Iceland Extension

A search of this board comes up with no information about an Iceland pre or post of the Viking Homelands cruise. I would like to know more about the included excursion, especially Blue Lagoon. Anybody been there??????

A search of this board comes up with no information about an Iceland pre or post of the Viking Homelands cruise. I would like to know more about the included excursion, especially Blue Lagoon. Anybody been there??????

I can't tell you anything about the included excursion, but I've been to Iceland twice in recent years. We enjoyed a stopover there for 3 nights on our way to Finland in 2013, and rented a car so were able to do our own exploring. After a long day of driving "The Golden Circle", we ended the day with a stop to soak at the Blue Lagoon, and dinner at the restaurant there afterward. It was fun to do once, but is a very busy place.

Last year we stopped over again on our way back from a Norwegian Fjords cruise and spent 4 nights just to experience Reykjavik. We went on a whale watch one day and it was not very impressive (have seen many more whales much closer on whale watches off the tiny coast of NH, which is the state where we live.) There are some wonderful restaurants in Reykjavik, if you have a chance to dine there.

Thanks, Lastlook. I have contacted Viking and their representative has promised to get back to me when she can locate the information I am seeking. Guess Viking doesn't know much about it either. lol. From what I understand, we will be dining in Reykjavik three evenings on our own. So we would appreciate recommendations if you have a favorite. Cruise Critic is loaded also. Food is said to be good but expensive.

Thanks, Lastlook. I have contacted Viking and their representative has promised to get back to me when she can locate the information I am seeking. Guess Viking doesn't know much about it either. lol. From what I understand, we will be dining in Reykjavik three evenings on our own. So we would appreciate recommendations if you have a favorite. Cruise Critic is loaded also. Food is said to be good but expensive.

Yes - everything is expensive in Iceland, but the quality and freshness of food impressed me. If you like unique atmosphere, you might enjoy one of our favorites:

http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/en/

We also enjoyed their sister restaurant: http://fiskmarkadurinn.is/english/

I will look up the other restaurants where we dined during our visit last July, and will reply again when I have more information for you.

By the way, I cannot recommend the restaurant at the Blue Lagoon - it was a disappointment.

Hey Lucky Granny,

The Viking Empire page shows all of the Iceland post extension tours, assuming you'd be taking the Viking offering. We'll be doing the extension, ourselves, for sure. Thanks to lastlook for the restaurant recommendations.

I'm not familiar with a Viking Empire age. I googled it and got Viking River Cruises. We are doing the Iceland Pre-Extension with Viking. We have an overview of what they will do for us, but wanted something more specific so we can plan the time we are not with Viking. Yes, thanks to Lastlook for the restaurant recommendations.

To give you a bit of background on our most recent (last July) stopover in Reykjavik - we rented an apartment for 4 nights and bought a few groceries so that we could have breakfast in our apartment, which had a nice large kitchen.

We made dinner reservations online well in advance of our trip for the two restaurants that I've previously recommended. We left our other two evenings open so that we could wander and see what looked interesting.

The first evening, we walked down toward the waterfront and stumbled upon the Geysir Bistro, which looked appealing. We walked in and were able to be seated within a few minutes. However, they were very busy so I think we fortunate that they had a table open. We had a very nice casual dinner there. I recommend it.

In between dining at the other two restaurants first mentioned, we decided to try the Skolabru Restaurant, which we'd passed by several times while out walking around town. I recommend this restaurant too, for a quieter atmosphere, and great food.

We enjoyed having lunch out as well. While on the main shopping street, we stopped in at the Sjavargrillid, which has a small but fun outdoor seating area behind a stick-like enclosure, as well as indoor seating. We had a nice sunny day, so chose to sit outside and had a great casual meal. I would return there as well.

Another day we stopped in at Hornid, for pizza - it was good and the decor is fun.

One other lunch was at a restaurant right by the pier where you meet the boats that take you out for whale watching. I don't recall the name but it was busy, casual, and had very good fish and chips. (We went there following a whale watch, which was so-so.)

There are many more restaurants in Reykjavik that are probably equally good to those I've mentioned - every fish dish that I had was outstanding. Everything is so fresh and beautifully presented. Reservations are a good idea if you have your heart set on dining at a particular restaurant. Service was excellent everywhere.

Please let me know if I can help further.

Hey Lucky Granny,

The Viking Empire page shows all of the Iceland post extension tours, assuming you'd be taking the Viking offering. We'll be doing the extension, ourselves, for sure. Thanks to lastlook for the restaurant recommendations.

You're most welcome - happy to help.

Found someone on tripadvisor that did the extension with good info.

Found someone on tripadvisor that did the extension with good info.

