Iceland Excursion

[Porcupine 52]

We are scheduled for the Viking homeland trip in late August... ( fingers crossed here).  Looking at the Iceland pre trip excursion.  Would like some opinions of those of you that have been  on that Viking excursion... is it worth doing...?  Never been to Iceland. Maybe the only time in my life I will get a chance to go?

[Jim Avery]

We went with Viking's Blue Lagoon tour on the first half of the Ultimate WC.  It was great.  A guided tour to and from the Lagoon and expedited admission.  It was more than expected and the hot thermal waters were so comfortable as above the water there was wind and a bit of snow.  Getting in and out of the water in a bathing suit was a shock for this Southern boy but once back in the changing space endless hot water in the showers quickly restored body temperature.   The trip to and from showed us some of Iceland's bleak charm.  There are other Viking tours that give a more of an overview  but we wanted the Blue Lagoon experience.

[Porcupine 52]

This excursion is called Iceland and the Golden circle.  3 days in Reykjavik with trips to the Blue Lagoon and and Thingvellir Nation Park.  Looks like we are staying at the Hilton Nordia

[Clay Clayton]

I can’t speak to Iceland in particular but I can advise about Pre-trip extensions. We did the two night one in Bejing and found it to be a good value. For about the same price as we had paid for two nights in a Crown Plaza, we were accommodated at a JW Marriott, had a full day of touring including expedited admissions at the zoo 🐻‍❄️And the summer palace, half day tour the 2nd day followed by transportation to the port (a 2 hour drive), two banquet style lunches and two breakfasts. We wouldn’t hesitate to book a pre or post cruise extension again if the price is comparable to what we would end up paying for a hotel. 

[Jim Avery]

4 minutes ago, Porcupine 52 said:

This excursion is called Iceland and the Golden circle.  3 days in Reykjavik with trips to the Blue Lagoon and and Thingvellir Nation Park.  Looks like we are staying at the Hilton Nordia

I remember those of us who went on the Golden Circle tour were also very pleased.  I also had limited prior knowledge of Iceland but my Baby Sister had been there the year before and spent quite a bit of time there.  She went everywhere but told me if I only had one day, go to the Blue Lagoon.  So we did.  Next time the Golden Circle....... Maybe.  That BL is mighty comfy..

[Porcupine 52]

I assume that other Viking Homeland cruisers would be on the tour also?  Not sure about how many?  I think I will give Viking a call today.  The BL sounds great after a long flight from Seattle ( I assume)

[Eastporter]

We are planning a self guided Iceland trip on the backend of a June Homelands cruise (if it goes!).  We will base in Reykjavik and drive the south coast to the big glacier.  We lived there in the 70's for three years (US Navy) and have been back on vacation twice in the past 10 yrs.   If I only had the three days of a typical Viking extension, I would do the Golden Circle tour (the Big Three - Thingvellir (first Icelandic democratic assembly - in 930 AD, Geysir (like Old Faithful) and Gullfoss (Niagara Falls experience).   Long bus trip, but worth it.   I have mixed feelings on the Blue Lagoon - very touristy and often crowded.   The outdoor municipal pools in Reykjavik are inexpensive, are also geothermal and have "hot tubs or hot pots" associated with them.   They are, however, not in the middle of a lava field as the BL is.   They are also not a 45 min bus ride away.  

 

 I would budget some quality time for Reykjavik itself.   Good shopping streets (Laugavegur has good small shops), modern cathedral (you can go up the elevator for the view) with a statute of Leif Ericsson outside  and fascinating Natural History Museum (good exhibits on the Vikings - just like the History Channel series).   Reykjavik is a small city and very walkable.  Good (but expensive) restaurants (make reservations) and nightlife in the summer that starts late and goes to 3 am or so.  Of course, there isn't much darkness in the summer.  You enter the club in the light at 10pm and exit at 3 am to daylight.   Expect temps in the 50's but prepare for precipitation.   What I wouldn't do is take a whale watch from Reykjavik.   You may only see 1-2 small minke whales (or whale sharks) but the real whales are on the north coast. 

