Search for the Northern Lights on the Viking Venus

1/31/23 to 2/12/23

Click on the above link buttons that will take you directly to a particular page or area of the review; or you can just click through to the next page at the bottom of each page.
Page 1 – Preface, Pre-trip in Bergen, Ship
Page 2 – Ship (continued)
Page 3 - Entertainment, Activities, Ports of Call: Bergen, Sea Days
Page 4 - Ports of Call: Alta, Norway
Page 5 - Ports of Call: Tromso, Norway, Sea Days, Tilbury, England

Tromso, Norway – Day 1

When we got out of bed, we were surprised to see that we were already docked in Tromso. We weren’t supposed to arrive until 10:00 AM. When we looked out the window, we could tell that we were in a much larger city than Alta. They even had a Radisson Blu hotel. The city has a population 71,000.

Unfortunately, it was also a nasty day outside with rain and thick clouds. I guess the severe weather was on its way. When I looked at the weather forecast, the temperature was going to rise from 32 to 43 as the day progressed. That meant a lot of rain was on its way. When I went out on the Aquavit Terrace to take photos of the other side of the ship, there was a strong wind. I was looking forward to exploring Tromso and hoped that the weather would at least let us do that.

We received an email that the Search for the Northern Lights we had booked for that evening was cancelled due to the weather. We also received an email telling us that Reindeer sledding, Sami experience and ice domes tour was still happening the next morning. They said that the weather should be OK in the morning, but that it would get worse later in the day. We were surprised and a bit concerned about that. We hoped that it would be OK.

We were taking the 2-hour included Panoramic Tromso tour at 10:15 AM. As we walked off the ship, we had to be very careful, since there was a lot of ice in the parking lot. Additionally, the wind wanted to blow us over. Our guide was Inger. She gave us a lot of good info about Tromso as we drove around. With the windows being covered in rain, we didn’t get to see the town in the best way.

Our first stop was at the Northern Lights Planetarium on the Arctic University of Norway. It was an interesting looking building.

We were most impressed when we entered the main theater and saw the full dome screen. We were told not to sit too close to the front so we would be able to enjoy the video more.

We quickly found out that the chairs reclined to make it easy to watch the show. It was a documentary type show by a videographer who has spent many hours recording auroras. He talked about them as we saw them. It was a gorgeous presentation of amazing auroras. I was so glad we were able to see it.

We continued our city tour. The town has lots of beautiful wooden houses, but with the wet windows, I couldn’t take photos. It was such a shame we weren’t there on a pretty day. We drove across the bridge to continue the tour. As we went by the Arctic Cathedral, which is a place I was hoping to be able to see, I took some photos to remember it by, since I didn’t expect to return there.

Where the ship was docked is on an island and I didn’t plan on walking over the bridge. I took a photo of the ship through the wet window as we crossed back over the bridge. I also saw a large ski jump, which I hadn’t noticed before. Photos through wet windows aren’t good, but at least it will give you an idea of what we saw.

During our drive, Inger told us that it was national Sami day and that there would be a Sami parade at 3:30 PM. If the weather wasn’t too miserable, we wanted to see it. After we returned to the ship, we had lunch and then planned the rest of the day’s activities. With the evening tour cancelled and uncertainty about our next day in Tromso activities, we decided to walk around the area before trying to find the Sami parade. It was still a lousy day for doing much outside. There was ice on the ground in places. Most of it had gravel, which helped a lot, but there were places where there wasn’t, and it was most treacherous to walk on. We also found that there were very strong winds when we got off the ship. Once we were off that street, it was much better. We had seen people struggling to keep from falling at times. We walked around trying to find where we thought the Sami parade was happening. We had an idea, but we took the long way around to get there. We did see some interesting buildings, but it was not a good photo day.

We went into several shops to see what they were selling as well as to warm up. Trolls are a popular thing in Norway. We had to take at least one photo of one.

When we found the square where the parade was to start, there was a small group of Sami’s standing around planning for the parade. I was surprised that it hadn’t been cancelled with the bad weather.

