Arriving in Reykjevik

[taylorbun1]

A couple of more questions.  First.  I think I read some stuff about it being better to fly on Icelandic Air rather than on Delta.  Please discuss.  Second.  If you arrive in Rey at 7:45 in the morning, how do they keep you in a bubble if your boarding time is late in the day?  They pick you up at the airport correct?  Where do they take you?   Also, please discuss.  No information is too insignificant - haha

[sinsonte]

IMO, flying Icelandic Air is only better if you can do a non-stop flight - most Delta flights require connecting flights.  Also, the Delta return trip is very early in the morning.  It is my understanding that you'll need to disembark at 5:30 a.m. to make the Delta return flight.

I have not been there yet but from these boards it appears Viking will pick you up at airport and take you to a concert hall for check in and feed you some breakfast until 11 a.m. when they will take you to the ship.

[Heartgrove]

Icelandair partners with Alaska Airlines and Jetblue for connecting flights. Also at Keflavik, Icelandair has more departures in the morning than the afternoon. When we departed on a 4:50 pm flight, the check-in line was approximately 4 snaking lines long. When someone commented about the length, a roving Icelandair employee said that the morning line was almost out the door!

[Independent]

There is an item in the Iceland Monitor about arriving passengers also stuck in lines for hours.

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/08/09/passengers_arriving_in_iceland_stuck_in_line_for_ho/

 

[Australia08]

6 hours ago, sinsonte said:

IMO, flying Icelandic Air is only better if you can do a non-stop flight - most Delta flights require connecting flights.  Also, the Delta return trip is very early in the morning.  It is my understanding that you'll need to disembark at 5:30 a.m. to make the Delta return flight.

I have not been there yet but from these boards it appears Viking will pick you up at airport and take you to a concert hall for check in and feed you some breakfast until 11 a.m. when they will take you to the ship.

We departed at 6:45 am for a Delta flight. Earlier than I liked, but better than 5:30 am. 

[TayanaLorna]

15 hours ago, taylorbun1 said:

A couple of more questions.  First.  I think I read some stuff about it being better to fly on Icelandic Air rather than on Delta.  Please discuss.  Second.  If you arrive in Rey at 7:45 in the morning, how do they keep you in a bubble if your boarding time is late in the day?  They pick you up at the airport correct?  Where do they take you?   Also, please discuss.  No information is too insignificant - haha

Icelandair flies direct to KEF from Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, Chicago, Boston, JFK, Newark and Washington DC.  So if you can drive to these airports, all the better. They all arrive in KEF between 6 and 7 am, sometimes earlier.  Compared to Delta, there have been no schedule changes, flights are rarely cancelled or delayed.  The Delta flights also arrive in KEF in the morning near the same time.  So the earlier the flight gets into KEF, the faster you will get through the airport.  On July 17 our flight was the 3rd to arrive in KEF and it took us about 1 hour to get through all lines and find the Viking agents.  Nowadays the wear red scarves as identification.  We were looking for the red jackets from earlier cruises.

 

If you have a Viking transfer they take you to the Harpa Concert Hall, you get your key card and dongle, and have breakfast set up in a large room.  We were able to wander outside or into town in July but now it looks like you will have to stay at the Hall until your bus ride to board the ship.  Once we boarded the ship, we did a safety briefing and were then led to the World Cafe for lunch.  Following lunch we explored the ship until the announcement that rooms were ready at about 1:15 pm.

 

Once in our room, our steward insisted we do the Covid saliva test and watch the safety video on our TV before unpacking, showering or changing.  And he returned to collect our tests.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

16 hours ago, sinsonte said:

IMO, flying Icelandic Air is only better if you can do a non-stop flight - most Delta flights require connecting flights.  Also, the Delta return trip is very early in the morning.  It is my understanding that you'll need to disembark at 5:30 a.m. to make the Delta return flight.

I have not been there yet but from these boards it appears Viking will pick you up at airport and take you to a concert hall for check in and feed you some breakfast until 11 a.m. when they will take you to the ship.

