Norway Cruise in March .....

altojack

Just booked a cruise leaving from Tilbury on 15th March 2010, sailing over to Amsterdam then up the coast of Norway and over the Arctic Circle before turning back for the home journey.
Does anyone know what the temperatures are likely to be? And what items I should take with me? Apart from thermals lol

daveyjp

+10 to -10 deg C as you go north.

Clothing should be lots of layers and waterproofs. I'd recommend some base layer clothing. Very thin and light, but keeps you very warm.

http://www.outdoormania.co.uk/manufacturerhome--7-HH_Baselayer.aspx

As an expensive example - cheaper brands are available.

Pee

I went to Oslo and Bergen at the end of September and was very pleasantly surprised by the weather. (You will of course be going further North.)

In Oslo I was walking around in a long sleeved T-shirt, only getting cold when I sat down, at about 11pm. In the morning however, we were up at about six and there was frost on the ground and I needed hat and coat and scarf and gloves!!

Ebay is good for specialist clothes - agree with layers.

Norway was so beautiful, but food and drink was very expensive.

Pee

So might be worth stocking up with drink and maybe snacks before you leave home or in Amsterdam.

altojack

Thank you davey for the info, omg they are expensive but will look at the site again

Pee, I like the idea of ebay so will take a look there also. No doubt I will be spending most of my time outside so will need a 'coat' of some sort too!! And suitable footwear, (will need to write a letter to Santa me thinks)

daveyjp

They are expensive. I was lucky last time I went to a Helly Hansen outlet they had the long and short sleeved shirts on offer at 2 for £20. There are cheaper alternatives.

Try these:

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk

Trek Mates Sno Pro set £15.

Mikeyorks

We're leaving from Southampton in March (co-incidentally also the 15th!) for a (hopefully) Northern Lights cruise. We were also around the Canaries etc last month - with the same line. And one of the staff - who was on the Northern Lights cruise this last March - was saying it got down to -41 deg C on one night! Which is cold. The ice hotel won't be receiving me as a guest.

But at least the seas should be calmer than the Bay of Biscay in November. Gales in the Channel and then a 20' swell made it a first 24hrs to remember - on the way down to Portugal. 50% of the passengers never made it out of their cabins the first day - and the Doctor made a fortune in mal de mer injections.

Have a look at Amazon / Damart / M&M Direct for thermals. Not the sexiest of styles - but you may not ever wear them again after the cruise. Some cruise lines at least provide the top layer in the form of arctic coats? And insist you wear them if going on the ice. Possibly less for your survival .. and more to do with the guy with the rifle having distinctive colours to see ..... and not mistaking you for the polar bear they missed when doing the initial scoping before landing passengers!

jennifernil

-41 sounds exceptional. On the Arctic Circle (where my husband grew up), in March you can expect -3 to +10, depending on the general weather at the time. Obviously the further north you go the colder it gets.

We were at the North Cape in July and it was only +6.

Layers, and a windproof outer layer is the way to go