Iceland - questions answered

[Nitemare]

Nightmare, it would be wise for them to do so!

 

One additional question, so you earn your pay, do the buses stop at the cruise terminal? We are interested in going to the Blue Lagoon, and I see you can go there by bus from the central station--just wondering how we get to the station.

 

Thanks again!

 

Ricki

 

Ricki:

 

This is the one test I must pass before they hire me, I'm afraid!

 

We're heading over for our third visit in under 2 years, but have never cruised to Iceland so I don't know the answer to your question. Perhaps you can contact them at their main@re.is e-mail address?

[ricki]

Ricki:

 

This is the one test I must pass before they hire me, I'm afraid!

 

We're heading over for our third visit in under 2 years, but have never cruised to Iceland so I don't know the answer to your question. Perhaps you can contact them at their main@re.is e-mail address?

 

Thank you, Nightmare, I will email them. Have a wonderful visit!

 

Any tips for enjoying the Blue Lagoon?

 

Ricki

[shertwo]

Thank you, Nightmare, I will email them. Have a wonderful visit!

 

Any tips for enjoying the Blue Lagoon?

 

Ricki

 

Just passing through this Forum. We were there two years ago and I HIGHLY suggest booking the VIP experience -- you get a private change room with shower and toiletries, two drinks, snacks and private entrance in and out of the Lagoon and a fire going in the room, nice robes and slippers. Very nice experience. Was not crazy in price, preferred to communal change room, etc. Don't know if it has changed since we were there, however as a probably once in a lifetime experience the VIP room was definitely worth every penny. That is my two cents worth, enjoy whatever you do!

[ricki]

Just passing through this Forum. We were there two years ago and I HIGHLY suggest booking the VIP experience -- you get a private change room with shower and toiletries, two drinks, snacks and private entrance in and out of the Lagoon and a fire going in the room, nice robes and slippers. Very nice experience. Was not crazy in price, preferred to communal change room, etc. Don't know if it has changed since we were there, however as a probably once in a lifetime experience the VIP room was definitely worth every penny. That is my two cents worth, enjoy whatever you do!

 

Thank you, Shertwo. Do you recall the VIP price? I'll answer my own question and google it. Thanks very much.

 

Are there locker for your purse, etc?

 

Ricki

[Nitemare]

Upgrading the experience was 50% or more expensive than the basic tour.

 

 

They do have lockers. When you enter, they give you a bracelet that has a chip inside. You go to the locker room, and your bracelet locks a locker, and only you can unlock it again with that bracelet. You also use your bracelet for the swimup bar in the Lagoon.

 

 

Tips:

 

1) If you're going from the Lagoon to the airport, bring a towel with you that you don't mind throwing out. We find our rattiest old beach towels and use those. More colorful is better as you can more easily find them among the racks of towels and robes near the pool.

 

2) Similarly, if you have a bathing suit that you're ready to get rid of, use that one. We were disappointed that they don't have those "spinner" things that do such a good job of drying your bathing suit.

 

3) Explore the whole lagoon. There's a quieter area way to the right as you face the Lagoon from the building. There's a waterfall area to the left, near where they do spa treatments in the lagoon. having the water fall on your head, back and shoulders can be very relaxing (some folks hate it, though).

 

4) There are two or three locations where they have buckets of their face/skin creme that you can ladle on to your face, back, shoulders, and chest. Doesn't seem to do anything for me, but my wife loves it.

[ddande]

Hi my wife and I are visiting Reyjavik on the cruise ship Celebrity Infinity arriving on 6th June departing 7th June -we have booked a tour however the tour operator is asking where we are berthing -do you know how I can find this out please ?

 

Thanks & Regards

Dave & Evelyn

[karlth]

Hi my wife and I are visiting Reyjavik on the cruise ship Celebrity Infinity arriving on 6th June departing 7th June -we have booked a tour however the tour operator is asking where we are berthing -do you know how I can find this out please ?

 

Thanks & Regards

Dave & Evelyn

 

Celebrity Infinity: "Skarfabakki 312"

 

http://www.faxafloahafnir.is/wp-content/uploads/Skip-2014.pdf

[ddande]

Celebrity Infinity: "Skarfabakki 312"

 

http://www.faxafloahafnir.is/wp-content/uploads/Skip-2014.pdf

 

Wow, that was quick. Excellent, most appreciated

 

Thank You

Dave & Evelyn :D

[lrcruising]

We will be in Reykjavik on July 8 and 9 with Celebrity Eclipse. Can you tell us where our ship will be?