Recently did Icelandair nonstop IAD Wash DC area to Iceland & Delta back, with connection in Minneapolis, so it's hard to compare the two for you.  However, we had a very good experience flying Icelandair To KEF.  They're a budget airline but do a good job.  If in economy, you'll need to eat before you board or purchase food on the plane.  Due to Covid, IAD had no real restaurants open at 7:30 pm near our gate but limited food was available.  I'm not sure what's available in Boston, Newark and other cities served nonstop by Ice.  Ice gave us an opportunity to bid on a paid upgrade to Saga Class. We bid & won seats.  Their Saga is not the cushiest, not same as business class on Lufthansa, but certainly a lot roomier than economy.  You also do get food (tasted fairly good - chicken mostly).  I slept well.  We landed in Iceland 6:30, put on our red stickers, and a Viking rep or contractor found us quickly.  They took us on a coach (with others, perhaps from other flights coming in around same time) to Harpa Concert Hall on the waterfront of Reykjavik.  There we checked in, had picture taken, got contact tracing medallion -- took maybe 10 or 15 minutes in a line) and then we went upstairs in groups to eat breakfast.  Cold quiche wasn't good, but croissants, liquid yogurt, coffee, etc. was.  It was enough to tide us through until we were taken to the ship (around 11, at least for us, one of the earliest groups, same group traveled with from airport).  After doing a short safety briefing etc. you could get lunch on the ship.  At 1 pm all rooms were ready, but I believe time can vary -- and I suppose, really, all of the times/processes can vary!   

 

Coming back home, we had a 9:30 AM flight and had to meet on ship at 5:15.  You might think that's too early for a 9:30 flight but it wasn't.  KEF is very congested, it was a 50 minute drive to airport, and KEF airport, at least yesterday, was very strict with security procedures.   We waited for a long time for boarding our Delta flight and then almost missed our connection in Minneapolis.  However, these hiccups were partly due to a lengthy inspection process by Iceland airport security at the gate, which I don't think is typical.  The plane we were to use was also late getting in, which also set us back.  We initially had 2.5 hours to connect, which judging from what I saw in Minn was quite sufficient in normal situations, especially if you have Global Entry and someone in a wheelchair.  For our flights back we were on Delta in economy. Long flight was pretty squished for a 6+ hour flight, but after the hassle in KEF I went through (I was part of inspection) I just dealt with it. The flight to DC wasn't bad - small plane maybe 2/3 full at most, around 2 hours, with biscoff or pretzels (no peanuts this trip - allergic person on board).  But of course you're on the plane with other Americans who may or may not have had the same level of protection we had as Viking pax returning from Iceland (e.g., vaccinated, tested 2 days pre-departure).  For the long flight FROM Iceland on Delta I asked about upgrades at the airport but was told it was too late to try for one.  If interested, you need to do that 24 hours pre-flight. 

 

If you're on a nonstop on Icelandair going back, and it's an afternoon flight, you'll likely be taken to Perlan, an indoor viewpoint museum over the city, until it's time to go to the airport. I assume you'll get food.  If possible, for any airline or flight leaving Iceland, it's best to do the checkin online the night before.  There are questions to be answered and it speeds up the process.  And be sure the negative Covid report Viking gives you the day before (in Heimaey, based on test in Djupivogur) has correct name, etc.  (Ours did, but check it just in case.)  And keep documents handy - you'll show them multiple times. 

 

Much of the above is based on our situation, which was purchase of airline tickets/transfers from Viking, with no Air Plus for choosing flights or seats.   Delta changed one flight a few weeks pre-flight, but it was very minor.  The Icelandair nonstop we took has been rock steady for weeks now; no changes there or cancelations there. 

 

If I had it to do it over again, I'd just stop being cheap and book Icelandair Saga Class both ways, nonstops (assuming those are available where you live).  If things are still as crazy travel-wise as they are now, I'd probably book through Viking Air Plus.  Usually we book our own flights, go out early, get to the ship on our own, etc.  But this time we wanted a little more help if things went wrong, so we just went with Viking air.  And they didn't allow extensions or going out a day or two early for the Iceland cruises, so that was only available if we booked on our own. 

 

But the above is just one person's opinion, two if you count that of my spouse), based on our particular situation, DC location, dates, and flights.  Hopefully you'll get more info/opinions.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[Cienfuegos]

That's a great summary. Thanks for the detailed work arounds.

[carld]

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Recently did Icelandair nonstop IAD Wash DC area to Iceland & Delta back, with connection in Minneapolis, so it's hard to compare the two for you.  However, we had a very good experience flying Icelandair To KEF.  They're a budget airline but do a good job.  If in economy, you'll need to eat before you board or purchase food on the plane.  Due to Covid, IAD had no real restaurants open at 7:30 pm near our gate but limited food was available.  I'm not sure what's available in Boston, Newark and other cities served nonstop by Ice.  Ice gave us an opportunity to bid on a paid upgrade to Saga Class. We bid & won seats.  Their Saga is not the cushiest, not same as business class on Lufthansa, but certainly a lot roomier than economy.  You also do get food (tasted fairly good - chicken mostly).  I slept well.  We landed in Iceland 6:30, put on our red stickers, and a Viking rep or contractor found us quickly.  They took us on a coach (with others, perhaps from other flights coming in around same time) to Harpa Concert Hall on the waterfront of Reykjavik.  There we checked in, had picture taken, got contact tracing medallion -- took maybe 10 or 15 minutes in a line) and then we went upstairs in groups to eat breakfast.  Cold quiche wasn't good, but croissants, liquid yogurt, coffee, etc. was.  It was enough to tide us through until we were taken to the ship (around 11, at least for us, one of the earliest groups, same group traveled with from airport).  After doing a short safety briefing etc. you could get lunch on the ship.  At 1 pm all rooms were ready, but I believe time can vary -- and I suppose, really, all of the times/processes can vary!   