There was nice statue of a whale hunter on the other side of the square close to the water. With it being after sunset, I was surprised that I was able to even take a photo of it.

The parade started right at 3:30 PM. I’m sure that it was a smaller group due to the weather. It was also unfortunate that they had to cover their pretty native clothes to keep dry.

It didn’t last long, and we were heading back to the ship. We saw another troll on the way.

During happy hour, the captain made an announcement that due to the weather, we would have to stay in Tromso an extra day to avoid potential hurricane force winds. He also told us that our stops in Narvik and Amsterdam had been cancelled. The pilots had told him that it was too dangerous to cruise through the narrow inside passage to Narvik. With our cruise only staying in Narvik for 7 hours and Amsterdam for 6, I was getting concerned that we would be getting back to Tilbury outside of London late and we would miss our train to Yorkshire to visit our friends for three days. We would have to wait and just go with the flow.

Tromso, Norway – Day 2

The weather hadn’t changed much in Tromso overnight. It still wasn’t pretty, but it also wasn’t a severe storm like we had been worried about. While waiting to leave the ship for our tour, we met our captain, Rune Loekling. He was just passing through the deck 1 Lobby Bar area after picking up a coffee.

We had thoroughly enjoyed his announcements and the humor he interjected. He chatted with us for a little while. He is a very sociable guy. He asked if we wanted to have a photo with him. Of course we did. The bartender came over and took it for us.

We had booked a very comprehensive eight hour tour starting at 8:45 AM with Norwegian Travel Company (https://www.norwegian.travel/experiences/reindeer-sledding-tromsø-ice-domes-visit). With Narvik being cancelled, where we had a tour with husky sledding and other activities, this would be the last excursion we would be having for the cruise. We were very glad that it wasn’t cancelled. We had a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Camp Tamok, where we would spend five hours on various activities and then drive back another hour and half to the ship. The bus picked us up close to the ship. We were the last group of customers to get on the bus, since they had picked up others from Tromso hotels. As we got closer to our destination, we transferred to vans for the last few minutes of the drive.

As we entered the Camp Tamok property, we passed by the Ice Dome hotel. That would make it easy to get to. I thought it was further away. Camp Tamok, which is owned and operated by Sami people, is a big operation. In addition to the tour we had that included reindeer sledding, a Sami experience and an Ice Domes hotel tour, they also had snow mobiles, dog sledding and snow shoeing. Additionally, guests could spend the night in a lavvu or the ice dome hotel and watch for the northern lights. It was a full-service facility.

Camp Tamok had lavvus, domed tents and wood buildings around the property. We were directed to a building to get proper attire for our tour. Since we had warm attire, we didn’t think we would need to use their stuff. They told us that we needed to, since the reindeer horns could rip our outerwear. They also strongly recommended using their boots. I didn’t know why, until later. We were glad we had them so we wouldn’t mess up our boots if we stepped on the gifts the reindeer left on the ground for us. Here is Cathy in her outfit waiting for the van to take us to the reindeer sled area.

When we were at the sledding area our guide and his daughter told us what they were going to do and what we were supposed to do for safety purposes. We were next introduced to the reindeer. Their horns were huge. We could walk them around with a rope if we wanted to.

They then broke us up into two groups, with one group going into a lavvu to have their Sami experience and our group to do the sledding first. I believe there were six sleds connected with a reindeer pulling each one. Both of us sat on the sled straddling each other. The daughter than pulled the rope on the lead reindeer and walked us around a track in the field. We were going slowly, and it wasn’t that exciting of a ride. First off, it wasn’t that comfortable sitting on a wooden sled with no seat backs. We had to stay erect by holding on to the sled sides. When the reindeer restarted after stopping, there was a hard jerk. The lead reindeer was acting like a mule and refusing to move a few times.

We did have a break midway, where we could stand up, walk around a bit, and then switch positions. We had a photo taken in front of our reindeer during the break. The ride lasted about 15 minutes.

