I've taken many river cruises with Tauck as I have motion sickness the ocean is not a choice for me. It's been a while since I went to Tanzania but don't remember any problems getting to Arusha.
Northern lights are spectacular to view whether you have green or other vivid colors based on the aurora spectrum.We went on a cruise line that promised Northern lights and if we didn’t see they were going to offer a free cruise.Of course we saw even on the first day of 5he cruise and as we went up the coast line and crossed the arctic circle we saw more. Every day we had a forecast; there were announcements about the sighting ;we actually slept in regular warm clothes so we could run up to the deck when the announcements came; the interrupted sleep was well worth it.We took this cruise in late October .The next year we were lucky to see the Northern lights in our back yard with purple and red colors.
Thanks!Just with regular cell phone.The best experience was on the top deck surrounded by Northern lights on a full moon night.Despite the cold and the frozen fingers was magical.
We didn’t go with Tauck and the company we went with supplied us with boots and the top to bottom one piece outer layer jumpsuit for the 4 or 5 days we were in the Arctic. You’ll have to find out if Tauck will do the same. Hopefully they will. Warm gloves, warm socks, hand warmers, feet warmers, warm hats. There is a science to layering. Google what to wear for extreme cold weather.
Yes, layering is key and is preferred over bulky clothing. I have been in the Arctic numerous times and it is the wind that can make it bitterly cold. Consider wearing tights under your slacks. Merino wool and cashmere tops are lightweight and offer superior warmth.
A good moisturizer with sunscreen and lip balm are essential.
Anyone who did the Arctic Nights Northern Lights tour in 2026 - wondering how you enjoyed your trip. How was the weather? What about your flight to get to Tromso and home again - which airline, layovers (city and how long), etc. We are looking forward to our trip scheduled for March 2027. We are doing the Norwegian Fjords in June 2026.
Flights to and from Tromsø are dependent on your U. S. city of origin and carrier. I would want as few connections as possible. My suggestion is to see what Tauck offers since it is their tour and, as such, might have the most direct flights.
Viewing the Aurora from Tromsø is quite an experience and breathtakingly beautiful.
I saw the northern lights with another company. It is difficult to take good pictures of the auroras. There is information on Google how to take the best pics.
We were on board this Tauck cruise last month and enjoyed it immensely. Ponant supplied the ship staff, Tauck took care activities for the guests, and both did an excellent job, whether it be for food, entertainment, excursions or enrichment lectures. The weather was above freezing a lot of the time due to the Jetstream going close to the coast. Inland and further north it was in the 20s. Ponant gave everyone a nice warm jacket while other outerwear was left up to the guests to bring.
We took Delta/SAS out of Detroit with a 2hr 30min layover in Newark and a 3hr layover in Oslo before arriving in Tromso at 1:15pm.
Yes, airflights can be challenging. Our friends from Los Angeles stayed overnight in Copenhagen to make it work.
The trouble with starting this cruise from a more popular city is the pesky North Atlantic where waves often exceed 20 feet preventing some cruise ships from even reaching Tromso. By starting in Tromso we were able stay within sheltered waters, although we had to skip Bear Island because of wind and waves (the change in itinerary worked out to be even better).
The spectacular Norther Lights were visible four or five nights from the deck of the ship.
connorlaker - We were on board this Tauck cruise last month and enjoyed it immensely.
Glad you enjoyed it. We were signed up for that same trip, but ended up cancelling because SAS changed our flight several times. The last change (which made us decide to cancel), would have had three stops, with two of the stops being less than one hour in length.
I wish Tauck would add a couple of days to the trip at each end and change the start/stop city to Oslo and/or Copenhagen with a flight or train ride to get you to/from Tromso and the ship. It would increase the air options from the states considerably.
Comments
I had a problem with SAS, also. Would only use them again if there was no other choice.
I've taken many river cruises with Tauck as I have motion sickness the ocean is not a choice for me. It's been a while since I went to Tanzania but don't remember any problems getting to Arusha.
