Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[Doc who loves to travel]

15 hours ago, Cruiser1854 said:

Hi,

 

Just browsed Viking cruises, new bookings.  Looks like all the cruises not already booked are being offered 

free Silver Spirit packages ?

If your cruise offers it, I would ask for the same deal.  Or cancel and rebook. Unfortunately ours is sold out. 

[librarylady19]

1 hour ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

We have one full day in Iceland before cruise.  Would you a) go to blue lagoon or b) hike to view volcano?  We are very active people.  Haven't found anything to do both in same day. 

Take the hike! We were at Blue Lagoon in 2017 and it was fun but pricey and crowded. Get out and explore nature while you can as we will be confined to ship when not on Viking tours!

Edited May 16, 2021 by librarylady19

[librarylady19]

1 hour ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

If your cruise offers it, I would ask for the same deal.  Or cancel and rebook. Unfortunately ours is sold out. 

Keep in mind that the original Iceland cruisings were significantly less expensive so we are still ahead!

[janetcbl]

2 hours ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

We have one full day in Iceland before cruise.  Would you a) go to blue lagoon or b) hike to view volcano?  We are very active people.  Haven't found anything to do both in same day. 

( Not sure I am permitted to post this, so please delete if not allowed.) Before you decide, if you are on Facebook, check out “Iceland Geography/Seismic Volcanic Activity in Iceland” where people have posted about their hikes. It involves more than a simple hike.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

We have one full day in Iceland before cruise.  Would you a) go to blue lagoon or b) hike to view volcano?  We are very active people.  Haven't found anything to do both in same day. 

 

They are close together. Rent a car for the day?  Automatic trans seem to be readily available.  

 

Keep up on volcano doings to make sure that hike option is still available. 

[jtwind]

2 hours ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

We have one full day in Iceland before cruise.  Would you a) go to blue lagoon or b) hike to view volcano?  We are very active people.  Haven't found anything to do both in same day. 

 

What I read says that it is quite possible that you may have to spend much of that day quarantined in your hotel, waiting for your test result.

[Peregrina651]

14 minutes ago, jtwind said:

 

What I read says that it is quite possible that you may have to spend much of that day quarantined in your hotel, waiting for your test result.

 

Only if the full day Doc is talking about is the day they arrive. Otherwise, by the time they get going the next morning, 24 hours will have passed and they will be good to go.  

[jtwind]

10 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Only if the full day Doc is talking about is the day they arrive. Otherwise, by the time they get going the next morning, 24 hours will have passed and they will be good to go.  

Of course.  But the previous responses failed to point that out.

[Peregrina651]

4 minutes ago, jtwind said:

Of course.  But the previous responses failed to point that out.

 

Hence the clarification, so that future readers won't be confused or misunderstand. 

[jtwind]

3 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Hence the clarification, so that future readers won't be confused or misunderstand. 

You win, but you should have pointed out that the wait time could also be much less than 24 hours after landing.

Edited May 16, 2021 by jtwind

[Ballerina Sweetie Pie]

4 hours ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

If your cruise offers it, I would ask for the same deal.  Or cancel and rebook. Unfortunately ours is sold out. 

 

1 hour ago, jtwind said:

You win, but you should have pointed out that the wait time could also be much less than 24 hours after landing.

We booked Thursday on Jupiter for Sept 7-14/21. I noticed they were offering Silver Spirits yesterday- called & they added it to our booking- no problem. YAY!!

[jtwind]

Ok.  So, with the possibility of having to quarantine for up to 24 hrs, plus the off chance of flight delays, how far in advance are y'all planning on arriving in Iceland?  48 hours?

 

And please, please.  I hope no one here is planning on ducking the quarantine rules and potentially ruining things for everyone else.

[Cruiser1854]

https://www.covid.is/categories/travel-to-and-within-iceland
 

This link seems the best source for current COVID restrictions in Iceland.

 

Note the 5/31 date for effective end date.

 

As we all know, things are still fluid and likely to change by the time of each person’s scheduled sailing.