 

If our Viking cruise doesn't go, we will go onto Iceland anyway this June (assuming we can enter - US travelers are still on the naughty list today).   We have a prepaid hotel and airfare already.  

[cmaasfamily]

2 hours ago, Eastporter said:

You enter the club in the light at 10pm and exit at 3 am to daylight.    

Let me fix that for the Viking demographic (me included)...

 

You enter the bed in the light at 10pm and exit the bathroom at 3 am to daylight. 😉

[Little Monty]

5 hours ago, Porcupine 52 said:

We are scheduled for the Viking homeland trip in late August... ( fingers crossed here).  Looking at the Iceland pre trip excursion.  Would like some opinions of those of you that have been  on that Viking excursion... is it worth doing...?  Never been to Iceland. Maybe the only time in my life I will get a chance to go?

 

We did a 2 night extension with Viking post our Bergen - Reykjavik cruise in 2019. It was excellent. From the ship straight to the Blue Lagoon with a Viking escort. We stayed at the Grand Hotel rather the Hilton (it was fine). Unfortunately Viking did not offer the Golden Circle tour so we went with a local company named 'Arctic Adventures' - very enjoyable. We did some independent sightseeing and found it easy to get around.

 

If you want to try a local restaurant I can recommend this place;

 

Um okkur | www.maturogdrykkur.is | Reykjavík

 

Try the Halibut Soup if it is still on the menu, delicious.

 

We loved our time in Iceland and really enjoyed Reykjavik. We thought the Viking extension was good value and was well organised.

 

[Little Monty]

... I should have added for OP - both the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle tour are 'must-do' events which I'm sure you will enjoy.

[Peregrina651]

My brother did the extension with Viking and was not thrilled with the location of the hotel; it was too far from the action. It rained most of the time they were in Iceland. Getting cabs was difficult, especially in the rain, and there were very few restaurants in the neighborhood of the hotel, thus they were stuck eating in the hotel, which was expensive.

 

We were supposed to do Bergen to Reykjavik with Viking this past summer. In the process, I learned that Icelandair allows/encourages stopovers in Iceland. I also learned that, from Boston, it was the fastest way to get to Bergen since Icelandair flies non-stop from Boston. So, we planned our own pre-cruise extension, stopping in Iceland before proceeding to Bergen on embarkation day.

• I paid attention to what my brother said and booked a hotel closer to the restaurants.
• I booked tours and airport transfers with GrayLine -- I'd rather be on a bus than jammed into a minivan that is filled to capacity.
• If you aren't booking private tours that will pick you up at your hotel, pick a hotel that is convenient to one of the bus stops located around town. (Map of stops available on line) The airport transfer buses (much, much cheaper than a taxi or limo) also use these stops.
• Since the flights to Boston don't take off until late afternoon, early evening, we also booked a tour to fill the time between disembarking and heading to the airport to return home. GreyLine had pick up on the dock but it is also walking distance from the ship. 
• Everyone says Blue Lagoon is a must do but before you decide, you might want to know that a shower is required before entering the pool and there are no private shower stalls within the locker rooms.

[NeilP57]

Iceland is a fabulous destination and if you are doing it in just a few days then the Golden Circle is a must.

 

I agree that the BL can be a bit touristy and there are other more ‘local’ alternatives, but we have been on a 13 day self booked trip around Iceland a few years ago from the UK and we went to the BL early on in our trip and enjoyed it so much that we returned again towards the end of the trip. 

 

We have done pre cruise extensions with Viking three times now and whilst you can be tempted to do the math(s) and see if I can do it a little cheaper, there is comfort in knowing that Viking is looking after you. We have never been disappointed.  
 

We are booked on the Viking Homelands cruise departing Stockholm on August 18 so if it’s the same cruise, it will be great to hear how the pre cruise trip to Iceland went. 
 

 

[beanpittsburgh]

We did the Gold Circle tour with another company but I would say it was worth it.   Reykjavik s a nice but very expensive city.  The Blue Lagoon was probably the highlight of our visit.