Tour Advice: Iceland & Fjords on the Eclipse

[maximusas]

Hi

 

We are due to sail to Iceland and Fjords on 5th July on the Eclipse.

 

Starting to look at tours. We want to try tours that will leave a lasting impression.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

Was looking at the Lets Go Volcano one which sounds adventurous but can't find a single review on the internet... Either it's new or not popular.

 

It includes a trek to a volcano followed by relaxation in Blue Lagoon.

 

Has anyone done this tour? Can you tell me what does it involve in mor detail and more importantly what did people who have done it think in terms of fun, value and effort.

 

Also, any other tour recommendations on any of the ports would be appreciated

[SrTrPro]

Blue Lagoon is nice - DW and I did it in Sept 2012 - little pricey.

 

Bruce

[KaththeTaff]

We did the same itinerary last year. In Reykjavik we took an evening Golden Circle tour with Gray Line on the first night, then the tour that took us to a geothermal power station and some more geysers the following morning.

 

We enjoyed both. The sights that we saw on the Godlen Circle were not as crowded as thery would have been during the day, and the geysers at Geysir were brilliant in the evening light. We got back to the ship just after 11.30pm, and the drive back was brilliant in the half light (it never gets fully dark in the summer in Iceland).

 

In Akureyri we took a ship tour that visited Godafoss, the waterfall of the gods, followed by Lake Myvatn and then a geothermal site that was simply awesome. We would recommend these tours to anyone with an interest in geology and green energy.

 

We thought that the tours we chose also provided a varied sample of Icelandic scenery, with a smattering of indights into the historical way of life and culture of the country.

[jelayne]

Come join on use the roll call for this cruise. There are some folks organizing independent tours in some if the ports.

[Callyscally]

Hi

 

We are due to sail to Iceland and Fjords on 5th July on the Eclipse.

 

Starting to look at tours. We want to try tours that will leave a lasting impression.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

Was looking at the Lets Go Volcano one which sounds adventurous but can't find a single review on the internet... Either it's new or not popular.

 

It includes a trek to a volcano followed by relaxation in Blue Lagoon.

 

Has anyone done this tour? Can you tell me what does it involve in mor detail and more importantly what did people who have done it think in terms of fun, value and effort.

 

Also, any other tour recommendations on any of the ports would be appreciated

 

Hi Maximusas,

If you take a look at Celebrity Eclipse roll call for Norway and Iceland, you will find a very lively roll call. Lots of information regarding tours and things to do while on the cruise. Have you signed up for the connections party ?

maybe see you onboard:)

Callyscally

[reilly1]

We did exactly the same cruise last year, and although the weather was awful, it is one of our favourite cruises. Take plenty of layers as it was really cold in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but sunny and warmish in Norway.

 

In Iceland we did a tour with Gateway to Iceland (GTI) and they were really great - would highly recommend this company.

 

Enjoy!

[prish]

We did the same itinerary in July 2012 and it was one of our best cruising experiences. Our Roll Call too was extremely active, almost 150 pages by the time we were done and we put together several great tours. We did the Golden Circle by superjeep with IG Tours (infor@igtours.is) and went up on a glacier. The next day we went to the Blue Lagoon, again fun in a different way. In Akureyri we used Taxi no. 17 (taxi@taxi-no17.com) for a full day tour including Godafoss waterfall, Lake Myvatn, etc, we loved Iceland and hope to go back again some day...

[maximusas]

Hi, thanks everyone. Yeah me and my wife (bubblesqueaker) registered on the roll call way back when we booked last July but at the time there wasn't much action (5th July 2014 Eclipse sailing).

 

Now we're getting closer and starting to get exciting, I'm starting to come back to the forums to start to think about these things.

 

I'll maybe head over to the roll call to see what's happening

[sddsddean]

We did exactly the same cruise last year, and although the weather was awful, it is one of our favourite cruises. Take plenty of layers as it was really cold in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but sunny and warmish in Norway.

 

In Iceland we did a tour with Gateway to Iceland (GTI) and they were really great - would highly recommend this company.

 

Enjoy!

 

Hi Coleen and George...hope you are both well and George eventually got his voice back!!

