Hurtigruten in Winter

[redrose1964]

We are considering one of the 3- to 5-night "Northern Lights" short breaks advertised on the Hurtigruten website in January. We are hoping to see the Lights of course, though we know that it is not guaranteed, and also to see some of the stunning coastline.

So I have a couple of questions for anyone who has made one of these voyages at this time of year :

1. do the short daylight hours mean that our enjoyment of the coastal scenery will be severely limited, perhaps to the extent that it is not actually worthwhile making the trip? After all most of the threads on here indicate that this is one of the highlights of these voyages. Maybe postponing the trip to March, when we can also travel, would be the best compromise between the chance of seeing the Northern Lights and having longer daylight hours??

2. which of the short break itineraries offers the most interesting section of the coast and ports of call :
Tromso - Trondheim
round trips from Tromso to Berlevag, Svolvaer or Kirkenes
either way between Tromso and Bergen?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[AZDave]

There was a personal review by someone who did a winter cruise last January. It was under Reviews/Hurtigruten/Hurtigruten Ships/MS Trollford.

Dave

[richws]

Have been on full return trip in Sep, May and over Christmas last year - all of these on Trollfjord. We are considering a short trip ourselves in mid-Feb, with focus on maximising opportunity to see Northern Lights.
What we've decided to do is Tromso-Kirkenes-Tromso as the furthest North part of trip.

Even around late December there is 3-4 hours very atmospheric twilight when you can see scenery very clearly (often enough to photograph by) and if clear moonlight can illuminate snow-clad mountains and islands to a surprising degree. This will be increased significantly in January.

As for interesting coastline it's horses for courses:
N from Tromso most remote and untouched with smaller ports of call(most Norwegian if you like);
Tromso - Trondheim most interesting from Harstad to Svolvaer otherwise not the best for us;
Bergen - Tromso more of trip further S so less chance of Northern Lights but more daylight. Larger stops - Trondheim, Bodo etc

Honestly not sure what to recommend except that if you're looking to go in winter and catch N Lights you'll probably return in Spring/Summer/Autumn anyway so maximise chances of Northern Lights on this trip.

If you don't mind putting your own trip together the Norwegian parent company sometimes do deals different to UK Sales Co.

Hope this helps.

Richard