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midnight sun or northern lights


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I am been thinking about a Norwegian coastal cruise for some time. Having been on numerous mainstream cruises, and not really into all the hype and dressing up anymore, I decided to go with Hurtigruten. I have several questions I'm hoping to get some advice on.

Primarily, Im debating between the midnight sun and the northern lights. Traveling as a solo, the summer cruises are very expensive for me, not that the winter is cheap...lol. But Im wondering if there is a consensus as to which is more enjoyable. I am leaning to the northern lights, as I've never seen them before. I'm looking at a early march sailing of the Finnmarken and Im trying to time it with a new moon is Tromso, which I believe is 5 days into the cruise.

So what should I expect? Will the ship be full? Are people friendly? Ive heard very few europeans sail the winter months. Is that true? Are the excursions worthwhile in the winter since its so cold... Do you wait to purchase them on board? Does any one have any favorites?

Or should I just go for it and book the midnight sun. Should I wait to book for March 16... or best wait for a sale. And is there any advantage going thru a travel agent such as crusie norway....

I know thats a lot of questions, but all advise is welcome.

(i think Ive made my mind up to go for the northern lights..is march a good month, or should i go earlier....)

One more question, I saw on their site that have a coffee mug with all the coffee you can drink for $70. Is that worth it?

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I've only been on the Hurtigruten in December/January, so I can't compare my trip to a spring one. My trip was fabulous, and I will do it again someday in March. I can't imagine doing the trip in the summer - with so much magnificent scenery, I'd find it hard to sleep :-/

 

To answer some of your questions: yes, we took some ship excursions and booked them ahead of time to make sure we got them-

 

dog sledding in Kirkenes. My favorite excursion. I'd been dog sledding before in Alaska on a glacier. The experience in Kirkenes was around a frozen lake and was surreal. The sky was light, although the sun was below the horizon. There also is an ice hotel you can tour, and you can view the dogs and some reindeer from the fence. If you dress in layers, you can keep warm.

 

Midnight concert in Tromso - beautiful music in a beautiful setting.

 

Viking Feast in the Lofoten Islands. The feast was a reenactment of visiting a viking's castle and having dinner with the King and his wife. The food was good and it was fun, if you like that kind of activity.

 

The highlights of the trip were the fireworks in Tromso on New Years Eve and seeing the Northern Lights. I have never seen so many fireworks for such a long time (hours) anywhere. It was a great way to ring in the New Year. And we were fortunate one night to have several hours of the Northern Lights. We saw faint Northern Lights other times, but one night they were out in all of their glory.

 

I know for me, no matter what season I would have gone in, I would want to go back in another season. I'm thrilled I got to be above the Arctic Circle for so long when the sun never got above the horizon. I've watched the sun march across the horizon and never set, but for me, repeating the coastal trip in March is my next trip to Norway. You get more sun than we did, there will still be lots of snow, and there might even be some Northern Lights on display.

 

Since we sailed over the holidays, the ship (Midnatsol) was pretty full with predominately tourists from Germany, then the rest of Europe, and a scattering of other countries and a few local people on vacation or taking the ship for transportation between coastal cities. There were lots of friendly people - I traveled with my adult daughter. Going north we were with four friends, but it was just the two of us going south. We spent time together and time with others. There was a good mix of ages and nationalities. I see you are from the US. There were a bit over 500 passengers on our trip, and I think about half a dozen or so Americans.

 

We booked directly with Hurtigruten. The travel agent I generally use had no experience with Hurtigruten, so there was no advantage to go with them.

 

I scoured these boards - the reviews are helpful. You'll find the more negative reviews come from people who didn't realize what type of ship Hurtigruten sails. Some of the reviewers complained you are only in port for fifteen minutes. Yes, that is all Hurtigruten needs to load and unload passengers and goods. Although tourists are on the ship, the ship is a working ship transporting people and goods to remote coastal communities. You do stop for a few hours every day in one of the towns along the way. I loved seeing the little villages and walking around the towns/villages.

 

It's hard to answer if the coffee mug is worth it. I used it every day for hot chocolate while I was in the hot tub. It's hard to put a price tag on enjoyment like that. I now have the mug on display as a reminder/keepsake of one of the most incredible trips I've taken. For me the mug was worth it since it was more than the value of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. From a practical sense, it's a really small mug, so I don't use it at home since I like larger mugs that hold more coffee.

 

Hope my answers help.