 

Simon

[BearsAhoy]

My husband and I visited Iceland (not a cruise) in 2009 and absolutely loved it! We definitely want to go back some day. We went to the Blue Lagoon from Keflavik, before going into Reykjavik, and really enjoyed it, even my husband who doesn't like hot tubs, etc.! I was pregnant at the time and had a massage there - in the water, floating on a mat, it did wonders for my aches after a red-eye flight.

 

We stayed in Reykjavik the whole visit, but hired a private guide for a tour beyond Reykjavik. We paid, I think, US$500 for the day, and felt it was worth it for us. On the one hand, we didn't have to plan anything, but on the other the guide was keen to personalise the tour for us.

 

In Reykjavik, we enjoyed the museums. I can't remember the name, but there was a museum below a building, basically an archaeological site that was discovered during excavation for the building. It was fascinating!

 

Have fun! It's a gorgeous place, somewhere we want to visit again and for longer.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, please excuse wonky autocorrects.

Edited March 7, 2014 by BearsAhoy

[orgutierrez]

We did that exact same cruise back in 2012. In three words: best cruise ever!

Not only the beautiful Celebrity Eclipse but the ports as well. These are the ports in Iceland and Faroe we visited and what we did:

- Reykjavik: we arrived there at 02:00 PM, we took a private tour that first brought us to Reykjavik city center where our tour guide dropped us there and we stayed there for two hours (not much to see in the town itself). After that we took the Golden Circle Tour which includes the following three stops: Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Hot Spring Area and Pingvellir National Park, our tour guide also stopped in Kerio crater. I would highly recommend you to take the Golden Circle tour as it is a tour of a lifetime.

We had a full morning on the following day so we took a taxi to the Blue Lagoon and back, he told us that he would wait for two hours, that was enough but we would've liked to spend there more time! Perhaps it's better to take a private tour that leaves you more time there!

- Akureyri: we had a full day there, I had previously been debating between a Godafoss waterfalls tour and the Arctic Sea Tours Whale Watching, we ended up going on the Whale Watching tour. Again, it was a complete hit. It was extremely cheap, three hours of whale watching plus the transfer between Dalvik and Akureyri that gives you phenomenal and awesome views of the Icelandic passage.

- Klaksvik: we just wandered around town there, I would recommend you to wake up early in order to see the arrival to Klaksvik as it is quite a weird and narrow fjord, the town was beautiful but apart from the church there wasn't much to do.

For the Norway ports you'll have a lot of information posted on the boards, but if you want to ask me something don't hesitate to reply. We visited Geiranger, Molde, Flam and Bergen.

 

Hope to have been helpful to you!

Oriol.

[Jo and Rob]

We are off to Iceland at the end of July. Will we see any snow?

[Northern Aurora]

 

In Reykjavik, we enjoyed the museums. I can't remember the name, but there was a museum below a building, basically an archaeological site that was discovered during excavation for the building. It was fascinating!

 

Have fun! It's a gorgeous place, somewhere we want to visit again and for longer.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, please excuse wonky autocorrects.

 

We spent six nights in Iceland last month following a TA, and the post above refers to the Settlement House 871 +/- 2, which we also thought was extremely interesting.

 

We are off to Iceland at the end of July. Will we see any snow?

 

While Iceland is extremely green, about ten percent of the country is glaciated. So we could see snow fields in the distance. Much of what we viewed looked just like Alaska, where we live, with other areas reminding us of the western coast of Ireland, and also the coast of Norway. Very enjoyable country with delicious food and wonderful inhabitants.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Iceland is so beautiful, many of the sites looked absolutely other-worldly to me.

 

I was there for 5 days several years back. Highlights were riding the wonderful little Icelandic horses, and then a good soak at Blue Lagoon. Friend and I visited the Pearl (a museum in Reykajavik), had some very good food at different restaurants, visited the church in town with the huge pipes & shopped for sweaters downtown. I could have spent another week there easily.

 

Next trip will have to include a Golden Circle tour, and hopefully northern lights. One thing I will never do again is the cheap greyhound bus size tour that takes you around to attempt to see the lights out away from the city. The tour was free with the Iceland air package, but in hindsight our limited time on this trip was worth paying a higher price for. Half our time was spent picking up & then dropping off other tour goers from their hotels - we were up til 3AM with no luck at lights. The more expensive tours can't guarantee success either, but at least the hours you spend are in more comfortable conditions in a smaller vehicle & not wasting time with the pick up & drop off.

