cruisinqt

The Vista is a good deal newer than the Magic. It has a lot more bells and whistles so to speak. There are a lot more free (and paid for) dining choices. It also has a microbrewery, the new Havana area, the sky ride and an IMAX theater. I would choose it every time hands down. But I like the bigger newer ships that have more things to do and places to eat. My husband loves doing the microbrewery tour and always gets the beer sampler. I like watching first run (currently in theaters) movies at the IMAX theater with their comfy reclining seats and buttery popcorn. But I also love the Magic because the Dream class has the best spas in the carnival fleet. But it would definitely be the Vista for me. 

Our best so far has been a 2 week transatlantic cruise out of Barcelona with $500 OBC, $500 free play, free drinks everywhere on the ship for both of us, in a balcony cabin for only $508 total which was mostly port fees & taxes. 

15 hours ago, lots-of-km2 said:

That might be a good idea.  And thanks for your quick reply!

 

The price I was quoted for June 8 was a lot higher than $50 USD round trip total.  I've read that $100 USD each way is what one might expect to pay, so I wasn't shocked when I got the quote I did.  Iceland is a very expensive country.  It's good that you will reach out to contact other taxis recommended by Vok as a backup.   And maybe I will contact Hlynur Bragason to see whether I too can get round-trip transportation for $50 total for June 8.  Sounds too good to be true, but sometimes things are good AND they're true!

I think English isn’t their first language and there may be a misunderstanding. I asked if they meant $50 each way and they said no $50 total. But after talking to my husband he says they probably meant 50 Icelandic Krona which would convert to roughly $348 US dollars. And that would be more in line with the price you were quoted. 

1 hour ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

I've been on the same quest for the last month or so, and just sorted it out, possibly with the same taxi driver you have.  Coincidentally, I posted something about this on CC on the same evening you did (see below).  On what day will you be at Vok?   And was the $50 price you mentioned a total price for all passengers round trip, or a price per passenger?  Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

 

We will be in Seydisfjordur on 8/28. The price was for our family of 4 round trip from the cruise pier at Seydisfjordur to Vok baths and back to the cruise pier at Seydisfjordur. In the first email I asked what they charged for a roundtrip for a family of 4. In the next email they asked me what day we would be arriving. I said 8/28. They replied that it would be $50 total for all 4 people. I emailed them back asking to reserve that day. At that point I assumed it was all handled and arranged since they’d been emailing me very promptly and even gave me a price quote. But I’ve not heard from them since then and I sent the email Saturday. I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t follow through and confirm the reservation promptly. Their name was Hlynur Bragason. Vok baths gave me several names so now I’m contemplating contacting one of the other people on the list. I know it’s pretty far out and they may not want to commit themselves this early. But there’s not a lot of transportation choices to choose from in Seydisfjordur and I’d like to get mine confirmed now. 

1 hour ago, MississippiMom said:

Glad you mentioned that clarification, as it’s the non-alcoholic additions that make the Cheers package worth it for me.  Yes, I do have some alcoholic drinks during the afternoon & evening, but I think I’m “spending” most of my Cheers dollars on the included Frappuccinos, bottled waters, bottled teas, juices and morning specialty coffees.

Same here. I love all the extra drinks included almost as much as I do the alcohol, especially the specialty coffees and milkshakes. 

So I went to the Vok baths website and contacted them about the best way to get there from Seydisfjordur. They gave me a couple of taxi services to contact. One of them responded promptly and was very nice. I’ve secured a taxi service for the day we are in port for only $50 round trip. I can’t believe how inexpensive it is! 

The terminal is a fairly long walk away but there are bus stops at the terminal that take you into the city center. I’m assuming you have a long port stop like me, mine is 14 hours. We are doing the Golden Circle tour then relaxing on the ship before heading into town (via bus) to look around and shop or grab a bite of food. I love to try native dishes in the country I’m visiting. I haven’t researched restaurants yet but I’ll let you know what I found out. 

