Northern Lights Princess excursions in Alta, Norway - questions

[Boiler Cruiser]

My wife and I are going on a cruise to Norway on Princess next year and will have the opportunity to visit Alta in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.  There are 2 excursions listed - "In Search of the Northern Lights" and "Northern Lights Safari At Paeskatun".  The first seems to drive you out to the forest to stay for 3 hours to catch the northern lights, and looks like it would appeal to the photo and nature hobbyist and enthusiast.  The second seems more comfortable, but seems to afford less time to catch a glimpse of the northern lights.

 

Has anyone had the opportunity to go on either one of these excursions, or know those who have?  What was your (or their) experience like?

 

What are your thoughts?  Which is better and why? 

 

Do you recommend one over the other?  Why?

[MJC]

There was a very active roll call from this itinerary in 2022 with lots of good information. We are doing it this year and that thread has been a wonderful resource.

[PacnGoNow]

30 minutes ago, MJC said:

There was a very active roll call from this itinerary in 2022 with lots of good information. We are doing it this year and that thread has been a wonderful resource.

Could you link It for the OP, or

give them the ship and date of the roll call?

That would be helpful.

[Boiler Cruiser]

3 hours ago, MJC said:

There was a very active roll call from this itinerary in 2022 with lots of good information. We are doing it this year and that thread has been a wonderful resource.

Could you please give me the dates of the cruise and the ship?  Thanks.

[beg3yrs]

We took the Paeskatun excursion in October of 2022 and it was great! We were so layered up I felt like one of those kids in one of those old Christmas movies waddling around. Probably could have gotten by with less layers but we were definitely not cold.

Anyway, this one is in an old rock quarry but they're set up quite well for the Northern Lights viewing. There are heated indoor areas if you need them as well as some refreshments. Also a couple of things to see like a Sami tent with a fire in it and some old cabins.

It starts with a gathering where the hosts give you the 411 on the grounds and other background information. You're then released to watch the lights if/when they show up.

We weren't disappointed as the lights showed within about 45 minutes. We had plenty of time to view them and after a while we turned to how artistic could we make our photographs and even started to explore a bit. Even with a full moon, the photography was fantastic. It was even more amazing to realize the Big Dipper was visible. Using it to find the North/Pole star, it was directly overhead! Then I pulled out my compass and it was pointing West toward where the sun went down. Things are so different way up near the pole! We loved this trip so much we're booked on the Emerald Princess for the Sept/Oct 2025 Northern Lights trip.

 

Hint: You don't need a huge telephoto lens camera to get good shots. People with more recent iPhones were getting amazing photos. I had an older Canon digital that needed to be on a tripod for long exposures and I was super jealous of those folks with the iPhones taking handheld shots!

 

Note: The buses park at the top of a steep hill and everyone has to walk down to the viewing area and of course back up when it's time to leave.

 

[frogandtoad]

I also took the Paeskatun excursion in October of 2022 and we weren't able to see the lights due to the clouds.  Also, there were places that we needed a flashlight or the flashlight app on our phone to walk without tripping over something - it was really dark in some places.  We also did an excursion, not through the ship, where we drove out to various places to see the lights and that turned out very well to see the lights.  Having done both, my preference would be to do the chase. 

 

I also agree with the previous poster - if you have a newer phone it takes really good pictures.  Our older phones and older camera did not work well. 

[MJC]

Sorry I had to wait until I was home to find the link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2773684-oct-07-2022-search-for-northern-lights-island-princess/page/31/#comment-64821635

 

I read from start to finish and took some notes. Yes I'm a travel nerd. 🙂

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by MJC

[Boiler Cruiser]

7 hours ago, frogandtoad said:

I also took the Paeskatun excursion in October of 2022 and we weren't able to see the lights due to the clouds.  Also, there were places that we needed a flashlight or the flashlight app on our phone to walk without tripping over something - it was really dark in some places.  We also did an excursion, not through the ship, where we drove out to various places to see the lights and that turned out very well to see the lights.  Having done both, my preference would be to do the chase. 

 

I also agree with the previous poster - if you have a newer phone it takes really good pictures.  Our older phones and older camera did not work well. 

What do you mean by "the chase"?

[david63]

6 hours ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

What do you mean by "the chase"?

The private tour companies keep in contact with one another and keep moving around to try and find the best location to see the Northern Lights - but even that is not guaranteed.

 

I would recommend one of the private companies, if for no other reason than cost.

[frogandtoad]

On 8/4/2023 at 10:12 PM, Boiler Cruiser said:

What do you mean by "the chase"?

 

On 8/5/2023 at 4:28 AM, david63 said:

The private tour companies keep in contact with one another and keep moving around to try and find the best location to see the Northern Lights - but even that is not guaranteed.

 

I would recommend one of the private companies, if for no other reason than cost.

 

Yes, this is what is meant by "chasing the northern lights".  This is the tour we used - https://www.luuso.no/our-tours/tour-aurora/

[PurpleHays]

On 8/4/2023 at 2:42 PM, beg3yrs said:

We took the Paeskatun excursion in October of 2022 and it was great! We were so layered up I felt like one of those kids in one of those old Christmas movies waddling around. Probably could have gotten by with less layers but we were definitely not cold.

Anyway, this one is in an old rock quarry but they're set up quite well for the Northern Lights viewing. There are heated indoor areas if you need them as well as some refreshments. Also a couple of things to see like a Sami tent with a fire in it and some old cabins.

It starts with a gathering where the hosts give you the 411 on the grounds and other background information. You're then released to watch the lights if/when they show up.

We weren't disappointed as the lights showed within about 45 minutes. We had plenty of time to view them and after a while we turned to how artistic could we make our photographs and even started to explore a bit. Even with a full moon, the photography was fantastic. It was even more amazing to realize the Big Dipper was visible. Using it to find the North/Pole star, it was directly overhead! Then I pulled out my compass and it was pointing West toward where the sun went down. Things are so different way up near the pole! We loved this trip so much we're booked on the Emerald Princess for the Sept/Oct 2025 Northern Lights trip.

 

Hint: You don't need a huge telephoto lens camera to get good shots. People with more recent iPhones were getting amazing photos. I had an older Canon digital that needed to be on a tripod for long exposures and I was super jealous of those folks with the iPhones taking handheld shots!

 

Note: The buses park at the top of a steep hill and everyone has to walk down to the viewing area and of course back up when it's time to leave.

 

We're on the Sep/Oct 2025 Northern Lights too! I can't wait--it's another bucket list to (hopefully) check off.