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

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Someone mentioned pay versus free bathrooms, so.......this was the bathroom we found in 2017 in Thingveller National Park on the Golden Circle.  Then I'll stop posting, sit back, and wait for the "live" folks to provide info on their experiences.

[LindaS272]

Live poster here. As Dave said a bit ago, we have not encountered any pay WCs. We have seen some from a distance, but not when we were in need. With a car, we’ve only used the WCs in the N1 gas stations, and most tiny towns let you use the facilities at the local coffee shop.

[SantaFe1]

2 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Live poster here. As Dave said a bit ago, we have not encountered any pay WCs. We have seen some from a distance, but not when we were in need. With a car, we’ve only used the WCs in the N1 gas stations, and most tiny towns let you use the facilities at the local coffee shop.

Thanks to you and Dave for these LIVE posts!

[AndreaB]

Arrived in Iceland this morning. Immigration and customs went very smoothly (have the barcode you received from your preregistration with the Icelandic government handy). The tests are done in a tent outside after you go through customs. My mom received her results within 4 hours and I did after seven (despite taking our tests at the same time). There were atms in the airport, but also plentiful around Reykavik. Viking sent us a tour medication this evening so clearly some things still in flux. But the country is beautiful and the residents happy to have us. 
 

Andrea

[SantaFe1]

3 minutes ago, AndreaB said:

Arrived in Iceland this morning. Immigration and customs went very smoothly (have the barcode you received from your preregistration with the Icelandic government handy). The tests are done in a tent outside after you go through customs. My mom received her results within 4 hours and I did after seven (despite taking our tests at the same time). There were atms in the airport, but also plentiful around Reykavik. Viking sent us a tour medication this evening so clearly some things still in flux. But the country is beautiful and the residents happy to have us. 
 

Andrea

Thank you.  Did you do a transfer with Viking?  Can you tell us where you pick that up.  We got an excursion time modification about an hour ago too.  Have fun!

[AndreaB]

We had our hotel arrange a taxi pickup for us. A different parking lot that you can see from the testing tent that’s a two minute walk away. I Don’t think Viking was allowing early arrivals with these first sailings. 

[vslparis]

We checked in with United at DFW this afternoon using the kiosk with and agent. She insisted that we needed a Covid test so I showed her the little Timatic tab  on the screen and asked her to read that as it showed if you are vaccinated you don’t need a test. There is also a tab at the bottom that said Vaccination Exceptions . After I had her read both of those she let us go. So don’t be be freaked out if the check in agent insists that you need a test .

Just ask them to look at the Vaccination Exception tab or the Timatic Tab .

 

 

[vslparis]

49 minutes ago, AndreaB said:

We had our hotel arrange a taxi pickup for us. A different parking lot that you can see from the testing tent that’s a two minute walk away. I Don’t think Viking was allowing early arrivals with these first sailings. 

Viking is allowing early arrivals ( at least on the 26 June sailing ) , but you can only take their bus on the day of sailing.  

[SantaFe1]

20 minutes ago, vslparis said:

We checked in with United at DFW this afternoon using the kiosk with and agent. She insisted that we needed a Covid test so I showed her the little Timatic tab  on the screen and asked her to read that as it showed if you are vaccinated you don’t need a test. There is also a tab at the bottom that said Vaccination Exceptions . After I had her read both of those she let us go. So don’t be be freaked out if the check in agent insists that you need a test .

Just ask them to look at the Vaccination Exception tab or the Timatic Tab .

 

 

This is sort of disconcerting.  Has anyone who has already arrived had this trouble with Delta?  I have valparis’  language marked and I have the link to Timatic saved.  

[vslparis]

36 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

This is sort of disconcerting.  Has anyone who has already arrived had this trouble with Delta?  I have valparis’  language marked and I have the link to Timatic saved.  

D

 

36 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

This is sort of disconcerting.  Has anyone who has already arrived had this trouble with Delta?  I have valparis’  language marked and I have the link to Timatic saved.  

Yes it can be and honestly , to me , not unexpected for some check ins .   It is just good to knwo that it could happen and to not be overly concerned ; be confident in the fact that a Covid test is not required if you are vaccinated and if the agent still insists , point out the tabs and/ or insist on a supervisor. The rules are changing so quickly for these airport personnel and it is not unusual for them not be up to date . 