5 hours ago, janetcbl said:

Voks, not Voss! (Hate autocorrect!)

Lol I had the same problem. It autocorrected it to Voss several times. I hate autocorrect too 😆

Just for clarification on the cheers drinks package. You’re limited to 15 alcoholic drinks a day but everything else is unlimited including milkshakes, specialty coffee, juice, bottled water, energy drinks, etc. There’s a great milkshake place called The Shake Spot that has amazing milkshakes. The best regular milkshakes are the chocolate caramel and the strawberry creamsicle. The best spiked milkshakes are the Spirit Of Kentucky and the Black Raspberry Truffle. I found that the bar at Summers Landing had much stronger drinks than the rest of the ship. 

2 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

I have had excellent communication with Nice tours. They have great reviews but I have not used them yet. Also contacted Saga who have some good cruise excursions. They got back to me in a day or two. 

 

https://nicetravel.is/

When you recommended Nice Tours I contacted them but they told me they were sold out of the Golden Circle tours for my cruise in August. But they were super nice and recommended Saga Travel. They said they’re very reliable and do great tours. I don’t think they’d recommend someone that wasn’t pretty good since it would reflect on them. So far Saga has been great. 

2 hours ago, psmom19 said:

I was very excited to see some of the tours offered by SAGA. They are perfect. It seems cancelation policies vary by tour company. I am hesitant to book with Saga because of their policy. It is great if ship does not make it to port. Not great if you personally do not make it to port. I am hesitant to book so far out as many things can change before then. Please let me know if I am not understanding their cancellation policy.

The cancellation policy states “The client is able to cancel the tour up until 24 hours prior to departure without a cancellation fee. The cancellation fee is 100% of the tour fee if cancelled within 24 hours from departure of the tour. For the cruise ships, the cancellation policy does not apply if the ship does not make it to the harbor. In case of the ship not reaching the pier, you’ll receive a full refund without cancellation fee.” I think that’s a pretty generous cancellation fee. That gives them only 24 hours to fill your spot in the tour if you cancel so they’re risking a good bit of income there. If they allowed free cancellation at any time they could lose a whole entire tour group at the last minute and be out all of that money without any way to recoup their losses. I’ve booked a lot of tours and the 24 hour cancellation clause is pretty much the standard with most local tour operators. But I can understand your dilemma if you’re not arriving via cruise ship. There’s always the risk of missing your flight or your flight getting cancelled or delayed. I hope things work out for you. 

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

My pleasure. 
 

I hope you make it to Seydisfjordur.  We were scheduled for a port call there in summer 2018, but weather prevented it. I was very disappointed, as we are huge fans of the Icelandic TV series “Trapped” (available on Netflix).  The first (and best) season takes place primarily in, and was filmed in, Seydisfjordur, and we were really looking forward to seeing it in person.  Of course, those are the risks that come with cruising. 
 

Good luck!

Oh wow I had no idea there was a Netflix series based in Iceland, I’ll have to check it out. I need something to download and watch for our upcoming cruise so I think I’ll download it. Thanks again for your help. 

4 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I saw your post in your other thread and was going to tell you that the Vok [note the spelling] Baths looked pretty interesting from the Trip Advisor reviews and other info I could see.  In terms of getting there from Seydisfjordur, apart from the question you asked here, why not email the Baths themselves and see if they may be able to give you some information.  No downside to asking.

 

Their contact info:

hello@vokbaths.is

 

Note that their FAQ say this:

"What is the best way to get to Vök Baths?

For those who are not by car we recommend  taxi service by Ásgrímur, tel +3548984044 or email asgrimtaxi@gmail.com"

 

(of course, that may be from Egilsstaðir)

 

https://vokbaths.is/hopabokanir/

 

Also, especially regarding the bus info, you could email the Information Center in Seydisfjordur:

 

info@sfk.is

https://visitseydisfjordur.com/

 

 

I went to their website and it seems really nice. I also looked at the TripAdvisor reviews for them and it reinforced my desire to go there. They have a restaurant, changing rooms, bathrooms, a tea bar, an in water refreshment bar, and a sauna. I noticed their “how to get there” page too but it was for Egilsstadir. I’ve emailed them but haven’t heard a response back yet. Thanks for Information Center address I’ll contact them, I didn’t think of doing that. You obviously put a lot of effort into helping me and I appreciate it.
 