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I second what RSF Cruiser said. I have been 5 times on this trip, in spring, fall, and winter (three times). So I can't tell about the midnight sun, and I don't think I want to try (too expensive, too many people, not enough snow! :) ). I'm sure the experience itself of the sun never setting is beautiful (but as RSF Cruiser said, when do you sleep?).

 

But I have been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, with various degrees of intensity, on all my trip (save the spring one) and it is truly an experience beyond any others. I'm addicted, for sure. And I know that the Northern Lights are not guaranteed on any trip, but even without them, the delicate lights of the Arctic winter, the colors the sky and the snow will display, are just magical.

 

I think taking the trip in summer and in winter are two completely different experiences. If you are not put off by the thought of a cold trip, then go for it, I'm sure you won't regret it. If you are hooked, you will want to come back for sure in various seasons. If you go in March, look at first half of March rather than late March for better chances of Northern Lights (or late February).

 

A spring trip can be a good compromise (although no Northern Lights nor midnight sun in early spring) because you have longer days to enjoy the scenery, snow left on the mountains for dramatic landscape, and warmer climate.

 

Ships in winter are usually not full, although they tend to get more busy since Hurtigruten is marketing quite heavily the winter trips. Maybe I was not on the right ship, but there were mostly European passengers (lots from Germany, some from UK and scandinavian countries, a few Swiss, French...). The atmosphere on board is quiet and casual.

 

I have done only one excursion (but several times) which is the North Cape excursion. Although I'm well aware of the commercial aspect of the site, in winter the bus ride across the island of Mageroya is a beautiful moment, and being at North Cape covered in snow and ice and with only a handful of people is quite an experience. I don't think it is a problem in winter trips to book the excursions on board (maybe more in summer).

 

I get the coffee mug every time. It is a bit pricey but convenient and I find the mugs quite useful at home (I have one at work, one at home, and the others I use when sailing). They make fun souvenirs. But you can get free tee/coffee during the meals so if that is enough for you then maybe not worth it.

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We have done the trip in March and October and saw the Lights on both trips. Given a choice between Lights and Midnight Sun (we have seen that in Longyearbyen), I would go for the Lights. I have seen the sun late at night, though not at midnight, here at home every year, but the Northern Lights here only once.

 

On both trips the ship was less than full and we had a good mix of nationalities with a large proportion of Europeans.

 

Excursions? We did the dog sledding in Tromso and the North Cape trip and enjoyed both. We also did the sea eagle trip and that was wonderful. Unfortunately, it isn't year round so you may, or may not, be lucky.

 

For us, the coffee cup was very expensive for not a lot of advantage. Tea and coffee are available around meal times (I forget exactly when) so the only time it comes in useful is between meals. We wouldn't buy it again.

 

If you decide to go, and wish to book a particular cabin, then book early. You will probably show a saving as well. You may also be able to show a saving if you book through your local travel agent. And do remember, if you decide on an expedition cruise to the Arctic or Antarctic on Fram, you will be eligible for a returning discount of 5%.

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We've been to Northern Norway in both Winter and Summer and both were fabulous, but the Summer cruise was on a large cruise ship which was unable to reach the smaller ports.

My blog details our Hurtigruten February / March trip. The highlights there were the Northern Lights and the husky sledding, but the owners of the husky centre near Kirkenes were getting concerned that the snow cover mightn't last too much longer as temperatures last year were higher than normal.

Our summer (May / June) cruise was memorable for the exceptionally warm / hot weather and a quality of light that you just don't get in many countries. We cruised on an almost flat calm sea off the coast of the Lofoten Islands and sat out in pleasantly warm conditions watching the sun and the sea turn red, with the sun just about hitting the sea before rising again.

There was sufficient snow on the mountains, and nearer sea level in the North to make for some great photo opportunities.

Given the opportunity, I would like to do a May / June round trip with Hurtigruten.

We did purchase the coffee mug. It's a lot smaller than you might think, but we use ours when hiking and camping in the mountains.

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Hi,

I enjoyed reading all your posts on this thread. We hope to do the light trip someday. We are currently booked for the Antarctica trip this coming winter.

 

I was wondering if the mugs you bought can be brought back on subsequent trips and used for the coffee and tea, or do they change the design for each voyage? If your are a Starbucks fan, you will know that when you buy their mugs or cups, you get a discount on refills. Just curious...

