Saga Opera in the Fjords

It's Saga Week all this week on Time Spent At Sea and World of Cruising magazine, with a series of stories, features and special offers from the classic British cruise line...

Soprano Lesley Garrett (above) will give a performance on board Saga Cruises' star quality opera-themed cruise visiting Norway's fjords and and ancient cities on the Saga Sapphire this September. 

Passengers will also be given behind-the-scenes insights from Royal Opera House tour manager Barry Stewart and look forward to a memorable night at Kristiansund’s opera house, the oldest in Norway. 

Guests will travel down the incredible Geirangerfjord with its 1,000ft high cliffs and stunning Seven Sisters waterfall, providing a marked contrast with a visit Norway’s fascinating ancient capital of Bergen. The jewel in the crown here is the ancient row of Hanseatic League warehouses with their brightly coloured frontages.

A short walk from the ship brings you to the funicular railway which takes you up to Mount Flojen with amazing panoramic views of the city and the mountains that surround it. 

Saga's 9-night "Nordic Notes" cruise costs from £1,136 per person, departing Dover on September 2 and calling at Bergen, Kristiansund, Molde, Geiranger, Floro and Stavanger. 

More info: call 0800 096 0074 or visit http://travel.saga.co.uk/holidays/ocean-cruise. 

For a longer version of this story, don't forget to check out our Ocean News pages on our main website. 

The new edition of World of Cruising is now out, and you can see the digital version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link. 

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Chasing The Northern Lights

A winter cruise to Norway, in search of the amazing Northern Lights is one of the most exciting itineraries in the world, and 2013 is predicted to be one of the best for many years to view the majestic Aurora Borealis. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has offered three winter voyages to Norway for its 2012/13 season, and the last of these – a 14-night cruise aboard Boudicca, departing from Portsmouth on March 13 – still has some availability.

The itinerary for this ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’ departure is ideally suited to a cruise line with a strong Norwegian heritage, and calls first at Ålesund, the pretty Norwegian town famous for its Art Nouveau-style buildings and national Art Nouveau Centre, or ‘Jugendstilsenteret’. Next is Tromsø, far up into the Arctic Circle, where Boudicca will stay for two nights, giving guests the maximum chance of seeing the Lights. From here, guests can also choose to take Fred. Olsen’s ‘Chase for the Northern Lights’ tour and, so far this year, they have been lucky enough to witness Nature’s greatest light show from Tromsø several times.

Boudicca then calls at Alta (Finnmark, Norway), the most northerly port on this cruise. From Alta, guests can travel to Hammerfest, thought to be the most northerly town in the world. On the return voyage, the ship visits Kristiansund, with its picturesque old town and quaint wooden buildings, complete with a unique Klippfish – or ‘dried cod’ – Museum, before sailing back to Portsmouth.

Prices for this very special cruise start from £1,299 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin, with an ‘Anchor Fare’. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes.

For bookings, follow this link to The Cruise Line, the UK's adventure-cruise specialists.

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Fred Olsen Chase Northern Lights Again In 2013

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has added a new Norwegian itinerary in 2013, giving guests more opportunities to seek the amazing experience of seeing the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena.

The exciting 14-night voyage is aboard Boudicca and departs from Portsmouth on March 13, 2013, following the success of a similar voyage earlier this year.

The new itinerary, ideally suited to a cruise line with a strong Norwegian heritage, calls first at Ålesund, the pretty Norwegian town famous for its Art Nouveau-style buildings and national Art Nouveau Centre. Alesund is also close to Runde Island, home to one of the largest colonies of puffins in the world (above).

Next is Tromsø, far up into the Arctic Circle, where Boudicca will stay for two nights, giving guests the maximum chance of seeing the Northern Lights. From here, guests can choose to take Fred. Olsen’s ‘Chase for the Lights’ tour. This year's first-ever ‘Norway Winter’ cruise was lucky enough to see this amazing natural light show from Tromsø several times. 

Boudicca then calls at Alta (Finnmark, Norway), the most northerly port on this cruise. From Alta, guests can travel to Hammerfest, thought to be the most northerly town in the world. On the return voyage, the ship visits Kristiansund, with its picturesque old town and quaint wooden buildings, complete with a unique ‘Klippfish’ – or ‘dried cod’ – Museum, before sailing back to Portsmouth. 

Prices for this special cruise start from £1,599 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin, Grade ‘I’. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes. 

For bookings, visit this link to our sponsors The Cruise Line Ltd, the UK's leading cruise-agent specialists.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.