Astronomy Above the Arctic Circle: A Journey Along Coastal Norway

This was a great trip. The Northern Lights were spectacular, giving us many "awe" moments. The fjords were beautiful, especially the one we went into and out of at night. Seeing the sun very low on the horizon and 3+ hour days above the Arctic Circle was a thrill. All of the land tours were great - those standing out were the trip to the Russian border, the Gingerbread Houses display, the Viking dinner and raindeer experience to name a few. Everyone mixed well in our group of 32. The food aboard the ship was absolutely fabulous. Dionysius was a great group leader and gave us an excellent presentation souvenirs which was his PhD thesis. I encourage you to take this trip. You will be glad you did.

This trip was amazing!! We had it all: snow, northern lights, reindeer, local flavor - and we were at sea!! We got to experience the locals at Bergen, in Alesund, in Trondheim, in Tromso, and in Kirkenes! Each place was unique in its own way. Colorful houses, majestic mountains, amazing fjords. And it was obvious that each of our local guides were thoroughly enamored of their country. And who could blame them? The MS Nordkapp was a decent ship, and it was always fun to watch the loading and unloading at the shorter stops. The food was good, mostly local with variety in selections. Only downside was I would have liked more time to experience some of the stops. I know the ship had a schedule to maintain, but it was so very hard to leave some areas. Our astronomy expert, Don, was also wonderful!! His obvious love for astronomy was passed on to us lectures. He also took the most amazing photos of the Northern Lights!! I never could get my camera to work well - his pictures made up for that. Our leader, Dave, had a challenge before we got on the ship, but handled it with tact and grace as only an experienced leader could. It wasn’t an easy task herding the group, but he did it well! As for the rest of the group? Great variety, great experiences, as friendly as could be. This was my 14th Road Scholar trip, and it was all that I have come to expect from them!

Excellent trip! The astronomy expert who accompanied us throughout, Don Hladiuk, was passionate about sharing his knowledge of the night sky and the Northern Lights. His lectures were fascinating and his guidance when out at night observing were much appreciated. We were lucky with the weather: three nights of aurora and not as cold as we thought it might be. While never below freezing the wind made us glad we brought the long underwear, warm coats, windbreakers, hats and gloves. The ship was well appointed with very pleasant staff. My husband enjoyed all the seafood. As a vegetarian I felt the entrees could have been better, but all else was plentiful and really good (buffets for breakfast and lunch with plated-dinner table service). It was interesting to be aboard a working-ship that delivered mail, goods, people and cars up and down the coast. We did get to go into one fiord at night. No doubt a smaller ship would be better for seeing more of the picturesque fiords so prominent in photos. There was one night of rough seas when there were no islands west of our route to protect the ship from rocking and rolling. What to say about Eleni? Eleni Petroutsou was fabulous! Her skills as a very experienced RS group leader were always operating to make the trip operate as planned. If there were a few times when some confusion crept in, it was not due to anything she did or didn't do. The local guides were very good as well. We especially liked the information about and activity with the Sami people. Also learned much more about the Nazi occupation in the far north during WW2. Last but not least: interesting fellow travelers who looked out for one another, sharing travel stories from around the world with lots of good humor. All in all: just what a Road Scholar trip should be!

We loved this adventure! The natural beauty, both night and day, was spectacular. We enjoyed the lectures, the "field trips" and of course the beautiful Aurora. This program is an amazing combination of science, history and beauty.

What a wonderful voyage! Traveling up the coast of Norway was enchanting, and we were fortunate to have some clear days (our program was during the rainy season) and see the Northern Lights! The guides were great -- knowledgeable, organized and helpful. Be ready for some heavy seas at times, but I thoroughly recommend this awesome trip!

I have Norwegian ancestry and I am fascinated by the Aurora so I had hoped to be able to explore more about each. I am happy to say that I now better understand where my people are from and just how beautiful and enthralling the night sky and the Aurora can be. We didn’t see the Aurora every night but when we did it was spectacular. I was also amazed by the role Norway played in World War II. Such amazing history of a people who endured so much. The local experts who traveled with us were stellar. They love their country and really want to share it’s beauty and history.

What a program! After looking at the Hurtegruten brochures, I was so impressed with the program Road Scholar put together for us I imediately sighed up and wasn't disappointed. Our trip leader David and Ron our educational leader both so enthusiastically shared their love of Astronomy and Norway with us. Ron kept us updated on potential Aurora sightings and a couple Star Walks when the clouds parted. It can be complex trying to coordinate our program with that of the ship and David did a great job keeping us posted on changes as well as being an overall cheerful leader. I enjoyed getting to know the others and the overall congeniality we had within our group. I'm so glad I was introduced to Norway through this trip.

Great trip! David and Ron made the whole thing work and I would recommend to anyone who wants to travel to Norway in the winter. PS:There is no guarntee of seeing the Northern Lights on the dates you schedule.

The Astronomy Cruise above the Arctic Circle was wonderful. Beautiful scenery, a better understanding and admiration for Norway, and some Aurora!

