Jump to content

Advice November Aurora Northern Lights Cruise


P-L-B
 Share

Recommended Posts

We are all looking forward to our Northern Lights Aurora cruise in November but checking the current list of shore excursions in our cruise personaliser there appear to be two excursions of possible interest to us that are not listed.

 

The ‘Tromso Husky Adventure’ and the ‘Alta Husky Adventure’both involving a dog sledge ride.

Is it possible that they may be added to the shore excursion list closer to our departure date.

 

Anyone done/recommend any of these excursions.

 

Also, the ‘In Search Of The Northern Lights’ excursion is expensive(four of us) and we were wondering if we would be better to take our chances and view from the ship. I understand that the captain announces any possible sightings that may occur during the cruise.

 

We have been to Andalsnes and Stavanger before but not Tromso or Alta. We normally like to explore on our own where possible and we were wondering if that would be possible in Tromso and Alta. Does the ship dock close to the sights of interest etc. or are shore excursions our only option.

 

Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi we are booked on this cruise aswell, our 2nd Northern lights cruise. Last time we went it was in March so there was lots of snow so we did dog sledding, ice hotel etc but as this is a November cruise it might be too early in the season for those activities. Saying that we should have a greater chance of seeing the lights because of the amount of darkness we will have. Any questions just ask.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi we are booked on this cruise aswell, our 2nd Northern lights cruise. Last time we went it was in March so there was lots of snow so we did dog sledding, ice hotel etc but as this is a November cruise it might be too early in the season for those activities )

 

 

 

Someone please say it isn't so?

 

On the p&o website they have typical excursions listed under the ports for the November cruise for those ports that show those activities. I know not all extrusions are always offered but listing them as typical for that cruise implies snow aplenty. I just assumed December in the Arctic circle would we snowy (ours leaves 28th Nov so most of it is December) ❄️☃️

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Tromso/Alta you need shuttle buses to get into the town and then in Tromso it is walkable to Arctic Cathedral/Cable car over the bridge but it is a long walk and especially if snow on the ground we caught a bus that stopped right outside the Arctic Cathedral. Alta there is nothing within walking distance of the ship the only thing of interest is you berth right next to the airport. With reference to the excursion "In search of the Northern Lights" it is a gamble as there is no guarantee but we did it and had an experience of a lifetime that we will never forget. Having said that those that went the second night did not see anything due to cloud so only you can decide. If you see the lights from the ship then great you will have saved money but if you do not and you hear that those on the excursion did you will regret it but only you can decide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi, Thanks for the reply.

Did you happen to see the lights on your previous visit?

Yes, I was wondering if it may be a seasonal thing regarding the availability of some of the shore excursions.

Did you do the ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’ excursion if so did you think it was worthwhile?

Thanks for the other information information, sorry posted this before reading the other previous post's :)

Edited by P-L-B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone please say it isn't so?

 

On the p&o website they have typical excursions listed under the ports for the November cruise for those ports that show those activities. I know not all extrusions are always offered but listing them as typical for that cruise implies snow aplenty. I just assumed December in the Arctic circle would we snowy (ours leaves 28th Nov so most of it is December) ❄️☃️

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Yes, we were all looking forward to the opportunity of a Dog Sledge Ride :(

BTW, are you on a P&O Northern Lights cruise on the 28th Nov I did't think there was one?

Edited by P-L-B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ours is 2018 sorry I should have said (nothing like a bit of forward planning lol).

 

I've just posted on the tripadvisor Alta forum and the Cruise Critic ports of call forum asking about whether typically they have snow at that time of year (early Dec).

 

The North Cape does apparently (according to the interweb) but that's 200 miles further north. From what I can see online Alta will have snow but can't see if it's enough for activities like dog sledding or snowshoeing etc.

 

Will let you know if I hear anything from those forums.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ours is 2018 sorry I should have said (nothing like a bit of forward planning lol).

 

I've just posted on the tripadvisor Alta forum and the Cruise Critic ports of call forum asking about whether typically they have snow at that time of year (early Dec).

 

The North Cape does apparently (according to the interweb) but that's 200 miles further north. From what I can see online Alta will have snow but can't see if it's enough for activities like dog sledding or snowshoeing etc.

 

Will let you know if I hear anything from those forums.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Thanks, that would be great :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might have a bit more snow at the end of Nov, our cruise this year is mid Nov so that is why we don't have dog & reindeer sledding available. The ice hotel won't be finished by then, it generally opens the week before Christmas. If you definately want those activities you need to go in either Feb or March to be sure. As for the Northern lights if they appear you will see them but the best views are where there's no light pollution. We did the tour and it was definately worth it. The guide plans where the best place is to see them on the night to give you optimum chance. We had a fantastic display & got lots of photos but the spectacle will stay in your memory forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did northern lights cruise a few years ago (not P&O) and saw lights first passing northern tip of Lofoten Islands. Did the chasing the lights trip and went from Alta as far as the Finnish border before turning back. Saw virtually nothing. Next two nights, back on ship, we saw them again. Outside lights on the ship were turned off apart from those necessary for safety to give greater darkness. We went late Feb to March and there was snow. Ice hotel was spectacular and dog sledding trip happened. A bit cold though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did one of the March trips on Oriana.

