AKexplorer

11 hours ago, cweave02000 said:

Does anyone know why the in-port time has been shortened to 23 hours???

Don't know for sure - but port times are controlled by the dock master in the port and can be a political sot of thing. Also weather forecasts and tides can play a role in determining the times. Portmapper doesn't show a lot of cruise line traffic so I don't think other ships are impacting the timing. BTW - the board for this cruise is https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2879268-vision-of-the-seas-may-20-2023-bermuda/?do=findComment&comment=63907075

I started this not knowing that someone else had created a prior board.

Opps - thought I was in Roll Calls when I created this. For anyone looking for the roll call for this cruise go to this link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2879268-vision-of-the-seas-may-20-2023-bermuda/?do=findComment&comment=63907075

Welcome to this quick cruise to Bermuda out of Baltimore. Looking forward to meeting other CC members and making new friends. Surprised someone hasn't started a board yet.

More appropriately - if you check in at 11 can you leave before you Viking spit test results are back? Since you're getting in early you may want to get a city pass. It will provide you the ability to use the local buses and give you access to many of the local attractions. Check out the website https://visitreykjavik.is/reykjavik-city-card

1 hour ago, BrynMawrPA said:

For those who will be traveling from US to other countries, be careful about the differences between PCR and Rapid PCR tests versus Rapid antigen and antibody tests. Please follow the airline's directions to perform either a PCR or a Rapid PCR test if that is needed. The airline agents at the terminal may not let you on the plane if you have done the wrong test. I saw a lot of folks rushing over to JFK Terminal 1 to pay US$220 to get a last minute test done.

 

Secondly, please make sure that the name in the test report is exactly the same as the name in your passport. Some US lab may skip the middle name or list only the middle initial. That could be a no no.

 

Finally, requiring the test done 72 hours before the departure time of your flight is firm for leaving US to your destination. For example, if your direct flight to Iceland is 12 pm Friday, the test has to be done on or after 12pm Tuesday. If your initial flight departs at 8am and your connecting flight is at 12pm Friday, getting the test done before 12pm Tuesday will exceed the 72 hours restriction. On returning to US, the requirement is 3 days that is less stringent than 72 hours.

 

Please check. We had great weather and a great voyage until today. We are skipping Heimaey due to bad weather and are going directly to Reykjavik.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful voyage. 

I just looked at my Covid-19 Vaccination card and it only has my first and last name written on it. My wife's card has her middle initial. Will this be an issue? Viking has already approved both our cards on the Verifly app.

just received a Viking email with the following at the top in red:

Viking is committed to ensuring that you will be able to travel safely to your destination and join your cruise without incident. As travel requirements change frequently, we recommend you take a COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction, nasopharyngeal/nasal swab) test no more than 72 hours before boarding your flight to Iceland.

If a PCR test is not available, an antigen test will be accepted by Iceland.

As of July 27, fully vaccinated travelers must present a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction, nasopharyngeal/nasal swab) or antigen (rapid) test that is taken no more than 72 hours before boarding your flight to Iceland.

The explanation that was given for the stricter Viking pre-depature testing is that they want to be sure all the airlines will accept your test results.

Not sure where I got this link rom but it is excellent for not only Heimaey but has a wealth of links towards the end of the article for just about anything you would want to know or do throughout Iceland.

https://fullsuitcase.com/westman-islands-iceland/

SNIT13 - evidently a Rapid Test is ok if it is a certain type. What the new directions say are:

So all of these new changes are very confusing. I plan to get tested on the Saturday prior to my Monday departure. Walgreens told me there is no copay with insurance so either test will do.

Info from another board says you will need a test if leaving 7/26 (landin on 7/27). Also Iceland's website indicates a quick test or PCR test is good for vaccinated people but Viking is saying PCR. The link for the Viking  requirements that was just updated on 7/21 is:

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-210721-RestartPreCruiseRequirement-Iceland-US-UK%20FINAL.pdf

FYI - someone on the other board is planning to double check the PCR requirement with their Viking contact since it appears to be more restrictive than Iceland's offical website.

1 hour ago, JER/MPR said:

We used the Abbott test to return to USA, not enter Iceland.  We heard there that Icelandic officials are evaluating allowing antigen test   It worked great for that and was very easy to take when we had free time. The nasal swab was much easier then I expected,  lower nostril nasal swab (not the deeper nasopharyngeal swab).   Here is a link to the test we used: BinaxNOW: What You Need to Know | Abbott Newsroom

 

The directions there are for home testing - not the monitored procedure you will need to follow for returning to the US. If you purchase your kit at a local drug store there is a very good chance it is not acceptable for international testing for entry to the US nor for entry to Iceland. Please see the link in post #2684 for information on how to determine which test you can use - hint - the box indicates it includes an app for your smart phone. Although they are likely identical tests the test you take for entry/re-entry has to be a monitored test.

I see options discussed for ordering tests here:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/abbott-at-home-covid-test/

There are links in the article for ordering 1, 2, 3 or 6 packs of tests. The article also suggests bringing along an extra test just in case you have an inconclusive test. Or if you have a positive test you can retest to confirm the results.

Curious - I have read on another blog that someone had ordered a set of 5 tests - but they were all registered to him so he could not share them with family and friends. JER/MPR was this the case for you as well - e.g., did you have to order tests separately for each of you or were you able to order a set of tests and just share them? There are 4 of us and we are extending our trip on land after the cruise so we'll have to manage our own tests for the return home.

