Iceland by Cruise or Land?

[stormz]

Hi fellow cruise critic members.   I am “dreaming” about a 2022 cruise between Iceland and Norway.   I see some lines just start and end in Iceland and some circle Iceland.   I have heard Iceland can be appreciated more by experiencing on land rather than port to port.   Looking at Silversea/Viking Ocean/Windstar.   Any previous cruisers on these lines or general comments?  Thanks in advance.

[sparks1093]

15 minutes ago, stormz said:

Hi fellow cruise critic members.   I am “dreaming” about a 2022 cruise between Iceland and Norway.   I see some lines just start and end in Iceland and some circle Iceland.   I have heard Iceland can be appreciated more by experiencing on land rather than port to port.   Looking at Silversea/Viking Ocean/Windstar.   Any previous cruisers on these lines or general comments?  Thanks in advance.

I was stationed in Iceland in the mid-70's and personally I'd like to do a land tour in order to see what I missed way back then (I didn't make it off base much). A friend of mine when a couple of years ago (on land) and loved it. (As an aside he stayed in the building that used to be my barracks. It is now a Hostel. Times change.)

[ontheweb]

I cannot answer the specific question about cruises in Iceland, but can say we did a land vacation there and it was fabulous. 

[jocap]

We've cruised there from the north of England (Fred Olsen cruise line), and it's really whetted our appetite for more, but we're not very fit these days, so for a land holiday we'd still need some sort of guided tours.

The other way we'd do this is by going on Iceland's own cruise ship, Ocean Diamond, which (watching the Jane MacDonald film) appears to offer a real insight into the Icelandic life. They also offer various additions, so we'd make it a cruise/stay, and use the Icelandic Travel Agency for tours... people on our cruise had arranged their own excursions with the ITA.

[Heidi13]

We have only been to Iceland once and would like to return. Although the cost of living is high, we would also consider a land tour.

 

No experience on Silversea or Windstar, but Viking are excellent. Just booked our 2nd World Cruise with them.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, stormz said:

Hi fellow cruise critic members.   I am “dreaming” about a 2022 cruise between Iceland and Norway.   I see some lines just start and end in Iceland and some circle Iceland.   I have heard Iceland can be appreciated more by experiencing on land rather than port to port.   Looking at Silversea/Viking Ocean/Windstar.   Any previous cruisers on these lines or general comments?  Thanks in advance.

 

If you must do an Iceland tour by ship, one that just circles Iceland will be much better than one that leaves from and returns to Norway.  You want to spend your time in Iceland as opposed to wasting time getting to and from Iceland.  That said, if you really want to see a country (any country, not just Iceland) the only way to do it is with a land tour. 

 

This is not an Iceland trip the the comparison is still valid.  A year or so ago, we did a trip to New Zealand.  I wanted to spend about 30 days driving around New Zealand.  My wife thought that we should do a New Zealand cruise instead.  We compromised and I got about 20 days on land and my wife got a 12 day cruise which started in Auckland and ended in Sydney.  Ignoring the 2 of the 12 days that we totally wasted getting from the end of our New Zealand stops to Sydney,  the land portion of the trip was immeasurably better than the cruise portion of the trip.  

 

DON

[Ashland]

We did an Iceland, Ireland & Scotland cruise with Celebrity out of Dublin..It was amazing and definitely gave us a good overview to consider a land return.

[clo]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

I cannot answer the specific question about cruises in Iceland, but can say we did a land vacation there and it was fabulous. 

We also did an escorted land tour. I don't know about currently but at the time Icelandair allowed you to layover up to seven day en route to somewhere else. And they go to a lot of places. We went from there to Copenhagen. Loved them both.

[MJC]

We have a friend who travels a lot for his work and regularly does what clo suggested about using the up-to-seven-day layover because he loves Iceland so much. He makes a point to route through Iceland if he can.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, clo said:

We also did an escorted land tour. I don't know about currently but at the time Icelandair allowed you to layover up to seven day en route to somewhere else. And they go to a lot of places. We went from there to Copenhagen. Loved them both.

We did Iceland on our own, not an escorted tour. We did take advantage of their layover offer.( I am not sure is at the time we were aware of it.) We did do an offer from Icelandair that included one of the hotels they owned as part of the package with airfare.

[clo]

23 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We did Iceland on our own, not an escorted tour. We did take advantage of their layover offer.( I am not sure is at the time we were aware of it.) We did do an offer from Icelandair that included one of the hotels they owned as part of the package with airfare.

