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Research, pack appropriately for cold weather, bring necessary photography equipment, familiarize yourself with the ship’s amenities, and remain flexible in your expectations given the unpredictable nature of the aurora. However, ships traversing Alaskan waters are equipped with stabilizers to minimize motion. If prone to seasickness, consult your doctor for recommended medications or remedies. Use manual settings, a wide aperture, long exposure, and a higher ISO.
Denali National Park
With a bit of research and introspection, you can ensure that your voyage through Alaskan waters under the shimmering auroras becomes an indelible memory. Selecting the right cruise and route can significantly influence your Northern Lights experience. But no matter the choice, Alaska’s seas promise a journey of wonder, filled with nature’s best spectacles, both in the sky and on the horizon. While there are several ways to chase the Northern Lights, a cruise offers distinct benefits. As we sail through this guide, remember that the Northern Lights are a blend of predictability and serendipity. While science and planning enhance your chances, there’s always a touch of magic in every aurora sighting.
Alaska Northern Lights Cruises
The Northern Lights can appear anywhere in the sky, so it’s not strictly about choosing a side. However, finding a spot with minimal light interference from the ship is crucial. While seeing the Northern Lights isn’t guaranteed, cruises to Alaska and Iceland make for unforgettable vacations. Whether you’re traversing the wild terrain of the Last Frontier or spending your days exploring cities like Bergen and Alesund, we have an ideal itinerary for you. The 10-Night Alaska Gold Rush Adventure Cruisetour (2A Northbound) will take you deep into the interior of Alaska, where you can explore Gold Rush history.
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Since the ships sail this itinerary from October to November, the skies will be dark enough to see the northern lights, should they decide to appear. In 2023, the voyage will be undertaken by Queen Victoria, while next season, the Queen Mary 2 and the upcoming Queen Anne will take the reins. Hurtigruten is something of an outlier in this group because it doesn't offer specific northern lights itineraries. But the routes of this coastal ferry company in Norway just happen to traverse the perfect latitudes to see the aurora.
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Besides a down coat, warm hat, and gloves, be sure to pack wind and waterproof pants (i.e., ski pants or rain pans), thermal long underwear, wool socks, and winter boots for walking on snow and ice. Ice crampons may come in handy, especially in ports where walkways may be icy or slick. On some active excursions, outfitters provide weather appropriate gear, but you can’t always count on that. And don’t forget your bathing suit for outdoor tub soaks and pool swims onboard.
Alaska Winter Vacation Tips
While many travelers think they have to head to Canada or Scandinavia to see the northern lights, you can actually spot this phenomenon without leaving the United States. Northern Alaska is ideal for Americans wanting a chance to see the aurora borealis. It may be cold in winter (temperatures can drop to 30 degrees below zero), but the inland Alaskan Arctic — where skies tend to be clearer — is one of the best places in the world to see this famous light show. Fairbanks sits just below the main auroral band, offering dark skies, minimal light pollution, and clear views of the night sky - all of which make the area a sweet spot for northern lights viewing. Each fall, one or two of the ships in Cunard's legendary fleet head north for Norway, where guests are treated to scenic cruising along the coast. The 12-day itineraries depart from Southampton, England, before traveling to Alesund, Tromsø, Narvik, and Haugesund, sailing through majestic fjords along the way.
Programs like Princess Cruises' Cruisetours take the stress out of planning on-shore excursions and curate incredible itineraries for extensive, luxurious travel across the state. The northern lights are best seen in Alaska between 65° N and 70° N latitude. Fairbanks is about 198 miles south of the Arctic Circle and enjoys sporadic northern lights. It's best to forget the more southern destinations of Anchorage and Juneau, which see dramatically fewer displays. If you can find dark and clear skies, be on alert from dusk onwards and you might get to see an aurora.
