LIVE from "Iceland's Natural Beauty" -- All Sailings, 2021

[minka34]

Clay - can you give more info on where the knitting shop is in Isafjordur?  Is it walking distance from ship?  Do you have the name?  I want to try to get there, but we have a non-Viking tour to Dynjandi etc with Wild Westfjords that might take too much of the day.  I need to plan carefully and not miss the sail away!

[FoggyEthan]

10 hours ago, StuLaurie said:

Would you mind posting the Dailies for the Jupiter. 
Thanks

Truthfully they look the same as those from the Sky. Specific talks are different, of course. 

[minka34]

Reykjavik ramp from about 1/3 the way down.

[Clay Clayton]

Akureyri is pronounced sorta like 

Aqua-airy

[Clay Clayton]

Good morning from Seydisfjordur!  This may be as much of the village as we get to see. 😢

 

At 8 am this morning, Captain made an announcement reminding everyone to wear masks on Viking excursions. He said he understood some people were not and that while Iceland was requiring them, Viking was. 
 

A few minutes later, Jenna announced the ship had been cleared and excursions began to leave. 
 

About 9:15, Jenna announced that passengers could no longer leave the ship but to feel free to enjoy the ship’s public spaces. Almost at the same time, I got a text from JM0115 who was aboard a bus to the Baths. They had been stopped by the police and we’re being returned to the ship. They were told that there was a positive Covid case aboard the ship. 
 

About 10:20, the Captain announced this case (did not say whether passenger or crew) and that they were working with the local village. He said they would be back with announcements as they had news. 
 

As if 10:43, those on the busses are  stil aboard though we have seen some passengers come off and then reboard. (Restroom break?)

 

🤞that all the protocols will keep us safe 
 

 

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, minka34 said:

Clay - can you give more info on where the knitting shop is in Isafjordur?  Is it walking distance from ship?  Do you have the name?  I want to try to get there, but we have a non-Viking tour to Dynjandi etc with Wild Westfjords that might take too much of the day.  I need to plan carefully and not miss the sail away!

It was an easy walk from the ship. It looks further on the map than it is. Follow the green line!  On the second zoomed in map, the co-op is circled in red and the purple is the fabric/yarn store just up the street which is the last picture below. Hope you have time to make it. 

[Heartgrove]

12 hours ago, Camden lady said:

Can someone tell me....does Iceland stamp your passport?  I have been to a lot of places and the only stamps I have in my passport are Halifax and Cuba.  

 

Another question:   Iceland says to fill out the assessment within 72 hours of arrival in Iceland and someone said it was 72 hours from your first flight.   Which is it?   Our first flight is at 2.30 PM on Friday and our arrival in Iceland is 8.30 AM on Saturday so there is a difference.   

Thanks so much to all of you'll who are going before for cluing us in to what is expected from us and what we can expect when we arrive.  It is much appreciated.

 

When you do the online form for Iceland it will ask how you are arriving? If by air, there is a dropdown menu with flight numbers to choose from. It will also ask you for your arrival date and departure date. The time that you begin your journey does not matter. 

 

There are a number of timeframes that are involved with traveling djuring the pandemic. Iceland needs the arrival form 72 hours before arrival. The Covid-19 PCR test for returning to the USA is three days  before the date of your flight to the USA. The difference in semantics!

[NeilP57]

40 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Good morning from Seydisfjordur!  This may be as much of the village as we get to see. 😢

Hi Clay, greetings from the UK.
 

So sad for you all, we hope whoever it is who has tested positive is okay. 
 

We appreciate all your updates and no doubt all those that follow will be so interested in how it is handled and what are the implications for the rest of your trip. 
 

We are due to travel on 31st July and our 15 day window closes on this coming Saturday. We sure do live in interesting times. 
 

 

[Clay Clayton]

13 hours ago, Camden lady said:

What?????   Who is eating reindeer?  Is that one of the Chef's Choices dinners?   Which one?   What are the others and what is the menu?   

Amuse: Reindeer Consummé

First: Salmon Dèclinaiso

Granité: Lapland Delight

Main: Lamb Fär-I-Käl

Dessert: Cloudberry Soup

 

12 hours ago, Camden lady said:

Can someone tell me....does Iceland stamp your passport?  I have been to a lot of places and the only stamps I have in my passport are Halifax and Cuba.  