In search of N Lights excursion ... cost a LOT. No lights at all due to 100% cloud cover. But next night had an amazing light show from on board. Simply brilliant. The restaurants just emptied, staff too, to see the display at 8 in the evening. Went on for an hour or so. So if there is a good display you will see it just as well on board.

Huskies ... do it in Alta. We went on it in Tromso and it was like a production line as they had hundreds of people there. Arrive, stand there, get on and keep your knees in, 10 minutes later all done. Most disappointing. We went there in the summer 10 years ago and it was a small family run job and was superb. Not any more, simply a money making machine.

Snow ... last winter practically no snow before Feb but this was unusual. We were very lucky as it snowed heavily the week before we arrived. Brilliant white snow everywhere. But cold. Watching lights on deck ... it was -23° C brrr.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General consensus seems to be that it's possible but unlikely

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

OK, thanks for the feedback.

 

We will just have to wait and see I am sure we will make the most of the experience whatever happens. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Appreciate all the comments.

Regarding the ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’ excursion.

Ultimately it will have to be down to us to make the decision but at £135.00 X 4 :eek: and without any guarantee of seeing anything we will have to give it some serious thought before we book.

There again some would say it’s a fair price to pay for a once in a lifetime experience. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did this cruise earlier this year (think we might have been on at the same time as SimonPJD).

 

We paid for the excursion on our first night in Alta and saw nothing. Spent several hours standing around in a snowy football field before we gave up and went back to the ship. We were lucky enough to have a good sighting from the ship the next night and another while we were underway a day or so after that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had been hoping for this tour too. Its annoying as I had contacted the tour operators before booking the cruise because it is one of the main reasons we were booking and they assured us that they always work with p&o and if there was not any snow they use carts instead and did husky carting but that we had to book via p&o.

I have emailed p&o to ask and will email the husky people we spoke to before and let you know -if they are doing carting/sledding independently we will be booking via them.

We were also interested in the reindeer sledging but this is also missing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may well see the lights from the ship from Tromso north BUT, they will be greatly diluted in appearance by the light pollution from the town, even if they turn the exterior lights off on the ship. These two photos illustrate the difference between on board Oriana at Tromso and at Kautokeino on the Northern Lights tour where it was pitch black.

 

0cJ-ojP-NeSRhEGKDQ0VIkXyeaa2NEPgpgpiXrjF42YZRhpzqnMUzYzo5NhuH2fp0VE9ew_eBxo4cZyMiuI=w332-h220

 

md_Dv_hPZweq9HAf2WridNsiTT9lfoywumtvOf08UQwMbXb53XBhro-GZSRREAZLAvTL2ZTf0ZtZ_eKhEfw=w332-h220

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had been hoping for this tour too. Its annoying as I had contacted the tour operators before booking the cruise because it is one of the main reasons we were booking and they assured us that they always work with p&o and if there was not any snow they use carts instead and did husky carting but that we had to book via p&o.

I have emailed p&o to ask and will email the husky people we spoke to before and let you know -if they are doing carting/sledding independently we will be booking via them.

We were also interested in the reindeer sledging but this is also missing.

 

You would definitely need snow for reindeer sledging. This excursion is run by Sami people using their traditional sledges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may well see the lights from the ship from Tromso north BUT, they will be greatly diluted in appearance by the light pollution from the town, even if they turn the exterior lights off on the ship. These two photos illustrate the difference between on board Oriana at Tromso and at Kautokeino on the Northern Lights tour where it was pitch black.

 

0cJ-ojP-NeSRhEGKDQ0VIkXyeaa2NEPgpgpiXrjF42YZRhpzqnMUzYzo5NhuH2fp0VE9ew_eBxo4cZyMiuI=w332-h220

 

md_Dv_hPZweq9HAf2WridNsiTT9lfoywumtvOf08UQwMbXb53XBhro-GZSRREAZLAvTL2ZTf0ZtZ_eKhEfw=w332-h220

 

 

 

Wow! Which tour was that? Where did it take you?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the lights tour they took us to a football pitch only 4 miles from the ship. And on one side the town was clearly visible with its light pollution. I know we didn't see any due to cloud cover but if they had appeared we would have had a load of light pollution. And that was over 100 quid per person.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! Which tour was that? Where did it take you?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

This was only the second NL cruise P&O did in March 2014 (when I booked it it was the first but since it sold out they added a previous one). I booked the P&O Northern Lights tour on the first of our two nights in Alta and we were taken to a golf course I think in Kautokeino. Aside from a lavuu with log fire inside to thaw out, the only lighting was from nightlights to mark a path and torches we brought with us to set up cameras. A headtorch is a good idea. It was -26C!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was only the second NL cruise P&O did in March 2014 (when I booked it it was the first but since it sold out they added a previous one). I booked the P&O Northern Lights tour on the first of our two nights in Alta and we were taken to a golf course I think in Kautokeino. Aside from a lavuu with log fire inside to thaw out, the only lighting was from nightlights to mark a path and torches we brought with us to set up cameras. A headtorch is a good idea. It was -26C!!

 

We were on the same cruise and same excursion but didn't know it was a golf course seemed more like a country park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the same cruise and same excursion but didn't know it was a golf course seemed more like a country park.

 

Only going by what I heard later. It was so dark it could have been a car park!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...