Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[Wander58]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:55 PM, peribit said:

Can you post back after you talk to United?  I would feel more comfortable if we get the same answer.

Still no answer back from United...I emailed them on Aug 1.  Figured if I called the support person would not have a clue.  Hopefully this way, someone will research it.

[peribit]

16 minutes ago, Wander58 said:

Still no answer back from United...I emailed them on Aug 1.  Figured if I called the support person would not have a clue.  Hopefully this way, someone will research it.

I have called them and did not get a clear answer.  Hopefully the will email you back.

[SkystheLimit]

On 7/31/2021 at 12:05 PM, Crockett&Darla said:

So what does Akureyri, Iceland and an Oak Ridge, TN Friday night hangout have in common?

 

We're right back in Iceland on a Friday night. It was great. To be sure....I tried it a second time. Cheers🍺

Oak Ridge has always been a world leader!  My aunt and uncle lived there for 40 plus years.  Always enjoyed visiting them. 

[OffToSailTheWaters]

3 hours ago, SkystheLimit said:

Oak Ridge has always been a world leader!  My aunt and uncle lived there for 40 plus years.  Always enjoyed visiting them. 

And you can get a growler filled.  You can’t do that in Iceland 

[Chicagocruiser919]

Just received this notice in an email from Viking re: our 9/7 Viking Jupiter cruise:

04AUG2021

Dear Viking Guest,

This message is to advise you of a change to what was previously communicated regarding independent exploration in Iceland.

On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the travel advisory level for Iceland to a "Level 3." As a result of this change, we do not expect that independent exploration will be permitted. Therefore only Viking-operated shore excursions will be allowed during your voyage. Rest assured, we will offer a range of shore excursions, including sightseeing, special interest and active tours, and each one will be hosted by an experienced guide. We continue to monitor the situation and will notify you of any changes. 

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please call Reservations at 1-855-300-3970, Monday through Sunday, 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, PT.

We look forward to welcoming you on board.

Sincerely,

Viking

[KAP1998]

On 7/24/2021 at 3:36 PM, KAP1998 said:

I have a question about embarkation; my husband and I are coming in a day early so we will get ourselves to the port.  We were interested in booking a 1/2 day tour from Reykjavik the day we embark, but the tour doesn't start until 1pm.  Is it possible to check in at 11am and get back to the city to catch that tour?  Not sure how long it will take to check into (onto?) the ship.  Thanks.

Thanks for all of the responses.  Follow up question:  now that the "bubble" has been reactivated, what is the latest we would be able to check in?  Is it possible to check in after the tour and have the hotel hold our bags until we get to the port?

[Wander58]

On 8/1/2021 at 12:28 PM, peribit said:

I am interested in the eMed test that United is using.

 

HI,

I finally heard back from United:

 

The only test we allow right now is:

• Type of test - must be a viral (NAAT or antigen) COVID-19 test and
• Test result - must state "negative", "SARS-CoV-2 RNA not detected" or "SARS-CoV-2 antigen not detected"

My guess is the Walgreens 24-hour test would be OK since it's NAAT.  As a precaution, we are going to get a non-rapid CVS PCR test a week before we go.  THEN, we'll get the Rapid Antigen 1-hr test near the PHX airport the day before we leave.

[TayanaLorna]

5 hours ago, KAP1998 said:

Thanks for all of the responses.  Follow up question:  now that the "bubble" has been reactivated, what is the latest we would be able to check in?  Is it possible to check in after the tour and have the hotel hold our bags until we get to the port?

I think that once you check on to the ship you are in the bubble and that's it.  I would contact Viking as to how late you can check in.

[ustowas]

Has anyone encountered pay toilets? if so what coins/method of payment are needed.

[TayanaLorna]

21 minutes ago, ustowas said:

Has anyone encountered pay toilets? if so what coins/method of payment are needed.

We did not encounter any pay toilets.  In the cases where there was a turnstile and a coin box, it was deactivated and one just walked through.  Viking was quite creative in arranging for comfort break locations and there were numerous opportunities on every long excursion.  I don't know about the shorter included though.

[NeilP57]

20 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

We did not encounter any pay toilets.  In the cases where there was a turnstile and a coin box, it was deactivated and one just walked through.  Viking was quite creative in arranging for comfort break locations and there were numerous opportunities on every long excursion.  I don't know about the shorter included though.

 Live from Sky

This matches our own experience. No coinage needed at all. Indeed we have managed without any local currency. We have used our MasterCard when we have purchased anything locally. Just remember a PIN number is likely to be required. 

[ustowas]

Thanks for the input! one less thing to worry about!

