Arcadia to Iceland

[jdr2]

Hi-we are considering the Arcadia cruise from Southampton via Norway Iceland and Dublin next July. Has anyone done this type of cruise before? What are your thoughts on Iceland, Arcadia and will the sea up there be rough in July? Thanks

 

 

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[Thejuggler]

Did a similar trip on Celebrity. No Dublin so the trip to Iceland was three days, but it was stunning. Dolphins and Orcas spotted during the sea days and sea was a millpond.

 

Weather in Iceland was amazing, but unusual. 16-17 degrees and sunny. Great scenery and Akureyri was our favourite port, far better than Reykjavik.

 

If Faeroes are part of the trip they are 'interesting' and not somewhere you would ever go normally. Norway was very wet!

 

We would do it again.

[the english lady]

Hi-we are considering the Arcadia cruise from Southampton via Norway Iceland and Dublin next July. Has anyone done this type of cruise before? What are your thoughts on Iceland, Arcadia and will the sea up there be rough in July? Thanks

 

 

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This is the next cruise we are looking at.

Never done Iceland, Norway done 300 million times. When we have done the North Sea in July in the past it was alright. The bit between Scotland and Iceland we shall have to see...when ever bad weather is heading for the UK and they say it will miss us, its nearly always because it goes across that bit instead. Mind you OH reckons he always sleeps much better on a ship if there are lots of potholes.

[bazbov]

Hi-we are considering the Arcadia cruise from Southampton via Norway Iceland and Dublin next July. Has anyone done this type of cruise before? What are your thoughts on Iceland, Arcadia and will the sea up there be rough in July? Thanks

 

 

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Hello jdr2.

We did a Similar cruise last year but with another cruise line. We enjoyed Iceland very much, Scenery was stunning.

We have been lucky enough to have spent over 200 nights on the Arcadia and for us, she is our favourite ship in the P&0 fleet.

July weather should in theory be ok, but the sea can change at any given moment, No one can predict really.

 

Hope this helps. Happy cruising. :)

[insanemagnet]

I did a cruise up to Iceland last year on Oriana and it was great.

 

Sea was a bit bumpy on the way up and back causing sick bags to be deployed on stairs. However seasickness tablets prevented any problems for my wife who can get car sick just looking at a map.

 

Weather in Iceland was chilly, ranging from 5c up to around 15c. Not predicable as midnight when the sun was still up walking around deck in short sleeves as we sailed up around the North West coast. Following morning as we dock, snow on the hills and 5c, so coats, hats and gloves.

 

However Iceland is a spectacular place and I would go back in a heartbeat.

 

Do get out of the port towns on trips. I used a local company for all three stops and they were excellent. 10 seater minibus instead of a 50 seater coach so fast in and out of stops. Flexibility to change the order of the stops depending on weather and crowds. Half the cost of the P&O trips.

 

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[Cruise Puss]

We have done this (without Ireland) on Arcadia two years ago.

 

Iceland is stunning! Highly recommended.

 

Arcadia is my favourite ship - no children. I love the glass lifts, the Crows Nest, the Piano Bar, Sindhu and Ocean Grill, and she has a huge amount of deck space to wander around on - very good for looking at the scenery.

 

The seas on the way were absolutely fine, but maybe we were lucky. We did have sea fog on the second day at sea, but it came and went and was fine to sit out in in a jumper/fleece.

 

The weather is cold in Iceland. We went in the middle of June and it was 12 degrees in Reykjavik, 8 degrees in Isafjordur, and it eventually got up to 15 degrees in Akureyri. We were very lucky with the weather to be honest. We had cloud and some sun in the capital, but beautiful sunshine in the other two places. There was snow on all the mountains around Isafjordur and Akureyri - it was absolutely beautiful. I believe Oriana went about around a month or so after us and couldn't get into one of the ports because of a storm, so it can be changeable.

 

You definitely need to do tours here, not just get off and wander around the ports. You will not get a feel for Iceland at all doing that, especially in the capital. We did a tour there which took in a power plant, which you might think would be ridiculous, but actually was extremely interesting. The mid-Atlantic ridge is amazing to see as well. The countryside in all the different areas is completely different.

 

You will need to take waterproof and, especially, windproof gear. When we leaving Akureyri we were up on deck the whole time and it was really really cold as it was windy, but the scenery leaving is fantastic and well worth it.

 

You will also get completely light nights of course, and, in the north, may see the midnight sun if it's clear.

 

We also saw some humpback whales up in the north waters. You need to keep a good look out for whales generally - it's one of the best places in the World to see them. The East Bar is an extremely good place to spot them. Look for spouts of water coming up, and don't expect them to be enormous from that distance up!