 

Coming back home, we had a 9:30 AM flight and had to meet on ship at 5:15.  You might think that's too early for a 9:30 flight but it wasn't.  KEF is very congested, it was a 50 minute drive to airport, and KEF airport, at least yesterday, was very strict with security procedures.   We waited for a long time for boarding our Delta flight and then almost missed our connection in Minneapolis.  However, these hiccups were partly due to a lengthy inspection process by Iceland airport security at the gate, which I don't think is typical.  The plane we were to use was also late getting in, which also set us back.  We initially had 2.5 hours to connect, which judging from what I saw in Minn was quite sufficient in normal situations, especially if you have Global Entry and someone in a wheelchair.  For our flights back we were on Delta in economy. Long flight was pretty squished for a 6+ hour flight, but after the hassle in KEF I went through (I was part of inspection) I just dealt with it. The flight to DC wasn't bad - small plane maybe 2/3 full at most, around 2 hours, with biscoff or pretzels (no peanuts this trip - allergic person on board).  But of course you're on the plane with other Americans who may or may not have had the same level of protection we had as Viking pax returning from Iceland (e.g., vaccinated, tested 2 days pre-departure).  For the long flight FROM Iceland on Delta I asked about upgrades at the airport but was told it was too late to try for one.  If interested, you need to do that 24 hours pre-flight. 

 

If you're on a nonstop on Icelandair going back, and it's an afternoon flight, you'll likely be taken to Perlan, an indoor viewpoint museum over the city, until it's time to go to the airport. I assume you'll get food.  If possible, for any airline or flight leaving Iceland, it's best to do the checkin online the night before.  There are questions to be answered and it speeds up the process.  And be sure the negative Covid report Viking gives you the day before (in Heimaey, based on test in Djupivogur) has correct name, etc.  (Ours did, but check it just in case.)  And keep documents handy - you'll show them multiple times. 

 

Much of the above is based on our situation, which was purchase of airline tickets/transfers from Viking, with no Air Plus for choosing flights or seats.   Delta changed one flight a few weeks pre-flight, but it was very minor.  The Icelandair nonstop we took has been rock steady for weeks now; no changes there or cancelations there. 

 

If I had it to do it over again, I'd just stop being cheap and book Icelandair Saga Class both ways, nonstops (assuming those are available where you live).  If things are still as crazy travel-wise as they are now, I'd probably book through Viking Air Plus.  Usually we book our own flights, go out early, get to the ship on our own, etc.  But this time we wanted a little more help if things went wrong, so we just went with Viking air.  And they didn't allow extensions or going out a day or two early for the Iceland cruises, so that was only available if we booked on our own. 

 

But the above is just one person's opinion, two if you count that of my spouse), based on our particular situation, DC location, dates, and flights.  Hopefully you'll get more info/opinions.  

 

 

 

 

We are on the August 24 Jupiter cruise.  I tried to use Viking Air to book Saga class from Seattle to Reykjavik but they would only do economy.  I am 6 foot 3 and didn't want to sit in coach for over 7 hours so I got on Icelandic Air site and checked Saga price.  Then called American Express Travel to see what they could do.  We are platinum card holders and they were able to get us Saga seats round trip saving over $800 for the 2 round trip tickets off what Iceland Air was asking.  So if you are American Express platinum, and want to go Saga class, at least check with American Express travel before ticketing. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

One thing I forgot, though minor, is this:  

 

If you're scheduled to meet quite early on departure day, it WILL likely be possible to get breakfast before you leave, at least on Jupiter in Reykjavik.   The World Cafe (which has a served buffet) opened at 5:00 that day.  Also, for coffee, there's a pod coffee maker in each room, or at least that's the case in deluxe veranda rooms.  If you want food earlier, there's 24 hour room service and most breakfast items appeared to be available that day.  However, I'm not sure if you need to order breakfast by using a breakfast hang tag the night before or by calling room service early on departure day.  We did the latter, but the person taking the order seemed very surprised.