[Mizzou70]

Normally, we are very satisfied Viking customers.  Today not so much. A couple weeks ago, I struggled to get Verifly to accept my husband's vaccination card but finally with some creativity succeeded.  The green check marks appeared with both of our pictures and I thought we were ready to go. Today, we received a call from Viking stating that they did not have my husband's info.  Essentially, the only way to correct is to delete everything and start over.  Of course, the Viking rep said that completing the app is not required. We should just be sure to bring our vaccination cards. Check in may take longer.  The Viking rep was not particularly interested in being helpful.  He told me to call Verifly.  The Verifly rep was better but had no answers and said that Verifly has done what it is supposed to do.  So I wasted time and effort and now we will waste more time at check.  Most frustrating.

[StuLaurie]

2 hours ago, ustowas said:

Has anyone encountered pay toilets? if so what coins/method of payment are needed.

We did the first 3 days on our own. One Info Center we went to had a box outside the bathroom with a picture of Krona and a picture of a US $1.00 bill so we used US money there. A couple of other places had turnstiles and we could either use Apple Pay or a CC. It came to 1.66 converted on our CC when we checked. Just an FYI one of the pay ones did not have any toilet paper so always have a tissue with you. 

[dcl999]

Are there still buffets in the world cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Also, which night of the cruise is the seafood buffet?

[dcl999]

Many thanks to the person who suggested watching Trapped on Amazon prime 

[Heartgrove]

On 8/6/2021 at 12:27 PM, ustowas said:

Has anyone encountered pay toilets? if so what coins/method of payment are needed.

 

I noticed that Guilfoss Visitor Center had pay toilets (200 Kr) but it was not classified as a comfort stop on the Golden Circle excursion. The stop before and the stop after were free.

[TayanaLorna]

9 hours ago, dcl999 said:

Are there still buffets in the world cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Also, which night of the cruise is the seafood buffet?

Yes there are still buffets but they are NOT self serve.  Staff will dish what you want and hand it to you.  I did encounter a line a some of the serving stations one morning at breakfast.

 

All three cruises we have taken had the seafood buffet on the 2nd night.

[TayanaLorna]

9 hours ago, dcl999 said:

Many thanks to the person who suggested watching Trapped on Amazon prime 

Check out Katla also.  Its a fun sci fi type of series combining Icelandic folklore.  Don't remember if it is Amazon or Netflix.

[Ballerina Sweetie Pie]

58 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Yes there are still buffets but they are NOT self serve.  Staff will dish what you want and hand it to you.  I did encounter a line a some of the serving stations one morning at breakfast.

 

All three cruises we have taken had the seafood buffet on the 2nd night.

I prefer to be served in a buffet- less people digging around in my food 👍🏻

[TayanaLorna]

2 hours ago, Ballerina Sweetie Pie said:

I prefer to be served in a buffet- less people digging around in my food 👍🏻

Agreed and hope they continue the served buffet in the future. 

[Chicagocruiser919]

From Reuters News Service:

August 10, 2021, 4:23 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on Monday against travel to Israel, France, Thailand, Iceland and several other countries because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in those nations. 

 

The CDC has been adding to its highest "Level 4: Very High" COVID-19 level as cases spread around the globe. 

 

The U.S. State Department also issued its parallel Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisories for Iceland and France on Monday.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 8/9/2021 at 12:06 PM, TayanaLorna said:

Agreed and hope they continue the served buffet in the future. 

Agree. Oceania has been doing served buffets for a very long time, and while some people don't like having to wait for things, it really is a better way to do it.  Even if/when we knock out Covid, there will probably still be things like norovirus to make free-for-all buffet lines a bad idea. 

[TayanaLorna]

33 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Agree. Oceania has been doing served buffets for a very long time, and while some people don't like having to wait for things, it really is a better way to do it.  Even if/when we knock out Covid, there will probably still be things like norovirus to make free-for-all buffet lines a bad idea. 

Served buffets are definitely the best way to reduce norovirus - that and Viking personnel insisting you disinfect/wash your hands at every dining entrance.  We normally like table service for dinner, but on our cruise we ate dinner in the World Cafe more because it was less crowded and not self serve.  Some of the Restaurant 2 person tables were only a foot apart and during busy times, guests were seated at all of them.  In the WC all the 4 person tables along the windows were set for 2 people which allowed for a much better social distancing meal.

[NeilP57]

8 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

Served buffets are definitely the best way to reduce norovirus - that and Viking personnel insisting you disinfect/wash your hands at every dining entrance.  We normally like table service for dinner, but on our cruise we ate dinner in the World Cafe more because it was less crowded and not self serve.  Some of the Restaurant 2 person tables were only a foot apart and during busy times, guests were seated at all of them.  In the WC all the 4 person tables along the windows were set for 2 people which allowed for a much better social distancing meal.

We used the WC for dinner for the first time on this our third VO cruise. We enjoyed the extra space and the more relaxed atmosphere and flexibility on what we had to eat and when. The service was still excellent. We will do it again on our Homelands cruise next year.