Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[Ballerina Sweetie Pie]

Hi there. Glad you started a Roll Call. I will join you there!!

[Ballerina Sweetie Pie]

14 hours ago, MarkTapley said:

This is not correct!

 

See reference below, one of many available from a quick Google search, to correctly describe what vaccine efficacy means.

A couple relevant quotes:

 

“One common misunderstanding is that 95% efficacy means that in the Pfizer clinical trial, 5% of vaccinated people got COVID. But that's not true; the actual percentage of vaccinated people in the Pfizer (and Moderna) trials who got COVID-19 was about a hundred times less than that: 0.04%.”

 

“What the 95% actually means is that vaccinated people had a 95% lower risk of getting COVID-19 compared with the control group participants, who weren't vaccinated.”

 

https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-explained.html

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Ballerina Sweetie Pie
Blank response

[Ballerina Sweetie Pie]

Thank you for clarifying that!! I feel much better now.

[GVHarrier]

2 hours ago, vslparis said:

I think that we are on the same flight on 23 June  (UA966 at 9:25 pm ) .  Our hotel is allowing a luggage drop and newly arrived passengers to wait for their results there .  That is going to be a long wait so I too am hoping that the test on arrival thing changes for vaccinated passengers. Not holding out a lot of hope for that but am willing to be pleasantly

surprised 😉. Have a Golden Circle tour booked for the next day . 

We are fully prepared to just go with the flow in these unusual times.

Well that makes at least 3 parties on the same flight. Momof4 is on that flight as well. We all plan to do Golden Circle tour the next day too. We have freed up at least six slots on the Viking Golden Circle tour for fellow passengers.

 

I hope we don't just end up sitting in a hotel lobby while we wait. I don't see how all of the listed hotels would have enough extra rooms for people to isolate in.

[Donaghadee]

I have a friend who runs the lab at a nearby hospital.  Sent her a text asking about the all-up cost of a PCR lab and the unit cost of the test.  I hope to have an answer sometime tomorrow.  I'll share what I learn.

 

[Clay Clayton]

Seems like someone(s) on this thread or one of the many Icelandic rollcalls who was staying in Iceland after the cruise talked about having to figure out how to get the US required reentry Covid test. TPG just published a review of one of the self tests that the CDC has approved. Looks to me like you would just need to find an internet connection for this one to work. 
https://thepointsguy.com/news/abbott-at-home-covid-test/

[Delhi Ocean Cruiser]

Travel materials for 26 June sailing arrived in the mail today!! It’s official now!!

[EJLobster]

Iceland has tried to clarify it's Covid rules:      https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/05/17/a_simplified_guide_to_iceland_s_covid_19_travel_rul/?fbclid=IwAR176zend1kD4Z9_jkW6gzLjbCQsDzkbyw1JglzsYvM0-15wea1kQUwJPT0

[bobchico]

14 minutes ago, EJLobster said:

Iceland has tried to clarify it's Covid rules:      https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/05/17/a_simplified_guide_to_iceland_s_covid_19_travel_rul/?fbclid=IwAR176zend1kD4Z9_jkW6gzLjbCQsDzkbyw1JglzsYvM0-15wea1kQUwJPT0

After being tested at the airport, where do we quarantine?  At the airport, the ship, somewhere else?

[jtwind]

I was very interested in this trip because, at first glance, it looks like a very port intensive cruise.  But now I'm seeing that it is not really so.

 

There was a cruise line in Europe that decided that they also wanted to keep a bubble, and allow folks to only get off the ship on their own excursions.  What they did was match the prices of similar excursions offered locally, increase the number of offerings to assure that everyone could do what they wanted, and offer all day biking and/or hiking excursions in which passengers could really stretch their legs without interacting with locals.

 

I think Viking could do much better.

 

Also, I know that they have to give everyone the opportunity to do the included excursion.  This means that most would spend the majority of time in port on the ship.  Slow speed scenic cruising with less time docked would suit most better.

 

I know, I know.   Just don't go.

