So my wife and I are turning 50 next summer, and we decided that to celebrate we were going to see the Aurora Borealis for the first time. We figured out that the best way to do this was to a cruise to the Arctic Circle. We’ve never been on a cruise before, either, or travelled further north than Edinburgh, so that’s another thing off our bucket list.
We’re in Israel, so Alaska and Greenland are too far away for our budget, and for personal reasons we won’t be going to Iceland. What we’re thinking at the moment is to take a 10-15 day cruise out of Bergen or Southampton or somewhere similar to the northern tip of Scandinavia and back. Has anyone here done something similar? Do you have any recommendations and/or warnings?
I can’t speak to the cruising aspect, but my wife and I did Scandinavia for our 20th anniversary in the summer of 2019. Obviously no Aurora Borealis with the sun barely setting.
We flew into Tallinn, flew to Stockholm, flew to Bergen, train to Oslo, Almhult, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, then home.
Food and lodging was expensive but it was a great trip overall.
My parents took a cruise through various fjords when they were in their late 70s.
They enjoyed the scenery, the food and the comfort. (Dad didn’t walk well, so the cruise staff arranged a wheelchair for him.)
I’ve done one cruise myself and would add:
carefully consider the size of boat (it affects how crowded the boat is and also how many people you meet)
consider how much you want to spend on your cabin (my mate went for a cabin with a balcony for great view - I took an inside cabin which was much cheaper)
My wife and I are taking a Northern Lights cruise up the coast of Norway in March on Viking. It goes from Bergen north to Narvik and then south to the Thames estuary via Amsterdam. I have no idea what we will be doing off the ship, but 7 years ago we took a Viking cruise around the Baltic on the same kind of ship and were quite impressed with the food and amenities.
Viking looks interesting, but their cruises also seem to be a lot more expensive then other lines. Are they just… fancier? Or am I reading the prices wrong?
They are more expensive. But pretty much everything is included; food, beer, wine, shore excursions, etc. are all included. Cocktails, some add-on excursions and spa services are extra. The ships are also smaller (about 900 passengers) and no children. It’s still very casual, none of that dressing up for dinner with the captain crap.