Ooooh!
What itinerary is that, for 15 days?
We took the Norwegian Coastal Round Trip, in the Trollfjord, and we have *such* fond memories. The scenery was spectacular. We may have had a bit more snow, as our sailing was late Feb to early March.

Probably at least in part because we weren't sure just what to expect, it was a real delight and one of our favorite cruises ever. ("Ferry", to us, conjured up memories of the Staten Island Ferry, etc.... Heh.)
The foreward Observation Lounge is two stories high, and those windows were just perfect for that scenery.

The Northern Lights, when they are visible, are usually not quite like they show up in many photos. They can be more of a gray in some cases. It was still absolutely wonderful.

Enjoy!!

GC

If it is the same as a few years ago, the crew (or Captain?) decides whether the Lights have been seen. They can be very faint, and barely gray... and that would "count". If nothing is seen, then it was something like a shorter trip in (I think) a low-cost cabin. But Hurtgrutin does state this policy on their website (or they certainly used to).

And yes, one can arrange for a "wake up call" if they see the lights. But you'd want to be able to get to the deck fast, in case it is very fleeting.

We didn't see any Lights on the NB trip so I don't know what was done for those on one-way, or if it had to be RT for the "deal". But finally, on the SB trip... the call came.

They were not brilliant colors and we were very glad we knew in advance that "gray" was likely.
We did see some faint color, and we also saw the "dancing curtain" shape, so we were very happy.
The astronomer aboard our sailing took photos, and those showed those colors that appear in photos...

GC

As I understand it, they make announcements. I believe they say "Ladies and Gentlemen, Hurtigruten presents the Northern Lights." They have been offering this guarantee for years on their winter sailings. Just look for the "Northern Lights Promise" on various sailings on their site.

It is a new itinerary called North Cape Express. It is based on the ferry style you took but they spend much longer in ports so it's more like a "regular" cruise. The traditional coastal that you took--and that delivers mail and supplies still runs too. They are refurbishing the Trollfjord this spring. This one starts with a few days in Bergen and ends in Oslo--just when the Christmas markets should be opening. I'm psyched

That sounds very interesting! How far north do you get, all the way up and over, to Kirkenes?
We are now remembering the border with Russia, and jokes we heard about "what if someone just puts a foot over...?" There wasn't actually a "line", but we have a great photo of the two of us standing in front of a large warning sign, I'm not sure that excursion goes quite that far these days, Quite a different feeling now, alas.

We hit some *very* rough seas on the SB. Fortunately, it was the year *before* the Viking Sky disaster (no one died then, thank goodness). But on our sailing, the Captain announced we'd hit some heavy seas starting about something like 9 or 10 (?). It happened fairly suddenly, and then we tried to walk to the bedroom (we had one of the few suites), and we couldn't, not even leaning against walls. We finally crawled almost on our bellies, and managed to get ourselves into bed, where we stayed untll morning. The Bow Cam was showing some really wonderful water displays!

Will you have a chance to take the train between Oslo and Bergen at the beginning? If you can, don't miss it, and do it during daytime hours. There is some other-worldly scenery for a bit at the highest plateau...

Have a great time!

GC

I fixed your Wiki post. You had put it in the 2024 section.

Thanks. We will fly into Bergin and fly out of Oslo. As part of the package, they include airport transfers and two nights at a hotel in Bergin (the first of the 15 days) are included.

We will be on our first RSSC cruise next week. We fly down to Miami on Monday, sped Tuesday in Miami, then all aboard Voyager on Wednesday. This should be a new experience!!!

Yesterday, I booked my first cruise in twelve years, my first NCL since 2005. I couldn't say no to a 50% off Alaska coupon in my account, bringing the Inside base fare down to $173 and with no single supplement. Thanks to some forum searching, I narrowed the options down to sailings with Glacier Bay, and eventually decided on May vs September.

NCL Jewel, 15 May. Already added to the wiki.

Just booked a voyage for later this year on Silversea's new Silver Nova from Lisbon to Barcelona. This voyage was originally a 17-day cruise, but they just opened up two options to book this for a shorter version.
This will be my seventh cruise with Silversea (last year I was on the Spirit for a voyage with 5 ports in Croatia). Portugal has been #1 on my travel bucket list (was supposed to go in 2020...), so very much looking forward to the itinerary and the opportunity to check out the new ship design.

Alaska inside passage sailing on the Sapphire Princess out of Vancouver on September 6, disembarking in Anchorage September 13, 2023.

Their cabins are TINY--107 - 118 sq ft. Surprised they are so small. Itinerary is great though. I'm sure it'll be a fun time. Bring overcoats, hats & gloves.

Booked another cruise, on the Seabourn Encore - 25 nights starting 4/3/24 - Arabia, Egypt & Dalmatian Coast, starting in Dubai. Ms.747FC is having some buyer's remorse, so we may drop the Dalmatian Coast part of it.

Holland America Adriatic Cruise,12 days on Nieuw Statendam Oct. 29 - Nov. 9, 2023 begins and ends in Rome.

We just did Singapore to Dubai to Athens 35 nights on Seabourn Encore March/April 2023 and had a wonderful voyage. Why the buyer's remorse?