[Frenchberet]

2 hours ago, AndreaB said:

Arrived in Iceland this morning. Immigration and customs went very smoothly (have the barcode you received from your preregistration with the Icelandic government handy). The tests are done in a tent outside after you go through customs. My mom received her results within 4 hours and I did after seven (despite taking our tests at the same time). There were atms in the airport, but also plentiful around Reykavik. Viking sent us a tour medication this evening so clearly some things still in flux. But the country is beautiful and the residents happy to have us. 
 

Andrea

Andrea, what “tour medication” did Viking send you?

[Heartgrove]

Viking Sky is almost abeam the Reykjanesta Light at 22:35 with 52 nm until arrival at Skarfabakki.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

37 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

Viking Sky is almost abeam the Reykjanesta Light at 22:35 with 52 nm until arrival at Skarfabakki.

Heartgrove, do you know if there's any way to determine the distance from one point to another on Marine Traffic?  Have they made that function a part of the paid section?  And do we now have to pay to get times at planned or actual waypoint?  I was hoping to be able to see how far away from a particular lighthouse she comes, and approximate time.  But it doesn't look possible now. 

 

I'll be looking for Sky on the port website when I get up - exciting!

 

Thanks, early cruisers, for the information! 

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, SantaFe1 said:

I am going to make a request here.  So many of these posts really belong in the Iceland general thread, or on your roll call thread.  Peregrina started this thread to be a thread for LIVE reports from people already in Iceland or 2-3 days before going. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but this thread is getting much too big, too general, and we now actually have people in Iceland, en route or arriving tomorrow.  I can’t wait to hear from them.  But there is just too much to comb through here.  If others disagree, OK, I’ll back off.

 

Thank you!  I thoroughly agree with you. I've wondering how we should be handling this issue without resorting to reporting those who are off topic or, even worse, scolding.

 

But, then I think that we are like an excited theater crowd, waiting for the curtain to go up  for the next Oklahoma!/Cats/Hamilton -- ever notice how loud it is in the lobby and the auditorium. Once the show starts, we'll be all ears -- and ready to be wowed .

 

So, let me repeat the guidelines here (because most people joining the thread at this point are not going to back to read everything that has been posted so far) and expand them a bit to clarify what is considered on-board experience and what is considered pre-departure:

 

The LIVE thread is all about the on-board experience    Question about the ship and the on-board experience are welcomed and encouraged! But please, starting June 25, let the people on board the ship answer them.

 

This thread is about how things we talked about in the general thread and the roll calls are actually working once we start our journey.

• any important information we should know about the airport/flight experience (name the airport/flight),
• arrival procedures and transfers,
• the embarkation procedure,
• dining rooms:  reservations on board, service, seating, favorite 'extras' that are missing or have been changed
• pool/spa/gym,
• how many people are on board,
• the Covid protocols (and any changes that have been made to them),
• the individual shorex (what they are like and how things work) and perhaps even independent tours,
• "I'm so glad I brought _______; it turns out I really needed it"
• disembarkation, airport and arrival in the US/UK.
• And anything else that I have missed

 

Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022  and roll calls will continue to be about the pre-departure issues and chat.

• booking shore excursions
• what paperwork we will need for whom
• packing tips/dress code
• flights -- booking your own or dealing with Viking Air
• requests for recommendations for independent tours, hotels and restaurants
• how to book Viking transfers and suggestions for alternatives
• dealing with dining reservations
• what pre-trip e-mails you are getting from Viking (especially in the roll calls so we can make sure that everyone is getting the important information they need

And all the other questions that we can answer that don't have to do with what is actually going on aboard the ship.

 

 

I'll post the guidelines again in a few pages if we seem to drifting off-course or have too many new followers who are confused.

[PeabodyMa]

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Heartgrove, do you know if there's any way to determine the distance from one point to another on Marine Traffic?  Have they made that function a part of the paid section?  And do we now have to pay to get times at planned or actual waypoint?  I was hoping to be able to see how far away from a particular lighthouse she comes, and approximate time.  But it doesn't look possible now. 

 

I'll be looking for Sky on the port website when I get up - exciting!

 

Thanks, early cruisers, for the information! 

An online tool for calculating distances and time between sea ports is https://sea-distances.org/

[Heartgrove]

Here is what those arriving on Friday will see in Reykjavik. Starboard side to the pier. The buses/cabs will be using the road from the right and the website which is actually a live feed.

