Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Donaghadee said:

You don't need to spend any money for a cellular SIM card to message.  Simply install one of several apps that are FREE.  Like I mentioned earlier, Message+, WhatsApp and Signal, as well as others will allow you to text to your heart's content over the ship's WiFi system.  If you want to send email, that goes over the ship's Wifi system too.  Find a teenager to set it up for you. 🙃

 

Edit: Viking WiFi is FREE and available throughout the ship.  It's quite good.

Teenager...LOL.  Hey we 70 something teenagers can do it too!  Just go to Play Store or the App Store on an I-Phone to download whichever texting option app you want.  Search for it by name and voila!

[bardstowntraveller]

For those of you who have been lucky enough to book shore excursions, could you share your choices.  First time visiting Iceland and I want to make good choices when our cruise opens up

[SantaFe1]

16 minutes ago, AKexplorer said:

https://www.visir.is/g/20212112713d

Thanks.  I could not get it in English, so I pasted it into Google translate.  This is what it says (and I think they mean quarantine of vaccinated people, not vaccination of vaccinated people). But good news, if true:

 

Vaccination of vaccinated and children will be stopped by mid-June
Kristín Ólafsdóttir writes 21 May 2021 14:43
Þórólfur Guðnason, Epidemiologist.
Þórólfur Guðnason, Epidemiologist.
VÍSIR / VILHELM
In his memorandum to the Minister of Health on border control measures, the Chief Epidemiologist proposes that vaccination of vaccinated people, people with a certificate of a previous Covid infection and children be stopped by mid-June. In June or July, the aim will be to change double screening to simple screening and consider discontinuing it in the future.

The Minister of Health decided today to extend the regulation on quarantine and isolation and sampling at the Icelandic border for Covid-19 until 15 June. An amendment will be made to the regulation that on 1 June the mandatory stay in the quarantine center due to arrival from a high-risk area will be abolished. The ban on unnecessary travel from defined risk areas due to COVID-19 will also expire on the same day. It has also been decided that the previously announced color code system at the border will not take effect.

[AKexplorer]

There is a choice to view articles in English if you click on the 3 lines in the upper right hand corner and scroll down you'll see English (in English).

[SantaFe1]

I did this three times and each time it took me to a page from March.  If you are reading in English, is the google translation about right?

[oldgeez]

4 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I did this three times and each time it took me to a page from March.  If you are reading in English, is the google translation about right?

Try this

https://www.government.is/news/article/2021/05/21/COVID-19-Border-measures-extended-to-15th-of-June/

 

 

[eldercruser1]

This link came out in English for me.

 

https://www.visir.is/g/20212112713d

[AKexplorer]

My wife got the news they plan to eliminate testing in late June or early July (and the link) from a friend in Iceland - so the translation seems good enough. Her friend also said that the US is being moved to the low risk category. Everything seems to be moving in a good direction for travel from the states.

[SantaFe1]

3 minutes ago, oldgeez said:

Try this

https://www.government.is/news/article/2021/05/21/COVID-19-Border-measures-extended-to-15th-of-June/

 

 

Thanks, this works.  Looks like around June 15 they may stop testing at the airport.  Yay!

[Clay Clayton]

48 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Just download WhatsApp.  Its free for text messaging.  I think phone calls incur some charge but we never did phone calling.  We used it all over South America through a WiFi connection on or off the ship.  We will be on the ship when we get our Iceland airport test results.

We use WhatsApp all the time to talk to our friends in Scotland and London. Never a charge. I really don’t understand how they make money. Maybe there are paid plans for businesses? 

[Clay Clayton]

2 hours ago, bardstowntraveller said:

 

So bardstowntraveller, I am confused. You said you’re going with a more comprehensive option as none of the travel plans include paying for a quarantine hotel should you test positive.  What insurance have you found that covers that?  

[NeilP57]

56 minutes ago, sleepybobo said:

Thanks.  Hopefully we'll be on the 9th sailing (July 31 - August 7).  Just wondering when I should start checking MVJ like a mad woman.  

Feel free to join our roll call, we are a little thin on the ground at the moment. 

