Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

27 minutes ago, Buddysmom10 said:

Tours or things to do in Sejdisfjordur?  We will be there on the  Sky from 8am-11pm. All we have booked is the free walking tour (1.5 hours).  The nature center tour is sold out and the Elf one doesn't excite me.  Is there much to see/do in the town?  Looks like there are a few restaurants but not sure if they are within walking distance.  I could not find any non-Viking tours either.

 

So what has everyone else done there for 15 hours?  

I haven't been yet.  There doesn't appear to be a whole lot.  But you can get an idea of things here: visitseydisfjordur.com 

 

From what I've seen, there are some shops, a few restaurants if you want to take a break from Viking food, some hikes (including to Budafoss waterfall), the rainbow street and blue church (with Avalanche "installation" nearby), and a tall waterfall (Gufafoss) 55 minutes away (walking).  There's also a thermal pool in town, and a golf course, although I don't know the hours or location of either one.   The included tour will no doubt take you down the rainbow street and to the church.  I think the restaurants aren't far from where the ship ties up.  I asked my spouse if he wanted to go to the sushi place, but he reminded me that the World Cafe has sushi just about every night.  Oh well. 

 

The elf tour doesn't sound great, but if you want to see puffins, apparently that's a tour you can take where people have reported seeing them fairly close up. If you're coming late August, though, they may all be gone by then.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/21/2021 at 11:32 AM, Clay Clayton said:

When it worked (pre-Covid) you could see the daily, menus in all venues, book reservations, see your onboard account. Not sure about booking excursions but it reminded you of them and dining reservations by notifying you 30 minutes or so ahead. We loved it!

 

On our Iceland cruise just completed it worked haphazardly. Sometimes all was good, other times it would be shut down immediately after opening. We tried deleting and reloading the app and that helped for a little bit but it quickly began to fail again. We finally gave up. 
 

I wonder if the app wasn’t updated when Apple did a big update since I think I heard some android folks say it was working fine for them. I just hope they fix it before we sail again. 

 

Even when it worked it was flawed. The dining menus were incomplete. And it had no info about arrival and departure times at the port, no "last call aboard" info.

 

It seems like iPhone users had almost all of the big problems. It mostly worked for me on my Android phone. But the WiFi would simply go out on the ship -- your phone would be connected to the WiFi but it would say "no internet" -- and then the app would not be able to update or take a health survey.

[FoggyEthan]

1 hour ago, Buddysmom10 said:

Tours or things to do in Sejdisfjordur?  We will be there on the  Sky from 8am-11pm. All we have booked is the free walking tour (1.5 hours).  The nature center tour is sold out and the Elf one doesn't excite me.  Is there much to see/do in the town?  Looks like there are a few restaurants but not sure if they are within walking distance.  I could not find any non-Viking tours either.

 

So what has everyone else done there for 15 hours?  

We did this private option:

https://arcticshorex.com/tours/seydisfjordur-fljotsdalur-valley/

 

It was very nice and very pretty. We paid for an extra hour so that we would not be rushed.  Even a second extra hour would have been nice.

 

[Doc who loves to travel]

2 hours ago, Buddysmom10 said:

Tours or things to do in Sejdisfjordur?  We will be there on the  Sky from 8am-11pm. All we have booked is the free walking tour (1.5 hours).  The nature center tour is sold out and the Elf one doesn't excite me.  Is there much to see/do in the town?  Looks like there are a few restaurants but not sure if they are within walking distance.  I could not find any non-Viking tours either.

 

So what has everyone else done there for 15 hours?  

We went for a two hour jog.  There are a few hikes around.  We hiked up to the waterfall right outside of the port and it looked like there were some others on the opposite side of the fjord.  There are a couple of restaurants there.  We had sunny weather and folks were enjoying it. 

 

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

2 hours ago, Buddysmom10 said:

Tours or things to do in Sejdisfjordur?  We will be there on the  Sky from 8am-11pm. All we have booked is the free walking tour (1.5 hours).  The nature center tour is sold out and the Elf one doesn't excite me.  Is there much to see/do in the town?  Looks like there are a few restaurants but not sure if they are within walking distance.  I could not find any non-Viking tours either.

 

So what has everyone else done there for 15 hours?  

We walked up to the golf course, crossed the street, walked down to a river, crossed over a bridge, saw a beautiful waterfall and hiked up the mountain and back through the "woods" to the ship. It was an amazing hike/walk and a great way to spend the afternoon. And it was FREE! 😃

This is a pic of the hiking map.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Florida Flounder, were you the person who posted wonderful pictures on Facebook (or maybe Cruise Critic) of your hike in Seydisfjordur? You started along the river and went up.......spent a couple hours and got back in time for dinner?   Or was that someone else?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Vefmyndavélar Faxaflóahafna | Faxaflóahafnir / Reykjavík harbour (faxafloahafnir.is)

 

Reykjavik is a popular destination today - there's a big little ship squished into the old harbor, and Jupiter, Silver Shadow and a tiny ship at the cruise port!