 

https://www.faxafloahafnir.is/vefmyndavel-faxafloahafna/

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by Heartgrove

[vslparis]

Flew into Reykjavik this morning - some airport observations

1 . Be prepared to have your documents checked at the kiosk and again at the gate as soon as the agent gets there. At United they marked the boarding pass to show the Docs were OK. Pretty sure all airlines will do this

2. Saw several passengers who had not done the Pre registration , but just did it at the gate ( I don’t recommend that 😉) 

 

3. No customs form on plane to declare anything. They have the typical Green sign for Nothing to Declare and Red for Something to Declare . This comes after baggage pick up and on the way to the check point for pre-registration bar code, and vaccination card check.  BTW , we bought some scotch at Duty Free in Newark and just followed the signs for Nothing to Declare. 

 

4. Arrival in KEF pretty streamlined , follow the signs to Arrivals and baggage claim , but more than just passport control these days.  That came first ( don’t need to show barcode here )  , then down to baggage claim, then get on line to first show the barcode to a worker, walk past the Nothing/Something to Declare section, and then you are directed to a line to have the Pre-Registration barcode scanned, vaccination card check, you verify your phone and email, tell them where you are staying and how you are getting there, and get your test tube for the Covid test.  Hopefully from the next set of passengers on,  won’t need that. 

You will have to show documents of some type several times so keep them handy. 

 

We had reservations for FlyBus which was easy to find ( although the bus say Reykjavik Excursions ) . You can buy tickets on the bus. Just make sure you have the name of your accommodation handy so they can tell you which bus stop to to get off at. For most hotels, you need to change at their main bus station and get another bus that goes into the main part of town. They direct you where to get that bus.

of course if you are arriving the day of the cruise and taking Viking transfers you dont have to worry about FlyBus 😉

Let me know if you have specific questions and I will try to answer as best I can while the experience is still fresh in my mind.

[Heartgrove]

8 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Heartgrove, do you know if there's any way to determine the distance from one point to another on Marine Traffic? 

 

Check my response in "Natural Beauty - General" site.

[bobchico]

14 hours ago, AndreaB said:

Arrived in Iceland this morning. Immigration and customs went very smoothly (have the barcode you received from your preregistration with the Icelandic government handy). The tests are done in a tent outside after you go through customs. My mom received her results within 4 hours and I did after seven (despite taking our tests at the same time). There were atms in the airport, but also plentiful around Reykavik. Viking sent us a tour medication this evening so clearly some things still in flux. But the country is beautiful and the residents happy to have us. 
 

Andrea

What is a tour medication?

[AndreaB]

Sorry, tour “modification”. (I was very jetlagged).

 

Andrea

[GVHarrier]

1 hour ago, vslparis said:

Flew into Reykjavik this morning - some airport observations

Great summation V! We were on the same flight as V and also staying at the same place. We bought our Flybus ticket online (using Airport wifi) when we arrived at the airport. As vslparis said, you can also buy on bus. We walked from Bus terminal to hotel, which was about a mile. It was a little challenging with suitcase wheels on uneven sidewalks but it was good to stretch our legs and see some sights. We arrived at hotel shortly after V. Took an early check-in and took a nap. When I woke, my negative test results were in (12:11 after 7:00 arrival). Yay! We'll be off to explore the city.

[SantaFe1]

I notice no one has mentioned the test.  How awful is it???

[GVHarrier]

5 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I notice no one has mentioned the test.  How awful is it???

Usual tickle up the nose and also swab of mouth (separate swab). Quick and painless. No line when we arrived at testing area.

[SantaFe1]

3 minutes ago, GVHarrier said:

Usual tickle up the nose and also swab of mouth (separate swab). Quick and painless. No line when we arrived at testing area.

Thanks.  Somehow I managed to make it through the entire pandemic without ever having one.  Now vaccinated, and herd immunity achieved in Iceland, I have to get tested.  Ugh.  Delta just sent us a checkin online notice, which I thought was strange given all the documents we need.  Tried to do it, and after inputting everything it rejected it and said checkin at airport.  Tomorrow at this time we will be en route!

[Dukefan]

Some questions for the first Viking Iceland path finders:

 

1)  On what days are there any special meals (i'e. Seafood Buffet, etc)?

 

2) What is the entertainment in the theater each night?  Movies by the pool?

 

3) What type of entertainment was there in the Living Room, Explorer Lounge, etc.

 

4) How hard was it to make the 45 minute reservations for the free Spa Area?  For the Treadmills

 

Thanks