This is what the sled looked like. The front position was better, since you could move your feet around and hold onto the bar.

The second group was all set for their ride.

We were then directed to the lavvu for our Sami experience. We didn’t know what to expect but it was nice to get into the warm lavvu.

Our guide told us about the Sami lifestyle, particularly the life of reindeer herder. It is a hard life, but he loves it. They have to. It was fascinating to hear how they moved the herd and what they had to do to protect them from predators.

He passed around some reindeer horns. Since they are solid, they are quite heavy. The reindeer shed them every year.

We thoroughly enjoyed the talk. We gained a lot of respect for the Sami people. When we left the lavvu, we were thrilled to see the clouds breaking up and some sun shining through. It is a beautiful place.

Our next activity was to feed the reindeer. The daughter passed out some moss type food for us to give them. They were quite fond of it.

At one point she reached her hand up high to encourage the reindeer to stand up on two legs. No one else chose to do that trick.

After we took the van back to the main camp area, the guide told us to look up at the sky. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing. It was just beautiful. Was this some type of aurora?

We asked the guide and some of the employees there what it was. They didn’t know since they had never seen it before. One of the guys on the tour, Alan from Australia, said that he thought it was called a Pearl Cloud. I Googled it, and sure enough that was what it was. They are very rare. We were so lucky to have seen one.

We then went into the Sami shop. The daughter showed us traditional Sami clothes and other products they make.

She also had one of her huskies with her. Everyone wanted to pet her. She was a pretty girl.

Our next activity was lunch. It was 1:15 PM and we were hungry. We went into a very large lavvu, where there were lots of tables for us to eat at.

They first served us a delicious hot berry juice. It was so good. I wish I had written down what type of berry it was.

We were next served some delicious bread and yummy stew. The Sami food was a real treat.

After lunch we changed back into our original outerwear and boots. The sun had gone and there was a heavy snow. We then took about a ten-minute walk in the snow toward the domes. It would have been faster without the snow. The dome guide showed us where to go. He pointed out the trees with the snow on one side of them. It was a gorgeous sight.

He also pointed out where the reindeer were grazing.

We finally saw the ice domes. We had to walk around to the other side to go to the main entrance. We were ready to get inside.

We entered a very large room. There were ice tables and chairs covered in reindeer fur. It was an interesting room. They also used part of the dome for a projection screen for the video they showed us.

There were a few snow carvings on the walls. The video was interesting. It showed how they made the domes with blow up plastic domes that were covered with snow. They then removed the plastic after the domes hardened. It was fascinating to see how they make this structure every year. It was quite different from how the Alta igloo hotel was constructed. They used blocks of ice for the main structure walls.

We then moved to the bar area. It was dedicated to explorer Roald Amundsen.

There was a nice ice sculpture and a ship carved out of snow.

We were served a different type of berry juice in small ice glasses.

We then walked through the hotel room section. They were nice, but after being in the Alta Igloo Hotel, this place was a letdown. It was nice, but we should have visited Tromso first, so we would be more impressed.

After leaving the hotel, I took some photos of the exterior. It was quite a different type construction than the one in Alta.

The bus was waiting for us at the ice domes to take us back to the ship. We were glad that we had been able to take this tour. We enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about the Sami people.

When we got back on the ship, there was an announcement by the captain that we would have to stay in Tromso even longer on the third day and possibly overnight based on the pilot recommendations due to hurricane force winds.

At 10:00 PM there was a northern lights sighting on the starboard side in the front of the ship announced. So we went out onto our balcony to see if it was there. We did see a minor one at the back of the ship. When we got up to deck 8 to see what was in front, it was barely there. We were surprised that the sky was clear enough for the lights.

Tromso, Norway – Day 3

The captain told us that there had been 79 mph winds at sea during the night, which would have resulted in 50-70 ft waves. We were glad that we were still in Tromso. When we looked outside, it was still quite windy. The harbor looked pretty rough.

I also took some photos from the ship, since it was a brighter day. Across the harbor, I could see the administrative building of the Polar Museum, where we had planned walking to. It was supposed to be a very good museum and close by.

