Cruise Northern Lights

There are only a few experiences in this world that are truly breathtaking and memorable, and to participate in an expedition to cruise Northern Lights is one of them.  To be inside a luxurious cruise ship on the way to the Arctic with the beautiful icy water, stunning glaciers and snow-capped mountains surrounding you is already a treat in itself.  But to see the Northern Lights with your own two eyes is an exhilarating experience like no other.  The Aurora Borealis is one of nature’s gifts to mankind, and travelers from all over the world head up to the north just to see this spectacular display of lights.

The Aurora Borealis

The Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern Lights, is a light spectacle that can only be seen at the Earth’s arctic.  This natural light show can only be seen in very high altitude places, because it happens when particles that are charged with energy collide with particles in the high altitude atmosphere.  If you view the Aurora Borealis near the magnetic North Pole, you’ll see a beautiful green spectacle of light diffuse the entire sky above you.  The glow can best be appreciated in clear skies, and this glow is usually greenish, although sometimes the hues become blue-green.  In rare cases, depending on where the sun rises, the glow can be a very faint shade of red.

Winter Cruises

While watching the Aurora Borealis is an experience of a lifetime, part of its appeal is the fact that you have to take a cruise Northern Lights to see it. 

When travelers talk of a cruise, what comes to mind is a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise in the summer.  A cruise is usually associated with sunny weather, crystalline waters, and powdery white sand.  Cruise destinations are usually islands in the middle of the stunning cerulean ocean, which is why a cruise Northern Lights experience is something that’s really out of the ordinary. 

To see the Aurora Borealis, you’ll have to go on a cruise around an area that experiences perpetual winter.  This means that the views you will be seeing from the cruise ship won’t be of tropical palm trees but of icebergs and snow-capped mountains.

What to Expect

The uniqueness of the cruise is what makes people from all over the world travel to either Alaska or Norway to experience it.  Depending on what kind of cruise you will book, here are some of the things to be expected:

  • An average cruise lasts for 5 nights, from a starting point in Alaska or Norway.
  • The Aurora Borealis is best seen during the equinox (February to March or October to November) so book your cruise around this time.
  • Expect to contend with really cold weather.  Dress appropriately, and if you want to take pictures make sure your camera is capable of taking pictures in freezing temperature.
  • Be patient for the Northern Lights show to begin because you can’t really dictate when nature will show this spectacle.

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