 

Another question:   Iceland says to fill out the assessment within 72 hours of arrival in Iceland and someone said it was 72 hours from your first flight.   Which is it?   Our first flight is at 2.30 PM on Friday and our arrival in Iceland is 8.30 AM on Saturday so there is a difference.   

Thanks so much to all of you'll who are going before for cluing us in to what is expected from us and what we can expect when we arrive.  It is much appreciated.

our passports were stamped.

[VI_Lounger]

51 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Good morning from Seydisfjordur!  This may be as much of the village as we get to see. 😢

 

At 8 am this morning, Captain made an announcement reminding everyone to wear masks on Viking excursions. He said he understood some people were not and that while Iceland was requiring them, Viking was. 
 

A few minutes later, Jenna announced the ship had been cleared and excursions began to leave. 
 

About 9:15, Jenna announced that passengers could no longer leave the ship but to feel free to enjoy the ship’s public spaces. Almost at the same time, I got a text from JM0115 who was aboard a bus to the Baths. They had been stopped by the police and we’re being returned to the ship. They were told that there was a positive Covid case aboard the ship. 
 

About 10:20, the Captain announced this case (did not say whether passenger or crew) and that they were working with the local village. He said they would be back with announcements as they had news. 
 

As if 10:43, those on the busses are  stil aboard though we have seen some passengers come off and then reboard. (Restroom break?)

 

🤞that all the protocols will keep us safe 
 

 

Wow, a police escort. yikes! We knew they were taking this seriously, hence the reminder from the Captain that we also received on our July 3 cruise. We are crossing fingers and toes for you so stay safe.

[Peregrina651]

4 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

There are a number of timeframes that are involved with traveling djuring the pandemic. Iceland needs the arrival form 72 hours before arrival. The Covid-19 PCR test for returning to the USA is three days  before the date of your flight to the USA. The difference in semantics!

 

PLEASE TAKE HEED: If you are staying on in Iceland and are planning on using your Day 7 (Heimaey) test  to get back into the US, you need to know that Viking is handing out test results taken on Day 6 (Djupivogur).

 

Not a problem if you are spending just one night or if you are staying more than two nights and already have an appointment to be tested in Iceland BUT if you are spending TWO NIGHTS, you will have to ask Viking for results from your Friday test. 

 

Ultimately, we are each responsible for making sure that we have the correct forms and tests to enter the US.  I did not check the date of the test and we had a problem at the airport, as did the sisters who had shared our van to the airport. We somehow managed to talk our way onto the plane but the sisters missed the flight because they had to find a place with an open testing appointment and get tested.

 

If we had simply checked the information on the test results instead of assuming that they were the results for our Day 7, we would have avoided a lot of hassle and a lot of worry.

 

 

[FLGators#1]

14 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

It only goes through this Sunday, the requestor is asking for next week. 

Oh I’m sorry.  I wondered how you had missed it … 🥴

[esther e]

2 hours ago, minka34 said:

Reykjavik ramp from about 1/3 the way down.

Thank you!!!  Not as bad as I envisioned.

[Clay Clayton]

12:35 it was announced discussions with local officials were unsuccessful so we are departing. 
 

This will be my final post here on this subject. All future COVID quarantine updates will all be on the thread I started just about Sky and our positive case.  

[Camden lady]

12 hours ago, sfocruiser said:

 

Got passport stamps entering and  leaving. 

 

 

 

Thank you so much.  Hopefully I can get that 3rd stamp on my passport.  

[VI_Lounger]

19 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

12:35 it was announced discussions with local officials were unsuccessful so we are departing. 
 

This will be my final post here on this subject. All future COVID quarantine updates will all be on the thread I started just about Sky and our positive case.  

Good luck, Clay. I'm new to CC but just noticed I'm not receiving any notifications related to this subject so I can only wish you the the best and hopefully hear eventually that everything worked out for all of you!

[Snit13]

20 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

12:35 it was announced discussions with local officials were unsuccessful so we are departing. 
 

This will be my final post here on this subject. All future COVID quarantine updates will all be on the thread I started just about Sky and our positive case.  

I am wondering....a true positive or a fake positive.  You probably will never know.  Very suspicious of those quick tests results.

[Snit13]

29 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

12:35 it was announced discussions with local officials were unsuccessful so we are departing. 
 

This will be my final post here on this subject. All future COVID quarantine updates will all be on the thread I started just about Sky and our positive case.  

Clay,

How do we find the quarantine updates.  I searched for your thread and could not find it.  This is a real bummer for all onboard.