 

Also do you have any suggestions on a car rental company that either picks up or delivers car to the cruise terminal area?

[lrcruising]

After browsing through the excellent Copenhagen thread I thought about starting one for Iceland as well:

 

I'm a regular cruiser that lives in Reykjavik, Iceland and not affiliated with any tour companies. So if you have any questions about the Icelandic ports of call and surrounding attractions feel free to ask.

 

Main port: Reykjavik (Capital).

Secondary ports: Akureyri (largest town in the north of Iceland), Seydisfjordur (a small town on the east coast) and Isafjordur (a town in the rugged northwestern part of Iceland).

 

We will be in Reykjavik on July 8 and 9 and then in Akureyri on July 10th. We have just turned 50 and we are very active and adventurous. We would like to do private (just the 2 of us) tours and visit as many exciting places as possible.

Day 1: we arrive around 1:30 pm and are "thinking about renting a vehicle and doing the golden circle on our own. Then that evening go bar hopping

Day 2: we will be departing at 2 so we thought we'd do the blue lagoon.

Day 3: we'd love to do some hiking, see the detifoss and goddafoss water falls or anything else that's active.

 

Can you please give me your thoughts/suggestions/advice on what you think we could fit in and what tour companies, rental car agencies, bars/pubs would be useful and fun?

 

Also can you see the northern lights in July? If so do you know of a boat tour to see them? Something fun preferably with drinks and snacks? Thanks for your help

[Nitemare]

Those are great plans for your three days. Read back in the thread for suggestions of where to go from Akureyri.

 

No Northern Lights in early July, the sky doesn't get dark enough. Heck, in late August when we were there last year, the sun was still up until 11PM, and back up by 3AM.

 

We're going back next week for 4 days, hoping for Northern Lights, or at least a dark sky to see all the stars. We rented from the agency that was the least expensive that we had heard of.

 

Consider getting a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Will cost you more, but you will see SO many tempting sites that you will want to leave the main roads for that a regular 2 wheel drive car won't be able to get you to.

[jvsnana]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I will give it a try :)

We will be renting a 4 wheel drive when we arrive via cruise ship at 8am.

Is it possible to drive the Golden Circle and do the Blue Lagoon for a few hours before we have to be back on the ship by 5pm?

Thanks!

[mrspaper]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I will give it a try :)

We will be renting a 4 wheel drive when we arrive via cruise ship at 8am.

Is it possible to drive the Golden Circle and do the Blue Lagoon for a few hours before we have to be back on the ship by 5pm?

Thanks!

I think it's cutting it close. Let's see what others say.

Golden Circle takes several hours

Maybe it's possible to only do part of the circle and turn around

[Nitemare]

I think it's cutting it close. Let's see what others say.

Golden Circle takes several hours

Maybe it's possible to only do part of the circle and turn around

 

Agreed.

 

It's at least 3 1/2 hours just to drive the Golden Circle to/from Reykjavik. That doesn't include the time it takes to get your rental (ours took 45 minutes with lines and learning the features of the 4WD vehicle), and it certainly doesn't include time at the sites. It's a 15-20 minute walk each way at Gullfoss (plus time enjoying it), 10-15 minutes at Geysir (plus at least a 45 minutes exploring it and getting your pictures "just right". You could easily spend 2 hours exploring Þingvellur, alone.

 

And there are going to be a whole bunch of other things you'll pass en route to these sites you are going to want to explore.

 

It's at least 45 minutes each way to the Blue Lagoon, plus time there. No way you can do both.

 

Skip the Lagoon. It's a great visit, but it's not really getting to see Iceland. It's getting to see a great spa.

[jvsnana]

I think it's cutting it close. Let's see what others say.

Golden Circle takes several hours

Maybe it's possible to only do part of the circle and turn around

 

Agreed.

 

It's at least 3 1/2 hours just to drive the Golden Circle to/from Reykjavik. That doesn't include the time it takes to get your rental (ours took 45 minutes with lines and learning the features of the 4WD vehicle), and it certainly doesn't include time at the sites. It's a 15-20 minute walk each way at Gullfoss (plus time enjoying it), 10-15 minutes at Geysir (plus at least a 45 minutes exploring it and getting your pictures "just right". You could easily spend 2 hours exploring Þingvellur, alone.