 

Also, I have a great agent in the e states who has become familiar with Hurtigruten. When you book with him you will also gets airline miles added to your frequent flyer program, and he may also be able to add shipboard credit after full payment is received. Let me know if you want his contact info.

Adrienne in Atlanta

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I was wondering if the mugs you bought can be brought back on subsequent trips and used for the coffee and tea, or do they change the design for each voyage?

The mugs have the name of the ship on them, so you can only use them on the ship you bought it on. On an earlier brochure it was stated that you can use it again on a subsequent trip on the same ship in the same calendar year (but I can't find it on the current brochure).

The design will change every now and then, but not every year (I have done 5 trips from 2006 to 2013 and I have seen 3 different designs).

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The mugs have the name of the ship on them, so you can only use them on the ship you bought it on. On an earlier brochure it was stated that you can use it again on a subsequent trip on the same ship in the same calendar year (but I can't find it on the current brochure).

The design will change every now and then, but not every year (I have done 5 trips from 2006 to 2013 and I have seen 3 different designs).

 

Thanks! Wow, 5 trips!

Have a great day.

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I am been thinking about a Norwegian coastal cruise for some time. Having been on numerous mainstream cruises, and not really into all the hype and dressing up anymore, I decided to go with Hurtigruten. I have several questions I'm hoping to get some advice on.

Primarily, Im debating between the midnight sun and the northern lights. Traveling as a solo, the summer cruises are very expensive for me, not that the winter is cheap...lol. But Im wondering if there is a consensus as to which is more enjoyable. I am leaning to the northern lights, as I've never seen them before. I'm looking at a early march sailing of the Finnmarken and Im trying to time it with a new moon is Tromso, which I believe is 5 days into the cruise.

So what should I expect? Will the ship be full?

 

We did the 11 day trip in late October and it was not full, only 200 - 250 passengers on Midnatsol so we had good service in the dining room and the lounges felt roomy. Also I think the prices were not a high as either summer or winter.

 

Are people friendly? Ive heard very few europeans sail the winter months. Is that true?

 

We had mostly Europeans, very friendly, and group of US and UK astronomers, many of whom were solo cruisers. Most folks spoke English. All the crew spoke English. all the announcements were in 4 languages: Norwegian, English, German and French (not on every sailing but I guess we had quite a few French on board.) It was not hard to follow and we enjoyed talking with many folks during our cruise.

 

Are the excursions worthwhile in the winter since its so cold... Do you wait to purchase them on board? Does any one have any favorites?

 

We purchased 3 excursions on board as we awaiting our rooms being ready: A fjord tour (the classic fjords were not visited on this trip but we had a very nice excursion on day 2 called Taste of Norway - I enjoyed it very much); North Cape: highly recommend this in any season; and the Midnight Concert, which was nice but not one I'd repeat.

 

Or should I just go for it and book the midnight sun. Should I wait to book for March 16... or best wait for a sale. And is there any advantage going thru a travel agent such as crusie norway....

 

We seemed to get a small discount through our on-line TA but not really sure.

 

I know thats a lot of questions, but all advise is welcome.

(i think Ive made my mind up to go for the northern lights..is march a good month, or should i go earlier....)

 

We saw very good Northern Lights 3 or 4 nights. Thrilling!! But the trade-off is that we had a lot of darkness and missed a lot of good scenery. Can't have everything.

 

One more question, I saw on their site that have a coffee mug with all the coffee you can drink for $70. Is that worth it?

 

We did not buy the coffee deal. We had complimentary coffee at breakfast, lunch and after dinner in the upstairs lounge. IIRC hot chocolate was not available with the coffee mug deal. We did have excellent, rich hot chocolate at breakfasts. Wonderful.

You can read some of my comments from when we were on board on the "Enjoying Midnatsol" thread, just scroll down a bit.

m--

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Hi,

 

I enjoyed reading all your posts on this thread. We hope to do the light trip someday. We are currently booked for the Antarctica trip this coming winter.

 

 

 

I was wondering if the mugs you bought can be brought back on subsequent trips and used for the coffee and tea, or do they change the design for each voyage? If your are a Starbucks fan, you will know that when you buy their mugs or cups, you get a discount on refills. Just curious...

 

 

 

Also, I have a great agent in the e states who has become familiar with Hurtigruten. When you book with him you will also gets airline miles added to your frequent flyer program, and he may also be able to add shipboard credit after full payment is received. Let me know if you want his contact info.

