ljandgb

On 8/22/2023 at 7:54 PM, newcruisers70 said:

  Re: Iceland, I have done both a land trip to Iceland and a cruise, so have a little perspective on this.  You can't go wrong either way, but why might a cruise be better than a land trip to Iceland?  Specific issues that may be relevant for your situation with kids:  1.  Do they love being on the cruise ship, or if they are first timers might they love it?  Our 11y old son loved being on board, especially the Sports Court, but also other activities such as music shows and entertainment.  2.  Is being able to stay in one room the whole time a plus for you instead of moving hotels every few days?  If so, thats a big advantage for the cruise option.  

 I think this is applicable to any vacation as far as what your kids want. I’m not sure it means that a cruise is the best way to see Iceland so much as the best way to survive vacation when traveling with family that have certain requirements. If my kids wouldn’t tolerate a land trip to Iceland I’d probably skip trying to go and find a cruise/vacation that worked for everyone. YMMV

There’s a reason many of us feel Iceland is best seen as a land trip.  You just can’t easily get to many places from the ports. I agree a south coast tour will not be feasible other than a private tour where you’re willing to pay someone to get you as far as you can go. That would be very pricey, around $1,000 for a private guide for the day. 

We're doing a Road Scholar tour next year that includes a 4 day Nile cruise.  I haven't been yet, obviously, but everything I've seen/read makes it look like I would not compare it to a traditional European river cruise.  I certainly would encourage to OP to made a judgement on whether river cruising is for them based on a European trip and consider any Nile cruise to be unique to the area and not a representative of overall river cruising. 

Regarding GI issues, I am a magnet for GI bugs, no matter how careful I am.  I've started taking a peptobismol pill at every meal (after some research on how to prevent traveler's diarrhea.)  I did 3 weeks in China and 3 in South America and never got sick.  In fact, there were 6 of us in China, and I made everyone take a pill each meal and none of us got sick.  It has to do with coating the GI track to prevent germs from taking hold, essentially.  Not a huge scientific study, but the trips I haven't done it, I've gotten sick.

And FWIW, our Road Scholar Nile cruise is part of a larger trip that includes 2 nights in Petra.  It's those 2 nights I'm most stoked about.

I've done close to 10 Road Scholar tours.  They are not high end, and I'd say solidly mid-level.  Most of their European cruising is done with CroisiEurope.  I enjoy their trips and because they are moderately priced, I stretch my travel dollars.  I appreciate the educational aspect, the fact they don't push shopping (no "here's our next stop, the pearl market, no pressure here!")  I've also found our fellow travelers to be generally very open minded and curious about other cultures.

Looking at those two RS trips, the cruise is on a "boutique" barge, with 24 pax (not Croisi this time.)  Economy of scale says that will be more expensive.  I didn't look at all the other trips, but a quick search of Tauck looks like all their sailings are on larger ships.  

I have heard good things about Tauck, and my husband is itching to do their Australia/New Zealand land trip.

You could consider a land portion to Iceland, which, IMO, is a much better way to see that country, coupled to a cruise to the other destinations.

The ports in Iceland, aside from Reykjavik and Akureyri, are very small and you will be hard pressed to find anything to do beyond the ship's tours, where the passengers will outnumber inhabitants by 3:1 easily.  Iceland's greatest attraction is it's natural beauty, and you'll be barely dipping your toes in with just a few ports.

Iceland is very family friendly, and very easy to navigate.  There are few roads, which are all well marked.  There are self catering cottages all over the countryside, making it easy to find lodging for families, and even very small communities have a local pool, with hot tubs and usually a kids' area as well.  They are mainstays of Icelandic culture.

Caves, glaciers, waterfalls, horses, volcanoes, natural hot springs.  What's not to love if you're a kid?

As you can tell, Iceland is one of my favorite countries.  If you want to consider a land trip, the folks over on TripAdvisor can help you.

It really depends how much you'll truly be outside and exploring nature.  I did a south coast tour on a short break before a Baltic cruise in just light pants, wool socks, and sandals. I got a bit damp at the waterfalls and when it lightly rained on us off and on.  I had not wanted to bring a lot of extra clothes for just that 2 days.  The tour was mostly driving from one location to another, jumping out to see the waterfall or beach, then getting back in the car.

I recently returned from a week long trip to Iceland with a full kit of rain gear, hiking boots, etc.  We spent quite a bit of time outside, hiked in the rain and would have been soaked, cold, and miserable without the right clothes.

I'd for sure bring a waterproof rain jacket, since puffers tend to get very soggy when wet.  As for pants, it just depends how much you want to do outside no matter the weather.