Across the street from the ship is the Troll Museum. We passed on going there.

The weather had warmed up and it was in the upper 30’s, so there was less ice on the ground. The wind was still very strong outside the ship. It only took about 10 minutes to get to the museum. Close to it was the museum’s administrative offices I had seen earlier from the ship. They had a statue of Amundsen and a seal in front of it.

We could see the Venus across the harbor between the two museum buildings.

When we walked into the museum, the first thing we saw was the type of sled used by Arctic explorers.

There were several diorama type displays showing life in the Arctic.

There was also a cabin you could enter to see what it was like.

The display showing seal hunting was well done, but not a practice that is enjoyable to see.

There were many displays around the rooms with informative written information.

They even had a ship’s captain’s cabin replica.

An upstairs room had many photographs of Amundsen’s and other’s explorations, along with stories and articles about how they survived. It was a fascinating museum and well worth visiting.

On our way back to the ship, we passed by an interesting statue.

We walked around the area and came to the whaler statue again. I was able to get a much better photo of it during the daytime.

With the weather clearing up some, I was able to take some photos of the Arctic Cathedral from the ship. They were much better than what I was able to take through the wet windows of the bus on the tour.

The ship had provided some additional tours for our extra day in Tromso. One of them visited the Polar Museum, the Arctic Cathedral and a trip to the top of a mountain on a cable car. A lot of people booked this tour. Unfortunately, it ended up as being a visit to the Polar Museum and stop to see the outside of the Arctic Cathedral, since it was closed and they couldn’t go inside. It was also too windy to go up the mountain on the cable car. We were glad we didn’t take that tour and just did our own thing.

During the afternoon announcement, the captain said that they would try to leave port during the night if possible. He confirmed that it was good that we stayed in port due to very strong wind and high seas. We hoped that we would be out of Tromso when we woke up in the morning.

Sea Day 3

When we woke up, we were disappointed that we were still in port. During the morning announcement, the captain said that we would be leaving soon. We left port at 10:00 AM.

The seas were great leaving the harbor, but once we left the inside passage into the open seas, we experienced some rocking and rolling. The seas were rough. Cathy and I both took some ginger pills to make sure we didn’t get seasick. They always work great for me, thank goodness.

Late morning, we entered an inside passage which made the cruise much smoother. Plus, the sun came out occasionally allowing us to enjoy the scenery much more. The views were amazing.

During the afternoon announcement, the captain told us that the winds were 30 mph. He also told us that we would be arriving at Tilbury a day late. I cancelled my transfer to the London train station and the train ticket. I did book a new train ticket for Monday in hopes that we would only arrive only a day late. For us it was much easier than those that were planning on flying home after the cruise on Sunday. Viking would take care of their air, if they booked through Viking, but no one was sure if they could even get flights. Those that had booked their own flights were very busy trying to find a way home. We later found out that Viking put up the passengers who couldn’t board the Venus in several London hotels with three included meals for the day.

During the night the seas got much rougher. We were glad we were in bed. They were so rough, we couldn’t sleep on our sides, since it would knock us over. In addition to the rolling, when we would hit a large wave in front of the ship it, the inertia would push us forward. We were surprised we slept as well as we did with all of the motion.

Sea Day 4

When we woke up, we were still rocking and rolling. The ship was moving very slowly in these conditions. We didn’t want to leave the cabin but found a way to make to the buffet for breakfast. We were surprised at how many people were eating with such rough seas. The restaurants were normally empty on previous cruises I have been on in this type of weather.

I have included a photo of the seas in front of the ship from the bridge cam as well as from our balcony. It was slow going.

During the morning announcement, the captain told us that we had experienced 50-75 mph winds and 35-40 ft waves during the night. He assured us that we were in no danger, since the ship could easily handle these conditions and a lot more. He also said that it would get better as the day went on and we would be entering a different inside passage later. He was right. They dropped to 13 mph by 5:00 PM.