 

Adrienne in Atlanta

 

 

Adrienne, yes, who is your travel agent?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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I've only been on the Hurtigruten in December/January, so I can't compare my trip to a spring one. My trip was fabulous, and I will do it again someday in March. I can't imagine doing the trip in the summer - with so much magnificent scenery, I'd find it hard to sleep :-/

 

To answer some of your questions: yes, we took some ship excursions and booked them ahead of time to make sure we got them-

 

dog sledding in Kirkenes. My favorite excursion. I'd been dog sledding before in Alaska on a glacier. The experience in Kirkenes was around a frozen lake and was surreal. The sky was light, although the sun was below the horizon. There also is an ice hotel you can tour, and you can view the dogs and some reindeer from the fence. If you dress in layers, you can keep warm.

 

Midnight concert in Tromso - beautiful music in a beautiful setting.

 

Viking Feast in the Lofoten Islands. The feast was a reenactment of visiting a viking's castle and having dinner with the King and his wife. The food was good and it was fun, if you like that kind of activity.

 

The highlights of the trip were the fireworks in Tromso on New Years Eve and seeing the Northern Lights. I have never seen so many fireworks for such a long time (hours) anywhere. It was a great way to ring in the New Year. And we were fortunate one night to have several hours of the Northern Lights. We saw faint Northern Lights other times, but one night they were out in all of their glory.

 

I know for me, no matter what season I would have gone in, I would want to go back in another season. I'm thrilled I got to be above the Arctic Circle for so long when the sun never got above the horizon. I've watched the sun march across the horizon and never set, but for me, repeating the coastal trip in March is my next trip to Norway. You get more sun than we did, there will still be lots of snow, and there might even be some Northern Lights on display.

 

RSF... Did you view the fireworks northbound or southbound in Tromso? Did you travel agent help you to pick the right dates?

 

 

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Adrienne, yes, who is your travel agent?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hi,

His name is Dalton. He works for a company that handles multitudes of cruise lines and knows a lot about the many ships and can be very helpful.

 

His direct line is 757-233-5450. If you need toll-free, you can also reach him at 800-735-800 ext. 35450.

 

If you call him, mention my name, Adrienne in Atlanta. I don't get anything, but he will know how you got his name. Also, let him know which airline miles program you use.

 

Good luck! Keep me posted! If you wish, try my first name all one word with my middle name, beth at g mail.

 

Adrienne :)

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We were in Tromso on New Years Eve, and that was on the north bound part of the trip.

 

We were visiting friends near Oslo for Christmas, and then we all went on the coastal cruise. We left December 27 because we wanted to be on the Midnatsol. It was dumb luck that we were in Tromso for New Years Eve. I've heard many of the New Years Eve stops are in places with great fire works. I can't imagine any place being better than Tromso - maybe the same, but certainly not better.

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Well, I did it. I booked for early March 2016 on the Midnatstol. I had read that the lights are best when there is little moon light, so I looked up the moon phases to choose my date. I wasnt quite sure about the cabin. I decided to go with the outside obstructed view. I thought it might be a bit larger than the inside, and allows a bit of day light. Plus it put me on deck seven..Has anyone stayed in one of these? The agent I spoke with assured my I was getting a good rate by booking in advance. He said by the time they have a sale, the rates will be higher, but I will keep my eyes open. I also booked the north cape tour and a trosmo dog sled tour. Wasnt sure which would be better, Tromso or Kirkernes. Please share any thoughts you have on any of this btw I also put a deposit down on a 20 night north cape cruise on the Prinsedam, in June 2016. So well see how this plays out.

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Well, I did it. I booked for early March 2016 on the Midnatstol. I had read that the lights are best when there is little moon light, so I looked up the moon phases to choose my date. I wasnt quite sure about the cabin. I decided to go with the outside obstructed view. I thought it might be a bit larger than the inside, and allows a bit of day light. Plus it put me on deck seven..Has anyone stayed in one of these? The agent I spoke with assured my I was getting a good rate by booking in advance. He said by the time they have a sale, the rates will be higher, but I will keep my eyes open. I also booked the north cape tour and a trosmo dog sled tour. Wasnt sure which would be better, Tromso or Kirkernes. Please share any thoughts you have on any of this btw I also put a deposit down on a 20 night north cape cruise on the Prinsedam, in June 2016. So well see how this plays out.

 

Did you use the guy I suggested?