Snaefellsnes is not a bad substitution.  It's got some gorgeous scenery and is generally a bit less crowded than the Golden Circle sites.

I bought rain pants for a lodge to lodge hike in Spain 6 years ago.  Have carried them around on various trips for years.  Never used them once, until this year when I spent several days in them on two different trips.  I was VERY glad to have them.  Like an umbrella, you don't need it until you absolutely do. LOL

Yours are already bought, but for others, something lightweight that isn't too onerous to pack is worth it in the end.  Mine zip all the way up both legs, so I can put them on over my hiking boots.

I do totally agree that having them for your upcoming trip is a good idea.  

Land trip, not cruise. Yikes. 
 

Anyhow, Iceland has too much to offer to just list it all here. Look around and we’ll be happy to answer any specific questions you have. 

Not our job to talk you into it.  Read some here and on TripAdvisor.

I'll just say that Iceland is best seen on a land cruise.  There are few ports, all but two are very small, and there is not the tourist infrastructure that other countries have that will support 1,000+ people landing in a small village so you'll be stuck with ship tours.

23 hours ago, RobInMN said:

 

@CastleCritic

 

Up to this point, the vast majority of our stops was a lesson in why communism failed. Some places barely qualifying for what we might consider a "second world" country, with Vukovar being the "worst". To be honest, back in 2005, some of these stops were depressing. Once we got to Constanta, we were back to first world. Modern, vibrant.

We did an Avalon full Danube cruise down to Romania, and this gets at the gist of the stops south of Budapest.  It was interesting, and I'm glad we did it, but it is fundamentally a different type of trip than the "top" half of the Danube.  Many of those former Soviet bloc countries have not fully found their footing yet.  I liked Belgrade, especially our excursions to smaller, local points (distillery, art coop, farmers market.)  We had a great dinner in a small restaurant set up to look like Grandma's house in Novi Sad.  In general, though, the Serbians still seem a little crabby and "not our fault" regarding the Bosnia/Serbian conflict.

Bulgaria seemed the least recovered.  Our guide remarked that there were few places to take tourists because the infrastructure like sidewalks, toilets, etc, just wasn't there.  We went to Belogradchik fortress (I think that was it), a fortress built on a hill around large rock spires.

We did an extension to Brasov which I really enjoyed.  Romania was my favorite, by far, part of that second leg, due to their ability to overcome their former Communist economy and the vibrant culture they have now.  Bucharest was a nice city, but I'm not sure it would be worth extra time on its own.

I've preloaded maps before.  You even get a blue dot where you are.  What you don't get is directions to a certain place, etc.

On Avalon, the dinner menu was on the app as well, though you could request a paper menu.  It also had info about each port, and a map.

Downside it all disappears after the cruise.  If you want to save it, screen shot it.

I needed cash twice on our Baltic cruise, both for bathrooms, and that was 8 years ago now.   Even street vendors took CC and some places stated "no cash" up front.

Absolutely really look at the itinerary.  For us, I'd much rather have the choice to be going all day, whether it's a am and pm tour with lunch on the boat, or an all day tour.  Another thing to look at is what the boat is doing for dinner/evening.  After our first river cruise, I realized I did not want to be on the boat from 5:00pm on every night, and looked for itineraries that left late at night or overnighted in port.  That gives you the ability to go out and try a local restaurant, or just wander and find a bar or somewhere to people watch.  I'm not a huge partier/drinker, but I do like exploring a bit on my own.

There are a few iconic sails where you don't get off and that's ok, like the Rhine castle leg, or the Iron Gorge on the Danube.  

4 hours ago, Nitemare said:

Iceland is REALLY easy to self drive.  Especially with kids, you can set your own pace and see what you want to see without worrying about wind conditions or something else interfering with docking

100% yes.  Iceland is really a much better land trip, and it is so family friendly.   Kids are welcomed pretty much everywhere.  Every town has a local pool that is a family gathering place. Lots of small cottages all over so you can self cater, many with hot tubs.  Lots of nature to run around in, and once out of the city, practically no traffic to speak of.  We did a week in May with a rental car and had a great time.

I like active vacations, but there is something to be said for just sitting on deck and watching the scenery and people living their lives gliding by.  Portugal is wonderful.  Your mom will have a great trip.

I was there end of May.  The locals were saying it was unusual and that strong winds like that were more common in winter.  However...climate change.  It seems like that's the story everywhere - unusual weather becoming more "usual."  (see our local "historic" heat wave here in Texas.)

