Review of Visits to Norway/Iceland/Greenland on Fall 2018 Cruise.

[GeorgeCharlie]

They had a special exhibition covering the local history of Scouts and Guides running while we were there.

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

One room had many models of the mystical monsters of Iceland's past. Most seemed to be depicted a sea creatures, which is understandable considering Iceland's sea based history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even had one which wasn't all that much monster-like.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The museum has a large garden area, which includes a 19th century church.

 

 

 

And the garden area even comes with its own "guard dog".

 

I believe the sign says -"Stay on walkways - OR ELSE".

[puppycanducruise]

Great comments and pictures.  Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your excursions are great.

 

But I think I will stay away from those spartan 4 wheel cars.  I need padding.

 

Great pictures.

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

You have to like their "light-hearted" look in traffic lights.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

They even erected a statue showing how they feel after being inundated with four cruise ships in one day!!! 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

In the early evening of August 31st, after spending three days in Akureyri, we finally got underway. The Captain announced that we were now all honorary citizens of Akureyri - as it was the longest time any cruise ship had stayed in Akureyri.  

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Did I mention we were finally leaving Akureyri?

 

Well - we didn't get far !!! 

 

About an hour out of Akureyri the Captain announced, that due to a medical emergency, he was turning the ship around and we would be returning to Akureyri.

 

Didn't look like we would ever get away, but fortunately the pilot boat met with us a short distance out of Akureyri and we unloaded the patient while at sea.

 

Up to this point in the cruise there were already several other medical incidents, including where one of the people we were on tour with in Alesund was taken off the ship in Akureyri and airlifted to Reykjavik.

[puppycanducruise]

Good luck to the passengers who needed medical assistance.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

As a mentioned before - things kept getting more interesting (frustrating?) as the cruise progressed.

 

It was at about this time where a notice came out that, due to a ship hitting the pier we were scheduled to dock at in New York, the Zuiderdam would now be docking in Brooklyn.

 

Apparently on August 28th the Carnival Horizon (their newest ship) hit the pier while trying to dock at the Manhattan cruise terminal.

 

As you can imagine - there was much gashing of teeth (along with a few choice words) as people had to rearrange their disembarkation plans.

 

"Oh well" - the best laid plans!

 

Actually didn't effect Lynne and I, as we were getting off in Halifax.

Edited November 9, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[trixiee]

1 minute ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

 

 

 

Actually didn't effect Lynne and I, as we were getting off in Halifax.

1

Can one do that?  I have a cruise in mind and would like to depart a few days before the cruise ends...

[GeorgeCharlie]

Usually not a problem, depending on the laws of the country you are getting off in. It is something which happens quite regularly and the cruise companies are used to dealing with these types of requests.

 

We have done it before including a couple of times where we got off in one country and re-boarded in another country.

 

You have to place your request at least several months prior to the scheduled departure date of your cruise. This so the cruise company can notify the authorities of the country you would be getting off in.

 

Make sure you have written authorization (in the form of a letter) on hand before you embark, apparently emails and texts will not always be accepted by the authorities. 

 

Even with a letter from HAL giving us permission to disembark in Halifax, we still had problems with Guest Services on the Zuiderdam.

 

A couple days after boarding I when to Guest Services to confirm they had record of us leaving the ship in Halifax. After some searching the staff member said he could find no record of it, but if I let him take a copy of the letter, he would make sure it was noted on our file.

 

The evening prior to arriving in Halifax, I once again checked with Guest Services and again they could find no record, but if he could take a copy of letter, he would make sure it was straighten out right away.

 

Well - guess what!

 

When we arrived at the gangway the next morning, security knew nothing about us disembarking. So we had to wait around while someone went to Guest Services to get it the matter settled. Fortunately, the Captain was at the security station while this debacle was going on - I hope he brought it up later with the appropriate staff members.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have really enjoyed your reports and pictures.

 

Yes -- it can be a hassle even when you have made arrangements through HAL to disembark at a port which is not the original disembarkation port.  Always wise to take the letter with and keep checking with the front office.

[GeorgeCharlie]

By the time we made it out of the fjord from Akureyri, a couple of the other ships were now ahead of us.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

We arrived in Isafjordur, Iceland early on the morning of September 1st. The weather was rather wet and dreary.