Edited June 10, 2014 by CanWeGoYet?

[bubblesqueaker]

Hi everyone, thanks for the advice. I noticed this thread and thought... Oh, look! Someone's on our cruise to find the originally post is by my husband! Too funny! :-)

 

 

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[sandav]

As Eclipse is docked overnight in Reykjavic it is safe to take an independent tour. Last year my husband and myself did the Golden Circle Tour with Igtours. Tour guide was waiting on the dock, small minibus instead of large tour bus and a very interesting tour. Only possible downside for some was that the tour does not return to the ship till around 8pm. May mess with some dinner plans. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

[DebbieMacG]

We are off to Iceland at the end of July. Will we see any snow?

 

You may see snow on the mountain tops still, though when we were just there on 6/7th June the temp was 27 degrees! Of course you will see the glacier if you do a tour :)

 

I can highly recommend Iceland Horizon, we had Dave the owner who was great :)

[Jo and Rob]

You may see snow on the mountain tops still, though when we were just there on 6/7th June the temp was 27 degrees! Of course you will see the glacier if you do a tour :)

 

I can highly recommend Iceland Horizon, we had Dave the owner who was great :)

 

We have booked two Celebrity tours, the Golden Circle with lunch and the Blue Lagoon. Any snow with those?

 

From a temperature point of view, will we freeze when we get out of the Blue Lagoon?

 

I am so excited about this trip. We sail from Harwich on Infinity in 5 weeks!!!

[BearsAhoy]

We have booked two Celebrity tours, the Golden Circle with lunch and the Blue Lagoon. Any snow with those?

 

From a temperature point of view, will we freeze when we get out of the Blue Lagoon?

 

I am so excited about this trip. We sail from Harwich on Infinity in 5 weeks!!!

 

 

We visited Iceland in Early June (2009), and encountered no snow. At the Blue Lagoon, we rented bathrobes which were cosy; we visited on our way in from the airport, so early morning, and weren't cold.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk, please excuse wonky autocorrects.

[kevinyork]

We are off to Iceland at the end of July. Will we see any snow?

 

 

We were on Eclipse last July. There were glimpses of snow in the distance but nothing much. We used cruisingexcursions.com and saved half the cost of Celebritys's trips despite the tour company being the same. We used igtours in Rejkavik for the Golden Circle tour, they were excellent.

 

You wont be cold. It was about 12 degrees C at midnight when we were there.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited June 19, 2014 by kevinyork
added

[CanWeGoYet?]

Pack a little bath robe or rent one when you get there if the day seems chilly. It's just a very short walk to the locker area from the lagoon once you get out. I went in early march & we had some light snow that day, but I got very warm while in the water. I brought a thick bath robe & a thick oversized towel - would have been fine just with the towel. If you aren't planning on lounging around a great while on the grounds you don't really need a robe imho.

Edited June 20, 2014 by CanWeGoYet?

[Jo and Rob]

I'm really looking forward to the Blue Lagoon. It looks very cloudy. What is under your feet? Sand? Mud? Salt?

[vickykay]

Hi Jo and Rob,

 

We're on the same cruise. We are doing the ship's tour to the Blue Lagoon the second morning. Are you doing that one also?

 

Vicky

[bubblesqueaker]

Us too Vicky! We are doing the ship tour on the second morning too.

 

 

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[CanWeGoYet?]

I'm really looking forward to the Blue Lagoon. It looks very cloudy. What is under your feet? Sand? Mud? Salt?

 

If memory serves, the underbed of the lagoon is volcanic rock, but there is a thick layer of silica / ash / salts on top of that.

There are tubs of clean silica mud to put on your face like a mud pack if you like, scattered around the perimeter of the lagoon. I soaked in that water for a couple hours - the eczema on my hands cleared completely for an entire month.

 

After I got home I needed to put something on my face when I noticed the stupid rash from my eczema flaring on my face again. I used the little sample pack of lotion I saved because it was all that was in my purse at the time. Took the rash down better than my prescription lotions! Don't mean to sound like a testimonial but the stuff really worked at least for me. If you want to buy some of the product, it is less expensive at the airport than at their spa.

 

I still buy the lotion & have it shipped to me, even though it's pricey it works so it's worth it to me.