Either way, Iceland is on the Arctic circle.  If you are driving, you check the government road condition and weather apps multiple times a day as standard practice.  Conditions frequently change quickly, and the weather is mercurial.  Best to always be prepared.  As a tourist, that means good clothes, layers, waterproofing.

My kids were older when we started really traveling, but Tallin and Copenhagen seemed like they'd have been good for younger kids.  At that age, kids are happy anywhere there's a bit of green space and maybe a puddle to splash in.

Amsterdam has nothing on Iceland.  The windstorm that happened while I was there shut down ferries, blew cars off the road, and drove rocks thru people's windshields.  In the calmer parts of the country, you had to make sure you parked your car correctly so the door wouldn't get blown off when you opened it.

Iceland requires layers.  It could be 60 and sunny, or 40 and sideways rain, quite likely all in the same day.  I just got back and wore a light weight merino base layer, a fleece mid layer, a lightweight puffer jacket.  Pants were just hiking pants of a technical fabric that dried quickly.  I had a waterproof (not repellent) jacket and rain pants, ideally with a fabric that breathes, like gortex.  My daughter wore leggings under her pants as it was very windy most of the time we were there.  We all used hats, gloves, and a scarf/gaiter.

23 hours ago, Queen of my Heart said:

Hi. I've given the original poster some details but I suppose it boiled down to staff attitude and helpfulness when there was a problem. The food was poor quality and cabins pretty basic.  Admittedly it was in 2021 when covid was raging but I was deeply unimpressed with CE and the British contracting river cruise company.

 Thanks. I'll say that the crew on our cruise was delightful.  Truly very nice, and we quite enjoyed them.  The cabins, as well as the ship, were basic, and a tad run down at the edges, but very clean.  As my first river cruise I had no expectations, but after walking thru a Tauck ship while rafted all I could think of was "Shiny!" LOL. All that polished brass, crystal, marble, etc.  Croisi is definitely not looking to wow you in the decor department.

You're welcome.  I'd be interested to know what Queen did not like, just for the sake of knowing my options.  I wouldn't be against Croisi cruise in France, but it's not high on my priority list right now.  But having since done the Avalon cruise, I can see how some would be put off by Croisi's mode of operation and decor.

I'll preface all of this with the fact that this was my first river cruise.  I've since been on one with Avalon, but initially had nothing to compare with it except a few ocean cruises which are intrinsically different beasts.  I also will eat almost anything.  I'm not picky other than I like quality ingredients, freshly prepared.

On Avalon, there would be a menu for dinner that gave you a choice of two appetizers, two soups, 3-4 entrees (usually beef, fish, vegetarian, and something else), and usually 2 desserts.  Croisi would have no choices.  You get the appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert of the night.  Like I mentioned, you could check that evening's menu ahead of time and request a chicken breast, which my husband did a few times.  I believe they are known for their attention to regional cuisine, and since this was the Rhine, there was a lot of pork and beef.  One night was sausage night.  Dinner was a giant pile of sauerkraut covered in several different sausages and topped with a meatball.  I'm a quasi-vegetarian simply because I prefer veggies and struggled the entire time to find enough green veggies to eat.  (I don't usually order vegetarian because it often results in big plates of carbs - pasta, rice, potatoes - instead of actual vegetables, beans for protein, etc.)  One night dessert was stinky cheese.  I have no idea exactly what cheese, but only a couple of our group ate it while the French tables were calling for seconds. LOL

Overall the food was good, and I made do with scavenging garnishes and unwanted salad components from my husband.  I just would have preferred to be able to have a bit more control over what I ate.  For someone who has limited food preferences, it would have been hard, or at the least really boring after their 12th dinner of chicken breast.

We did a Croisi river cruise down the Rhine.  Not exactly what you were asking, but my general impression was ok.  Very clean ship, exceedingly pleasant staff. The decor was a bit out of date and it was not fancy, shiny like some of the ships we rafted to and walked thru. It was 75% French and 25% English speaking (our tour group and one set of Canadians.)  If you are picky about food, you will have few options.  No menu choices for dinner, just the entree of the evening.  You can have the alternate chicken breast if you notify them that morning after looking at the planned meal.

Because we were on a group tour thru Road Scholar, we had our own tour bus and guides for excursions.  I'm not sure what the Canadians did about the excursions.  The announcements were all in French first, rapidly followed by English, sometimes so fast it took a few seconds to realize they'd switched languages.

The second to last night, they had a crew talent show.  It was corny, but sweet, and felt a bit like I was watching my kids' friends put on a show.

Overall, I might do a Croisi cruise again, for the right place and right itinerary.