Northern lights cruise: How to experience the aurora borealis at sea

Table Of Content

• The Best Alaska Cruises
• Alaska Northern Lights Cruises
• Dive Into Alaska Traditions on Your Next Cruise Royal Caribbean Cruises
• When is the Best Time to See the Northern Lights on an Alaska Cruise
• Our Family Alaska Cruise: A Vacation We'll Never Forget Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Fairbanks Aurora Viewing Lodge Tour
• DAY 2 Icy Strait & Lynn Canal

Your Alaskan adventure can be as diverse and enriching as you choose to make it. While the Northern Lights are a year-round phenomenon, not all times are ideal for viewing. Aurora Borealis is the kind of scientific phenomenon that most people seem to either know everything about or nothing at all. 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. You can also see the lights in Canada's Yukon, including in the gold rush town of Dawson City, which is visited on some Holland America cruisetours. If you're interested in where to see the northern lights outside Alaska, the Arctic city of Alta, Norway, calls itself "The City of Northern Lights."

The Best Alaska Cruises

I like to think that chasing the Borealis similar to the adrenaline rush of storm-chasers who follow tornadoes – except, you’re chasing a natural beauty, rather than a destructive force. Alta's credentials include the world's first permanent observatory for viewing the aurora borealis; it was built there in 1899. A whole industry has sprung up around the lights, including such extravagant shore excursions as an overnight in a tent with viewing windows at a Sami dog-sledding camp. Alta is also home to the Northern Lights Cathedral, an architectural landmark.

Alaska Northern Lights Cruises

Best Time to Visit Alaska in 2023 When Is the Best Time to Go to Alaska? Trusted Since 1922 - Reader's Digest

Best Time to Visit Alaska in 2023 When Is the Best Time to Go to Alaska? Trusted Since 1922.

Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

From vis­it­ing the most north­ern Ice Muse­um, soak­ing in the all-nat­ur­al hot springs to view­ing the breath­tak­ing North­ern Lights dance across the sky, this tour will be a high­light of your Alaskan experience. From mid-November through March, you can check into a lodge or look for the lights each night as you try a different activity, like ice fishing or dogsledding. And if you’re on an aurora quest from mid-August to mid-September, (Fall) there’s still time to enjoy summer activities, like visiting Denali National Park or taking a glacier cruise. If you prefer milder temperatures and longer daylight hours, early fall and late spring can also provide opportunities to witness the Northern Lights in Alaska. September and April offer a balance between relatively mild weather conditions and darker nights, giving you a chance to catch a glimpse of the dancing lights.

Dive Into Alaska Traditions on Your Next Cruise Royal Caribbean Cruises

But the routes of this coastal ferry company in Norway just happen to traverse the perfect latitudes to see the aurora. For the best odds of seeing the northern lights, we suggest the 12-day round-trip itinerary from Bergen up the coast of Norway and back. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, have enchanted humanity for millennia. Their ethereal dance across the night sky tells a tale as old as time, combining science, legends, and raw natural beauty. Viewing the Alaska northern lights takes the right timing, the right location and the right conditions.

Travelers can bed down at the 14-person Ultima Thule Lodge for a wild adventure filled with glacier trekking, rafting, fishing in Tebay Lake, and (of course) waiting for the northern lights to flicker across the sky. The northern lights occur because of solar activity, so during the early part of the solar cycle, known as solar minimum, there is a smaller chance of experiencing a full-on auroral storm. As we move toward solar maximum, which returns in 2025, the odds of seeing the northern lights will increase. Your chances of seeing the aurora display are excellent as the city sits where the activity of the polar lights is concentrated — under the ring-shaped zone known as the auroral oval. Local experts say that on clear evenings when the sky is very dark, you should be able to witness the skies light up on an average of four out of five nights in Fairbanks. According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, the best time to see the northern lights is from Aug. 21 to April 21, also known as the Aurora Season.

