Northern Lights cruises

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I did it....Viking Sky March '19...the one Baron just referred to.  It was a terrific cruise, at least until it wasn't. What happened to us quickly became worldwide news. You can google it - Viking Sky March 23, 2019 if you care to read about the incident. We sailed north from Bergen (Norway) and went as far as Alta. Here is the cruise we did - highly recommended. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/baltic/in-search-of-the-northern-lights/index.html  

 

Anyway, it was a trip designed to explore and search for the Northern lights. They ran it from January to March. I believe ours was the next to last sailing. I'd say that taking a cruise is definitely a good way to see the northern lights, though there is no guarantee. We had two good sightings while onboard the ship, and then the ship offered evening excursions with local companies that know where the best places are based on forecasting info.

 

If you decide to go, I highly suggest getting an aurora app for your phone AND an app designed to take pictures. Unless you have really good equipment and/or know how to obtain the proper settings for long exposure, it's tough to photograph them. I got pretty decent shots with  just my phone using an app designed for it. While the lights are certainly the main attraction, we also had some terrific experiences with ship excursions - reindeer and dog sledding among them. The scenery along the coast of Norway and winding through some of the channels, etc. was spectacular. It's just unfortunate that we never got to finish the trip. 

 

Good luck with your research on this. I hope you decide to go.  I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Please see post 17. Hurtigruten have a Northern Lights guarantee - if you don't see the Lights or you get a free 7 day cruise. Great views from the ship, they turn off most of the deck Lights. Announcements all over the ship whenever the lights appear - also in every cabin. Lots of different excursions from dog sledding to a midnight musical performance in Tromso cathedral - exclusive to Hurtigruten.

[aruzinski]

We are doing that cruise on August 29, 2022.  We’ve done the cruise before and you will not see the northern lights at this time of the year.  It does not get dark enough as others have said.  We did take a tour and our tour guide also did tours of the northern lights, but she said the best time was really Dec through February in Iceland.  But the Ireland Iceland cruise is an awesome cruise! Good luck and enjoy!

[OnTheJourney]

7 hours ago, the penguins said:

Great views from the ship, they turn off most of the deck Lights. Announcements all over the ship whenever the lights appear - also in every cabin. Lots of different excursions from dog sledding to a midnight musical performance in Tromso cathedral - exclusive to Hurtigruten.

Not downplaying Hurtigruten, since I've looked at many of their cruises - all have great reviews, etc., but Viking also offered all of what you mention with the exception of guaranteed sightings. Constant announcements if there were any sightings while onboard..outside and in the cabins as you say. Same for the excursions (and many others besides the sledding opportunities) and the Tromsø performance. 

Edited November 18, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[OnTheJourney]

On 11/17/2021 at 9:22 AM, cublet said:

Once on Celebrity which is fine if you just want to cruise amongst ice bergs. Once on Hurtigruten where you get to land and be with the wildlife - we sat 20 feet from nesting Albatross, waded ashore close to dozens of seals and stood in a colony of over 25000 King Penguins.

We also did the "drive-by" Antarctica with Celebrity. I certainly acknowledge the value of going ashore, but the X trip served our purpose, especially since we had never been to South America and so visited several ports along with way from Buenos Aires. We had great penguin excursions - not the size colonies you refer to but, we were well satisified with what we saw. We just weren't into the whole zodiac thing, and so staying onboard the ship was a good fit for us. 

[cruzer0007]

Many thanks to those who have posted feedback, especially those with direct first hand experience.  The photos were very nice, and serve to increase the desire to get up there and see it in person.  I was not aware of the options offered by the smaller lines (Viking, Hurtigruten, etc) so more research will follow on my part, but it is clear to me now that the Celebrity cruise I first identified is not the right choice given my objectives. It may very well be a fabulous cruise on its own merit, but my primary goal is to see the natural phenomenon, hopefully via a cruise.  Factoring in the wishes my wife will undoubtedly express, the P&O option is probably a leading candidate.  All the normal cruise amenities, larger (more stable) ship, so I will continue checking it out, and I will use my FCC on something else with Celebrity.  Maybe a nice transatlantic if I can find one that works ... thats also an item that is still on the "bucket list" 😎

[the penguins]

