NCL top deck stargazing?

[Lineaway]

I really haven't seen any posts on this but was wondering if there is a good view of the Northern Lights on the top decks during an Alaska Cruise. Or maybe I just missed the posts?

 

We will be on our first Alaska cruise in a couple weeks on the Pearl. RCL and Celebrity have some top decks that are not lit up with outside lights so in the Caribbean the night sky really lights up with the stars. Carnival and Princess that we have been on are too lit up at night. So, I have not seen any posts on the Northern Lights on Alaska cruises or if the NCL ships have top decks that are great for stargazing. If so , which deck???? There is also an anual meteor shower about the same week of our cruise 08/02 so was hoping to watch that also.

 

I do understand that it will be light until 10 PM on our cruise but would stay up. Or does it not really get dark enough as the sun comes up around 0430? Appreciate any input.

[TOMTOMRN331]

I found it hard to see stars at night when we sailed Pearl during our Alaskan cruise. The ambient light from the ship may have something to do with it. Though the upper sun decks are the best for any viewing.

[garnet115]

I'm not certain that you would be able to see the Northern lights anyway. My recollection from my Oosterdam cruise a few years ago is that I was disappointed to learn that the itinerary (which was almost identical to the Pearl itinerary) does not go far enough North to see the lights that time of year, and even if it did, you needed to be watching for them at an ungodly hour. Maybe someone else on the boards knows better, but you may want to research it more before you go.

Edited July 20, 2015 by garnet115

[justhappy]

I am curious too, cruising Sept on the Pearl. I found these websites, like the article points out, if you are cruising during a new moon and the solar activity is high enough that the viewing area is far enough south, it is possible at any time.

Just a month or so ago the sun was having a solar storm and the northern lights were seen as far south as northern Georgia.

 

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/alaska-cruises-see-northern-lights-17540.html

 

University of Alaska Fairbanks studies the Northern Lights and puts out this forecast-

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

[rvsullivan]

Yes there is too much light. Also, although it's possible for the there to be a light show anytime, this is the wrong time of year to count on seeing any of the Northern Lights.

[MileHighAko]

Sky viewing is typically impacted by the ambient light from the ship, but if you go as far forward as you can the light impact is less. The front balconies have to keep their lights off at night so as to not disturb the bridge operations.

 

We were fortunate enough to see some aurora in September on one cruise but it is rare.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lineaway]

Appreciate all the replies.

 

Justhappy, Great, thanks for that link. I marked it. Looks like we have a couple days of good Northern Lights activity. Not sure how lit up the ship will be and if it gets very dark at night in the summer up there. I will make it a point to stay up on one night and see if its worth watching for.

[old nutter]

It is normally too bright on the ship on most high decks, presumably for safety reasons. If you have a balcony, you can at least see half of the sky and you can control the lights. It is impossible to plan to see the northern lights more than a few days before the conditions are right for them. The best way is to follow something like the site: http://spaceweather.com/ That site is probably the best one to follow because they actually have a world map showing the likely area to see them and there are always reports on conditions that are likely lead to auroras in the next few days.