 

If you go you won't be disappointed I'm sure! :)

Edited November 2, 2016 by Cruise Puss

[the english lady]

I did a cruise up to Iceland last year on Oriana and it was great.

 

Sea was a bit bumpy on the way up and back causing sick bags to be deployed on stairs. However seasickness tablets prevented any problems for my wife who can get car sick just looking at a map.

 

Weather in Iceland was chilly, ranging from 5c up to around 15c. Not predicable as midnight when the sun was still up walking around deck in short sleeves as we sailed up around the North West coast. Following morning as we dock, snow on the hills and 5c, so coats, hats and gloves.

 

However Iceland is a spectacular place and I would go back in a heartbeat.

 

Do get out of the port towns on trips. I used a local company for all three stops and they were excellent. 10 seater minibus instead of a 50 seater coach so fast in and out of stops. Flexibility to change the order of the stops depending on weather and crowds. Half the cost of the P&O trips.

 

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Any chance you can remember the companies you used. If we do it, sounds like the sort of thing we would like to do.

[insanemagnet]

Any chance you can remember the companies you used. If we do it, sounds like the sort of thing we would like to do.

They were all delivered by one company called Fabtravel.

 

They arranged the trips so they covered the highlights, and then at the end of the day ended up with a 60 minute tour of the town (e.g. in Reykjavik the cathedral and The Pearl). That way if there was any delay on route, they could drop that bit and get you back on time.

 

There is less 'hand-holding' than on cruise ship tours, but good for people who want a semi-independent approach.

 

 

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[cruisefan2012]

Thank you to the opening poster for this thread, Interesting to read peoples views on this cruise, I`m going on Aurora in 2018 on this cruise, Norway, Iceland, Ireland

 

Have heard stories about getting dark VERY late at night, I`m glad I`ve booked an inside cabin as I can only sleep in cave like rooms !!

 

I`m very excited for this one !!

[SteveH2508]

We did Iceland and Norway in summer 2010. Sea conditions were fine. The ship ran out of fleeces to sell after 2 days. Pack layers including waterproof and windproof layers. Very interesting and different cruise - you'll love it.

[shallwe]

We did Iceland on Arcadia in August this year. The weather on Iceland was a lot cooler than expected (I think the clue is in the name of the country). It was also quite damp too.

I loved the country, my wife didn't go a bundle on it.

Ship was great.

 

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[LondonTowner]

We did Iceland on Oriana last year in July/August. We really enjoyed it and did private tours with two other couples on our Roll Call. I think the daytime temperatures were about 16-18c, not too cold, but we did have the right sort of clothing.

 

We had two days of sunshine and the other day was changeable. We really enjoyed it and would go back.

 

We stopped in the Faroe Islands which have lovely scenery. We did a private tour with another couple with a company called Greengate Incoming and were very disappointed with the guide.

 

The worst weather we had on the whole cruise was in the Orkneys, which did spoil it a bit for us. We did an excellent private tour with a company called Wild about Orkney.

 

I don't remember the sea being rough at all, but as I don't mind it rough, I probably didn't notice.

[Florry]

We did this exact cruise for the P&O anniversary in 2012. As far as I recall we didn't have a rough sea.

Dublin is enjoyable and there is a good HOHO so no need for expensive trips. I've done Norway a few times, the scenery is stunning so it's worth having a balcony. Iceland didn't leave a lasting impact on me as I found the volcanic terrain rather bland. We went to the blue lagoon which crushed a few illusions as I hadn't realised it was a man made outdoor pool. I think it's an itinerary that's well worth doing and you'll have a great trip.

 

 

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[peanut63]

I was on the August 2016 Arcadia trip to Iceland, loved it. It is cold, but you are on the edge of the arctic circle, so I didn't expect it to be a hot summer holiday. I found the Blue Lagoon boring, but I am still glad I went. At one of the Scottish Island stops - Stornaway - it was too rough and they stopped people going ashore on the tenders, only bringing people back, loved Belfast but Dublin is a great choice too.

Edited November 2, 2016 by peanut63

[jdr2]

Thank you so much everyone for all the information, really appreciate it.

 

 

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[insanemagnet]

And Dublin was great as we did a free walking tour (tips at the end if you liked it). The three hour tour was all around the south side and was led by a former Dublin university law student.

 

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[LondonTowner]

We did the HOHO bus in Dublin and it was excellent with a live commentary. We have taken them in many cities, but this was one of the best.

 

BTW we did a walking tour in Berlin last year, which was also excellent and just needed to tip the guide.

[Gillypat]

We are looking to book this cruise this week too leaving July 2017 on Arcadia. Can anyone give advice as to which deck to choose or a balcony cabin, and what currency is used in Iceland.what trips would you recommend? Thank you so much for all the information.