[Peregrina651]

42 minutes ago, jtwind said:

I was very interested in this trip because, at first glance, it looks like a very port intensive cruise.  But now I'm seeing that it is not really so.

 

There was a cruise line in Europe that decided that they also wanted to keep a bubble, and allow folks to only get off the ship on their own excursions.  What they did was match the prices of similar excursions offered locally, increase the number of offerings to assure that everyone could do what they wanted, and offer all day biking and/or hiking excursions in which passengers could really stretch their legs without interacting with locals.

 

I think Viking could do much better.

 

Also, I know that they have to give everyone the opportunity to do the included excursion.  This means that most would spend the majority of time in port on the ship.  Slow speed scenic cruising with less time docked would suit most better.

 

I know, I know.   Just don't go.

 

Any cruise line is limited by the tourist infrastructure already in place -- tour guides, bus drivers, vehicles, etc.  

 

 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, bobchico said:

After being tested at the airport, where do we quarantine?  At the airport, the ship, somewhere else?

 

To the ship if you arrive on embarkation day.  To a hotel that accepts quaratining visitors if you are arriving early.  

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

27 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Any cruise line is limited by the tourist infrastructure already in place -- tour guides, bus drivers, vehicles, etc.  

 

 

Agree - reminds me of when we were visiting Lerwick in Shetland Islands.  We were told that Viking had booked up every single available coach on the entire island.  It's hard to provide an included excursion for every single person on board when your ship carries 900 plus passengers!

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Traveling always has its challenges, or at least some unknowns.  Traveling during a pandemic, even if doing it toward (hopefully) the point when it is winding down, is filled with even more unknowns.  I'm just very, very grateful to be able to have booked a cruise and flights that actually show a high degree of promise of going pretty much as planned.  Had I wanted fewer unknowns, I would have joined those who have decided to say the heck with international travel in 2021 and made safer choices.  But given that the last time I cruised was in December 2019, I couldn't wait to go again, and so I'm really looking forward to a port (and beauty) intensive itinerary on a great line in 2021.  If it's not perfect and predictable, that's OK.  If we miss a port due to weather, it will be OK.  If I get wet, it will be OK.  Even if I get sick, it will likely not require being hospitalized or taken off the ship.  It's all good.  It will be fine!

[gskimmel]

Does anyone know how long it will take to get the results back?

[Cruiser1854]

Hi,

 

Need some advice.  Currently booked to arrive in Reykjavik 1 day before the sailing. Current regulations require us to quarantine until cleared by the results of the PCR test.  Arriving at 8am in the morning. Hotels are advising to book the night prior to arrival to access a room early.  
Anyone have the same experience?  What are you planning to do if you are in a similar  situation?

Seems like arriving early prior to the cruise doesn’t make much sense since it seems we can’t leave the hotel.  Also paying extra for the ‘privilege’.

 

Anne

[jtwind]

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

To the ship if you arrive on embarkation day.  To a hotel that accepts quaratining visitors if you are arriving early.  

 

 

This seems flawed.

[Peregrina651]

39 minutes ago, gskimmel said:

Does anyone know how long it will take to get the results back?

 

The current word is 5 - 6 hours. However, the number of tests that need to be processed is growing rapidly and Iceland has reported that they may have under estimated their prediction for future need.

 

Record Number of Tourists Could Cause Bottleneck in Test Analysis

A simplified guide to Iceland’s Covid-19 travel rules

[Peregrina651]

22 minutes ago, jtwind said:

This seems flawed.

 

And just how is it flawed? Please explain. Don't leave people guessing.

 

 

[jtwind]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

To the ship if you arrive on embarkation day.  To a hotel that accepts quaratining visitors if you are arriving early.  

 

 

Yes, flawed.  Going to the cruise terminal and possibly exposing other passengers before the airport test comes back?  Plus, I think that would be against Iceland's rules, right?

