if it is worth to go far up to honningsvag norway!!!

[diane1964]

:eek:i have problem to decide which cruise to take, 1 start from southampton, will reach honningsvag(some claimed the northmost point of europe, but some said it is not, anyway quite far north), i have been london twice, so don't want to go london this time; another cruise start from amsterdam but will not go that far north, i have not been amsterdam, so more likely to take the cruise from amsterdam. just wondering if it is worth to go far up to honningsvag?thanks inadvance!!!;)

[TLCOhio]

i have problem to decide which cruise to take, 1 start from southampton, will reach honningsvag(some claimed the northmost point of europe, but some said it is not, anyway quite far north), i have been london twice, so don't want to go london this time; another cruise start from amsterdam but will not go that far north, i have not been amsterdam, so more likely to take the cruise from amsterdam. just wondering if it is worth to go far up to honningsvag?thanks inadvance!!!

 

Thanks, Diane for the question. It all depends on YOU and your exact personal interests. Amsterdam has some great art, interesting city, charming architecture, etc., etc. That is just part of the first aspect for the question you asked and that needs to be considered.

 

We found going up to the North Cape, seeing the puffin, other birds, reindeer, etc. to be very interesting to us and especially for the other couple traveling with us. I would not want to do that type of nature-focused trip every year or that often. Again, personal choice.

 

We did go up to Honningsvag and fortunately we had a great independent, personal trip in a smaller boat out to the spectacular bird island. Seeing the fjords is great. We super enjoyed Bergen and other cities along that coast. It all depends on your exact personal interests, travel priorities, budget, etc. Tell us more on your exact interests, likes and dislikes. Below are a few pictures for what you can and will see, if and if. It's a big, big world that has lots of options. You can't see it ALL if you're like us with limited time and budgets. We enjoyed it and were glad we did this trip (with fortunate great weather in July). When are you planning your trip?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For lots of interesting details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. Don’t be shy and feel free to ask any questions of interest. This posting is now over 36,000 views. Appreciate those who have “tuned in”.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

In the small fishing village of Gjesvaer near the North Cape and Honningsvag, here was the harbor scene as we had our picnic at an open table before going on our charter boat to the bird rock areas. That tree trunk/limbs shown didn't actually grow there. It was brought in and placed there. This far north, nothing major grows and the land areas are very much a type of tundra. Extremely interesting and beautiful area!:

 

 

 

This is the first of many puffin visuals, showing their bright orange feet, plus their cute and unique beaks.:

 

 

 

This shows a huge colony of sea gulls along the rocks and deep into the large opening in the side of the mountain.:

 

 

 

On the way to Gjesvaer near the North Cape, here was a small part of the large herd of reindeer we discovered on the way to our boat charter. They believed that all of this territory, including the road, belong to them. The young baby reindeer were especially cute!:

 

 

 

Here are two views of the North Cape as we approached and the clouds started to clear and the sun broke through showing a great blue sky.:

 

 

 

[diane1964]

beautiful photos, i think i will like to go up to honingsvag. i am searching how i can get amsterdam to southhampton at moment. we may go the end of june( my daughter's holiday is 24 june to 11 july). seems there is no direct ferry from amsterdam to southhampton. we need to get to paris to cross the channel, if this is the case, we don't have much time to do this way.

regards

diane

[kaisatsu]

beautiful photos, i think i will like to go up to honingsvag. i am searching how i can get amsterdam to southhampton at moment. we may go the end of june( my daughter's holiday is 24 june to 11 july). seems there is no direct ferry from amsterdam to southhampton. we need to get to paris to cross the channel, if this is the case, we don't have much time to do this way.

regards

diane

If it's at the end of June, I think it's definitely worth it! The summer solstice usually falls around June 23, and that far north, there are 24-hour days through all of June and half of July! At that time of year, you likely won't see a sunset as long as you're above the Arctic Circle. Seeing the Midnight Sun from the deck of a cruise ship is a fantastic experience, since you have a view all the way to the horizon! Stay up late one night, and watch the "sunset" as it dips towards the horizon and then starts to go back up (around 12:30 am) without even touching it. It really is quite incredible! (Just consider an inside cabin if you're very sensitive to sleeping during daylight!)

 

And depending on the cruise you're looking at, Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands (Leknes or Gravdal are the typical cruise ports) are both fantastic reasons to sail that far north. The landscape changes a bit once you get farther north than the fjord lands, but both ports have some beautiful scenery.

 

Lofoten:

 

Tromsø:

[diane1964]

i am searching more on this crown princess cruise. thank you for input here. ports will including tromso, geiranger...

regards

diane;)

[geospyder]

We're starting to consider an Arctic Circle cruise out of Amsterdam in June of 2012. The itinerary is Amsterdam, Holland, Arctic Circle (Crossing), Leknes (Lofoten), Norway, Arctic Circle (Cruise), Longyearbyen,Norway, Arctic Circle (Cruise), Honningsvag, Norway, Arctic Circle (Crossing), Molde, Norway, Bergen, Norway, Amsterdam, Holland.

 

The description of the Arctic Circle cruise days is: "The top of our planet features the otherworldy beauty of glaciers, vivid skies and unique wildlife, like the porpoises that race ships through these arctic waters. And nothing quite compares to relaxing in the wamth of your verandas as you sip hot cappuccino and experience the phenomenal night skies of the Northern Lights."

 

My question is - what are the real chances of seeing the Northern Lights on such a cruise? That would be one specific reason for us to take this cruise.

[tullemor]

I'm norwegian, I grew up in Vesterålen/Lofoten and I've lived several years in Tromsø.

 

I'm afraid you won't be able to experience the northen lights if you visit Norway in June. You can only see the northen light in winter. On the other hand you will experience the midnight sun:) The midnight sun can be seen north of the polar circle in May, June and Juli.

[geospyder]

I'm norwegian, I grew up in Vesterålen/Lofoten and I've lived several years in Tromsø.

 

I'm afraid you won't be able to experience the northen lights if you visit Norway in June. You can only see the northen light in winter. On the other hand you will experience the midnight sun:) The midnight sun can be seen north of the polar circle in May, June and Juli.

 

Thanks, that's what I was thinking also but wasn't 100% sure. The other choices in that time frame out of Amsterdam are a Scandinavia & Russia Cruise and a Norwegian Fjord Cruise. We did the Scandinavia & Russia Cruise last May so now it's pointing toward the Norwegian Fjord Cruise. Reason we're choosing Amsterdam as the port to sail from is that my wife's family is in the Netherlands so we can visit them and cruise in one trip. Thanks again for the response.