloudy P.M. The mist dropped as we neared Alta and there was a heavy snow shower before the sun came out in short bursts. -3*C without the wind chill. We had a lie-in until 07.30 and then a leisurely morning while enjoying the spectacular snow covered mountain scenery as we headed into the Star Fjord. After a light lunch in Al Fresco we watched the sail-in, got dressed in the 'Arctic gear' and caught the shuttle bus into the town. Sadly, there wasn't much to see so we spent about an hour in the shopping mall before getting the shuttle bus back to the ship. Alta. · The ship docks at an industrial pier on the outskirts of the town. · The town is small and 'modern' with 60s style architecture. · There is a regular free shuttle service from just by the ship to the town square. · It is a 15-minute journey and a 5km walk. · There is very little to see in the town except for the tourist information centre by the bus drop-off point and the shopping mall which is opposite the bus park. · The shopping mall has a food court, a variety of shops and a supermarket. I thought prices were very high. We had a snooze in the afternoon because we knew that it was going to be a late night and then went to the Northern Lights shore excursion presentation before having a buffet dinner. We got changed into our really heavy gear and headed to the Crichton Lounge for our 21.00 meeting time. It was an interesting excursion but I was glad that there was the choice to get the coach back and I was back on board just after midnight having not seen the lights. Jim got in at 01.00 and he had seen them and got a couple of pictures so he was fairly happy. ‘In search of the Northern Lights' - ship's excursion - 4 hours. · I booked this as soon as the tours became available on line so I got the day and time of my choice (day 1, 21.30 departure). · I did look at independent tours but, although they offer more flexibility, I found the price to be even higher than the ship's excursion and, as I am on a budget, I chose the less expensive option. · Each day's groups had the option to attend a 30-minute special presentation given by the local expert on the day of departure. This was excellent as he explained the cause of the phenomenon and how it is tracked. · He also explained which of the 3 possible viewing sights we would be taken to (2 are 50km from the ship and the other is a 15-minute drive) and what would happen once there. · There are: · toilet facilities · Hot chocolate and cake. · 10 guides who will help with photography and other queries. · Places to be warm · Transport back to the ship on request if you want to return early. The Solvang site. We were taken to the Solvang site which is the 10-minute drive from the ship. It was interesting to see into people's houses as they don't draw their curtains and have the rooms brightly lighted. The homes seemed cozy, spacious and modern with good quality furnishings and kitchens. Once at the site we were led along pathways to a large field where people spread out to find a suitable space. We passed a building where the toilets were situated and a rest area where there was a teepee and 2 camp fires. No mention was made of the availability of refreshments. Important. · It was extremely cold (-10*C and no wind chill factor.....thank goodness ) so it is important to have the correct clothing. · There was very little seating so people were standing for hours. · I took a fold-up camping chair which was invaluable and envied by many! · You need a long exposure time on your camera (between 10 and 20 seconds is recommended) so a tripod is vital for getting clear pictures. · We had hand warmer gel packs which also proved invaluable as the night wore on. · The lights are a natural phenomenon and viewings can't be guaranteed. It was cloudy when we got there and I left after 90 minutes without seeing them but my DH saw them after a 2.5 hour wait. · The lights appear as a fuzzy, ethereal gas cloud. Photographs enable you to see the intensity of the colour. · The ship offers tours that begin at various times through the evening. We chose the 21.30 departure but there were earlier and later options. · There were a lot of people from the ship at the site but also from other tour companies. · We didn't need a torch and we were requested not to use anything with a bright light while in the viewing field. · Coaches returned to the ship at regular intervals once they were full. Wednesday 1st March 2017 Alta all day. We depart at 03.00 tomorrow morning. A.M. Sunny, clear skies and extremely cold. P.M. As above....-8*C but, fortunately no wind. Night time. Intermittent cloud, snow showers and -16*c on deck We woke up just after 08.00 as we had had a late night. Once we had eaten breakfast, Jim went off fishing from the jetty (he had brought his ‘travel fishing equipment with him) and I spent some time catching up on the diary entries. We met for lunch and then headed into town on the shuttle bus for an hour just to get out for a while. We had an ice cream each in the shopping mall and then came back. We had just got in bed when the Captain made the announcement that the Lights were visible so, after a mad scramble to get into warm clothes, we dashed up to deck 13 where we got a good view of them but no photos because Jim's camera wouldn't respond........oh well - that's life! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #8 Share Posted July 7 Alta 2022 Fred Olsen Day 8. Friday 18 February 2022. Alta - 08.00 and overnight. NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR WITH AL - 19.00 A.M. very cold and overcast with occasional snow flurries. P.M. Sea conditions: moderate swell We had an early breakfast and saw the ship docking…..what a shame it is overcast having seen the fjord in bright sunshine in 2017! We caught the shuttlebus into town at midday. We had a look around the shopping mall and we shared an ice cream and a coffee before getting the shuttle back to the ship. We had dinner in the buffet as we needed to meet our tour at 19.00. A good day with some disappointments,' Alta Port the port is a small industrial area right by the airport. There isn’t a terminal building Tour busses and shuttle busses are parked about 100m from the gangway. I didn’t see any taxis or independent tours being offered. The town is approximately 3 miles from the port. Alta Town. The town has grown a bit since we were last here but it is mainly industrial units and housing. The main attraction in the town centre is the 'cathedral' There is quite a large indoor shopping mall close to the shuttle bus drop-off point which has free wifi, a supermarket, a variety of shops and several food outlets. Our tour. I booked the tour through Viator. I had several communications from Alta Adventures asking if we had questions, needed cold weather clothing etc. I requested a chair as I will not be able to sit on the ground on the reindeer skins…..not a problem. Our meeting time is 19.00 at the bus car park and Stig arrived promptly. There was another couple with us and the people carrier seated us all comfortably. Stig told us that the likelihood of seeing the lights that night was very low but he used an app on his phone and made a valiant attempt to locate them…..no luck!!! Our first stop was at Stig's office where we were provided with extra warm clothing. He then drove us through Alta and told us about the locality and its history before we headed out into the hills. Unfortunately, the longer we drove and the higher we got, the worse the weather became until we were in the middle of a blizzard. Stig turned the vehicle round and we left the blizzard behind as we got lower and closer to the fjord. Stig spotted tracks made by a lynx and he stopped the vehicle so we could see them Stig then made a comfort stop. He took us to a small harbour where there was a cabin with a toilet and a waiting room. He served us with fruit tea or hot chocolate and a reindeer meat sandwich baguette while we had a chat. The tea was nice and the baguette was delicious….the reindeer meat was very tender and the lingonberry sauce was sweet and tangy. Stig dropped us off at the port just after midnight. It was such a shame that we didn’t see the lights but it was an interesting 5 hours. Day 9. Saturday 19th February 2022 - LOCAL BUS Alta - departing 02.45 on Sunday 20th A.M. very cold and overcast P.M. as above with snow showers in the evening Sea conditions: We left the ship on the second shuttle bus about 09.15. I went into the shopping mall to access the free wifi on Jim’s iPad so I could download the newspapers while Jim went to the tourist information office to enquire about the local bus routes. He came rushing back to say that the only coastal route bus was leaving in 4 minutes! We 'raced' back to the bus station and caught the bus just as it was about to leave. It cost NOK60 = £5 for the 2 of us for a 1 hour round trip to Talvik. It was a very scenic route along the coastline and then a slightly more inland route for part of the way back so well worth doing. Once back in Alta, we went back into the Mall where we had a coffee and a coffee ice cream between us while we completed downloading the papers onto Jim’s iPad. We got back to the ship at 12.15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #9 Share Posted July 7 Tromso - P&O 2017 Day 8. Monday 27th February 2017 Tromso - 08.00 to 03.00 the following morning A.M. Very cold with long, sunny periods and no wind. Temp was -3*C. P.M. As above until about 15.30 when the wind got up and then the temperature dropped noticeably. We had left the TV on overnight in case there was an announcement of a 'lights' sighting but no luck yet. The alarm went off at 06.00 and, after a bit of a struggle to put on all the thermal clothes, we made it out on deck for 06.45 where we were able to enjoy the snow-covered fjord sides and the little villages as we headed towards the dock in Tromso. We had breakfast and went out on deck again to see the ship pulling up to its berth before heading down to the cabin to await the call to disembark. The shuttle busses were right by the ship and we were on one of the first busses and were dropped off in the town centre at 08.45. We wandered around for a while, went in a supermarket and took a lot of photos. I found it quite hard to walk as some places were completely clear and others were covered in thick snow or ice. I was ready to come back and we got the 10.45 shuttle. Discover Tromso. The guide explained some of the history of the area as we drove up the hill and around the back of the city and through some pleasant suburbs. Our first stop was for 15 minutes at the Arctic Cathedral. We were lucky because, with there being sunshine, the huge stained-glass window glowed and was very impressive. We were then taken back across the bridge and driven through the town centre before travelling along the shoreline to the museum. We had 45 minutes there to explore. There were a lot of interesting exhibits relating to the Sami People and Arctic exploration. There was a shop, toilets and a cafe. From there, the drive took us through more suburbs to the Planetarium where we had a show about the Northern Lights. That was our last stop so the coach took us back to the ship. We arrived just after 16.00. It was a nice excursion and I'm glad that we were taken over the bridge and through the suburban areas as it gave a good oversight into the way local people cope with the extremes of the climate. Tromso. The 'sail-in' is pretty but not as dramatic as some as the fjord is wider and the mountains are lower. The dock area is industrial. There are free shuttle busses into town that ran at 20 minute intervals until 23.00. The journey is 10-15 minutes. It is walkable but the pavements were very icy. The Arctic Cathedral is on the other side of the fjord so, to walk, would mean going into town and then across the bridge. The cable car is close to the Arctic Cathedral but I'm not sure if that is walkable too. The town centre is relatively small with a variety of shops, cafes, supermarkets, picturesque buildings, open spaces and the harbour area. Prices are high compared