Northern lights are spectacular to view whether you have green or other vivid colors based on the aurora spectrum.We went on a cruise line that promised Northern lights and if we didn’t see they were going to offer a free cruise.Of course we saw even on the first day of 5he cruise and as we went up the coast line and crossed the arctic circle we saw more. Every day we had a forecast; there were announcements about the sighting ;we actually slept in regular warm clothes so we could run up to the deck when the announcements came; the interrupted sleep was well worth it.We took this cruise in late October .The next year we were lucky to see the Northern lights in our back yard with purple and red colors.
Spectacular, awesome and magical. We also saw the northern lights in January in Finland and I would love to see the aurora again.
Awesome pictures, thank you.
Thanks!Just with regular cell phone.The best experience was on the top deck surrounded by Northern lights on a full moon night.Despite the cold and the frozen fingers was magical.
This was over my son’s house last year. The colors are so much more vivid when you take a photo with your phone than with the naked eye.
Yes.We were treated to very colorful aurora in the spring of 2024 in many parts of US .
We're on the March 2 trip this year. What are people thinking we'll need for clothing?
We didn’t go with Tauck and the company we went with supplied us with boots and the top to bottom one piece outer layer jumpsuit for the 4 or 5 days we were in the Arctic. You’ll have to find out if Tauck will do the same. Hopefully they will. Warm gloves, warm socks, hand warmers, feet warmers, warm hats. There is a science to layering. Google what to wear for extreme cold weather.
Yes, layering is key and is preferred over bulky clothing. I have been in the Arctic numerous times and it is the wind that can make it bitterly cold. Consider wearing tights under your slacks. Merino wool and cashmere tops are lightweight and offer superior warmth.
A good moisturizer with sunscreen and lip balm are essential.
Anyone who did the Arctic Nights Northern Lights tour in 2026 - wondering how you enjoyed your trip. How was the weather? What about your flight to get to Tromso and home again - which airline, layovers (city and how long), etc. We are looking forward to our trip scheduled for March 2027. We are doing the Norwegian Fjords in June 2026.
Flights to and from Tromsø are dependent on your U. S. city of origin and carrier. I would want as few connections as possible. My suggestion is to see what Tauck offers since it is their tour and, as such, might have the most direct flights.
Viewing the Aurora from Tromsø is quite an experience and breathtakingly beautiful.
I saw the northern lights with another company. It is difficult to take good pictures of the auroras. There is information on Google how to take the best pics.
We were on board this Tauck cruise last month and enjoyed it immensely. Ponant supplied the ship staff, Tauck took care activities for the guests, and both did an excellent job, whether it be for food, entertainment, excursions or enrichment lectures. The weather was above freezing a lot of the time due to the Jetstream going close to the coast. Inland and further north it was in the 20s. Ponant gave everyone a nice warm jacket while other outerwear was left up to the guests to bring.
We took Delta/SAS out of Detroit with a 2hr 30min layover in Newark and a 3hr layover in Oslo before arriving in Tromso at 1:15pm.
Yes, airflights can be challenging. Our friends from Los Angeles stayed overnight in Copenhagen to make it work.
The trouble with starting this cruise from a more popular city is the pesky North Atlantic where waves often exceed 20 feet preventing some cruise ships from even reaching Tromso. By starting in Tromso we were able stay within sheltered waters, although we had to skip Bear Island because of wind and waves (the change in itinerary worked out to be even better).
The spectacular Norther Lights were visible four or five nights from the deck of the ship.
Glad you enjoyed it. We were signed up for that same trip, but ended up cancelling because SAS changed our flight several times. The last change (which made us decide to cancel), would have had three stops, with two of the stops being less than one hour in length.
I wish Tauck would add a couple of days to the trip at each end and change the start/stop city to Oslo and/or Copenhagen with a flight or train ride to get you to/from Tromso and the ship. It would increase the air options from the states considerably.
Great idea Sam, but makes the trip more expensive. Some Tauck tours do begin in less than optimum places to get to.