The experience of being on the ship with all of its educational talks and the Road Scholar education were the best. Leader great and attended to every need. Course Director was passionate about his topic and could be found on the deck when the Northern lights showed up for more detailed information. The scenery was gorgeous and awesome!

Wonderful scenic trip with one caveat. Time off ship is determined solely by the commercial needs of the ship and there will be many times when you will be disappointed by the time available to you off ship.

My wife and I completed the Northern Lights trip on the Hurtigruten ship Finnmarken in October, 2019. For us the trip was a success even with only limited sightings of the Northern Lights. The ship, the views from the ship, the shore excursions, the shipboard accommodations and meals, the Road Scholar staff, and our fellow-travellers all together made this one of our most memorable trips. I could not recommend the trip more highly.

I knew this was going to be a great trip, but it exceeded my expectations! Medea Muller and Murray Strankay were prepared to immediately help us as individuals any time of day. Their knowledge and skills were unsurpassed, and their utterly delightful personalities were contagious. I appreciated Medea's patience with me as I was constantly veering off with my camera to capture the amazing scenery. In addition to being so efficient, she was smiling and cheerful 100 percent of the time. Murray was a huge help in assisting me attach my little tripod to the railing of the ship to photograph the northern lights. His help in getting the right camera settings was invaluable. He's an outstanding astronomer! Both of them wanted this to be a trip to remember, and I loved it enough to want to go back! The scenery was spectacular, and often times I felt I was on a different planet. Seeing Nordkapp, the northernmost point in Europe, was a highlight along with seeing the stunning display of the aurora and a surprise winter wonderland snowstorm. The service on the ship was stellar. The friendly staff went out of their way to please us in a most genuine way. I loved the Norwegian people, and the local "experts" were excellent. It was obvious they liked sharing their love of their country. 5 Stars!! Marnie of Richmond, VA

This was our first experience with Road Scholar and certainly will not be our last. Everything exceeded our expectations, from the planning, to the beautiful trip, the delicious food and mostly to the care of Road Scholar guide Carole and astronony educator Ron (Starman). We look forward to our next adventure. Peggy and Glenn

This program and all my new experiences were fabulous! It more than met my expectations. I really wanted to see more of Norway, to learn about everyday life, especially in the part of the country above the Arctic Circle. Hurtigruten is the lifeline for so many people in this country! One thing I found fascinating was the many other boats/ships we saw. Upon research I found that many vessels contribute to the research and service/support necessary to maintain Norway's economic livelihood, particularly fishing and oil.

This was one of the best road scholar programs ever! The group leader was excellent (and had a delightful sense of humor). The instructor was very knowledgeable and now we all know a lot more about astronomy, the northern lights, and the sun, moon and stars. The trip itself was spectacular.

This is a great program, so much to see and learn. The biggest condition to realize is that the weather is a big factor in this program in what you will see, how comfortable you will be on and off the ship. We had ideal weather the entire trip.

We chose this trip thinking we would be able to see the colorful Northern Lights, when much to our surprise we found out at our first onboard lecture that wasn't possible with the naked eye. Some color is possible, but nothing like you see in photographs. Unfortunately, this wasn't mentioned until Page 8 of the final information packet, after we had paid for the trip and our airfare. Our astronomer, Alan Dyer, did provide some great lectures. We enjoyed seeing some beautiful country, and were very pleased with the excursions.

On the one hand, I wish I had brought more than an iPhone and and a simple camera. On the other hand, seeing the Aurora dance around in color with my naked eye on multiple evenings was almost more than I could have hoped for. Our resident astronomer managed education and expectations expertly. Problem solving and sheepdog skills of the tour leader ensured more than just an astronomy event. Shipboard food okay, for the most part, but it seemed that no left-over was to be wasted. Great value for the money, learning about Norway and bathing in the Aurora. Suggestions: - provide English-language interpretive materials in advance for excursions for the Norwegian language challenged - provide links to photographic apps in advance of trip - set realistic expectations of and where aurora may even be seen, i.e., above the Arctic Circle. It cannot even be seen on most evenings aboard. Except for lectures and excursions, you spend a lot of time just waiting/traveling. The sights, though, if, indeed, you do see them, are more than worth the wait - set more realistic expectations of what it is like to eat like a Norwegian As an amateur astronomer. I have put up with my share of discomfort and frustration. I have not always been able to see what I set out to see on a given evening. My viewing on this trip was more due to wind chill. You will enjoy this trip even if you know virtually nothing about astronomy if the odds turn out in your favor. Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. We lucked out on the aurora but the previous group got blanked.

The program was interesting and informative, and enjoyable despite the weather. We did not see the Northern Lights, although they did appear briefly and weakly one night after we had returned to our stateroom. The program was about much more than the lights, though, and we learned a lot about astronomy and the history and culture of Norway and enjoyed the midnight concert in Tromso. As usual we enjoyed meeting so many interesting and engaged people -- always a plus on a Road Scholar program.