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

10 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Florida Flounder, were you the person who posted wonderful pictures on Facebook (or maybe Cruise Critic) of your hike in Seydisfjordur? You started along the river and went up.......spent a couple hours and got back in time for dinner?   Or was that someone else?

I think it was someone else. This town may not have all the extra tours like the others, but it does offer beautiful scenery and a great place to get out and hike. Oh, and one great piece of knowledge, there aren't any predators or snakes so that makes it more enjoyable. 😃

[jtwind]

I hate to bring this up, but does Iceland have a policy that would cut off visitors from the US (or any other country) if that country's covid numbers exceed a certain limit?

[Heidi13]

On 7/27/2021 at 4:11 AM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Vefmyndavélar Faxaflóahafna | Faxaflóahafnir / Reykjavík harbour (faxafloahafnir.is)

 

Reykjavik is a popular destination today - there's a big little ship squished into the old harbor, and Jupiter, Silver Shadow and a tiny ship at the cruise port!

 

The ship docked in the old harbour is the newly launched Crystal Endeavour. This might be its inaugural cruise.

[TayanaLorna]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:41 AM, dcl999 said:

We’re on the August 24 sailing. This is our first trip to Iceland and we rarely go back to places. 
We signed up for the golden circle tour. We’d appreciate some feedback. How much time are we going to be on the bus? What’s the longest segment? Does the guide talk for much of the ride? How many are on the busses now? How much time is spent at the various sights? Is there interesting stuff to see from the bus? We’ve been to Yellowstone, Niagara Falls, Craters of the Moon and the lava fields in Oregon. 
 

We took the Golden Circle excursion and loved it.  It is an 8.5 hour tour but ours was broken up by 4 stops plus lunch so it didn't seem that long at any given time on the bus.  Our guide was great with all kinds of info and the scenery was beautiful.  Each tour has a different order of stops so as to not crowd too many people at one site. We stopped at a Ski House (comfort break) with an adjacent geothermal area where a pressure valve was manually released giving a kind of geyser.  It was a short walk along a wooden platform.  Next stop was further where we had time to walk around a natural geothermal area where the term geyser was coined.  One could choose to walk high up to an overlook or just wander the paths around different geysers and pause to see the one reliably active geyser which spouted ever 10 minutes or so.  It was another comfort break.  Just a short 15 minute drive was the next feature of the magnificent Gullfoss where walking was easy on along either paved or gravel paths.  Our next stop was an excellent lunch at a hotel restaurant - another short drive.  Final stop was at Thingvellir where we had yet another confort break if desired, a scenic overlook and the walk through the rift in the two techtonic plates while learning about the history and signifcance of the area.  I would say each stop except the first was 45 about minutes to an hour.  We have been to Niagara Falls and spent a week camping in Yellowstone years ago.  Each place is different and awesome.

[TayanaLorna]

On 7/16/2021 at 5:03 PM, Kerrfamily said:

 

Our bus did not stop at Diamond Beach but slowed in both directions as we passed both the lagoon on one side and the beach on the other so we could see.  The Beach only had 3 or 4 icebergs at the waters edge and was no big deal.  I have seen fantastic photographs of that beach with numerous icebergs but this day no.  The BIG show was from the zodic getting upclose and personal with the glacier and different sizes and colors of the floating icebergs.

[TayanaLorna]

On 7/21/2021 at 11:29 AM, peribit said:

How long does it take to go through immigration and customs after arrival in KEF?  Our flight arrives at 6:40am.  There are about 10 flights arriving around that time.

We arrived at 6:20, were the 3rd flight to arrive that morning and were at the Harpa Hall in Reyjkavik via Viking transfer by 8:40.

[TayanaLorna]

On 7/21/2021 at 2:40 PM, PeabodyMa said:

Exactly where on the ship is the PCR Testing Lab located?

Dont know for sure but my guess for the lab and quarantine would be the cabins forward on the 7th or 8th deck as they are located in one short hallway with very little traffic.  Easy to quarantine.

[patchicago]

52 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Dont know for sure but my guess for the lab and quarantine would be the cabins forward on the 7th or 8th deck as they are located in one short hallway with very little traffic.  Easy to quarantine.

I am in one of those cabins on the 7th deck so I don’t think that’s the quarantine area. 

[peribit]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

We arrived at 6:20, were the 3rd flight to arrive that morning and were at the Harpa Hall in Reyjkavik via Viking transfer by 8:40.

So it took over an hour for the immigration and customs?  Was it after July 27 with the new testing requirement?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

COVID-19 Resource Center - Castlight Health

 

If anyone needs to find a location for Covid testing, the above link will take you to a locator that was recently added to My Viking Journey. 

[JeriGail]

5 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

Dont know for sure but my guess for the lab and quarantine would be the cabins forward on the 7th or 8th deck as they are located in one short hallway with very little traffic.  Easy to quarantine.

Someone else posted a photo of the lab door and said it was on the starboard side near the Wintergarden.

