Report on Aurora Northern lights cruise Nov 2023

[Presto2]

15 minutes ago, pete14 said:

She is a bit like your favourite tin can but much better. The negatives I have mentioned earlier are not the fault of the ship or its crew. The lights are being elusive tonight which is a pity but in this life, people like us can’t have everything. 

So pleased you've had an amazing cruise so far.

[pete14]

Taken 20 minutes ago from our balcony on my phone. Pete Junior’s on his posh camera are better but I am happy enough with these (for now)

[Stokiegolfer]

Hi Pete14 great photos 

[pete14]

22 minutes ago, Stokiegolfer said:

Hi Pete14 great photos 

From one Stokie to another thank you.
 

We went to the back of the ship and the green light was dancing around and they were pink around the edges. In the 5 seconds it took me to take my phone out of my pocket, they faded and disappeared. Such a shame. 

[Presto2]

32 minutes ago, pete14 said:

Taken 20 minutes ago from our balcony on my phone. Pete Junior’s on his posh camera are better but I am happy enough with these (for now)

Oh wow just so jealous. It looks amazing. You all deserve this first post Covid cruise. 

Edited November 21, 2023 by Presto2

[Presto2]

Ps seems like today has been just a perfect day from start to finish. 

[pete14]

9 minutes ago, Presto2 said:

Ps seems like today has been just a perfect day from start to finish. 

I think that is a fair statement. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We are here all day tomorrow so provided the weather is good, we may have a repeat performance. Then there is the journey back which I suspect may be less comfortable than it has been so far .

[Presto2]

3 minutes ago, pete14 said:

I think that is a fair statement. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We are here all day tomorrow so provided the weather is good, we may have a repeat performance. Then there is the journey back which I suspect may be less comfortable than it has been so far .

Enjoy and send photos 📸 

[Purdey16]

17 hours ago, pete14 said:

Some images, not all the correct way up but just put the water at the bottom and the sky at the top

Some beautiful pictures Pete , I love cold snowy places and it’s brilliant that you got to watch the whales for so long.  We go on Aurora and the same cruise you’re on now but next October so I’m hoping snow will be around then along with the northern lights too, what phone are you taking your pictures on ? I have a IPhone 13 which I take most of my pictures on and then I have a Pentax big camera which I don’t know how to work really so a few YouTube videos I think are in order for then .

Glad you’re having a lovely time with your family and we are enjoying your photos and experiences.

[Selbourne]

44 minutes ago, Purdey16 said:

Some beautiful pictures Pete , I love cold snowy places and it’s brilliant that you got to watch the whales for so long.  We go on Aurora and the same cruise you’re on now but next October so I’m hoping snow will be around then along with the northern lights too, what phone are you taking your pictures on ? I have a IPhone 13 which I take most of my pictures on and then I have a Pentax big camera which I don’t know how to work really so a few YouTube videos I think are in order for then .

Glad you’re having a lovely time with your family and we are enjoying your photos and experiences.

I couldn’t get on at all with my iPhone trying to take photos of the Northern Lights, even using an app designed for this purpose, although your iPhone is a newer version than mine. Those with decent cameras were getting great shots albeit (as is always the case) their photos showed the lights at an intensity that was several times greater than you actually see with the naked eye. A decent camera will show the phenomenon that might only appear a whispy white to the naked eye as a vibrant green.

[Stokiegolfer]

Great photos Pete, can't wait for our trip in December.  The drive down to Southampton on the previous day is the start of the holiday.  Stay in a great b&b, across to the pub for a drink and and meal, then good night sleep. Then a hearty breakfast before they take us to the port, knowing the car is there safe a secure while away.

[pete14]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

I couldn’t get on at all with my iPhone trying to take photos of the Northern Lights, even using an app designed for this purpose, although your iPhone is a newer version than mine. Those with decent cameras were getting great shots albeit (as is always the case) their photos showed the lights at an intensity that was several times greater than you actually see with the naked eye. A decent camera will show the phenomenon that might only appear a whispy white to the naked eye as a vibrant green.