Those wanting to maximize their chances should head for the more remote northern villages of Coldfoot in the Yukon Territory or to Prudhoe Bay and Utqiaġvik in the extreme north. This makes northern Alaska, Arctic Canada, Iceland, Norway, and parts of Greenland prime locations for viewing—the odds of seeing the Northern Lights increase when you go on a cruise in Alaska. Cruise ships get you to inland destinations, including Fairbanks, which boasts cloud-free skies. The optimal time to go on a cruise to see the Alaska Northern Lights is when the daylight slips away. It will seasonally become a time with the skies are covered with a soft, darkened blanket hovering over the city. However, collisions between gasses cause this whimsical beauty in the earth’s atmosphere.
These exciting seven-night itineraries stop in stunning Alaskan ports, such as Ketchikan and Juneau, and spend a day sailing close to the majestic Dawes Glacier, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many travelers. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, aren’t predictable, but they are more likely to display during high solar activity cycles. The sun alternates between a high activity cycle and low activity cycle every eleven years or so. Watch the Kp-index, an aurora activity indicator to find out when conditions are ideal. On many cruises, when passengers or crew spot northern lights, they make ship-wide announcements.
Both Hurtigruten Expeditions and the Hurtigruten’s Norwegian Coastal Express, offer a good number of itineraries that showcase the Northern Lights. You’ve got your camera, a snack, and a heart full of patience, just in case you don’t see anything that night. The less-fun news is that there’s no guarantee you’ll see the lights— the show could easily be upstaged by a cloudy sky, a full moon, or even a weaker solar cycle.
Seeing the northern lights on a cruise isn’t guaranteed (although at least one cruise line, Hurtigruten, does issue a guarantee for certain cruises. See below). But you will increase your odds of seeing the northern lights by being in the right place in the Arctic Circle at the right time. The Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are the iconic lights that whimsically paint Alaska’s skies seafoam green, fluorescent yellow and bright notes of fuchsia. While they appear transcendental, they are actually caused by collisions between gases in the earth’s atmosphere and those in the sun’s atmosphere. The solar winds that circle the globe create unique arrangements that can appear as rippling currents or dancing rays.
Alaska also boasts a stunning variety of wildlife—think seals, sea otters, eagles, mink, porpoises, and mountain goats, to name a few. Search for brown bears in Red Bluff Bay against a backdrop of towering red mountains and waterfalls or along the shores of Chichagof Island. Observe a sea lion haulout (when they gather on the banks to rest) and puffin rookery in the Marble Islands, or go whale watching in Fredericks Sound, Stephens Passage, or Chatham.
You might lose track of time, since the sun shines late into the night. Aurora Borealis, as it’s officially known, can only be seen above the magnetic pole of the Northern Hemisphere. Your chances of seeing them increase the farther north you are, which in turn makes Iceland an ideal place to try your luck at Northern Lights gazing. Aurora Borealis is the kind of scientific phenomenon that most people seem to either know everything about or nothing at all.
Cunard’s Norway and Northern Lights cruise is a 12-day roundtrip along Norway’s coastline from Southampton, England on Queen Mary 2, or Queen Victoria ships. Guest speakers, astronomers and award-winning photographers are usually on board to join guests on deck to each evening to scan for and enjoy the northern lights show. Midsize and small cruise ship companies offer a variety of Arctic Circle sails during prime northern lights viewing months. While this list is not inclusive, lines to choose from include Hurtigruten, Viking, Cunard, Quark, P&O, Silversea, Fred.
I must admit – until I became interested in global cruising, I don’t think I’d ever heard of this natural wonder with the weirdest of names. Next, we’ll delve into the ports of call and destinations that are popular for Alaskan cruises with Northern Lights viewing. In the next section, we’ll explore the onboard activities and amenities that make Alaskan cruises with Northern Lights viewing even more memorable. However, it’s important to note that the Northern Lights are a natural occurrence and can be unpredictable. While there are peak times and locations for viewing, there are no guarantees.
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