I was just hoping some other cruiser might have visited there themselves and could give some insight on how they did it. Or maybe someone did a tour there through a local company they could recommend. Our ship has a tour going there but it’s quite expensive and our family of four would cost over $1100. Thanks again 

43 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

Either the Myvatn or the Voss natural baths will be a lot less “ touristy”  than Blue Lgoon. I know nothing about the Voks baths, but the Myvatn experience gets high praise.

The Vok baths are in Egilsstadir which is about a 30 minute drive from the nearby port we will be visiting, Seydisfjordur. They are at the base of Lake Urridavatn and have the only geothermal water that is so pure that it’s certified as drinkable. I’ve went to their website and they have a very nice facility with bathrooms, changing rooms, a restaurant, a tea bar, an in water refreshment bar, and a spa. I’m thinking it won’t be very crowded or touristy either. 

We are interested in doing the Voks baths while in Seydisfjordur. We can’t find any local tours that do just the baths. We wouldn’t mind doing just a little bit of sightseeing before the baths but our main interest is the baths. And we haven’t found any tour operators offering what we are looking for from the cruise port. Most of the tours we are seeing are for hotel guests and are quite lengthy. So we are thinking about just going straight there from the cruise port ourselves. I imagine a taxi would be expensive and I doubt they offer Uber. I’ve heard there’s a bus but I can’t find any info on it. What would be the best way to get there? Or do you know of a local tour offering this for cruisers from the pier?

We booked our tour in Reykjavík through Saga Travel. You can book right online without any delay or messaging people. And the tours are for cruisers with pickup and drop off at the cruise pier. Just pick your day and time then click enter then pay. They have great reviews on TripAdvisor and several good tours to choose from in both Reykjavík and Akureyri. We booked the Golden Circle tour In Reykjavik and the Mayvatn tour in Akureyri. Those two tours were the most recommended ones for those ports. 

On 2/20/2023 at 9:23 PM, milolii said:

There is a second lagoon near town in Reykjavik, the Sky Lagoon.  We are with Iceland Everywhere with a drop off at the Sky Lagoon at the end. 

Hmm I haven’t heard of them I’ll have to check them out. I still haven’t made a final decision on which baths to do. We just know we definitely want to try out the nature baths in Iceland. 

On 2/19/2023 at 4:08 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

Yes, the classic tour out of Akureyri -- several hours less and an awesome day, one of our favorites.  I would have suggested that as well (especially since the Myvatn Nature Baths are less touristy than the Blue Lagoon), but I see the OP has opted to combine the Golden Circle with the Blue Lagoon out of Reykjavik. A very long day.  

 

 

(Myvatn Nature Baths, by turtles06)

I haven’t booked Blue Lagoon after the Golden Circle tour yet. We are in port from 9 am till 11 pm so we could do it but I agree it would be a long day. Our Golden Circle tour is 7 hours long (it’s an adjusted tour made to fit cruisers schedules.) But it’s still a pretty full day since we will need to fit dinner in between the two. I’m contemplating doing the Myvatn nature baths at the end of that tour (it’s a 6 hour tour), or the Voks nature baths that are offered out of Seydisfjordur. I’m leaning towards doing the Voks nature baths since I’m not finding any other tours that sound better out of that port. It’s hard to find reviews of it though. 

Yes there’s just 2 drink packages. Late night food options after 10 when most of the restaurants close: pizza till 4 am (free), soft serve ice cream in the lido & summers landing area (free), and Guys bbq has a late night buffet from 11:30-1:00 (free). There are two presentations each evening of the main show to accommodate both early and late dining. Yes the pool chair hogs will be in full force. I’ve seen Carnival start to remove their stuff recently though. Bolt is $15 and well worth it. Shows aren’t booked ahead of time on Carnival. 
 

