Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[librarylady19]

39 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Might be better to get rain/windbreaker over pants.  If your jeans get wet you will be cold thermal leggings or not.

Anyone who’s near an outlet mall - they’ve got some great sales at Columbia Outlet this weekend! 

[TERRIER1]

15 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

Anyone who’s near an outlet mall - they’ve got some great sales at Columbia Outlet this weekend! 

Jeans take forever to dry when they get wet. We wore the water pants over jeans if necessary or just hiking pants. The wind in Iceland can be fierce and sometimes it appears as if it is raining horizontally lol. The best advice I was given for our land trip was to buy water proof (not resistant) shoes. Same goes for the windbreaker. We were blessed with good weather for the trip in June. Our one rainy day turned into snowflakes and we donned our hats, gloves and waterproof coats. Iceland is spectacular.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

Thanks for the reminder that the Jupiter has a webcam.  Although we sail on the Sky July 17, it will be fun watching the Jupiter beginning July 13!  I love Marine Traffic too and have the Viking ships in a group.  I like windy.com for weather also.  Can see what systems are around, their predicted movement over the coming days, wind direction and velocity as well as wave and swell height.  Gives you an idea what you may be in for.  You can also set the Display to show locations of the webcams.  Ths closer you zoom in the more webcams you see.  They are fixed but you can scroll through a 24 hour time line.  This app will keep you busy!

Thanks.  I'll check out windy.com.  Jupiter has a webcam, on the ship?  And can you see what it sees by looking on Viking's website (i.e., live?)  If so, I had no idea, although I know some cruise line and ships have them.  I used to use Oceania's to see what was ahead of the ship without having to go outside.

[StuLaurie]

For anyone who is interested. This is a very long video.  I watched a little at a time. Some of the best drone footage of Iceland that I have ever seen. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

For those who are cruising earlier in the summer than I am, and who can book their excursions in My Viking Journey, I have a question.  I'm finally getting around to deciding on excursions. 

 

In Heimaey, are there two bookable included excursions, Heimaey by Foot and Snapshots of Heimaey?  And if so, for the extension of the 1 hour hike up Eldfell Mountain, can you book either included excursion to be able to book the extension?   The information on Viking's website notes that participation in the included tour is mandatory.  But I can't tell if you have a choice of either included excursion.  I assume yes, but just wanted to know for sure.   

[Clay Clayton]

22 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thanks.  I'll check out windy.com.  Jupiter has a webcam, on the ship?  And can you see what it sees by looking on Viking's website (i.e., live?)  If so, I had no idea, although I know some cruise line and ships have them.  I used to use Oceania's to see what was ahead of the ship without having to go outside.

Here is a link to Jupiter’s webcam, it is saying it is from April so not sure why it’s not live.  
https://viking.panomax.com/jupiter

[FLORIDA FLOUNDER]

22 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

For those who are cruising earlier in the summer than I am, and who can book their excursions in My Viking Journey, I have a question.  I'm finally getting around to deciding on excursions. 

 

In Heimaey, are there two bookable included excursions, Heimaey by Foot and Snapshots of Heimaey?  And if so, for the extension of the 1 hour hike up Eldfell Mountain, can you book either included excursion to be able to book the extension?   The information on Viking's website notes that participation in the included tour is mandatory.  But I can't tell if you have a choice of either included excursion.  I assume yes, but just wanted to know for sure.   

From what I can tell, it looks like the extra 1 hour hike up Eldfell Mountain follows Heimaey by Foot. The strange issue is that the optional extra 1 hour hike doesn't line up with the times so I'm not sure how that's going to play out. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

19 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Here is a link to Jupiter’s webcam, it is saying it is from April so not sure why it’s not live.  
https://viking.panomax.com/jupiter

I think Jupiter was actually in northern Germany a day or two when I looked, according to Marine Traffic.  But in any case, you've answered my question about the webcam.  I was thinking the webcam referenced above was actually on Jupiter.  But perhaps Viking just links to a webcam when they can or when they want to.  Or something like that.... 

Edited May 31, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[JeriGail]

4 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I think Jupiter was actually in northern Germany a day or two when I looked, according to Marine Traffic.  But in any case, you've answered my question about the webcam.  I was thinking the webcam referenced above was actually on Jupiter.  But perhaps Viking just links to a webcam when they can or when they want to.  Or something like that.... 

Here's a list of all of the Viking ships that have webcams (don't worry about the "Attack of the 50 Ft. Tiki" title.  It says no webcam for Venus, hut the site was not updated after Venus' launch.