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RSF... Looks like midnastol will be in Tromso again this year. I seriously thought of booking it, but I would have to leave here Christmas Eve.... I didn't want to miss my granddaughters 2nd christmas... So I went with March...

 

 

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No. I pulled up the number... It was Priceline...and I couldn't find hurtigruten on their site. I just booked it myself

 

 

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Hi again,

Yes, he answers Priceline and many others. It is a large company and he handles many under their umbrella. It might not hurt to give him a call and ask him what else he can do for you if you choose to let him take over the booking as I did. I get miles for my airline of choice, and he may also be able to add some onboard spending. It's worth a try! I also booked directly at first for the same reason you did.

Good luck.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Well, I did it. I booked for early March 2016 on the Midnatstol. I had read that the lights are best when there is little moon light, so I looked up the moon phases to choose my date. I wasnt quite sure about the cabin. I decided to go with the outside obstructed view. I thought it might be a bit larger than the inside, and allows a bit of day light. Plus it put me on deck seven..Has anyone stayed in one of these? The agent I spoke with assured my I was getting a good rate by booking in advance. He said by the time they have a sale, the rates will be higher, but I will keep my eyes open. I also booked the north cape tour and a trosmo dog sled tour. Wasnt sure which would be better, Tromso or Kirkernes. Please share any thoughts you have on any of this btw I also put a deposit down on a 20 night north cape cruise on the Prinsedam, in June 2016. So well see how this plays out.

Congratulaions! My wife and I are traveling with another couple on the Midnatsol for the journey northward from Bergen in a few weeks ending up in Kirkenes for the solar eclpise 3/20. Also selected that time for the new moon (same day) as we'll spend a couple extra days "chasing the lights" in Kirkenes. We're staying in an outside cabin on deck four, but we made sure it wasn't above the auto ferry space. Looking forward to this trip, and reading up on how to take the Aurora pics with a digital SLR. Should be fun. I have heard that the Kirkenes Dog Sled trip is better, so we are booking it through the Thon Hotel, which saves you some money vs booking through Hurtigruten. Will have more info soon as hindsight is 20/20!

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I have heard that the Kirkenes Dog Sled trip is better, so we are booking it through the Thon Hotel, which saves you some money vs booking through Hurtigruten. Will have more info soon as hindsight is 20/20!

 

Fantastic! You'll be able to tell me all about it! Booking the dogsled thru Thor in Kirkenes? How big a savings was it? I read the Tromso dog sledding was better (can't remember why...)so who knows.. Please be sure to post all the details!

 

 

 

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A bit of correction. Did email Thon Hotel as the Husky adventure is listed on their web site. Got a reply from them that we should just make reservations through the SnowHotel itself and the sledge folks would pick up at the Thon. Trying to confirm that now. As far as the price difference, our Hurtigruten excursion lists the price as follows: H-KKN7F Husky sledge Adventure (Kirkenes) 01.01-01.05 / 01.12-31.12 $242 pp. The SnowHotel lists the trip at 1450 NOK which when I do the conversion is $189.05 pp. Less than two weeks before departure. By the way, highly recommend this site for Aurora tracking:

http://www.aurora-service.eu/

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A bit of correction. Did email Thon Hotel as the Husky adventure is listed on their web site. Got a reply from them that we should just make reservations through the SnowHotel itself and the sledge folks would pick up at the Thon. Trying to confirm that now. As far as the price difference, our Hurtigruten excursion lists the price as follows: H-KKN7F Husky sledge Adventure (Kirkenes) 01.01-01.05 / 01.12-31.12 $242 pp. The SnowHotel lists the trip at 1450 NOK which when I do the conversion is $189.05 pp. Less than two weeks before departure. By the way, highly recommend this site for Aurora tracking:

http://www.aurora-service.eu/

We are confirmed for pickup from Thon Hotel for Dog Sledding. Here's the details and it appears we are saving about $40 per person by booking direct. Quote from the SnowHotel:

 

Product 1SHKI0111 Arctic Husky safari 2 hours 15:00 pm

Adults 4

Time 15:00 - 17:00

Price adult TOT NOK 5 800,00

Kirkenes

 

Hej from Kirkenes

Thank you for your mail.

We have booked this husky tour for you 4 persons .

You are more than welcome. We meet you at the hotel reception at 15 00 hrs

You can pay this here by credit card.

Welcome!

Kindest regards,

Anne

KIRKENES SNOWHOTEL

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