————————

‘The current measures at the border are valid until 31.5.2021 

In quarantine

You may

Take a short walk around your quarantine accommodation

Use the airport shuttle bus from the airport 

Use a private car from the airport

Use a taxi from the airport

Go to the doctor, but call first

You may not

Go to tourist destinations

Go to the site of the volcanic eruption

Be in a crowded place

Use town buses, domestic flights or public transport

Go for a drive

Go to the shops or restaurants.

Stay in a motorhome/caravan

Stay at a youth hostel’

[Dukefan]

1 hour ago, jtwind said:

Ok.  So, with the possibility of having to quarantine for up to 24 hrs, plus the off chance of flight delays, how far in advance are y'all planning on arriving in Iceland?  48 hours?

 

And please, please.  I hope no one here is planning on ducking the quarantine rules and potentially ruining things for everyone else.

The fine for violating Quarantine in Iceland is currently 50,000 - 250,000 ISK (approximately 400 - 2,000 USD) depending on gravity of the offense.   Hopefully everyone will show enough patience and respect for the Icelandic population to fully comply with their Covid policy.

 

In answer to your question we plan to arrive about 30 hours before we plan to board the ship for our cruise and are fully prepared to spend the first 24 hours in quarantine if neccesary.   Since we are arriving at about before 8 am, we are in hopes we can get our results back by 8 pm so that we can go out for a nice dinner and a walk.   If not, we will eat dinner in our room and go for the walk the next morning.  To reduce the risk of a surprise positive test on arrival, our current plan is to self quarantine seven days prior to our departure for Iceland and get tested about a couple of days before our departure. 

[Dukefan]

A fun article about what it is like working on a cruise ship:  https://www.insider.com/interesting-fun-things-about-working-on-a-cruise-ship-2021-5

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 4/24/2021 at 8:57 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

Yes, you can sign up for multiple excursion. Before, there had to be at least 30 minutes between the end of one and the start of the next. Don't  know if that will continue to be the same. Also, you used to be able to add an excursion simply by showing up at the muster point and asking if there was space. Sometimes, this was the safer move if you were concerned that you would not be back in time. Better/cheaper to add than pay for a tour that you might arrive late 

My strategy in the past has been to look for opportunities to book an afternoon included excursion AND an optional shortish morning excursion, making sure there's an hour in between. The hour is in case the morning excursion starts off late and/or gets back late, leaves little time to grab lunch or snack, or a combination of all 3.  It often doesn't work out so I can do that, but I still try.  When the ship is fully booked, my experience has been that there are usually plenty of morning included excursion time slots plus a smaller number of afternoon ones. But with reduced capacity sailings, plus Viking's plan to reduce the number of people on each coach, who knows what we'll see?!

[Heartgrove]

3 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

  When the ship is fully booked, my experience has been that there are usually plenty of morning included excursion time slots plus a smaller number of afternoon ones. But with reduced capacity sailings, plus Viking's plan to reduce the number of people on each coach, who knows what we'll see?!

 

The current understanding from Viking is that the sold out cruises are at full capacity. That would be the original four cruises. I believe that question has not been asked regarding the other cruises.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Heartgrove

[Donaghadee]

16 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

 

The current understanding from Viking is that the sold out cruises are at full capacity. That would be the original four cruises. I believe that question has not been asked regarding the other cruises.

 

 

Viking has stated in their written materials that the ships will sail with "reduced capacity".

What that means exactly is open to speculation.  The number of 75% has popped up repeatedly.

Fully booked probably means all 75% capacity spoken for, hence full capacity.

[Heartgrove]

Just now, Donaghadee said:

Viking has stated in their written materials that the ships will sail with "reduced capacity".

What that means exactly is open to speculation.  The number of 75% has popped up repeatedly.

Fully booked probably means all 75% capacity spoken for, hence full capacity.

 

On one of the forum threads (I'm not sure which one and by who), the question was posed to the Viking rep and the response was 928 passengers. Capacity is 930 passengers on Viking Ocean ships.

 

I wish and hope it is 75% or so. One of the CDC requirements is to have space to quarantine passengers if need be. But these are not CDC regulated cruises.