[CatefromNH]

On 7/26/2021 at 9:00 PM, Buddysmom10 said:

Tours or things to do in Sejdisfjordur?  We will be there on the  Sky from 8am-11pm. All we have booked is the free walking tour (1.5 hours).  The nature center tour is sold out and the Elf one doesn't excite me.  Is there much to see/do in the town?  Looks like there are a few restaurants but not sure if they are within walking distance.  I could not find any non-Viking tours either.

 

So what has everyone else done there for 15 hours?  

We did the morning Vok Bath excursion. The 45 minute drive was gorgeous - up through a mountain pass with lakes, waterfalls and many scenic vistas, even without sunshine. (Stops for photos on the return.) The baths were wonderful! A lovely facility on the edge of a lake. There is also a 7:00pm trip. 
In the afternoon we did the included tour and then walked up near the large waterfall in the middle of town. We didn’t go up very far, as it started to get quite steep, but enjoyed the view and a little extra exercise. We thought about having dinner at one of the little restaurants in town but decided against it, as it had become cold and windy by late afternoon.  

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Tendering: While it's true that the little anchor on our itineraries indicates we tender in a particular port, it looks like for most of Viking's visits this summer, we will be anchored in a berth. But if you're on Sky August 25 & Sept 1 you are scheduled to tender. The port schedule is here: http://seydisfjordurport.is/cruise-ships/  Strandabakki is the berth that is long enough for smallish cruise ships, plus the Norrona ferry that visits Seydisfjordur.  And a webcam for the port is here: https://www.windy.com/-Webcams/Iceland/Eastern-Region/Seydisfjordur/Seyðisfjarðarhöfn/webcams/1496859218?65.262,-15.650,8

 

Everything I've seen so far indicates that Viking has not/won't tender unless bumped out by the ferry or another cruise ship.  But if more ships get added to the port schedule, or the Norrona ferry needs to dock on a day that Viking is scheduled to visit, that could change. It's entirely up to the port.

 

I don't think Djupivogur and Heimaey have a large enough dock for anything but tendering, so it's pretty much a given that we'll tender there. 

 

(Sorry for the extra underling.)

Edited July 29, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[TayanaLorna]

17 hours ago, patchicago said:

I am in one of those cabins on the 7th deck so I don’t think that’s the quarantine area. 

Hmmm there goes that theory.  Anyone on deck 8?  Deck 8 has cabins on both PS and SB.  Either hallway would be easy to block off.   Most people don't even know you can get from the Upper Explorers to those hallways.

[JM0115]

21 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

The ship docked in the old harbour is the newly launched Crystal Endeavour. This might be its inaugural cruise.

We saw it there on July 17th which I think was the inaugural cruise.  

[readsalot]

Hi All,

I was trying to complete Verifly yesterday and had a problem trying to take a picture of my Covid shots card. The second date is hard to read and the program won’t accept it.  I’m wondering if I need a new card?

Thanks, Lynne

[TayanaLorna]

22 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Tendering: While it's true that the little anchor on our itineraries indicates we tender in a particular port, it looks like for most of Viking's visits this summer, we will be anchored in a berth. But if you're on Sky July 25 & Sept 1 you are scheduled to tender. The port schedule is here: http://seydisfjordurport.is/cruise-ships/  Strandabakki is the berth that is long enough for smallish cruise ships, plus the Norrona ferry that visits Seydisfjordur.  And a webcam for the port is here: https://www.windy.com/-Webcams/Iceland/Eastern-Region/Seydisfjordur/Seyðisfjarðarhöfn/webcams/1496859218?65.262,-15.650,8

 

Everything I've seen so far indicates that Viking has not/won't tender unless bumped out by the ferry or another cruise ship.  But if more ships get added to the port schedule, or the Norrona ferry needs to dock on a day that Viking is scheduled to visit, that could change. It's entirely up to the port.

 

I don't think Djupivogur and Heimaey have a large enough dock for anything but tendering, so it's pretty much a given that we'll tender there. 

 

(Sorry for the extra underling.)

After seeing Seydisfjordur, there is only one long dock for suitable for 1 cruise ship or 1 ferry. Djupivogur harbor is only big enough for local fishing boats.  The entrance into Heimaey is narrow, the channel turns a bit and all the docks are small.  The latter 2 ports are definitely anchor/tender.  Djupivogur is fairly protected for anchoring.  The inner harbor at Heimaey is very well protected but the outer area where a ship must anchor is not.  

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

4 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

After seeing Seydisfjordur, there is only one long dock for suitable for 1 cruise ship or 1 ferry. Djupivogur harbor is only big enough for local fishing boats.  The entrance into Heimaey is narrow, the channel turns a bit and all the docks are small.  The latter 2 ports are definitely anchor/tender.  Djupivogur is fairly protected for anchoring.  The inner harbor at Heimaey is very well protected but the outer area where a ship must anchor is not.  

Just out of curiosity, do you remember roughly how long it took to tender in Djupivogur and Heimaey, once tender was loaded up, untied, and took off?  Someone said 15 minutes in Heimaey but it looks like it's a long way from where the ship anchors and might be more.  And was Less for Djupivogur?   (And I realize it varies due to sea conditions, actual anchorage, etc.  I'm just curious.)