Table Of Content
Whether you’re traversing the wild terrain of the Last Frontier or spending your days exploring cities like Bergen and Alesund, we have an ideal itinerary for you. On cruisetours like these, you’ll traverse to towns like Seward, Anchorage, Denali, and tiny Talkeetna. Of course, sightings of the Northern Lights on your cruisetour depend entirely on natural circumstances, relying on weather, darkness, and a bit of magic. 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. Anchorage also witnesses tantalizing displays, just not as frequently as Fairbanks and Denali as it’s farther south.
Day Alaska Round-trip Seattle: Hubbard Glacier, Skagway & Juneau
This high point along the park road offers unobstructed views of the night sky, providing an excellent vantage point for observing the Northern Lights. The rugged landscape and the vibrant colors of the Aurora create a truly breathtaking scene. As you might have guessed, this remote area won’t offer the dining and entertainment options of larger cities, but the Far North is a must for aurora-chasers seeking a special adventure. Like the Interior, Alaska’s Arctic offers incredible opportunities for spotting the Northern Lights simply by going outside after dark.
Best Time of Year to See the Northern Lights in Alaska
As a specialist in travel, she has penned pieces for USAToday.com, Carnival Cruise Line, Travelocity and the San Francisco Travel Association, among other names. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from the University of Bristol, U.K. But, with some luck, you can experience satisfying displays inside Alaska’s biggest city or within an hour’s drive. Under the Northern Light Promise, if the Northern Lights do not appear on a traveler's applicable Norway Expedition cruise, the expedition group will give travelers another Norway cruise free of charge. Expert guides double as concierges, tailoring a plan the day before based on your interests and preferences—and you’re free to join in on as many or as few activities as you please. Onboard dining is a highlight, with meals crafted from locally sourced, sustainable ingredients.
Additional Alaskan Experiences to Consider
While many travelers think they have to head to Canada or Scandinavia to see the northern lights, you can actually spot this phenomenon without leaving the United States. Northern Alaska is ideal for Americans wanting a chance to see the aurora borealis. It may be cold in winter (temperatures can drop to 30 degrees below zero), but the inland Alaskan Arctic — where skies tend to be clearer — is one of the best places in the world to see this famous light show.
Spacious and upscale, these fiberglass igloos feature a ceiling made of windows. For something warmer, there’s Chena Hot Springs Resort, located an hour from Fairbanks, where visitors can watch the Northern Lights while immersed in a natural hot spring. Because of the late-setting and early-rising midnight sun, it's way too light during the summer to see the northern lights in the destinations mentioned, though solar activity takes place year-round. Although the full viewing season spans from March to September, you'll have the greatest chance of witnessing the Borealis' emergence in September, when skies are so much darker than during the summer cruise season.
Anchorage: Downtown Viewpoint
Where you stand on the cruise ship can influence your aurora viewing experience. The 12-Night Great National Parks Expedition Cruisetour (6A Northbound) is perfect for adventure seekers and nature enthusiasts, and offers even more time in Alaska’s breathtaking national parks like Denali and Kenai Fjords. Planning your Alaskan cruise around the Northern Lights offers a unique way to explore the rugged beauty of the Last Frontier while chasing the ethereal glow that illuminates the night sky. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a photography enthusiast, or simply someone captivated by the beauty of celestial displays, an Alaska cruise will provide you with an unforgettable experience. Although the chances of seeing the northern lights lessen as one gets further away from the Arctic Circle, Alaska is far enough north that sightings are not uncommon from places like Denali National Park and even Anchorage .
For even more detail on the best time to visit Alaska view our month by month guide. This curvy residential road climbs nearly 1,800 feet into the mountains overlooking Eagle River before it ends at the parking area for the popular Mount Baldy Trail in Chugach State Park. The vista is among the most spectacular in the area, rivaling the Glen Alps Overlook for its uninterrupted panorama of the northern sky.
Late Fall and Early Spring
Options are varied and include train tours, photography tours, nights in remote wilderness lodges and flights to the Arctic region. Some combine lights-viewing with other adventures such as dog sledding and skiing. The same geographic extremes that make Alaska such an appealing place for adventurous travelers are also responsible for making the northern lights such an unlikely treat for summer cruise visitors. Due to Alaska's northerly latitude, the requisite darkness is elusive in summer, when daylight lasts as long as 21 hours a day. The May to September cruise season coincides exactly with the least likely time of year to see the northern lights, which are generally visible from late September through April.
Onboard Activities and Amenities for Northern Lights Cruises
Still, the journey through these pristine, remote landscapes coupled with the anticipation of an aurora display makes for an unforgettable experience. The dance of colors in the sky isn’t just a natural phenomenon; it’s a testament to the universe’s beauty and wonder. The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, is not just a beautiful display but also a complex natural phenomenon steeped in science and lore. At its core, this mesmerizing light show is the result of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the Earth’s atmosphere. While seeing the Northern Lights isn’t guaranteed, cruises to Alaska and Iceland make for unforgettable vacations.
The best month to visit Alaska depends on what you hope to experience during your trip.
The northern lights appear in many shapes and colors, such as violets, reds, pinks and greens. Usually, the lights look like folds of cloth in the sky, while sometimes they can produce arcs that stretch as far as the eye can see. The lights might move like neon streamers blowing in the wind and eventually fill the entire sky with a bright, pulsating glow.
While you may see the lights from Denali National Park and Preserve during the viewing season, Fairbanks and points farther north are where you can increase your odds. Cunard Line and Hurtigruten are among the lines that visit northern Norway in the fall. Witnessing the elusive northern lights flickering across the sky may cause you to gasp because it's actually that cool. The colorful ribbons of green and other hues look like something from outer space — and they are. Chase the lights on a private tour with Wild Alaska Journeys and you’ll be in the capable hands of local guides who know where to look and understand the science behind them.
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing - AFAR Media
The 6 Best Cruises for Northern Lights Viewing.
Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The aurora australis, or Southern Lights, are the equivalent phenomenon in the Southern Hemisphere, visible in places like Antarctica, parts of Australia, and New Zealand. Many Alaskan cruises incorporate indigenous narratives and folklore about the aurora. Engaging with these stories enriches the experience, providing a cultural context to the natural marvel. Many ships offer heated outdoor areas, loungers, and even blankets for comfort. Onboard experts, aurora alert systems, and photography workshops can further enhance the experience.
It can work as a three- or four-day trip centered on a weekend, but then you will need to be more focused. However, the aurora can appear in any direction, so the ship’s open decks, which offer broader views, are generally preferable. The prime season for Northern Lights viewing in Alaska is between late September and early April. 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.
In 2023, the voyage will be undertaken by Queen Victoria, while next season, the Queen Mary 2 and the upcoming Queen Anne will take the reins. Hurtigruten is something of an outlier in this group because it doesn't offer specific northern lights itineraries. 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. (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!