Sea Day 5

After exiting the inside passage early in the morning, the seas got rougher with plenty of movement. Better than the previous day, but not a pleasant ride. With the rough seas, we weren’t making much progress getting to Tilbury.

During the day the captain told us that we would disembark the ship on Tuesday, two days late. He expected to arrive late Monday night. A letter was sent to our cabin explaining it, so passengers that needed to file for additional costs caused by the delay would have evidence of the situation. I was so disappointed that we would now be losing two days of our three-day visit with our Yorkshire friends. I had to cancel and rebook our train tickets and set up a new transfer to the Kings Cross railway station from Tilbury.

Sea Day 6

When we woke up, the ship was moving much faster. We were very glad to see that we were making good progress finally. We were given new key cards, since they couldn’t extend the time on the original ones. During the daily announcements the captain told us that he expected us to arrive around 10:00 PM that night. We were glad that we would finally be able to get off the ship. We were thrilled when we saw the pilot boat pulling up at 5:00 PM to drop off the pilots for our cruise up the Thames River toward London.

We were at the Tilbury docks before 9:00 PM. We were very glad to finally get there. I’m sure that the next cruise passengers were even happier that we had finally arrived.

Having two extra days added to a cruise sounds like a good thing, but not in this case. The rough seas and uncertainty did make it a lot less enjoyable. We were very impressed at how the ship was able to provide extra entertainment and activities to keep the passengers occupied. The staff did a great job!

London (Tilbury), England Disembarkation

Our car service was picking us up at 8:00 AM to take us to the Kings Cross train station. I used a service that I had previously used several times, 247 Airport Transfer (http://247coachhire.com). They have several names. They have always been prompt with very good drivers. They were also reasonably priced. This trip cost 86 £.

The Venus guest services rep told me that it can take 30-60 minutes to get through Tilbury’s immigration and customs. So, we left the ship at 7:00 AM. Our luggage was waiting for us in the terminal. We walked right up to the immigration desk where no one was in line. The agent asked me where everyone was. They were surprised more people weren’t already off the ship. We asked another person where customs was at. He said we were done and could leave when we wanted to. Since we were way too early for our transfer, we found a seat in the unheated waiting room. We were glad when the driver called to tell us he had arrived 15 minutes early. We were dropped off at the train station and easily found our platform. Using the trains in England was very easy. It was our first experience, and we will happily use them again.

We would only have 24 hours in Leeds, where our friends live. We crammed a lot into those two half days and had a great time. We look forward to returning for a longer time in warmer weather.

We returned to Heathrow airport and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3. I picked this hotel because it was right at Terminal 3 where we would be flying out the next morning. I wouldn't need to hassle with any shuttle busses when I arrived at the airport by underground. The hotel was a short underground walk. Additionally, we could easily walk to our gate for our flight in the morning. Plus, it was a very nice and comfortable hotel with a good restaurant.

Our flight home would be much easier than the one going to Bergen. We had a direct flight to Miami in upper class on a Virgin Atlantic A330-900 plane. It was a very nice plane with a small lounge for upper class.

The pods were also much nicer than on the KLM plane coming over. We look forward to flying with Virgin in the future.

Recap

With any cruise to Norway in the winter months, there is a risk of weather-related issues. With our cruise, we missed two ports and spent two extra sea days on the ship. The cruise after us also missed the same two ports and lost two cruise days. The one after them had their itinerary totally changed and they didn’t get to Alta or Tromso due to bad weather. Knowing these risks, it is still a cruise that is so worth going on. Even though we only saw a little bit of the northern lights, the opportunity is there. Very few cruises ever have the opportunity to see them.

Even without the northern lights, seeing the beauty of Norway is just breathtaking. It is an amazing place in the summer months and in some ways even more beautiful in the winter. Seeing it while cruising on the wonderful Viking Ocean ships, makes it an even better experience. For the most part, Viking cruisers are well traveled people who are a pleasure to get to know. We met so many lovely people on this cruise. It made every day, even the rough weather ones, a pleasure.