Our Family Alaska Cruise: A Vacation We'll Never Forget Royal Caribbean Cruises

The majority of our focused northern lights cruises are in Greenland. Here, the aurora borealis can be seen from the end of August to the beginning of April. Aboard Greenland expedition cruises, northern lights themed itineraries usually operate in August, September and October. These routes typically focus their exploration on East Greenland, namely in Scoresby Sund.

Fairbanks Aurora Viewing Lodge Tour

These 14-day itineraries cruise from Iceland to Greenland and back from September into early October. And if they don't show, well, you still get to explore Iceland's Westfjords and Greenland's eastern shores — and that's a worthwhile journey in itself. (Although some sailings operate in reverse.) The Norwegian fjords themselves are a sight to behold — and if they're paired with the northern lights, that's all the better! The sailings run from January to March when daylight is limited in the Arctic Circle, making for prime aurora opportunities. Rates start from $4,999 per person in 2023, and it should be noted that Viking is an adults-only cruise line. While cruises offer a unique perspective, many land-based locations in Alaska, such as Fairbanks, offer excellent opportunities for aurora viewing, often paired with other activities like hot springs or dog sledding.

This itinerary is no longer offered. You may also like other options below.

The sheer size of Alaska lends itself to a wide variety of terrain and travel experiences. This diversity means you need to be prepared for a lot of change while traveling. Planes are plentiful in Alaska, where they're a common form of transportation across the state. Charter a helicopter or fixed-wing flightseeing tour at Juneau and get an unforgettable perspective of the mountains and glaciers of this vast landscape. In the center of the state, Denali National Park is blanketed in wildflowers punctuated with mountains, raging rivers and serene lakes.

The Northern Alaska Tour Company runs round-trip van tours 60 miles north of Fairbanks to the town of Joy for an increased chance of seeing the northern lights. And 1st Alaska Tours runs nightly trips to Chena Hot Springs 60 miles north and to Murphy Dome, one of the highest peaks in the Fairbanks area, which has a 360-degree view of the horizon. Alaska's northern lights season is between late August and late April, peaking in March. However, the season is defined more by its long, dark nights than by solar activity. Gwen Pratesi is an avid travel adventurer who fell in love with Alaska on her first visit to the state many years ago. She’s returned several times on land trips and by ship for year-round outdoor adventure and to chase the northern lights in one of the best places on the planet to view them.

Denali National Park takes you out of the city altogether, into a wilderness full of spruce forests and snow-capped mountain peaks. There's nothing like an amazing adventure during an Alaskan vacation, and if you're looking for things to do then dog sledding is a bucket-list experience. Plan your romantic Alaskan cruise with our adventurer’s guide to discovering the coziest vacation spots and most scenic restaurants for couples traveling in Alaska. Find the most Instagrammable places for your next vacation cruise to Alaska.

Get up close to beautiful, picturesque landscapes on an Iceland and Ireland cruise from Southampton, England, which offers 14 nights of pure bliss on Celebrity Silhouette. Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary and the order of days may occur to maximize your experience. You can also visit the Iñupiat Heritage Center to learn about bowhead whale hunting and traditional crafts. Alaska Airlines flies to the town's Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport from Anchorage.

Use manual settings, a wide aperture, long exposure, and a higher ISO. It’s essential to wear layers, including thermal underwear, a warm middle layer, a waterproof and windproof outer layer, insulated boots, gloves, a hat, and a scarf. Choosing the right cruise is akin to personalizing an adventure tailored to your preferences.

If you’re in Anchorage and the conditions are ideal, head to a higher elevation. Glen Alps, Point Woronzof, and the Knit River Valley offer decent vantage points—some face north with no pesky mountain peaks in the way. Here’s all you need to know to pick the best time to see northern lights in Alaska. 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.

While we can’t guarantee you’ll see the Northern Lights on your cruisetour, we can promise you’ll walk away with a deep appreciation for Alaska’s rugged wilderness, flora, fauna, and rich history. 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. 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.