Northern Lights

[2little time]

Has anyone been able to see the Northern Lights on their Alaska Cruise?

[Druke I]

Half dozen cruises to Alaska, and haven't seen them yet.

 

Did not see them when we did the Norwegian Fjords either.

 

Someday, perhaps.

[2little time]

What a disappointment. I have seen them here in Green Bay several times but I hoped to see other colors than just the green.

[momK]

Northern lights are more common in the winter; I don't think I'd enjoy an Alaskan cruise in February!! :)

[naxos]

Definitely a winter phenomenon- there is almost no dark time when the ships cruise in Alaska!

[2little time]

I found this online:

The aurora is unpredictable, and no one’s entirely sure when—or where—it’s going to appear. But here are some tips to give you the best odds of seeing the aurora in Alaska.

Best Months: The sky has to be dark which means the northern lights unfortunately can’t be seen in Alaska in summer. The best months are March and September; that’s when there are: 1) frequent displays, 2) clear skies, and 3) generally mild weather.

 

Since we are going in September I hoped someone had seen them.

[gingera]

Northern lights are amazing, but the nites in July in Alaska aren't dark enough when we visited.....it was very surreal when I saw them....we viewed them camping in the wilds of Minnesota, and Canada. It's best to be away from any man made lights.

[katisdale]

We did an Alaska cruisetour in September. We did not see the northern lights. You can leave a request with the lodge desks (we stayed at three different lodges and all offered this) to wake you if they see the lights. Our phone did not ring sadly. My only disappointment in a fantastic cruise. If you go to Skagway I highly recommend the "Evening Wildlife Expedition" through Princess. You take a ferry like boat from Skagway to Haines (we saw Whales breaching on the way to Haines) and then you load onto to school type buses and the fun begins. We saw hundreds of eagles, loads of otters and 5 huge bears catching salmon. Wonderful!!!

[Colo Cruiser]

Has anyone been able to see the Northern Lights on their Alaska Cruise?

 

Long thread on the same here....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1189383&highlight=northern+lights

[Beach4me]

We saw them 2 nights on our Radiance of the Seas cruise this past September. (Nights of Sept 14 after leaving Juneau and heading to Skagway & 15 after leaving Skagway and heading to Hubbard Glacier.)

 

We know we were absolutely blessed to see them. Our whole cruise was that way, though. Two weeks, mid-Sept and not a drop of rain in any Alaskan port.

 

Never say never! ;)

 

Hope you get to see them too. (btw - it is colder than cold out on deck late at night...dress really warmly!)

[Budget Queen]

In all my trips to Alaska, I have seen them twice from the Inside Passage. These were 2 different Sept trips. I have seen them several times from interior Alaska, end of August, Sept, and 2 March trips.

 

IF a priority, then you need to invest TIME. Meaning, parking yourself in Fairbanks for days in Sept.

 

2012 is supposed be another peak year, so I have basic plans to return again in March (no way to I book way far ahead with my trips :) ) I really like that timeframe, since, it is still dark plenty, but at about 12 hours of daylight and milder temps during the day. The International Ice Sculpting Championships http://www.icealaska.com are on, which is a highlight. I do snowmobiliing and dog sledding during the day. Again, VERY good due to warmer temps.

[bonniesmum]

We did an Alaska cruisetour in September. We did not see the northern lights. You can leave a request with the lodge desks (we stayed at three different lodges and all offered this) to wake you if they see the lights. Our phone did not ring sadly. My only disappointment in a fantastic cruise. If you go to Skagway I highly recommend the "Evening Wildlife Expedition" through Princess. You take a ferry like boat from Skagway to Haines (we saw Whales breaching on the way to Haines) and then you load onto to school type buses and the fun begins. We saw hundreds of eagles, loads of otters and 5 huge bears catching salmon. Wonderful!!!

That sounds fantastic, was it a tour you did?

[Giantfan13]

The first time we went to Alaska, about 5 years ago, we booked a one way, from Vancouver to Whittier and then to Anchorage, in late august. We had a 12:00AM flight booked out of Anchorage, and we were told, from posters, here on CC, that if you have any chance of seeing the Northern Lights, you must be on the left side of the plane. We switched our seats at check in, and the hostess was laughing at us for it. That laugh turned out to be on her.

On that flight out of Anchorage, we were able to view the Northern Lights for over an hour, once we got high enough. Even the captain of the plane commented on how active they were that particular night. It was a tremendous way to end our trip, and when we returned, that was what we talked about most, seeing the Northern Lights for such an extended period of time.

So, maybe it wasn't a normal thing to see them late in august, but we took the advice offered, and we were rewarded for it. So never say never. If the time is right, the Northern Lights may be seen.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[PennyAgain]

I have seen the Northern Lights many, many times but never when I had a plan to do so. The best seeing time of the year for me has been Sept-Oct as the weather tends to be foggy and cloudy in the Anchorage area very often during the deep parts of winter.

 

The earliest I have ever seen them is the Labor Day weekend when I happened to be driving in the Chugach Mountains outside of Anchorage and was in a very dark area. By the time I got down to Anchorage, they couldn't be seen any more.

 

I have seen them from airplanes departing Anchorage in the dark of night, but certainly not on every trip. Maybe 1 in 20 but always in Sept-Oct.

[countrygal52]

We sailed Southbound Seward to Vancouver at the end of Aug. 3-4 yrs. ago and a couple people reported seeing them at around 2-3 am one night.

[countrygal52]

Hi - 2littletime!

 

I am one of your southern neighbors - we live in Oshkosh!!

[gottagoacruzn]

About twenty years ago, a stop in Haines Alaska, did see the Northern Lights, was a clear night, the bus driver pointed them out and later on the ship, had a great view of them. Haven't seen them since.

 

Virginia

[5waldos]

Didn't see them but now track when it is possible

 

http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

 

I would consider driving north if it looked likely enough. Did see them from colorado one time- not a great display but enough that it was interesting.