Iceland - questions answered

[Peteymil]

Just finished reading through this whole thread and want to thank those of you who have posted such helpful information.

My DH, DD and I are contemplating flying Icelandair to Amsterdam with a stopover in Reykyvik next June. We will arrive in Keflavik at 6:15AM on June 28 and plan to fly to Amsterdam at 2PM on June 30. We are looking for a hotel to stay at for the night. Any suggestions for a comfortable hotel for 3 adults?

 

Also happy to hear the reasonably good reviews for Icelandair. We would book the comfort class, most likely, as the price is about the same as a regular coach ticket on United to Amsterdam.

 

Considering a Golden Circle tour the day we arrive and wondering what you'd recommend for the morning we fly out.

 

Thanks again for the information!

We have the a bit shorter timeframe about 2 weeks later, so I am interested in the replies! We will arrive on July 11th at 6:15am and leave on the 12th at 4:30 pm so we have almost 2 full days.We must be on the cruise after you on the Silhouette.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Peteymil
more info

[vplsh]

We have the a bit shorter timeframe about 2 weeks later, so I am interested in the replies! We will arrive on July 11th at 6:15am and leave on the 12th at 4:30 pm so we have almost 2 full days.We must be on the cruise after you on the Silhouette.

 

Hopefully we will get some knowledgeable responses! Yes, we are on the Silhouette as well. And we will be arriving and leaving the same times as you too. Are you planning to go with the regular economy or one of the higher priced seats?

 

I have done a lot of research and think we will be booking an apartment for our overnight stay in Reykjavik. Looking at either Raykjavik Residence Apartment Hotel or Reykjavik4you apartments. Both have high ratings on TripAdvisor and Booking.com and are reasonably priced by Iceland standards. For three of us a hotel just isn't going to give us the right bed configuration.

 

Looking at tours, I've been in touch with Iceland Unlimited and Geo Iceland. Both offer tours to the Golden Circle and other places.

 

Any thoughts from those in the know??

[Bowie MeMe]

Hello all. I would like to ask about driving cars in Iceland? What are the options and how are the roads? Reasonable for a 2 night stop over from the Rotterdam in July 2016.

[Nitemare]

Most roads in tourist areas are paved, the other ones are usually well graded gravel. Signage is extremely good, and you drive on the right side of the road.

 

Rentals are not cheap once you get past tiny economy cars. Make sure you take MANY pictures of any preexisting damage to your car when you rent it and photos of it afterwards so as to not get hit with damage charges after you return it.

[jpalbny]

Roads and signage are fine, agree. Just keep in mind that the maximum limit on any road in Iceland is 90 kph. Slow! And many roads are curvy, so what may appear to be a short distance on the may could take longer than expected. But, we've driven in Iceland plenty of times and it's pretty easy. No worries.

 

One word of advice - make sure your CC has a PIN for buying gas. Some stations absolutely refuse to take it without one. Also, many stations are unattended and you have to use chip and pin. In a pinch once, I had to use my ATM card and eat the 3% FTF. Painful, on top of the exorbitant prices!

[Nitemare]

Most stations are manned during the daytime and you can go inside and use a non chip/PIN card. We've been to Iceland 3 times (2012/13/14) and been fine without a chip and pin, and good friends just got back from a Ring Road trip around the island with the same info.

 

Just have to go to one of the manned ones.

[TMLAalum]

If you are only overnighting in Iceland and you have an early morning flight stay in Keflavik rather than Reykjavik. We stayed at Hotel Berg which is withing walking distance of a good restaurant and provides transport to/from KEF.

 

If you rent a car, take videos at pick-up and return!! Include the windshield!!!

We got dinged for a ding that we didn't think occurred when we were driving- it was found by the SIXT agent who took a flashlight from the inside of the vehicle to search for trouble. It might be worth it in Iceland to go for the extra coverage as we were charged 750 euros on return of the car for windshield replacement, although we were reimbursed by VISA after submitting our claim when we got home.

 

Driving is Iceland is not difficult, although Reykjavik may be a little more challenging than the countryside. Our GPS covered Iceland which was a big help in finding Hotel Lotus, where we stayed in the city.

[Peteymil]

We are trying to find a company that will do a Golden Circle tour a bit later in the day, around 12:00 noon. Has anyone used a company that did that tour a little later. I was not looking to spend the money on a private tour.

