Experience the Northern Lights with #Hurtigruten Cruises
Experience a Different Kind of Cruise!
**Many thanks to Hurtigruten for sponsoring today’s post and encouraging me to visit Norway and see the Northern Lights.
Winter is a great time for a cruise. No. Really. It is. My bucket list contains lots of travel to unique places and experiences. If you have ever wanted to see the Northern Lights up close and personal, there is no better way than with a Hurtigruten cruise. Their cruises create a unique experience you will always remember. I know we are giving some serious consideration to what they have to offer.
According to Jonathan Tourtellot, the founding Director of National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations, “Hurtigruten is unique in the world. With Hurtigruten you are really part of Norway, part of a Norwegian tradition. The crew is Norwegian, the food and experience is Norwegian. Hurtigruten is identified with the country it operates in. That’s not true with conventional cruise liners.”
If you have ever even considered a trip to see the Northern Lights, there is no better time than now to check out these cruises. The Northern Lights are spectacular, but there are also other unique experiences to take advantage of on a Hurtigruten cruise.
2014/2015 Winter Voyages:
Winter is the most special time to explore the wild and untamed Norwegian scenery. Join various miniature polar expeditions like a husky sledge adventure or a snow mobile trip into the Polar Night through a frozen landscape with beautiful views of the Arctic Wilderness.
Hurtigruten offers numerous Winter packages that are perfect for experiencing Norwegian culture.
6-Day Voyage South
7-Day Voyage North
12-Day Roundtrip Voyage
• Cross the Arctic Circle and hopefully see the Northern Lights
• Explore the gateway to the Arctic, Tromsø
• Enjoy a wide selection of excursions including Husky Adventure, Lofotr Viking Feast, dog sledging and wilderness Adventure Camp
In Search of the Northern Lights package
• See the famous Nidaros Cathedral
• Cross into the Arctic Circle
• Visit the capital of the Arctic, Tromsø
• Sail through the stunning Lofoten Islands and the local fishing villages
• See the majestic Seven Sisters mountains
Winter Voyage, Air & Hotel Packages
• Cross the Arctic Circle and Hopefully see the Northern Lights
• Explore the gateway to the Arctic, Tromsø
• Enjoy a wide selection of exciting and interesting excursions, like the Husky Adventure, Lofotr Viking Feast, dog sledging, Snow Hotel and wilderness Adventure camp
Special One-Time MS Finnmarken Voyage
• Best of the MS Fram Expedition Team on board
• Guest Lecturer Pal Brekke, Northern Lights expert
• A selection of included excursions
• Interpretive hikes with Expedition Team
• Expert presentations throughout the voyage
• Free Helly Hansen Hunting the Light fleece jacket
Astronomy Voyage
• A full tour of the Norwegian Coast and our 34 posts
• The chance to see the Northern Lights
• Lectures on board about the night sky and the Northern Lights
• A visit to the Northern Lights Planetarium at Tromsø
Each Hurtigruten departure is a purposeful voyage providing a transportation lifeline between cities and villages while exploring stunning fjords and UNESCO World Heritage sites along the more than 1,000 miles of Norway’s pristine coastal waterway. This mixture of local encounters, spectacular scenery and utterly unique shore activities provides an unmatched opportunity to experience and interact with the beauty and charm of Norway and it’s people. Hurtigruten’s 11 ships depart almost every day of the year, from 34 ports along the Norwegian Coast.
If a Hurtigruten cruise was not on your radar before today, it might well be now.
Flexible Pricing Savings Up To 30%: Hurtigruten operates on a variable pricing system whereby prices remain low until higher occupancy levels are reached. Right now a lot of prime space is still available meaning that select Winter Coastal Voyages have savings up to 30% off brochure fares! Check out the below offers to share with your audiences:
Winter Coastal Voyages
6, 7, 11, & 12 day Voyages
• From only $965 per person!
In Search of the Northern Lights Package:
• 6-Day Voyage
• 1-Night Hotel
• From only $879 per person!
Winter Voyage, Air & Hotel Package:
6 or 7 day Norway Voyage
• Roundtrip Airfare from Newark (more gateways are available for additional cost)
• All pre/post voyage transfers
• Pre and post Overnight Hotel (2 night)
• From $2,251 per person
Special Voyages:
• Christmas Voyages with special activities and inclusions (see website for more details)
• New Years Eve in Tromsø (see website for more details)
We have been looking at these cruises for some time. We are not only interested in travel, but we are also interested in unique experiences. These cruises meet and exceed our requirements. Don’t take my word for it, go check them out for yourself. Christmas and the Northern Lights, they go nicely together I think.
Have you taken a Hurtigruten cruise? Have you been to see the Northern Lights?
Until next time…
Geek Grandma
Filed in: travel tips
To answer your questions…nope and nope! But these pictures are spectacular! I associate cruising with tropical, but you could change my mind. What a great experience! The itineraries and the pricing look really good. So You have me re-thinking my word association:) Thanks for the info!
I know what you mean. When you think of cruises you think warm. But I have friends who have done this and they just raved about it. Who knew?
Hi Cheryl: I've never been to Norway, but it certainly looks enticing!
I have seen the Northern Lights many times, as we have them here in Manitoba. The most amazing Northern Ligtst I've seen have been in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, where they appeared in colours of green, yellow, red, pink, and white. AMAZING!!!
No matter how many times you see the Northern Lights, it just never gets old.
The Northern lights sound fabulous and I'd love to see them. I don't think a cruise is for me though.
Cruises are not for everyone. But for those looking for something different and unique, this certainly fits the description.
My wife and I have talked on several occasions about taking a cruise like this. A couple we used to know had spent years working as cruise organizers for Alaskan cruises. At some point we may actually have to do this.
I have friends who have taken Alaskan cruises and absolutely loved it.
You should read the essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace. It's hilarious and will make any reader look at cruises in a new way. I've been on one cruise and would like to try another one again someday. I've seen the Northern Lights a few times at higher Montana altitudes, but can't imagine it would even compare to what folks are able to see in Alaska or Norway.
Leave it to you my friend to think of a book to go with this post. LOL
This is a dream of mine!! 🙂 I hope we can make it out this year.
That's why they call those dreams a 'Bucket List' 🙂
My brother lived in Norway for years, so I have been there a few times and my Assistant just went there with her family this summer. We both agree, it is one our favorite places on the planet, if not THE favorite place. Spectacular scenery. Didn’t do a cruise – except for the fjord cruises- but it sounds amazing. Encourage anyone who has a chance to visit Norway to go for it. Definite should be top of the bucket list.
Norway is a beautiful country and Norweigians are really good looking as well. The percentage of stunning people is actually higher than in Sweden and Denmark. If you like cruises Norway will be an experience for you. You will not regret it.
The coldest place I've ever traveled to, and it was my favorite cruise, was Alaska. It too was spectacular. But for now, Norway, I'll live it vicariously through posts and photos like you have shared with us Cheryl. Thanks so much.