 

And there are going to be a whole bunch of other things you'll pass en route to these sites you are going to want to explore.

 

It's at least 45 minutes each way to the Blue Lagoon, plus time there. No way you can do both.

 

Skip the Lagoon. It's a great visit, but it's not really getting to see Iceland. It's getting to see a great spa.

Thanks for your input! We will just do the Golden Circle and save the Blue Lagoon for another visit!

Now for some detailed research on the how we actually drive the Golden Circle:p

Anyone with experience, we would love your input.

Thanks again!

[Nitemare]

Thanks for your input! We will just do the Golden Circle and save the Blue Lagoon for another visit!

Now for some detailed research on the how we actually drive the Golden Circle:p

Anyone with experience, we would love your input.

Thanks again!

 

Worst case scenario: Ask the car rental place. They get asked this question all the time, I'm sure they can help you. When we did our "lap of Iceland" last summer, they programmed the GPS that came with our vehicle for us (we did pay a little extra for the GPS, but we were going EVERYWHERE and enjoyed having it for security) for all 9 of our hotels.

 

Other option: Look for a detailed description online of a guided Golden Circle trip. They may not tell you the roads, but you can map them yourself online.

 

Check out a map (Google maps is a good resource). Basically all 3 highlights of the Golden Circle (Geysir, Gullfoss, Þingvellur) are along route 36 from Reykjavik, to Route 365 to Route 37 to Route 35. The trick is to take a different route back, so you see different things than you saw on your trip to those sites. Route 30 to Route 1 or Route 35 to Route 1 are both good options. Make sure you have detailed instructions for getting back to where you drop off the car, as Reykjavik is a busy little city, and you'll need to know how to get to your final destination.

 

There's also a volcanic crater that most tours take you to. In my opinion, it's a poor cousin to the other sites. AND it's the only site we saw in Iceland that charges admission!

 

 

Edit: One fun offroad trip you can take is Mountain Road 550, north from Þingvellur. The first 7 miles or so are pretty easy, from there it's terrifying and beautiful. If you've got the right vehicle and the nerve, it's a blast. Easy for me to say as I was in the passenger seat, but my job was to direct my wife around the worst of the potholes and boulders! :)

Edited February 21, 2014 by Nitemare

[jvsnana]

Worst case scenario: Ask the car rental place. They get asked this question all the time, I'm sure they can help you. When we did our "lap of Iceland" last summer, they programmed the GPS that came with our vehicle for us (we did pay a little extra for the GPS, but we were going EVERYWHERE and enjoyed having it for security) for all 9 of our hotels.

 

Other option: Look for a detailed description online of a guided Golden Circle trip. They may not tell you the roads, but you can map them yourself online.

 

Check out a map (Google maps is a good resource). Basically all 3 highlights of the Golden Circle (Geysir, Gullfoss, Þingvellur) are along route 36 from Reykjavik, to Route 365 to Route 37 to Route 35. The trick is to take a different route back, so you see different things than you saw on your trip to those sites. Route 30 to Route 1 or Route 35 to Route 1 are both good options. Make sure you have detailed instructions for getting back to where you drop off the car, as Reykjavik is a busy little city, and you'll need to know how to get to your final destination.

 

There's also a volcanic crater that most tours take you to. In my opinion, it's a poor cousin to the other sites. AND it's the only site we saw in Iceland that charges admission!

 

 

Edit: One fun offroad trip you can take is Mountain Road 550, north from Þingvellur. The first 7 miles or so are pretty easy, from there it's terrifying and beautiful. If you've got the right vehicle and the nerve, it's a blast. Easy for me to say as I was in the passenger seat, but my job was to direct my wife around the worst of the potholes and boulders! :)

GREAT advise. I will let my DH start mapping the drive:)

We will definitely take the Mountain Road 550...sounds like a must for our adventure!!Thanks again!

[Nitemare]

karlth!

 

Please tell me the forecasts from March 1 to March 5 of rain/snow/ice are incorrect! We arrive early this coming Saturday morning and are hoping for at least one clear day and night and hope for Northern Lights!!