[Dukefan]

One of life’s biggest challenges is balancing risk vs. reward.   I had a younger brother who would always overthink everything.   He could always find more reasons for not doing something than for doing something.   As a result, he did extraordinarily little, yet he would always express how lucky I was to be doing the things I was doing.  

 

I would often talk with him about how he needed to spend more time looking for reasons to do things and balance that with the reasons he always found for not doing those same things.   When the reason for doing something was greater than the reasons for not doing something – THEN DO IT, recognizing that some of the things you worry about happening will in fact happen.  When they do, be flexible and find a solution on the go.   Well, I was never able to convince him that my approach to life was better and certainly more fun that his.   He died at the age of 50 never really enjoying enough of the adventures our time on this earth provides.

 

The lessons here apply to each of us that are venturing out on one of the first cruises since the pandemic began.   The key, I think, is to recognize both the risks and the rewards of this adventure and to be willing to shift gears which one of the risks happen. It is often little things this that make life the wonderful adventure it is.

[jtwind]

There are many ways to shift gears in this situation.  Best to know as many details as possible before making a decision to go to Iceland now or later, visit Iceland in a different way, or go to an entirely different place where there won't be as many restrictions in place.  I haven't seen anybody suggesting that they're not going to do anything because they don't think the Viking Iceland cruise isn't right for them at the moment.

[Donaghadee]

9 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

One of life’s biggest challenges is balancing risk vs. reward.   I had a younger brother who would always overthink everything.   He could always find more reasons for not doing something than for doing something.   As a result, he did extraordinarily little, yet he would always express how lucky I was to be doing the things I was doing.  

 

I would often talk with him about how he needed to spend more time looking for reasons to do things and balance that with the reasons he always found for not doing those same things.   When the reason for doing something was greater than the reasons for not doing something – THEN DO IT, recognizing that some of the things you worry about happening will in fact happen.  When they do, be flexible and find a solution on the go.   Well, I was never able to convince him that my approach to life was better and certainly more fun that his.   He died at the age of 50 never really enjoying enough of the adventures our time on this earth provides.

 

The lessons here apply to each of us that are venturing out on one of the first cruises since the pandemic began.   The key, I think, is to recognize both the risks and the rewards of this adventure and to be willing to shift gears which one of the risks happen. It is often little things this that make life the wonderful adventure it is.

Shout it from the rooftops!  Enough hiding like scared mice...

[TayanaLorna]

53 minutes ago, jtwind said:

Yes, flawed.  Going to the cruise terminal and possibly exposing other passengers before the airport test comes back?  Plus, I think that would be against Iceland's rules, right?

I believe we will be required to wear a mask.  Plus with everyone on Viking needing to be vaccinated, there is a low expectation that many will test positive.  Unvaccinated visitors to Iceland must quarantine 5 days I believe.

[DJVKN]

2 hours ago, Cruiser1854 said:

 

Hi,

 

Need some advice.  Currently booked to arrive in Reykjavik 1 day before the sailing. Current regulations require us to quarantine until cleared by the results of the PCR test.  Arriving at 8am in the morning. Hotels are advising to book the night prior to arrival to access a room early.  
Anyone have the same experience?  What are you planning to do if you are in a similar  situation?

Seems like arriving early prior to the cruise doesn’t make much sense since it seems we can’t leave the hotel.  Also paying extra for the ‘privilege’.

 

Anne

Hi Anne, we are arriving on Jun 29th for our Jul 3rd cruise. We arrive at 6: 40 am. I contacted the hotel where we are staying in inquire about quarantining at the hotel and we are able to do so. We are not paying for the previous night and they will have a room available for us.

I don't know what hotels are making you pay for another night before you arrive. I am a cautionary person in generalizing statements such as "hotels are advising to book the night prior... Unless you have contacted your hotel and know they will not allow you to quarantine or arrive early I think a broad statement misleads people.  If your hotel does require you to pay for the previous night you may wish to explore other hotels who do allow you to quarantine or arrive early. There is a link to that list that I posted on one of the roll calls or you can google it. Hope this helps.

Diana