I am using an iPhone X so not a massively new one - they are now up to 15 and X is 10. I am insufficiently technologically inclined to use any special app so they have not been assisted at all. The first two nights, they had little colour, last night they were very distinctively coloured, even when viewed with the naked eye. It suspect that as the weather has changed to arctic cold, cloudy with the odd snow shower with strengthening winds forecast, there are unlikely to be any pictures tonight. Another first though is a plane flying past the windows in the crows nest as the ‘airport’ is just yards away from the front of the ship.

[lancashire_cruisers]

Beautiful photos and the sighting of whales - just wow! Carry on having an amazing cruise.

[pete14]

The flight from Oslo landed at around 12:30. Taken from the ship to show how close we are to the airport and the deterioration in the weather.

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by pete14

[Stokiegolfer]

Hi Pete I noticed how close the airport is to where the ship is docked.  Amazing how with all that snow they keep the airport open - unlike in the UK.

[Selbourne]

5 hours ago, pete14 said:

I am using an iPhone X so not a massively new one - they are now up to 15 and X is 10. I am insufficiently technologically inclined to use any special app so they have not been assisted at all. The first two nights, they had little colour, last night they were very distinctively coloured, even when viewed with the naked eye. It suspect that as the weather has changed to arctic cold, cloudy with the odd snow shower with strengthening winds forecast, there are unlikely to be any pictures tonight. Another first though is a plane flying past the windows in the crows nest as the ‘airport’ is just yards away from the front of the ship.

Good luck for tonight Pete. On our first cruise to see the Northern Lights we had an absolutely spectacular display in Alta between around 10pm and midnight. They could be seen from the ship (where my wife stayed) but they were significantly better from the field that I went to on the tour, well away from all the light pollution from the ship and dock etc. We also had a brief but great display the night that we were at Tromso at about the same time.
 

As mentioned before, the second time that we did the cruise we didn’t see them at all the whole cruise (well, a minuscule whisp of white which I didn’t count) and I was fascinated by Alta airport. There was a blizzard and almost white out and they were just spraying the planes with de-icer and then off they went. Nothing like at home where 2cm of snow closes our airports 🤔😂

[pete14]

Although I had noticed the airport, I was a little surprised to see a plane flying past, just outside the Crows Nest windows, just seconds before it landed. It was probably a bit further away than it looked, but a bit disconcerting.

[Peanut006]

19 hours ago, pete14 said:

Taken 20 minutes ago from our balcony on my phone. Pete Junior’s on his posh camera are better but I am happy enough with these (for now)

Fantastic photos, thank you for letting us follow along with you

 

Michelle

[pete14]

A quiet day recovering from the excitement of yesterday. We have been in Alta all day and leave about 01:00 tomorrow morning when those chasing the Northern Lights return. I hope they see them but they may not be as spectacular as last night because it is a bit cloudy. We went into Alta this morning just to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. There is little there although somehow we missed the Cathedral which I have been told is worth a visit. Maybe the very cold weather affected my thinking and vision, certainly nothing to do with the drinks package that early in the morning, 
 

We had lunch in the buffet which is quite civilised and with a wide choice of food (but no trays). The afternoon was mainly spent in our cabin reading. We are currently in the Crows Nest. If the lights appear, we will go down to our cabin as last night. It is cloudy but not quite so cold as earlier. 
 

Tomorrow is Christmas. ‘Love Actually’ in the cinema, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ in the theatre (Oh no it isn’t) and Christmas Dinner in the evening. Christmas jumpers are encouraged (we were told prior to the cruise that we may need them). Hopefully everybody will feel like eating despite the increased wind strength and sea state. 
 

As I sign off, there is another aeroplane coming in to land. Oh the excitement!

