The Hurtigruten Astronomy Cruise: Chasing the Lights and Whales

At a Glance

• Duration: 12-night voyage.
• Home Base: Ship: Hurtigruten Richard With.
• Top Day Trip: N/A (Focused on port walks and lectures).
• Memorable Moment: The celestial trifecta night (Northern Lights, Orionids, and Comet Lemmon) and the majestic, once-in-a-lifetime sighting of Orcas.
• Overall Vibe: Educational, rugged beauty, community, chasing the Northern Lights.

This Voyage is Special Because...

This 12-night journey was not a traditional cruise; it was an unexpected masterclass in history, astronomy, and nature. We were part of a special, intimate cohort of about 30 people who purchased the Astronomy Voyage, amongst the approximately 500 passengers of Richard With.

The voyage's success was instantly defined by our two extraordinary guides: Astronomer, Author, and Chief Aurora Chaser Tom Kerss, and Tour Leader Eva Stiegler. We completely underestimated how much we would learn about Norway itself, from the history and culture to seeing the landscape shift from the green fall colors of Bergen to the white, dark winter as we headed above the Arctic Circle.

Our Home Base: The Richard With

We boarded the Hurtigruten Richard With after a leisurely morning and wonderful lunch in Bergen, where we had spent the last three days. The ship instantly became our world, but settling in was a bit of a chaotic adjustment. Our sleep was constantly interrupted by the noise of the thrusters and anchors as the ship diligently pulled into its 34 different ports, but we were surprised at how quickly that became a normal sound you could sleep through.

But before we even set sail, the magic began. Before we left the dock in Bergen at 8:30 PM, we received a notification that someone had spotted the Northern Lights. We rushed to the observation deck and got our very first pictures of the auroras stretching above Bergen—a bucket list item checked off before we even picked up our Astronomer, who joined us at the first port!

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Our Cruise Experience: The Day-to-Day

Chasing the Aurora: Education and Celestial Triumphs

The Northern Lights were the unquestionable reason we booked this trip, and we were rewarded with four nights of sightings.

• The Science: The lectures, led by Tom Kerss, were truly an elevated experience. He explained the science behind the auroras—the bands, rays, and colors—so that by the time we saw the spectacular displays, we understood exactly what we were witnessing. This fascinating educational component affirmed that taking the Astronomy cruise was superior to simply flying to a static location like Norway or Iceland to see them. Beyond auroras, we also learned about other celestial objects, the James Webb Space Telescope, and upcoming cosmic events, such as the solar eclipse.
• The Big Night: For us, our most spectacular sighting was on Day 4. The sky was filled with lights, and it was a night of celestial trifecta: the Northern Lights, the Orionids meteor shower (debris from Halley's Comet), and the elusive Comet Lemmon, which won't return for a thousand years. At one point, I put my camera down, just to watch the dance of the auroras, thinking it looked like a person with a paintbrush in both hands making quick strokes of brilliant green across the sky. I also remember Tom Kerss standing on deck with me as we watched for Comet Lemmon, helping me spot celestial objects like Jupiter and its four moons and Andromeda, the galaxy closest to us.

Unforgettable Sights, Rough Seas, and Folklore

The voyage was a series of contrasts, from historical lessons to the wild, elemental forces of the Arctic.

• The Fjords: The Science was only matched by the natural wonder of the journey. One of the most unforgettable moments was sailing into the Trollfjord, where the sheer cliffs felt close enough to touch as our captain masterfully turned the Richard With in the impossibly narrow, 100-meter-wide entrance. This was complemented by the beauty of other fjords, like the Hjørundfjord, which affirmed that the cruise, with its up-close views of these magnificent natural sculptures, was a truly superior way to experience Norway.

• The Orcas! On a cloudy, "icky" day when we weren't expecting anything, we spotted orcas! Eva, our seasoned Tour Leader, said that in her 15 seasons, this was the first time she had ever seen them. We saw about 30 in different pods, and Eva captured a video of a humpback whale diving deep with the orcas right behind it. This majestic, once-in-a-lifetime sighting will be something we’ll never forget.