There are several trails ranging from 1.8 miles to 5.2 miles in Djúpivogur that are listed on the ALL TRAILS app. They are all rated easy. The trail to the Black Beach is 5.2 miles, a loop trail is 1.8 miles and the Bulandsness trail is 3.6 miles. It seems that some trail intersect and you can do the loop trail and then pickup the trail to the Black Beach very easily ending up with a 7 miles hike.

Unfortunately we are not doing the viking transfer. I am just weighing options of booking an early private tour to a place like the Blue or Sky Lagoon versus dropping or bags at the ship and then exploring on our own with a city day pass for the museums and such. If we can't hand off our luggage then that limits our options somewhat. I believe there may be lockers for storing luggage at the bus station but adding in those costs just make a private tour more cost effective when including the convenience factor.

My flight lands at 06:30. Does anyone know if we take a transfer to the ship from the airport if we will be be able to drop off our luggage early and take the viking shuttle back into town? Is the shuttle running during the check out/check in process? Check in does not start until 11:00 so we'd be a couple of hours early.

19 hours ago, Twitchly said:

This just sent me down a major rabbit hole. In order to set up call forwarding (Verizon), I have to enter the number of my voicemail, which is apparently a full 9-digit number. No idea what it is since I’ve never needed to dial it. Gack. Well, I have a few months before I need to figure this out. 

Try reading here. It may help. For T-mobile users just scroll down past the verizon stuff. Even explains how to use a computer to access your T-mobile voice messages.

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-check-your-verizon-cell-phone-voice-mail-messages-from-another-phone

3 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Well crap. Apparently there is some disconnect between tmobile and my IOS. It won’t stay on call forward. 

Try *21*1..........# where ........ is your voice mail number or any other number you want calls forwarded to. I have a google phone number that I use (free to set up) for forwarding my calls. I get email and text notifications for all calls that go to that number. To unforward use #21#. The alternative is to manually set call forwarding in your settings. BTW - the voice mail number for your account is not your phone number. I forget how to find out what it is but Dr, Google can probably help you figure it out.

No Uber in Iceland - and this site is worth a gander - especially if spending time before in Iceland or after the cruise.

https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-info/9-worst-tourist-traps-in-iceland

The first thing I do when I get on a plane is to forward all calls to voice mail. Avoids the 3AM calls to buy a new auto warranty (LOL). On board the ship I set my phone to airplane mode and turn on the wifi (we always use wifi on board). This avoids any calls getting routed through the ships or the ports system. On land you can turn off airplane mode since your calls are forwarded to voice mail. You can text away using cellular data on your phone. Your mapping apps, translators, etc will all work great. We've also used facetime and Whatsapp in many of the countries we visited. We have the unlimited text and data (their over 55 plan)  and it has been a real bonus. I don't know if there's Uber available in Iceland, but that is also an app I've used overseas as well.

I received the following email for the Aug 3 cruise. I'm posting the entire email so the full context can been seen:

01JUL2021

Dear Viking Guest,

We look forward to welcoming you on board VIKING JUPITER in Iceland. We would like to provide you with an update on our health and safety protocols for your sailing.

As we monitor COVID-19 prevalence levels in every destination Viking visits, we are optimistic that independent exploration will be allowed in countries where the COVID-19 concern Level is at 1 or 2. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently eased travel advisory levels in 110 countries and territories, specifically ranking Iceland as "Level 1" or the lowest for risk of COVID-19. Therefore, we expect you will be free to disembark the ship and explore on your own, even if you are not participating in a Viking-operated shore excursion.

While we are pleased with this development, please know that the situation is fluid and may change on short notice. Once you are on board, your ship's crew will be able to inform you of the latest regulations.

While on shore, please continue to wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing and wear a mask. While on the ship, our medical team is available to help answer any questions you may have.

Should you have any questions before your departure, please contact your Travel Advisor or call us at 1-855-300-3970, Monday through Sunday, 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, PT.

Thank you for traveling with Viking; we wish you a wonderful journey.

Sincerely,

Viking

8 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I'll try to contact the official U.S. government agency about this question, and/or post in another section of Cruise Critic.  But just in case  someone knows the answer to this question here,  I'll give it a shot.  We recently renewed our U.S. passports.  I was wondering if Global Entry and TSA pre-check information electronically transfers to the new passports or if we have to do something to make that happen.  Would anybody happen to know?  Thanks.

It does not magically happen. You have to login into your account and update the passport information. My wife's passport stop scanning electronically which was a pain. We got here a new passport - but then had to update the information in order for things to work correctly.

My wife just added Merlin to her phone. You have to give it access to your pictures. She's having fun with all the bird pictures she has on her phone. Also had to load a pac for the area.

We are a party of 4. My wife and I cannot log in at the same time. However, our friends who are not related, have the same booking number since they're sharing a cabin can both log in at the same time. At least that was possible a few weeks back when we were all together. One of them can book for both of them. So something in the system may be flagged to link my wife and I as a couple since we joined our charge accounts but keeps our friends separate since they have separate charge accounts? I'm only guessing at this point but that is what seems  plausible  in my mind.

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

We are on the July 17 sailing and our return home flight is at 5 pm.  We did our own air travel so do not have included transfers. The only company i found that does an excursion with airport drop off is Gateway to Iceland. They do the Reykanes Pennisula because any other is too long.  They pick up at multiple locations including the cruise port.  Thier website is www.gtic.is or email at info@gtic.is.  They got good reviews on Trip Advisor but booking direct is cheaper.  We havent reserved spots yet since we have been focused on excursions.

There are a number of tours with drop off at the airport on this site:

https://guidetoiceland.is/book-trips-holiday?page=1&startingLocationId=31&startingLocationName=Reykjavik