[RJHNorthyorks]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

A quiet day recovering from the excitement of yesterday. We have been in Alta all day and leave about 01:00 tomorrow morning when those chasing the Northern Lights return. I hope they see them but they may not be as spectacular as last night because it is a bit cloudy. We went into Alta this morning just to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. There is little there although somehow we missed the Cathedral which I have been told is worth a visit. Maybe the very cold weather affected my thinking and vision, certainly nothing to do with the drinks package that early in the morning, 
 

We had lunch in the buffet which is quite civilised and with a wide choice of food (but no trays). The afternoon was mainly spent in our cabin reading. We are currently in the Crows Nest. If the lights appear, we will go down to our cabin as last night. It is cloudy but not quite so cold as earlier. 
 

Tomorrow is Christmas. ‘Love Actually’ in the cinema, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ in the theatre (Oh no it isn’t) and Christmas Dinner in the evening. Christmas jumpers are encouraged (we were told prior to the cruise that we may need them). Hopefully everybody will feel like eating despite the increased wind strength and sea state. 
 

As I sign off, there is another aeroplane coming in to land. Oh the excitement!

Northern lights were amazing last night. 
We went into Alta this morning - it wasn’t as cold as yesterday only - 4.

Spent the afternoon on board doing quizzes - won one but not the 2nd. No doubt we’ll have enough stamps/ stickers to get a free pen at the end.

3 of our party went on a ships tour to the Tirpitz museum which they enjoyed and found very interesting. 
We also have a view of the airport from our balcony - great to see planes arriving and leaving in conditions that would have brought U.K. airports to a standstill. 

[Snow Hill]

15 hours ago, Stokiegolfer said:

Hi Pete I noticed how close the airport is to where the ship is docked.  Amazing how with all that snow they keep the airport open - unlike in the UK.

It’s probably because they have invested in snow clearance kit as they know there is a guarantee of snow or ice every year and it won’t be sitting round idle, unlike in the U.K. where some years we get little or no snow except possibly in Scotland. 

[RJHNorthyorks]

We note there are a few petty rules on this ship. 
eg. Not allowed to eat food in Champions bar unless it is crisps or Pringles bought from the ship.

Also on the formal night after the bridge announced that the lights were visible we rushed to get changed into warm clothes to go up onto the deck to see the lights. We then tried to relocate to the the crows nest ( nearest bar) but were asked to leave as no longer in formal wear. This was despite the fact the bar was virtually empty because everyone was out looking for lights presumably. Not the fault of the staff who were merely doing as instructed. 
We have done a fair few cruises with a number of cruise companies and this is the first time we have ever been refused access to a bar. 

[pete14]

1 hour ago, Snow Hill said:

It’s probably because they have invested in snow clearance kit as they know there is a guarantee of snow or ice every year and it won’t be sitting round idle, unlike in the U.K. where some years we get little or no snow except possibly in Scotland. 

I am sure you are correct. Investment has clearly been made just for around a dozen planes in and out in a day, mainly small ones. A couple of larger ones to and from Oslo but mainly linking Alta and Tromso. I suppose a country such as Norway with the larger settlements mainly on the long coastline, air and ferry (Hurtigruten ferries) transport is more important than in UK. 

[Red Ray]

2 hours ago, RJHNorthyorks said:

We note there are a few petty rules on this ship. 
eg. Not allowed to eat food in Champions bar unless it is crisps or Pringles bought from the ship.

Also on the formal night after the bridge announced that the lights were visible we rushed to get changed into warm clothes to go up onto the deck to see the lights. We then tried to relocate to the the crows nest ( nearest bar) but were asked to leave as no longer in formal wear. This was despite the fact the bar was virtually empty because everyone was out looking for lights presumably. Not the fault of the staff who were merely doing as instructed. 
We have done a fair few cruises with a number of cruise companies and this is the first time we have ever been refused access to a bar. 

I wouldn't call those rules petty - I think it's good to see standards being upheld.

[RJHNorthyorks]

1 hour ago, Red Ray said:

I wouldn't call those rules petty - I think it's good to see standards being upheld.

Standards?
We’ll agree to differ.