Fred. Olsen changed my mind
Retirement loomed and we wanted to do something to mark it. The Northern Lights was a bucket list item and so we decided it that would be our treat to ourselves.
Our research showed we could get Northern Lights breaks in Sweden, Finland, Iceland or Norway. Most seemed to be around 3-6 days duration and were in the region of £1200. The price included a couple of other activities in case the Northern Lights didn’t show up. Then an ad popped up on my iPhone about Hunting the Northern Lights on a 15-day cruise with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. The offer price was £1499, a much better deal than any other we had found.
The Northern Lights are dependant on solar storms and 2024 and 2025 we are told are the period known as the solar maximum when the storms are at their most frequent. As seeing the Northern Lights is weather dependent, clear skies are essential. Taking a longer break gives a greater chance of seeing them.
Ocean cruising had never entered our thinking until that fortuitous advert. Living in Southampton we had seen the huge cruise liners and really didn’t fancy a trip on ships that size. In 2016 I had attended a press event aboard a Fred Olsen cruise ship and the one thing that stood out for me was the intimate size of the ship.
You know how it is; you click on one advert and pretty soon others pop up. We contemplated the option when another offer came through. Fred. Olsen would give us OBS (On Board Spending). That clinched it. We booked their 18th January Southampton departure.
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Was it worth it?
Yes, it was. In all we saw the Northern Lights on five separate occasions. Far more than you are likely to fit into a 5-7 day break. The cruising was a bonus that now has us hooked. I will reveal more on this in a later blog post. Meanwhile, check out the photographs of the Northern Lights sightings in the gallery below.