Will you be able to dock at your next scheduled port or will you just be drifting in circles like airplanes dumping fuel or waiting to land.  In other words, what happens now?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

15 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

Trying to think of some things to tell people about the Jupiter:

• I don't know how many are on board (yet) but it seems incredibly empty.
• Max 2 people per hot tub and 4 per pool. That's super low, especially for the pools.
• Chef's Table: Asian Panorama, Scandinavian, California.
• The weather gods are not in our favor. Tomorrow the vedur.is weather service is forecasting for Reykjavik and the areas just inland high 40s, 25-30mph winds, and frequent rain. So just be prepared with good gear because Iceland is not predictable.
• There were 3 tours that were strangely missing from the Jupiter's itinerary vs. Sky. The Husavik geobaths, Djupi kayaking, and the nature cruise in Heimaey. ALL were available to book on board. We boarded late and yet all were still available.
• FYI on day 1 the spa was only open for touring and no afternoon tea. Tomorrow the movie will be in the theater "Butch Cassidy". The planetarium has not yet had any events announced for days 1 or 2.

Not sure what else to tell for now. I'll add some photos later.

Thanks for the info!  I'll be on Jupiter soon, and interested as well.  Just for the record, we could book Geobaths, Djup kayaking, nature cruise in Heimaey pre-cruise.   If you hear any comments on the Iceland Through the Lens photography excursion, I'd love to hear them, as I haven't found a single comment on CC or Facebook on that excursion!  And just curious, as I don't know why, as I usually don't care much who the cruise director is, but who's the cruise director?!  Thanks. 

[drsue]

5 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

Clay,

How do we find the quarantine updates.  I searched for your thread and could not find it.  This is a real bummer for all onboard.

Will you be able to dock at your next scheduled port or will you just be drifting in circles like airplanes dumping fuel or waiting to land.  In other words, what happens now?

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2790429-covid-positive-aboard-viking-sky-71422/

 

[NeilP57]

5 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

Clay,

How do we find the quarantine updates.  I searched for your thread and could not find it.  This is a real bummer for all onboard.

Will you be able to dock at your next scheduled port or will you just be drifting in circles like airplanes dumping fuel or waiting to land.  In other words, what happens now?

If you go to “topic listing” at the bottom of this thread and then look for “Covid Positive aboard Sky” that should work. You can then hit the follow button to chose to receive an update every time anyone posts. 
 

Also this link may work. 
 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2790429-covid-positive-aboard-viking-sky-71422/

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

It was an easy walk from the ship. It looks further on the map than it is. Follow the green line!  On the second zoomed in map, the co-op is circled in red and the purple is the fabric/yarn store just up the street which is the last picture below. Hope you have time to make it. 

Haven't been to Isafjordur, but read that there are craft/art stores at these addresses on Adalstraeti Karitas, Aðalstræti 20, Rammagerð Ísafjarðar, Aðalstræti 16, Hvesta, Aðalstræti 18. A walk along that street might be interesting for some people.  And yes, it's not far from ship.

[TayanaLorna]

9 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Lorna, when we had a problem at the airport in KEF, I tried to call the ship from my cell phone and it would not connect. The attendant in the Saga Lounge tried to help me and even tried to place the call from a land-line but that didn't work either.

 

The number is +1-323-870-4740.  This is the number that is given in our final docs and on the Viking Daily every day. One would hope that if this is the number we are given for contacting the ship in case of emergency while we are in Iceland that one would actually be able to put the call through and reach the ship.

 

Viking also gave us a 24 hour emergency numbers for problems with flights prior to departure. Someone from the first sailing has already reported that when they called the number, it was the insurance company and that they were unable to help them with their problem.

 

Thank you.  Sorry for your departure snafu.  Another thing for we later cruisers to check.  

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

44 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

I am wondering....a true positive or a fake positive.  You probably will never know.  Very suspicious of those quick tests results.

But was the positive case identified from a Viking test or an Iceland test?  If Viking, Viking is using PCR tests.  I don't think they're quick tests. But of course with any testing method, there could be false positives or false negatives.....

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

48 minutes ago, VI_Lounger said:

Good luck, Clay. I'm new to CC but just noticed I'm not receiving any notifications related to this subject so I can only wish you the the best and hopefully hear eventually that everything worked out for all of you!

Rather than ask CC for daily (or whatever) notifications, I just bookmark each "thread" I'm interested in (and will now go to the one started by Clay and do that), and then check each twice a day to see new posts.