• The Rough Seas: On the open-sea leg near Kirkenes, we hit our first serious rough weather with 4-meter waves. The sound in our cabin was incredible: the creaking of the ship, the wind howling, and the water smacking the hull outside our window, which sounded like a shotgun going off. At one point I started giggling because I was literally catching air off the bed when the boat dipped down onto the water. The next day the captain came over the ships intercom to inform us that last night’s rough seas were “normal” and nothing for us to be concerned with. It’s amazing what can become “normal” to some!

Port Walks and Cultural Lessons

We elected to skip the costly organized excursions, relying instead on Eva’s free, informative walking tours of many of the cities she provided for the Astronomy Group.

• Ålesund: One of my favorite stops. The entire city is built in the beautiful Art Nouveau style. After a massive fire in 1904, young architects rebuilt the town, earning it the nickname of one of the prettiest cities in Norway. We took some great pictures at Brosundet, the canal running through the city center, lined with the Art Nouveau buildings and boats in the water.

• Trondheim: After a fun picture of Tom and I kissing at Gamle Bybro (Old Town Bridge)-known as the "portal of happiness, "Eva walked us to Nidaros Cathedral. The cathedral is famously never finished, a belief upheld by the small Mason figurine on the right tower who is holding a brick only halfway into the wall to prevent Trondheim from sinking. We also learned that there was a 2010 restoration project that included some of the faces of the statues. No specific instructions were given the artists responsible for the statues, so they were allowed to make the faces as they wished. The archangel Michael statue on the façade has the face of Bob Dylan!

• The Globe: On the Hurtigruten journey, the ship celebrates crossing the Arctic Circle at the Vikingen islet, marked by a globe statue that involves the passengers.

• The Far North Pub: In Honningsvåg, the gateway to North Cape, we skipped the expensive tour, hiked up the mountain above the town, and visited the Sjogata Pub, the farthest north pub in all of Europe. It was glorious!

• Indigenous Culture (Sami):We attended a talk about the Sami people, the indigenous inhabitants of Norway, where we learned their history and culture and even heard modern joik music.
• The Bunad: Tom (Galmore) loved learning about the importance of the Norwegian Bunad, the traditional national costume. These custom-made garments can cost between $2,000 and $10,000, are designed to last a lifetime, and symbolize family heritage and regional identity.

Culinary Discoveries and Shared Triumphs

The single recurring complaint of the cruise was the food. We applauded the kitchen's 8% waste goal, but it came at a direct cost to our palate. The food was often leftovers, which we understood, but made it unpalatable for us by the last few days.

• A Break from the Buffet: One night, Eva and Tom Kerss invited the Astronomy group out for pizza and burgers in Svolvær just to give everyone a break from the ship's buffet.
• Local Tastes: We did manage a few authentic tastes, finally trying reindeer at one of our dinners, and Tom (Galmore) trying Arctic Char, a native fish, for the first time.
• Beating the Drink Costs: The high cost of drinks was something we knew we had to contend with ($29 for two beers, $20 for a small glass of wine). Thankfully, we learned two options that were not only priced well for wine, but were great selections:
  • Bergen Airport Duty-Free: This was the key, removing the 25% tax and offering great prices. We even found a bottle of a 2019 French wine that I had bought on futures back in 2018 for about what I paid for it—$50 a bottle.
  • State-Run Monopoly: Norway's liquor store, called Vinmonopolet, has a huge selection of good-quality wines at reasonable, state-negotiated prices.

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What We Loved (and Didn't)

We loved how special the experience was. The educational component was invaluable; having Tom and Eva explain the science of the auroras, the history of the country, and the celestial sky made the experience so much more vibrant and meaningful. Most of all, the Astronomy Group made the experience unique. The 32 of us shared this amazing, bucket-list adventure, and by the end, we had a special bond through an amazing, shared experience. We traded numbers with some of the group and look forward to visiting them in their hometowns as we continue our adventure.

The only complaint was the quality of the food on the ship.

I also want to thank Eva for letting us use her time-lapse aurora video and video of the orcas on our website. They auroras are seen much better and brighter through your phone or camera vs. the naked eye. The Astronomy group has a WhatsApp group where photos and videos were shared. This was wonderful for us, as many people had equipment much better than what Tom and I had, so we now have amazing footage and images to add to this special trip.