THE weird and wild aspects of the Nordic countries are making the headlines in terms of millennium breaks in Scandinavia.
Clients can opt to celebrate New Year aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Norway or in the atmospheric Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, built – as the name suggests – out of snow and ice.
Norwegian Coastal Voyage has laid on two special tours that are featured in a dedicated programme offered by Scandinavian Travel Service (see story, page 60).
The first is an eight-day round trip from Bodo aboard Nordlys on December 27, while the second is a 14-day round trip from Bergen to Kirkenes aboard Polarlys starting December 24.
Both ships meet on December 31 at Honningsvag, from where clients will be transported by coach to the North Cape, at the top of Europe, for champagne and fireworks.
Scandinavian Travel Service managing director Iain Cottam said:”We are 65% sold on our allocation and hoping for another burst of bookings in the summer to fill up.”
The millennium cruises are being sold on the UK, German and Norwegian markets only.
“This is a peaceful way to spend the millennium, so it appeals mainly to older people although we have had some families asking about the cruises,” said Cottam.
Sweden’s Ice Hotel, which melts each spring and has to be rebuilt in winter, features in Scantours’ millennium programme. The operator has put together a package which includes a New Year’s Eve concert at Jukkasjarvi Church, a live band at the hotel, and fireworks at midnight.
Clients can take in extra activities such as dogsledding or a snowmobile safari.
Scantours sales and marketing director John Lawrence said there is room for 120 people in the hotel. The operator had an allocation for 60 beds and has just 20 left to sell.
“Each room in the Ice Hotel has four beds and they will all be filled for the millennium so clients will have to share with people they don’t know,” he said. “It’s not a problem, as it is only for the one night and because of the celebrations, no-one will be getting much sleep anyway.”
The first night of the break is in a neighbouring cottage and the last night is in Stockholm.
Scantours is also offering a four-night break in Iceland. The highlight of the package, from December 29-January 2, is a gala dinner at the Hotel Saga followed by a 2hr drive around Reykjavik to see the traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The £1,245 per person cost, based on two sharing, also includes a visit to the geothermal waters of the Blue Lagoon while a jeep safari or excursion to Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir hot springs area are optional.
“It’s always a problem getting seats to Iceland for the New Year, but we have about 40 left,” said Lawrence.
Icelandair Holidays also has a special millennium package which spends New Year’s Eve at the Perlen, Iceland’s top restaurant, in Reykjavik.
A dinner buffet and dancing will be followed by fireworks to celebrate the new century and Reykjavik’s status as one of nine cultural capitals for 2000.
Finnish Lapland is also proving popular as people book to see Father Christmas for the last time this century. Cosmos says capacity in December 1999 for three and four-night breaks from both Gatwick and Manchester has been increased by about 10% to meet demand.
Other operators offering millennium packages to the area include Norvista, Finman Travel and Canterbury Travel.
Norvista has a three-night millennium tour in Saariselka including a gala dinner on December 31 and tobogganing and snowmobiling.
Canterbury Travel’s New Year’s Eve package includes a torchlight procession and activities such as reindeer and husky rides to welcome in the new century.
Scandinavia’s capitals are also laying on special celebrations for the millennium.
Helsinki, also a city of culture for 2000, will have fireworks in Senate Square with a sound-and-light tunnel, made of crystal, for people to pass through into the next century.
Stockholm has 10 days of celebrations, from December 27 to January 6, with fireworks, concerts and parades. Grona Lunds Tivoli theme park, which shuts in winter, is opening for the period.