Viking Ocean Cruises Webcams - Attack of the 50 Ft. Tiki (ladewig.com)

Edited May 31, 2021 by JeriGail
Forgot some info

[Delhi Ocean Cruiser]

If you haven’t found this already, Covid travel information is quite good at

 

bringbacktravel.com

 

you can select information by country. 

 

[Twitchly]

On 5/30/2021 at 12:04 PM, TERRIER1 said:

I agree. The scenery is spectacular. If they are taking you all the way to the lagoon then I would hope they include a visit to Diamond Beach which is literally across the Ring Road 1 from the lagoon. 

 

Gorgeous shots!

[madrone]

On 5/29/2021 at 6:36 PM, DaveSJ711 said:

I've also been to Iceland several times. I've driven the entire Ring Road and plan to do it again next month. Trust me: The glacial lagoons and the nearby Diamond Beach are absolutely spectacular. This is the best that Iceland has to offer (admittedly a pretty high bar).

I quickly gathered that from my early research so I made a flight change to stay an extra day - we are renting a car upon disembarkation and driving to that area, spending the night then flying out of Kef shortly after midnight on the 18th.  It will be a bit rushed but I couldn't imagine going to Iceland and not seeing the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach! 

[madrone]

On 5/30/2021 at 8:40 AM, SantaFe1 said:

No, I was sad to see that they did not.  All back by 5:30 or so.  The latest included was 2:30.  I was hoping for a 5.

This bothered me a bit - that we are in port for so very long, yet the possibilities are extremely limited. 

 

[TayanaLorna]

3 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thanks.  I'll check out windy.com.  Jupiter has a webcam, on the ship?  And can you see what it sees by looking on Viking's website (i.e., live?)  If so, I had no idea, although I know some cruise line and ships have them.  I used to use Oceania's to see what was ahead of the ship without having to go outside.

The Jupiter has a camera outside up high that does a live 360 degree rotation.  The location scenery can be viewed on a tablet or computer.  In addition, all Viking ships have a forward facing camera which gives a bridge view of what is ahead of the ship.  The Bridge Cam (i believe it is called) can be displayed on the TV in each stateroom.  Also on each stateroom TV is a navigational track of the ships current position.  One can even zoom in on it.  We enjoyed using that in the fjords of Norway and also in all the narrow channels in Patagonia.

[TayanaLorna]

2 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

For those who are cruising earlier in the summer than I am, and who can book their excursions in My Viking Journey, I have a question.  I'm finally getting around to deciding on excursions. 

 

In Heimaey, are there two bookable included excursions, Heimaey by Foot and Snapshots of Heimaey?  And if so, for the extension of the 1 hour hike up Eldfell Mountain, can you book either included excursion to be able to book the extension?   The information on Viking's website notes that participation in the included tour is mandatory.  But I can't tell if you have a choice of either included excursion.  I assume yes, but just wanted to know for sure.   

Someone earlier said the hike up the mountain only follows the Heimaey on foot one.

[TayanaLorna]

2 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I think Jupiter was actually in northern Germany a day or two when I looked, according to Marine Traffic.  But in any case, you've answered my question about the webcam.  I was thinking the webcam referenced above was actually on Jupiter.  But perhaps Viking just links to a webcam when they can or when they want to.  Or something like that.... 

Yes, the panomax webcam is actually on the Jupiter.  As it rotates you can see part of the ship as well as the surroundings.  Prior to our South America cruise i followed the Jupiter on both its webcam as well as Marine Traffic.  There were a few times that Marine Traffic could not pick of the ships AIS signal but most times the webcam track matched the Marine Traffic track.  There was even a time where it looked like the webcam was salt encrusted after passengers reported missing Cape Horn due to heavy seas and wind.  I asked a passenger via the live roll call to have the crew hose off the lens because i couldn't see anything.  They did.  Sure hopes the Jupiter web cam goes live again.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

2 hours ago, FLORIDA FLOUNDER said:

From what I can tell, it looks like the extra 1 hour hike up Eldfell Mountain follows Heimaey by Foot. The strange issue is that the optional extra 1 hour hike doesn't line up with the times so I'm not sure how that's going to play out. 🤷🏼‍♀️

 I just looked up where the hike began, and it wasn't far from where I'm assuming the tender boats will drop us.  It looks to be right in Heimaey on or very near a major road.  So maybe the coach will drop us off there at the end of the included excursion(s) and or it will be a short walk from where the coach drops us back at the tender area.   So maybe timing isn't critical anyway and Viking is just asking us to book so they have a better idea of how many will participate.  But I'm just speculating on this.  

 

After reading a blog I found on giuidetoisland.is, Eldfell sounds like more than just a hike to get to a view over the city.  (There's lots of lava up there!)  And the hike isn't terribly demanding because it's a fairly short trek.  Of course, when a European says something is a 15 minute walk or hike, I always add 50% more time, as I'm older, not as active as I should be, and not a slim thing any more!   