[Bowie MeMe]

Is there a list somewhere of private tour guides? Just a guide or guide and driver in a regular sedan for 2 or 3 persons. 2 days in July 2016 coming in on cruise ship. So far I have only seen more adventuresome tours and I am looking for something for moderately active persons in the 70 years range who do not enjoy bus tours for a multitude of reasons.:p Interested in normal tourist sights such as Blue Lagoon and Reykiavik city and cultural tour. I did price "super jeep" tours but frankly out of my budget range. Any other suggestions or tourist planning site that you can recommend? (And hubby says no to driving but I have heard that one before!:p Sometimes driving it is)

[Nitemare]

Tripadvisor would probably be your best bet for indepth touring and tour guide advice.

[Bowie MeMe]

I was just reading that mosquitoes might be a problem in July. Is this probably true? Suggestions on not being a tasty treat for these pests? The only person on earth mosquitoes like more than me is my daughter:p

 

Is Deet allowed in Iceland and Greenland? (some limits in US)

[Nitemare]

Only places we saw bugs at all in Iceland were near Myvatn and near horses.

 

Stay away from those two places and you'll be fine. It's too cold in Iceland for most insects!

[SoBaycruiser]

I've just finished reading this whole thread. Thanks to all that have contributed. We are booked on a transatlantic cruise in June 2016 (going eastward ) with 3 stops in Iceland. To my surprise I've read both here and else where of people missing ports in Iceland. They don't say which ones and only one person mention because of Atlantic storms. Is Reykjavik's port exposed or does it have a tight entrance? Do ships miss port often? If not Reykjavik, which ports?

 

Anyone miss a port in Iceland and want to expand on the circumstances?

[brazilgirl]

I've just finished reading this whole thread. Thanks to all that have contributed. We are booked on a transatlantic cruise in June 2016 (going eastward ) with 3 stops in Iceland. To my surprise I've read both here and else where of people missing ports in Iceland. They don't say which ones and only one person mention because of Atlantic storms. Is Reykjavik's port exposed or does it have a tight entrance? Do ships miss port often? If not Reykjavik, which ports?

 

Anyone miss a port in Iceland and want to expand on the circumstances?

 

 

I have the same question. We will be sailing in July and spending 3 days as well. We have an overnight in Reykjavik. We have decided to splurge and do a 4x4 adventure to the South Coast on our first day ( since we won't need to worry about returning to the ship.

 

However , all the tour companies have very strict cancellation policies. If we miss our port , we basically lose our whole payment which is over $1000. I have investigated many reputable companies ( all top companies on TA ) and this seems to be the general reality.

 

So , now wondering what the chances of missing the port are .. I know nobody has a crystal ball , but am curious to hear past experiences.

 

If it is of importance where we are coming from , here is our itinerary.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RKSue]

One would think slim. Now that being said they have volcanoes that are very active. There is also a weather chance. I was there for 4 days. Did my own drive and it was great. Didn't bother with the tour companies although I hear they are first rate. Good luck. Hard decision to make.

[MacThespian]

After browsing through the excellent Copenhagen thread I thought about starting one for Iceland as well:

 

I'm a regular cruiser that lives in Reykjavik, Iceland and not affiliated with any tour companies. So if you have any questions about the Icelandic ports of call and surrounding attractions feel free to ask.

 

Main port: Reykjavik (Capital).

Secondary ports: Akureyri (largest town in the north of Iceland), Seydisfjordur (a small town on the east coast) and Isafjordur (a town in the rugged northwestern part of Iceland).

 

This is really nice of you. We have friends in Norway, and I'm hoping to visit them next spring--but with a stopover in Iceland on the way. I'm going to be reading this thread with a lot of interest.

[MacThespian]

I am having knee replacement surgery a few months prior to our time in iceland (mid-May). Do any of the tour companies have vehicles that are easier on/off? We are actually staying out near the airport at Bed and Breakfast Keflavik.

 

Or maybe we should rent a car. There are 4 of us and three will have some level of mobility issues plus a one day car rental seems to be about the same price as a golden circle tour for one person. Thank you.