41 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

Many thanks to those who have posted feedback, especially those with direct first hand experience.  The photos were very nice, and serve to increase the desire to get up there and see it in person.  I was not aware of the options offered by the smaller lines (Viking, Hurtigruten, etc) so more research will follow on my part, but it is clear to me now that the Celebrity cruise I first identified is not the right choice given my objectives. It may very well be a fabulous cruise on its own merit, but my primary goal is to see the natural phenomenon, hopefully via a cruise.  Factoring in the wishes my wife will undoubtedly express, the P&O option is probably a leading candidate.  All the normal cruise amenities, larger (more stable) ship, so I will continue checking it out, and I will use my FCC on something else with Celebrity.  Maybe a nice transatlantic if I can find one that works ... thats also an item that is still on the "bucket list" 😎

Silhouette's TA in April could be a good choice - see you on the ship 😀

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

We also did the "drive-by" Antarctica with Celebrity. I certainly acknowledge the value of going ashore, but the X trip served our purpose, especially since we had never been to South America and so visited several ports along with way from Buenos Aires. We had great penguin excursions - not the size colonies you refer to but, we were well satisified with what we saw. We just weren't into the whole zodiac thing, and so staying onboard the ship was a good fit for us. 

We enjoyed both Hurtigruten for the "expedition" element and Celebrity as more of a "cruise" ( we also did the penguins in South America). Plus in our case on Celebrity 90mph winds, 60 foot waves, the sea coming in through the doors by the Sky Lounge and a mutiny which led to the brig being full,  other passengers confined to their cabins with a member of the crew sat outside each one and the whole group being put off the ship at the first port of call. Geoff

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Not downplaying Hurtigruten, since I've looked at many of their cruises - all have great reviews, etc., but Viking also offered all of what you mention with the exception of guaranteed sightings. Constant announcements if there were any sightings while onboard..outside and in the cabins as you say. Same for the excursions (and many others besides the sledding opportunities) and the Tromsø performance. 

I think the big difference is that the Hurtigruten ships combine cruising with a commercial service. 22 ports, the opportunity to leave the ship at one port explore inland and rejoin at another. The mid night service was exclusively for Hurtigruten passengers and I didn't think the other ships stay that late in port. It's just great to have so much choice.

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

and a mutiny which led to the brig being full, 

??  A mutiny?  Most interesting. When we sailed on the Infinity to Antarctica, thankfully we had "Drake Lake" for both crossings. Now the Viking Sky, on the other hand, encountered the sort of conditions you referred to. That got a bit crazy. Scariest thing I've ever done was being hoisted up to the helicopter during the strong winds. I don't even like roller coasters. 

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

Hurtigruten ships combine cruising with a commercial service

Yes...they do ferry service as well if I'm correct. One of our Sky passengers went back to Norway after our infamous voyage and used Hurtigruten. He talked to some of the staff members, who said that the Sky should never have been out in those conditions. They KNEW the bomb cyclone was coming days before we got to the Hustadvika area. Oh well...water over the dam. 

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

??  A mutiny?  Most interesting. When we sailed on the Infinity to Antarctica, thankfully we had "Drake Lake" for both crossings. Now the Viking Sky, on the other hand, encountered the sort of conditions you referred to. That got a bit crazy. Scariest thing I've ever done was being hoisted up to the helicopter during the strong winds. I don't even like roller coasters. 

The 'mutiny' cruise was as on Infinity. To good a story for posting but great over an Elite breakfast mid Atlantic or in Al Bacio . We believe all the passengers involved who were put off the ship were banned from all RCCI ships for life and there was talk about all other cruise lines probably banning them as well due to the seriousness of their actions. The weather was so bad we had a number of requests from passengers with cabins on the higher decks if we would swop our inside, low down, in the centre cabin - no chance we even turned down a suite swop of a night.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Yes...they do ferry service as well if I'm correct. One of our Sky passengers went back to Norway after our infamous voyage and used Hurtigruten. He talked to some of the staff members, who said that the Sky should never have been out in those conditions. They KNEW the bomb cyclone was coming days before we got to the Hustadvika area. Oh well...water over the dam. 

Passengers, mainly locals, get on for day boarding at one port departing at another and returning home by bus or train. It's a unique experience. The main restaurant is exclusive to the cruise passengers but anyone can use the ala carte restaurant for a fee. Day passengers also pay for teas/coffees, can't go to the talks or on the excursions.

[OnTheJourney]

6 hours ago, the penguins said:

The 'mutiny' cruise was as on Infinity. To good a story for posting but great over an Elite breakfast mid Atlantic or in Al Bacio .

LOL   I looked and can't find a single thing about this. When did this happen? During the drive-by Antarctica / South America cruise? 