Can you post a link to it?

Also, there are some comments about the Iceland extension on the 2016 Midnight Sun roll call, perhaps posted at the beginning of June, 2016.

Just logged in after another trip and found this post. I imagine you have the information you were looking for but just in case ...

We took the post-extension to Iceland last summer after our Viking Homelands cruise and really enjoyed it! We had one nearly full day tour ... the Golden Circle Tour which included many of the iconic sights. We had a very knowledgeable guide who was full of great information about the history of the country and culture. She had a great sense of humor which made for a fun day. The next day was a shorter tour of the city then after lunch a trip to the Blue Lagoon. We enjoyed our time there very much. The last evening we wandered into the city and had a nice dinner at a small restaurant we just picked at random.

We did find that there were some things that took some adjustments ... their hot and cold water comes from different sources ... the hot water comes from geothermic sources and smells of sulfur ... it can be off-putting but it is not harmful to shower or swim in, Their cold water is from springs and is fresh and cold ... just let the water run for a few seconds so the pipes can clear of the hot water before you drink.

The hotels had no air conditioning .. generally not an issue as the weather is pretty cool most of the summer in Iceland ... we did discover, however, that the morning we left was pretty uncomfortable as we were on the sunny side of the building and the sun was shining brightly. While we packed we had to take a couple of breaks and walk outside to cool off a bit.

Iceland was fascinating and we are considering another trip there sometime on our own! I would definitely recommend it!

Yes - everything is expensive in Iceland, but the quality and freshness of food impressed me. If you like unique atmosphere, you might enjoy one of our favorites:

 

http://www.grillmarkadurinn.is/en/

 

We also enjoyed their sister restaurant: http://fiskmarkadurinn.is/english/

 

I will look up the other restaurants where we dined during our visit last July, and will reply again when I have more information for you.

Thanks, will look them up

By the way, I cannot recommend the restaurant at the Blue Lagoon - it was a disappointment.

I heard this, I figure I would bring some bread, cheeses and meats

Consider doing it on your own.

Consider doing it on your own.

We already booked it for May but thanks

Just logged in after another trip and found this post. I imagine you have the information you were looking for but just in case ...

 

We took the post-extension to Iceland last summer after our Viking Homelands cruise and really enjoyed it! We had one nearly full day tour ... the Golden Circle Tour which included many of the iconic sights. We had a very knowledgeable guide who was full of great information about the history of the country and culture. She had a great sense of humor which made for a fun day. The next day was a shorter tour of the city then after lunch a trip to the Blue Lagoon. We enjoyed our time there very much. The last evening we wandered into the city and had a nice dinner at a small restaurant we just picked at random.

 

We did find that there were some things that took some adjustments ... their hot and cold water comes from different sources ... the hot water comes from geothermic sources and smells of sulfur ... it can be off-putting but it is not harmful to shower or swim in, Their cold water is from springs and is fresh and cold ... just let the water run for a few seconds so the pipes can clear of the hot water before you drink.

 

The hotels had no air conditioning .. generally not an issue as the weather is pretty cool most of the summer in Iceland ... we did discover, however, that the morning we left was pretty uncomfortable as we were on the sunny side of the building and the sun was shining brightly. While we packed we had to take a couple of breaks and walk outside to cool off a bit.

 

Iceland was fascinating and we are considering another trip there sometime on our own! I would definitely recommend it!

Hello - we are interested in doing a pre-cruise extension with Viking in Iceland and are wondering what hotel Viking uses in Reykjavic. Which hotel did they accommodate you in on your trip? Cheers!

Hello - we are interested in doing a pre-cruise extension with Viking in Iceland and are wondering what hotel Viking uses in Reykjavic. Which hotel did they accommodate you in on your trip? Cheers!

It's the Hilton, according to them it's outside center. About a 10 to 20 minute walk

It's the Hilton, according to them it's outside center. About a 10 to 20 minute walk

When we were there with Viking we were part of a large group and the Hilton apparently did not have enough rooms to accommodate the whole group. There were about twelve of us who were put up in the Grand Hotel which was across the road from the Hilton. The accommodations were comparable ... I think the rooms in the Grand were larger but the "non-hotel" eating options on the Hilton side of the road were easier and quicker to access. We took a walk into the center of town during our last night and although it was a bit of a hike it was pleasant and didn't take much more than a half an hour at a relaxed pace (and a stop for ice cream!).

Some years ago I was fortunate to have been on a 14 day guided tour of Iceland.

Truly a land of contrasts.

So many highlights, one of which was visiting a stud farm, and seeing a riding display, including the five gaits, by the gorgeous Icelandic horses.