 

Can you tell me how well secondary roads are cleared of snow in case of a storm? I feel comfortable on Route 1, but we hope to take some other roads (206, 221, etc) and we hope to explore the Keflavik Peninsula some.

 

Thanks!

[Nitemare]

I can answer these questions.

 

We saw plows on Route 1 (but not many) during a "couple inch and some ice" event on Tuesday morning. On the Reykjanes Peninsula they seem to ignore 2-3" of snow, but everyone drives cautiously, and since there are so few cars around, there are unlikely to be multiple car accidents anyway.

 

No Northern Lights sitings for us, but a couple very dark skies. Living in the city you forget that the stars go all the way down to the horizon!

[2tall]

Thank you so much for sharing this information! We have just booked a cruise for 2015 out of Copenhagen and, though it's too early to tell, expect to book with Icelandair to get there. Right now, we're thinking it might be worthwhile to stop over for a few days on the way to our cruise and enjoy the scenery so having such ready access to tour and hotel information is priceless. You've saved me so much time AND I'm starting to get excited about this portion of the trip!

[Grumpy100]

We are doing a 10 day tour of Iceland in May and was wondering if they have good old brewed coffee like in the US. Can anyone advise. I don't like Cappachinos (spelled wrong probably) or iced coffee. Want good old brewed coffee.

[mrspaper]

We are doing a 10 day tour of Iceland in May and was wondering if they have good old brewed coffee like in the US. Can anyone advise. I don't like Cappachinos (spelled wrong probably) or iced coffee. Want good old brewed coffee.

 

someone else may be better versed at this answer. If I recall, at the hotel, we had packets of nescafe type coffee. Not sure if all hotels do this

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

Hello,

We will be in Reykjavik for 2 full days/nights on our way to catch a cruise that will bring us back to Reykjavik for a shore excursion day. We will also have a ship day in Akureyi & Isafjordur.

 

To make the most of our times in the Reykjavik area, I thought to do a Golden Circle tour on the first day, and maybe a South Coast tour on the second day. Then on the ship day, explore the city area, either via tour, HoHo or Segway. (I agree that with all else there is to see, the Blue Lagoon would be like a visit to a spa.)

 

My questions:

1. Does my above plan show us what we "should" see in the time available? Suggestions?

2. After the Golden Circle tour, what other tour would be the next tour that we "should" we do next. Should we go north or south?

3. I've researched the various tour companies on CC & TripAdvisor. Are there any tour companies that anyone can strongly recommend?

4. What are the must sees in the Reykjavik city area? What is the best way to see the city?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[mrspaper]

Hello,

We will be in Reykjavik for 2 full days/nights on our way to catch a cruise that will bring us back to Reykjavik for a shore excursion day. We will also have a ship day in Akureyi & Isafjordur.

 

To make the most of our times in the Reykjavik area, I thought to do a Golden Circle tour on the first day, and maybe a South Coast tour on the second day. Then on the ship day, explore the city area, either via tour, HoHo or Segway. (I agree that with all else there is to see, the Blue Lagoon would be like a visit to a spa.)

 

My questions:

1. Does my above plan show us what we "should" see in the time available? Suggestions?

2. After the Golden Circle tour, what other tour would be the next tour that we "should" we do next. Should we go north or south?

3. I've researched the various tour companies on CC & TripAdvisor. Are there any tour companies that anyone can strongly recommend?

4. What are the must sees in the Reykjavik city area? What is the best way to see the city?

 

Many thanks in advance.

We're with you, that one day back in Reyjkavik

 

I can't answer all your questions, but I would rent a car while you are there. It's must more cost effective than a tour of the Golden Circle, etc. It's easy to get around and you can rent a GPS with the car.

 

Personally, since you have time, I wouldn't miss the Blue Lagoon. Such a relaxing day, although it's not cheap. We spent about 4 hours there and wish we had set aside more time in the day

 

The city itself is easy to walk around, without a car. Very compact.

The Golden Circle takes the most time, so definitely good to do while you are there the first time.

[Crystabel]

We were recently in the Caribbean on the island of St. Lucia and went to the sulphur springs. The odor was quite strong, and a few people became nauseous. A woman there said that she had once lived in Iceland, and it had that same odor of sulphur everywhere. Should it be a consideration when planning a visit? I've never read anything about that issue.