 

6 hours ago, the penguins said:

Passengers, mainly locals, get on for day boarding at one port departing at another and returning home by bus or train.

There was a Hurtigruten ship in port the day we were in Ushuaia during the Infinity trip. 

Edited November 19, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

LOL   I looked and can't find a single thing about this. When did this happen? During the drive-by Antarctica / South America cruise? 

 

There was a Hurtigruten ship in port the day we were in Ushuaia during the Infinity trip. 

Probably the Fram which is the ship we sailed on from there. Now there are several Hurtigruten ships that do the Antarctic. The Fram was great no Zodiacs but Polar Circle boats which are much more stable for the landings. Passenger numbers restrictred to 204 so lots of space on board. To meet the Antarctic Convention requirements passenger numbers during landings also controlled - maximum number allowed ashore at any one time 100, longest any one person allowed to be ashore 60 minutes. Groups were continually rotated to meet these requirements. Other restrictions;

1) all outer clothing had to be vacuumed to prevent any seeds etc being taken ashore - vacuuming was done en route and included pockets, turn ups, hood linings etc.

2) no paper tissues allowed off the ship.

3) once ashore nothing could be picked up or put down.

4) groups were rotated so everyone had the opportunity to be first off.

5) each landing was preceded by a briefing - if you didn't attend the briefing you couldn't do the landing. If the landing point had to be changed due to weather, beach conditions etc a new briefing was required.

6) no passengers were allowed to land until the emergency supplies and tents had been landed and the area checked by the expedition team - this really brought home that we were going into a potentially hostile environment.

7 ) a safety boat was always positioned half way between the ship and the landing point.

If you get the chance go.

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

If you get the chance go.

Hmmm....possibly, although I don't honestly foresee us going back down to Antarctica. The "bucket list" is too long as is - l'm starting to think I'll never get through a good part of it. As DW and I get older, less complicated trips (domestic rather than. international) are looking better and better. I've loved every international trip we've done, and will definitely do more, but just recently we did a (except for covid concerns) fairly relaxed 2-week car trip with all destinations within a few hundred miles. Most enjoyable. Even less than two weeks works for me for various reasons. See how things progress with covid. Been reading here on CC about some folks' preparations for visiting various countries by cruise/flying, etc.  - just sounds like a hassle. All that said, I surely WOULD enjoy visiting Antarctica again on a more expeditionary basis - but frankly don't see it happening unless I'd wind up crossing out several other places that have been on the list for a long time. Then maybe I'd consider going back down there. 

Edited November 19, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

Hmmm....possibly, although I don't honestly foresee us going back down to Antarctica. The "bucket list" is too long as is - l'm starting to think I'll never get through a good part of it. As DW and I get older, less complicated trips (domestic rather than. international) are looking better and better. I've loved every international trip we've done, and will definitely do more, but just recently we did a (except for covid concerns) fairly relaxed 2-week car trip with all destinations within a few hundred miles. Most enjoyable. Even less than two weeks works for me for various reasons. See how things progress with covid. Been reading here on CC about some folks' preparations for visiting various countries by cruise/flying, etc.  - just sounds like a hassle. All that said, I surely WOULD enjoy visiting Antarctica again on a more expeditionary basis - but frankly don't see it happening unless I'd wind up crossing out several other places that have been on the list for a long time. Then maybe I'd consider going back down there. 

We also have a bucket list but one that is made more complicated by also having our only grandson in Dallas. 2 TA's a year works out fine - we get  2 cruises out of 1 return air ticket. But when we boarded Solstice in Auckland and people said "where are going" and we replied "Dallas" we got some very strange looks. However 5 x B2B's and 60 days later we did arrive there.

Fellow passengers weren't too convinced either when we boarded in Buenos Aires for an around South America cruise but again we did make it to Dallas. The Northern Trans-pacific route from Vancouver nearly stumped us but we turned the trip around by starting in Dallas rather than ending there.

Keep planning, keep safe and whatever you do enjoy it.

[OnTheJourney]

22 minutes ago, the penguins said:

2 TA's a year works out fine -

Never did one of those. My sister-in-law, who is Pinnacle with RCL has done several and always enjoyed it. 

 

23 minutes ago, the penguins said:

60 days later we did arrive there.

Yikes! Way too long for me!  

 

23 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Keep planning, keep safe and whatever you do enjoy it.

Thanks...you too! The "keep safe" part is surely foremost in importance right now. 