[patchicago]

On 5/18/2021 at 3:52 PM, patchicago said:

I would be very grateful to those of you cruising before my 8/3 sailing if you would learn what you can about communal dining tables while on your cruise. I’m traveling solo and am concerned that in their zeal to maintain physical distancing during meals there won’t be any shared tables for singles and I will be required to eat all meals alone. This is an not an issue in the WC but in specialty restaurants I’m not likely to find a random open seat at someone’s dinner table.
I don’t mind eating alone most meals but there are some times when I’m in the mood for company. so, keep an eye open for solo travelers and please share anything you learn. I hope you have a terrific time and are able to book all the excursions you want.

 

Thanks! Pat.

I contacted Tellus and finally heard from them today. I am told that as of today they have no plans to open any shared tables in any of the alternate dining rooms. However, because changes are possible especially 2+ months from now their best advice is to ask if shared tables are available once I’m onboard. I think one of my friends may sail with me after all so this might not be an issue for me.

[Dukefan]

27 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

So bardstowntraveller, I am confused. You said you’re going with a more comprehensive option as none of the travel plans include paying for a quarantine hotel should you test positive.  What insurance have you found that covers that?  

The Delta Air Policy temporary covers Quarantine at $500 per day and rebooking of air if you end up being quaranteed in Iceland.

[Donaghadee]

38 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

We use WhatsApp all the time to talk to our friends in Scotland and London. Never a charge. I really don’t understand how they make money. Maybe there are paid plans for businesses? 

WhatsApp is owned by FB.  They make their money by selling your information to advertisers and others, just like always.

[bardstowntraveller]

44 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

So bardstowntraveller, I am confused. You said you’re going with a more comprehensive option as none of the travel plans include paying for a quarantine hotel should you test positive.  What insurance have you found that covers that?  

Several companies offer COVID Pandemic protection. I used Squaremouth and applied the COVID pandemic filter. 

[Donaghadee]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

All this advice is confusing. Here is the link to Verizon's International: https://www.verizon.com/solutions-and-services/international-travel/

 

It explains it all. Read the choices and decide what works best for you.

 

Having listened to all of this back and forth, my plan is simple. We already have TravelPass on all of our phones. My plan is to keep it on DH's phone, in case we need it, and to cancel it on my phone  so that I can receive the texts (no one calls me or texts me, so the odds of me running up a huge phone bill in the few hours the phone is out of airplane mode are slim -- and why pay $10 to receive a dollars worth of texts). Once we get the texts, my phone goes back into airplane mode.

Another thing to consider...  The ship will cast off and head to the next port around dinner time, and won't arrive at the next stop until early morning.  If you think you're going to spend your evening texting or calling your friends and relatives with tales of your adventures, you are mistaken.

 

Cell service at sea ranges from spotty and weak to none. Get a text/voice over WiFi app.

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Donaghadee

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

Thanks, this works.  Looks like around June 15 they may stop testing at the airport.  Yay!

Yeah, we leave June 13 and arrive June 14. Thanks Iceland.

[Donaghadee]

The tracking device.  Picked off the July 10 cruise thread.  Some Brit lady snapped the pic on the Venus British Isles cruise.

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Donaghadee

[FlyerTalker]

54 minutes ago, Donaghadee said:

WhatsApp is owned by FB.  They make their money by selling your information to advertisers and others, just like always.

 

As is often said, if the price is free, the app is not the product.  You are.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Donaghadee said:

WhatsApp is owned by FB.  They make their money by selling your information to advertisers and others, just like always.

Yes, WhatsApp was independent and we switched to it because it was more secure then Messenger.  Then it was bought by FB but still secure.  They all sell our info.  

[Clay Clayton]

4 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Yes, WhatsApp was independent and we switched to it because it was more secure then Messenger.  Then it was bought by FB but still secure.  They all sell our info.  

You mean like this service we are using right now?  No! Horrors! 😂

[Donaghadee]

10 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

You mean like this service we are using right now?  No! Horrors! 😂

There is merely irritating but consensual, then there's full on egregious.  FB is the latter.

 

If you want complete anonymity, look into Signal.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Donaghadee

[Clay Clayton]

10 minutes ago, Donaghadee said:

There is merely irritating but consensual, then there's full on egregious.  FB is the latter.

 

If you want complete anonymity, look into Signal.

Anonymity?  After not reading the rules on here and using my real name. Too late for that! 😂

[Donaghadee]

11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Anonymity?  After not reading the rules on here and using my real name. Too late for that! 😂

I don't recall providing my home address and phone number to CC.

Worst I've seen from these guys is daily news and cruise specials in my inbox.

Completely tolerable in light of the benefit.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Donaghadee