A few other tips:

Carnival has something similar to the key, it’s called faster to the fun. It doesn’t have as many perks but it’s cheaper. The bottomless bubbles package doesn’t include a cup so be prepared to bring your own or use one of their small cups at the soda fountain. Two weeks before your cruise you’ll need to go online and choose a check in time. That’s when you’ll show up at the pier for your cruise. 

4 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

I think you will be happy! This tour seems like its going to be a highlight of our vacation.

I agree. I’ve read lots of glowing reviews of both the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon. 

1 hour ago, CCJack said:

Our tour was with SAGA tours.  They had two vans going to the Lake Myvatn stops but in different order so they would not overlap.  Then both ended up at the natural baths in the afternoon at the same time.  People who didn't want to do the baths could board one of the vans and go straight back to the ship while those who wanted to do the baths could stay longer.  Our intention was to do the baths at blue lagoon and not do the baths at Myvatn, but the first van back to the ship was full.  So we volunteered to stay a bit at the baths (45 min) for them to return to take us to the ship.  So we hung out there but we did not get in the water as we did not have our swim gear.   However since we had a taste of the natural baths we opted to skip blue lagoon in favor of golden circle.   In hindsight, probably should have taken our swim gear to Myvatn baths, but it all worked out in the end.  I am glad we did the golden circle.  Those stops were really nice.  

I just realized that Reykjavik is our longest port stop. We will be there from 9-11 so I’m pretty sure we can fit in both. I’m really looking forward to it since both the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon are very popular. Thanks for your input. 

1 hour ago, kaisatsu said:

They are similar to showers in a gym locker room. There are separate facilities for men and women. Everyone faces the wall with a shower head and focuses on just sudsing up and getting clean. Your towel is hanging nearby, so you can cover up en route.

 

I’ve been to both Myvatn and the Blue Lagoon, and I’m pretty sure I used the open shower at both. There may be private showers at Blue Lagoon, but it wasn’t necessarily the norm.

Thanks that helps a lot. 

1 hour ago, D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL said:

We have booked the Golden Circle Tour with Nice Travel and it is a 10 hour tour. Pick up at 8:30 am at our hotel for a 9 am tour start and return between 6&7 pm. They plan on being at Blue Lagoon for 5 pm and we head back to hotel after that.

Contact them to see if they could pick you up at the cruise ship if it fits into your timeframe. 15-17 per mini bus

I would love a tour that could either do both the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon or just drop us off at Blue Lagoon at the end of their Golden Circle tour. I’ll contact them, thanks. 

4 hours ago, CCJack said:

I would do the golden circle, and while in Akureyri do the Lake Myvatn tour with the natural bath option (similar but less famous as blue lagoon) - that combo tour is a lot less than 11 hours if I recall.      We went to Akureyri before Reykjavik so we did the lake Myvatn with natural bath first.   We had blue lagoon excursion reserved in Reykajavik but after seeing the one near Myvatn we cancelled blue lagoon and went on golden circle.  I am glad we did.  Golden circle is really 3 different stops / excursions in one already (without adding blue lagoon.).

 

Here is the link to the natual baths at lake myvatn..   https://myvatnnaturebaths.is/

 

Have fun !

After your comment I looked it up and that sounds like a good solution. Blue Lagoon is much fancier with a restaurant, spa, and private showers but the Myvatn nature baths sounds nice too. I’m not sure how I feel about the open showers though. Were the open showers uncomfortable for you? I’m very shy about that stuff and where I come from everything’s very private. 

8 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

We are doing the Golden Circle tour w/ the Blue Lagoon. It's an 11 hour tour, but when are you planning to go back to Iceland?  Not sure we will ever be back and both items are must do's on our list.

I’ve been researching doing both but wasn't sure we could fit both in comfortably. I’ll try to though.