[the penguins]

8 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Never did one of those. My sister-in-law, who is Pinnacle with RCL has done several and always enjoyed it. 

 

Yikes! Way too long for me!  

 

Thanks...you too! The "keep safe" part is surely foremost in importance right now. 

The whole trip was 90 days just 60 on the ship.

TA's are great the ship has a wholly different atmosphere when there are lots of sea days.

[OnTheJourney]

16 hours ago, the penguins said:

The whole trip was 90 days

Wow...again, too long for me. I'm more than ready to get home after a 2-3 week trip. 

[the penguins]

On 11/19/2021 at 3:57 PM, the penguins said:

Probably the Fram which is the ship we sailed on from there. Now there are several Hurtigruten ships that do the Antarctic. The Fram was great no Zodiacs but Polar Circle boats which are much more stable for the landings. Passenger numbers restrictred to 204 so lots of space on board. To meet the Antarctic Convention requirements passenger numbers during landings also controlled - maximum number allowed ashore at any one time 100, longest any one person allowed to be ashore 60 minutes. Groups were continually rotated to meet these requirements. Other restrictions;

1) all outer clothing had to be vacuumed to prevent any seeds etc being taken ashore - vacuuming was done en route and included pockets, turn ups, hood linings etc.

2) no paper tissues allowed off the ship.

3) once ashore nothing could be picked up or put down.

4) groups were rotated so everyone had the opportunity to be first off.

5) each landing was preceded by a briefing - if you didn't attend the briefing you couldn't do the landing. If the landing point had to be changed due to weather, beach conditions etc a new briefing was required.

6) no passengers were allowed to land until the emergency supplies and tents had been landed and the area checked by the expedition team - this really brought home that we were going into a potentially hostile environment.

7 ) a safety boat was always positioned half way between the ship and the landing point.

If you get the chance go.

Sorry just realised I missed your other question,

The sailing was Infinity 31 January 2010. We still have the map where the captain kindly marked the original itinerary and the route we actually took.

In "compensation" for all the problems when we reached Monte Video Celebrity arranged to bring an entire Tango Show onto the ship for the last night. There were around 20 performers brought down from Buenos Aires who did 2 shows and then stayed onboard disembarking with us in Buenos Aires. 

In  2013 we boarded Solstice in Auckland and on the second night went to see the Capello group. At the end of the performance the leader came straight up to us and said:

You were on the Antarctic cruise weren't you?

Yes

It was the one with the bad weather

Yes

Would you please come with me?

Where are we going?

To meet the rest of the group. I have been telling them about that cruise for 3 years and they all think I have been making it up.

We did as requested and had a very enjoyable discussion with them.

Regrettably Celebrity has now removed the Capella groups from the ships.

 

[OnTheJourney]

10 hours ago, the penguins said:

You were on the Antarctic cruise weren't you?

Yes

It was the one with the bad weather

Yes

Would you please come with me?

Where are we going?

To meet the rest of the group. I have been telling them about that cruise for 3 years and they all think I have been making it up.

This is why I'll be interested to see what Viking comes up with for the Sky guests from '19. When the 'refugees' were temporarily housed in the hotels, the CEO of Viking paid a visit to all of them and met with us. Many people are still eagerly awaiting a 'reunion' cruise. At this point, very honestly, I don't feel the need for it anymore. At the time, it seemed like the worst event to ever have come along - but then came covid the following year. Not much comparison. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by OnTheJourney

[the penguins]

8 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

This is why I'll be interested to see what Viking comes up with for the Sky guests from '19. When the 'refugees' were temporarily housed in the hotels, the CEO of Viking paid a visit to all of them and met with us. Many people are still eagerly awaiting a 'reunion' cruise. At this point, very honestly, I don't feel the need for it anymore. At the time, it seemed like the worst event to ever have come along - but then came covid the following year. Not much comparison. 

We have met up with one couple from the cruise for lunch in New York almost every year since the cruise the last time in November 2019. Sadly Lillian died last died year (not from Covid) but we still have our memories. Covid has indeed made us focus on what is truly important. Keep safe and hopefully we will meet on a TA - perhaps even on Silhouette in April.

[OnTheJourney]

7 hours ago, the penguins said:

perhaps even on Silhouette in April.

Don't think so....no TA cruises planned. I'm glad we having nothing international planned until '23. 

 

7 hours ago, the penguins said:

Covid has indeed made us focus on what is truly important.

Indeed. We're living in historical times for sure.