[id4elizabeth]

I spoke with a Viking rep this morning and she told me 928 passengers were aboard the Sky for our sailing on July 17.  That's not 75%, but FULL as in FULL capacity.  She said that early on there had been discussions about reduced capacity, but that they had decided that their Covid protocols were so excellent they could load up to the max.  I asked how that was going to work with social distancing in common areas like dining and she said they were extending restaurant hours to accommodate all passengers.   I guess that means some of us will be dining at 3:30 and others at 10:00.  Now, having been led astray by Viking reps recently on any number of issues, I'm not sure I believe what she told me, but there you are.

[Donaghadee]

2 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

 

On one of the forum threads (I'm not sure which one and by who), the question was posed to the Viking rep and the response was 928 passengers. Capacity is 930 passengers on Viking Ocean ships.

 

I wish and hope it is 75% or so. One of the CDC requirements is to have space to quarantine passengers if need be. But these are not CDC regulated cruises.

 

I got the number second hand.  Don't know if it's good or not.  Our niece and her hubby will be joining us on the July 10 sailing.  When she called in to book, she claims the rep told her something to the effect of "Good thing you got through, there are only four or five cabins left out of 350".  There are 465 cabins on board, so 3/4 full.

[Donaghadee]

1 minute ago, id4elizabeth said:

I spoke with a Viking rep this morning and she told me 928 passengers were aboard the Sky for our sailing on July 17.  That's not 75%, but FULL as in FULL capacity.  She said that early on there had been discussions about reduced capacity, but that they had decided that their Covid protocols were so excellent they could load up to the max.  I asked how that was going to work with social distancing in common areas like dining and she said they were extending restaurant hours to accommodate all passengers.   I guess that means some of us will be dining at 3:30 and others at 10:00.  Now, having been led astray by Viking reps recently on any number of issues, I'm not sure I believe what she told me, but there you are.

Sounds fully contrary to their published  materials.  There might be some displeased  passengers, but 

I guess I'm not worried.  We'll know for sure when the first cruise pax start posting here. 

[Dukefan]

From today’s REYKJAVIK GRAPEVINE:

10 Tourists Detained At Keflavík Airport

On Saturday, 10 people arriving at Keflavík Airport were stopped from entering the country. Due to a new regulation by the Minister of Justice, unnecessary travel from and to specified danger areas is banned from the April 27th and valid until the end of May. The people arriving did not meet the conditions for entering the country, as they arrived from Spain.

 

Sigurgeir Ómar Sigmundsson, chief police officer at Keflavík, stated in an interview with RÚV, “We have ten people in our custody who are not allowed to come into the country on the basis of a regulation by the Minister of Justice. These people are not vaccinated and their trip is considered unnecessary. They don’t have residency or family ties here. They are tourists.”

 

Foreigners coming from or having stayed in an area where the 14-day incidence infection rate exceeds 700 per 100,000 population for more than 24 hours in the last 14 days, or when sufficient information from an area is not available, are not allowed to enter the country.

 

Spain has just been put on the danger list last Friday. The ban applies to all foreigners, both EEA and EFTA citizens, as well as all third-country nationals. Exceptions are given in the new regulation and do not apply to those with permanent residency and those vaccinated.

 

When asked what will await the 10 people from Spain, Sigurgeir answered, ”The National Commissioner of Police’s support department will take care of the transport and they will probably be sent back with the next machine.”

 

He mentioned further that those people have apparently not reacted well to the news.

[vslparis]

We are arriving at 7am two days before the cruise and plan to hang out at our hotel until we get the results. Next day do a Golden Circle small group tour. I saw this on the Icelandic government site -

If you don´t get a message within 24 hours the result is negative.

 

I guess that no news is good news !  At the end of the day, Iceland was formed 25 million years ago and has been inhabited for about 2500 years. If , for some reason, we don’t  get to see and do what we wanted this time around , we’ll come back because I am pretty sure it will still be there 😉

 

While we have been to Mexico 3 times, Disney World , the Dominican Republic and on a Mississippi River cruise  ( all done with wearing a mask when required and following the required safety measures ) since July of last year , we are just  happy to be sailing on the ocean again.

[LibraryJo]

10 hours ago, Ballerina Sweetie Pie said:

We booked Thursday on Jupiter for Sept 7-14/21.

We booked this same cruise on Friday.  I just started a roll call for it.  Hope you will join us there, Ballerina Sweetie Pie!