to the UK. It was £1 to use the toilet in the small shopping mall! Husky sledging. The bus left the port terminus at 16.30 and took about thirty minutes to reach the Tromso Wildlife Centre. The journey was during sunset and the views were quite dramatic. The centre was out in the countryside and we were originally taken into a large wooden building for coffee/tea, cake and to meet our guide. This building was comfortable with tables, chairs, fire pit, toilets and a small shopping area. The guide was excellent and explained everything about the dogs' working life whilst we walked around the site visiting the kennels, breeding area and sleight boarding area. All of the dogs were very friendly and people were allowed to cuddle the puppies. I was on a sleigh by myself with the driver. The ride took about thirty-five minutes over undulating ground and at times you could see the lights of Tromso in the distance. The ride out in the deep snow was a wonderful, although bouncy, experience. We got back to the ship at 20.00. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzywiz Posted July 7 #10 Share Posted July 7 Tromso - Fred Olsen 2022 Day 6. Wednesday 15th February 2022 Tromso - 11.00 and overnight A.M. clear sunny sky and very cold…-6*c. Thick snow and ice under foot. P.M. As above but even colder. Fortunately, there wasn’t any wind Sea conditions: A strong swell until we got into the fjord where it was calm. We got shuttle number 4 just after midday and it took us to the centre of town (15 minutes) where we got off outside the Radisson Blu hotel. We walked (slithered!) along by the harbour before turning into the shopping area where we had been told the #26 bus stopped. We took the bus to the cable car and got talking to 2 very nice young gentlemen from London who stayed with us on the bus to show us the stop nearest to the cable car. Once at the lookout point at the top, we spent about 20 minutes enjoying the amazing scenery. We then went into the cafe and had 1 small coffee and 1 large chocolate muffin for NOK97 = £8.60. After an hour we took the cable car down and got the bus back to Tromso. After a bit of a wait the shuttle bus arrived and we were back on board at 04.15. Tromso Port the port is industrial It is situated about 2 miles out of the city centre. There isn’t a terminal building The shuttle busses and ship’s tour busses depart from the bottom of the gangway I didn’t see any taxis or private tour companies but couldn’t see all the parking area so there may have been some. There was a shuttle service into Tromso town centre which was free for us but £10 for those on a saver fare for unlimited journeys. Tromso City the city centre has a wide variety of ships and eating outlets There are walkways along the harbour area. There appeared to be boat trips and sightseeing tours being offered but I’m not sure if they were running while we were there Cable car I had done my research online at home so I knew that it was possible to get a bus from the town centre to the cable car. The Bus stop for bus #26 was quite close to the shuttle bus drop off point. Busses were quite frequent Tickets must be purchases from the ticket machine (Instructions can be accessed in English) by credit card before boarding. Unfortunately, this machine wasn’t working so we bought our tickets at the shop across the road… NOK40pp = £3.30pp Tickets must be validated on the machine on the bus. The journey takes about 20 minutes and the driver will call out when to get off. There is a short walk to the lower station where the ticket office is situated. Tickets are NOK280PP = £20. or NOK220pp = £18 or pensioners Each car holds about 20 passengers At the top there is a cafe, toilets, a viewing platform and access to open space where people were skiing etc. Day 7. Thursday 17th February 2022 - Formal Night - WE GOT AURORA PHOTOS!!! Tromso - all aboard by 17.30 A.M. cold and overcast P.M. as above Sea conditions: As Jim was going on his ice fishing excursion we were awake at 07.00. He went for breakfast and then left the cabin at 09.00.. The rest of the day passed as usual until we went up to the Observatory Lounge for the 10pm quiz. It was then that people were telling us that the Aurora was visible above the ship so we rushed out and managed to get some great photos on my phone once I turned off the flash. We were in and out of the lounge for an hour because it was so cold but the lights faded after half an hour. JIM. ICE FISHING WITH A LOCAL. There were seven participants in the group which consisted of five men and two women. Before setting off each person was asked for their body and feet sizes so the correct weather proof gear could be collected. On leaving the port it took half an hour to collect the gear from the company’s base in Tromso. The drive to the lake took approximately fifty minutes and this was through stunning country side with the added bonus of great views of a golden eagle and two white tailed sea eagles. Once at the lake it took about fifteen minutes to kit everybody out with snow suits, snow shoes, reindeer skins for sitting on and walking poles. A short walk to the fishing holes followed, each person was designated to one, and the short fishing rods were baited up and presented to each person. I thoroughly enjoyed the fishing and the group got on very well with each other but we failed catch any fish. Tea or coffee and cake was provided along with a fire on the ice to keep us warm. After nearly two hours we packed up and re boarded the coach for the journey back to the ship. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience but was disappointed because the driver chopped the wood for the fire, on the ice, about a meter and a half from where I was fishing. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leither Posted July 10 #11 Share Posted July 10 I’ve often wondered about doing a Northern Lights cruise but I think that has effectively removed the temptation, thank you. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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