 

 

Didn't have any tours of the area booked, so we took one of the early tenders and went to have a walk around the town. Actually it is called a city, because apparently Iceland calls any place which has a population of more than 1000 a city and Isafjordur has a population of about 2500.

 

Seeing it was still early in the day, plus being Saturday, not many places were open.

 

A couple of the bakeries were open. This one had their old delivery truck parked out in front.

 

 

We stopped at one further down the street. Had a hot chocolate and used their Wi-Fi. They also had fresh baked monster cinnamon buns, tempting - but!

 

Edited November 9, 2018 by GeorgeCharlie

[GeorgeCharlie]

The Old Hospital now houses their Culture Centre and Museum. Unfortunately it was not open.

 

 

Statue in front of Old Hospital.

 

 

New Hospital.

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

This local church built was in 1995 and depicts a modernist view of ocean waves.

 

 

The church also features a sculpture of 740 clay birds, arranged in flight soaring above the alter piece. They were made by locals during a group art project.

 

Again unfortunately, the church was not open, so I grabbed this photo off the internet.

 

[Barrheadlass]

On 11/8/2018 at 2:58 AM, Balliett said:

best trip report this year

 

Absolutely!

[GeorgeCharlie]

A short distance from the Old Hospital is the public garden, which is home to the Whale Bone Arch. A structure that is five meters (16 feet) high and made from the jaws of a blue whale, the largest living mammal on Earth.

 

 

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

As a mentioned before - things kept getting more interesting (frustrating?) as the cruise progressed.

 

It was at about this time where a notice came out that, due to a ship hitting the pier we were scheduled to dock at in New York, the Zuiderdam would now be docking in Brooklyn.

 

Apparently on August 28th the Carnival Horizon (their newest ship) hit the pier while trying to dock at the Manhattan cruise terminal.

 

As you can imagine - there was much gashing of teeth (along with a few choice words) as people had to rearrange their disembarkation plans.

 

"Oh well" - the best laid plans!

 

Actually didn't effect Lynne and I, as we were getting off in Halifax.

Bill, it was actually later in the cruise when we got that notice about docking in Brooklyn. We were at sea off the coast of Greenland, a week before our scheduled arrival in NY.  I remember this because it did cause quite a hassle for Eileen and me, not just trying to rearrange things using the Zuiderdam’s painfully slow internet, but also because HAL’s letter of notification, clearly written by some corporate office fool (it was the same letter that people boarding on the next cruise got) curtly told people with independent arrangements to “plan accordingly.”  Not what you tell people at sea off the coast of Greenland. No offer to assist with a phone call, or provide internet access to anyone who needed it.  That letter was one of the few things during our trip that really ticked me off. 

 

It also said there would be taxis at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.  Sorry, ten taxis did not cut it.  (It seems like no one provided the appropriate notice to the green boro cabs that we had changed cruise terminals.) It was a mess of a morning for us getting off in Brooklyn. Luckily, I was able to phone a car service from the taxi line, and finally got out of there. 

 

I’m glad you were able to disembark in Halifax as you’d planned. 

 

Judith

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

48 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Bill, it was actually later in the cruise when we got that notice about docking in Brooklyn. 

 

I’m glad you were able to disembark in Halifax as you’d planned. 

 

Judith

 

 

Hi Judith,

 

Yes, I'm sure you are correct as to when the notice came out. I don't remember much about it - seeing it didn't affect us, we disregarded the notice and quickly forgot about it. But, I do remember many people on the ship having lots of comments about it.

 

Actually getting off in Halifax was a breeze (that is - after getting cleared by security). Security had some ship staff take our large suitcases to the terminal. There was no customs or immigration to go through, we just went to the taxi stand and waited until they got a van large enough to hold our luggage, and we were quickly off to the airport.

 

Bill

[Krazy Kruizers]

Still enjoying your reports.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'll take the cinnamon bun with the chocolate in top.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Some more pictures from around Isafjordur.

 

One of the restored buildings in the old part of town.

 

Looks like you could book a tour on quads.

 

Not sure what it is, but something was hanging out to dry in front of one place.

 

As you can tell, I was having problems finding interesting sights to take pictures of.