 

We're thinking about a trip to Iceland next May. I too have mobility problems, so I was wondering what you found out. Did you like the B&B? And did you wind up renting a car to do your own Golden Circle tour?

 

Thanks,

[bdfred]

After finishing our cruise in the Baltic we're planning a 4 day stop over in Iceland. My plans are to exchange my excess Euros at the airport for Iceland Krona. Is this a good strategy instead of buying Krona in states and carrying around?

[MacThespian]

We're thinking about a trip to Iceland next May. I too have mobility problems, so I was wondering what you found out. Did you like the B&B? And did you wind up renting a car to do your own Golden Circle tour?

 

Thanks,

 

Well, the trip is now definite, and we have a 3-day stay in Reykjavik on the way home. My wife prefers a private bath, and those are inordinately expensive in most of the B&Bs and hotels I researched. We ended up renting an apartment through Air*bnb (not sure if that would be censored without the asterisk). It looks really nice, and while not the least expensive option it is quite reasonable for Iceland. Plus, it has two bedrooms, so my daughter won't have to sleep in the living room.

[Nitemare]

bdfred: One exchange (Euro for ISK) seems like less exchange costs than two (Euros to USD, and USD to ISK), right?

 

Just know that in Iceland 99.7% of places take plastic. We've been over there 3 times and stopped getting local currency after our second trip

[bdfred]

bdfred: One exchange (Euro for ISK) seems like less exchange costs than two (Euros to USD, and USD to ISK), right?

 

Just know that in Iceland 99.7% of places take plastic. We've been over there 3 times and stopped getting local currency after our second trip

 

Thanks. I'll plan on using our cards.

[Talent312]

My apologies if this has been covered, but...

 

We're doing a stop-over, arriving at KEF on Friday May 27th at /6:30 AM/.

We leave early Sunday, so we have Friday-Saturday for touring activities.

 

We're thinking -- FlyBus to the Reykjavik hotel and drop bags (8AM).

Friday ...: 1/2-Day for Blue Lagoon & 1/2 Day to explore Reykjavik.

Saturday: Golden Circle tour.

 

Sunday, we have to catch the FlyBus at /4:30 AM/ for a 7:50 AM flight.

... for required two hours at the airport? <sigh>

 

Does this seem reasonable, or should Golden Circle first?

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[MacThespian]

My apologies if this has been covered, but...

 

We're doing a stop-over, arriving at KEF on Friday May 27th at /6:30 AM/.

We leave early Sunday, so we have Friday-Saturday for touring activities.

 

We're thinking -- FlyBus to the Reykjavik hotel and drop bags (8AM).

Friday ...: 1/2-Day for Blue Lagoon & 1/2 Day to explore Reykjavik.

Saturday: Golden Circle tour.

 

Sunday, we have to catch the FlyBus at /4:30 AM/ for a 7:50 AM flight.

... for required two hours at the airport? <sigh>

 

Does this seem reasonable, or should Golden Circle first?

.

This seems like a sensible choice. I'd explore Reykjavik first, and go to the Blue Lagoon later in the day. (If you're tired, you can always skip the blue lagoon and go to a municipal swimming pool.)

[Nitemare]

Very reasonable.

 

I'd do Blue Lagoon either en route to Reykjavik from the airport upon arrival, or en route to the airport when departing as it's very close to the airport, and the Flybus has that as an extremely regularly scheduled option.

 

No need to make a special trip from the city almost all the way to the airport (45 minutes) and back for the Lagoon.

 

Make sure you book the Lagoon in advance as they fill up and don't always take walkins

[Talent312]

I'd do Blue Lagoon either en route to Reykjavik from the airport upon arrival, or en route to the airport when departing as it's very close to the airport, and the Flybus has that as an extremely regularly scheduled option.

 

I thought about doing Blue Lagoon on the way from KEF to Reykjavik; however, it appears that Blue Lagoon does not open in May until 9AM, which means we'd be at the airport from 6:30AM until what? 8:30AM?

 

That may not be too bad, actually, if there's a decent place to get breakfast at the airport. Any advice there?

 

Prior to departure is not an option. Our flight leaves at 7:50AM, which seems to mean that we'll need to catch the _4:30AM_ shuttle from our hotel.

 

Something Else: My DW wants to do an ice-bar in Reykjavik... Any recommendations?

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