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

1 hour ago, madrone said:

This bothered me a bit - that we are in port for so very long, yet the possibilities are extremely limited. 

 

oops. mistake.

Edited May 31, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[Heidi13]

55 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Yes, the panomax webcam is actually on the Jupiter.  As it rotates you can see part of the ship as well as the surroundings.  Prior to our South America cruise i followed the Jupiter on both its webcam as well as Marine Traffic.  There were a few times that Marine Traffic could not pick of the ships AIS signal but most times the webcam track matched the Marine Traffic track.  There was even a time where it looked like the webcam was salt encrusted after passengers reported missing Cape Horn due to heavy seas and wind.  I asked a passenger via the live roll call to have the crew hose off the lens because i couldn't see anything.  They did.  Sure hopes the Jupiter web cam goes live again.

 

When using Marine Traffic and the ship is outside shore station reception, it picks up the AIS signals by satellite.

 

With a "Free" account we don't receive any navigation data, or see the ship's name, but it still displays the ship's satellite position. On the ship's info page, at the bottom you will find the length of time since the last position was received. Using this, the ship's speed and the map's range scale, most of the time I can figure out which of the blue dots is the Viking ship.

 

 

[SantaFe1]

Well, 23 days before our flight, and as a very special anniversary present to us today, Delta just canceled our flight to MSP where we connect to the flight to KEF.  Now instead of leaving at 2:40pm and flying nonstop to MSP, we leave at 6 am and go to ATL, then to MSP, where we then have a 4+ hour layover. Maybe I should post this in the Virtual Explorers Lounge thread.  I need a drink! 

[Clay Clayton]

1 minute ago, SantaFe1 said:

Well, 23 days before our flight, and as a very special anniversary present to us today, Delta just canceled our flight to MSP where we connect to the flight to KEF.  Now instead of leaving at 2:40pm and flying nonstop to MSP, we leave at 6 am and go to ATL, then to MSP, where we then have a 4+ hour layover. Maybe I should post this in the Virtual Explorers Lounge thread.  I need a drink! 

Ugh. No other routings you can convince them to move you to? That’s more than a 90min change which I think is Delta’s threshold. 
 

Happy Anniversary!

Edited May 31, 2021 by Clay Clayton

[SantaFe1]

5 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Ugh. No other routings you can convince them to move you to? That’s more than a 90min change which I think is Delta’s threshold. 
 

Happy Anniversary!

They would give me anything I wanted.  Through LA(backwards, at 7), through SLC at 6 with a 48 minute layover, or the one I took through ATL.  As our captain on the WC used to say, it is what it is.  ( and thanks, we may open that bottle of champagne a little earlier than we thought!)

[DaveSJ711]

3 hours ago, madrone said:

I quickly gathered that from my early research so I made a flight change to stay an extra day - we are renting a car upon disembarkation and driving to that area, spending the night then flying out of Kef shortly after midnight on the 18th.  It will be a bit rushed but I couldn't imagine going to Iceland and not seeing the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach! 

Smart decision.

[Clay Clayton]

47 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

They would give me anything I wanted.  Through LA(backwards, at 7), through SLC at 6 with a 48 minute layover, or the one I took through ATL.  As our captain on the WC used to say, it is what it is.  ( and thanks, we may open that bottle of champagne a little earlier than we thought!)

Double ugh. Sorry.  Too bad you aren’t like whoever it was on these boards who has a daughter in MSP so they decided to fly in a day early and visit family. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

When using Marine Traffic and the ship is outside shore station reception, it picks up the AIS signals by satellite.

 

With a "Free" account we don't receive any navigation data, or see the ship's name, but it still displays the ship's satellite position. On the ship's info page, at the bottom you will find the length of time since the last position was received. Using this, the ship's speed and the map's range scale, most of the time I can figure out which of the blue dots is the Viking ship.

 

 

Heidi, when I use Marine Traffic (free version), I can click on each blue "ship" (dot or arrow) and the ship name pops up.  But I'm using a desktop computer and the live map.  Maybe less is available on the app, if that's what you're using. But I can't get on the site what I used to get, which was intermediate waypoints with times.  Those used to help me figure out how long it was taking an Oceania or Viking ship to pass a landmark like a lighthouse after leaving a port.  So are you saying that I can probably do that by using what you described above?

 

TayanaLorna, thanks for that "Tiki" link.  Most of the links on there for the individual ships revert to a part of Viking's website.  I'm assuming that's because those ships are "parked" somewhere with their cameras turned off.  Or am I missing something?