I gotta admit that as hokey-touristy as it sounds we'd layover one night just to go to the Blue Lagoon again 🙂

[evandbob]

We had scheduled a 10 day land tour of Iceland this past October that was cancelled due to COVID.  It was called in search of the northern lights and started in the capital and went north ward in a clockwise fashion.  We thought the land tour would give us a more immersive feel for the countryside than a cruise would provide.

 

A friend of ours went on her own to Iceland, rented a car, and drove herself and a friend all around the country and said it was easy and safe for her to do so.  We are a bit older than her and just felt we could benefit more by utilizing a tour service and guide for transport and hotels. We did feel the land tour would give us way more landscape exposure and local interaction than port calls from a cruise ship.

[sverigecruiser]

8 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

If you must do an Iceland tour by ship, one that just circles Iceland will be much better than one that leaves from and returns to Norway.  You want to spend your time in Iceland as opposed to wasting time getting to and from Iceland.  That said, if you really want to see a country (any country, not just Iceland) the only way to do it is with a land tour. 

 

 

I agree with you that to see a country a land tour is the best way to do it. 

 

I disagree about the "wasting time" because days at sea is not wasting time, I think.

[ilikeanswers]

I have only done a land trip in Iceland, we did a self drive trip but also two F road day tours which while they are pricey I would recommend as the interior is stunning but as they are only F road accessible you need a special vehicle which can't be rented hence the tours. While I haven't done a cruise to make a direct comparison I still think Icleand is best done as a land trip as there is just so much to see on the island that is just not accessible from most cruise ports and unlike Norway with its dramatic fjords the Iceland coastline while pretty is IMO not as interesting as the scenery further inland.

[dreamercruise]

We stopped by Iceland after our Viking Midnight Sun cruise from London to Bergen.  We took Icelandic Air flights with a stopover in Iceland. We made a three-segment trip: US to London (where we embarked), Oslo to Reykjavik, Iceland (after we took the Norway in a Nutshell scenic train from Bergen to Oslo, and spent a few days touring Oslo on our own, highly recommended) and then Iceland back to US.  There was no extra cost in air fare for adding Iceland as a stop.

 

We spent 4 days, 3 nights in Iceland.  Took 2 day trips (full day each) “South Coast” and “Golden Circle”.  With the other two half days, we walked around Reykjavik to see all points of interests in the city and shopped.  We saw a lot of beautiful waterfalls, geysers, volcanic formations, and natural scenery.  Tours included pickups and drop offs (meeting points close to hotels).  It was enjoyable and convenient.

 

Since the trip, we have been exploring Iceland cruises/land tours to pair with our upcoming Arctic cruise.  We examined itineraries from Silversea, Viking, Scenic, Tauck’s, and others.  Our conclusion is that whatever we saw was the majority of interesting things to see.  Instead of adding Iceland, we decided to take Tauck’s Switzerland land tour.

 

In conclusion, I think if you want to visit Iceland, best is to fly to Reykjavik, stay in one hotel, and do day-tours from there (you can also tour Blue Lagoon).  If you want to circle the island, then I think a land tour is better.  My daughter rented a car and drove around by herself, using guide maps.  We are older and lazy, so we prefer someone to take us around.  Iceland is expensive, especially in summer.  No kidding.  Our bed and breakfast hotel costs $500 per night, and I had to book a year in advance to get the price. A burger similar to McDonald grade (something that I stopped eating for many years as I can afford more luxury) costs $30. A beer costs $15.

[cruisemom42]

I'm looking to book a cruise a some point that visits Greenland (the areas I'm interested in are probably easiest visited on a ship) and most also include Iceland.

 

I'm struggling with whether to book one with an itinerary I like slightly less but that begins and ends in Iceland (plus 3 stops in Iceland onboard the ship).  OR doing one with an itinerary I like slightly more on a somewhat smaller ship but that only offers 1 day in Reykjavik and one in Isafjordur.

 

As a caveat, I am totally NOT that person who is into scenery. My reasons for wanting to visit Greenland (and to a lesser degree Iceland) are because of the Viking history of these places. 

 

With that in mind, can anyone recommend things to do in Iceland that are not geared around geysers, waterfalls, etc.?  Is it worth it to stay longer in Reykjavik before or after a cruise -- or with my interests will the two day stops be sufficient (for now)?

 

 

[dreamercruise]

You have to walk and climb to do some of the waterfalls, especially the famous one that you can go behind the waterfall.  There is also an option to do ice walk. You can also teak a hot spring bath in Blue Lagoon.  It is up to you which local tours to sign up.  Remember, most tourists in Iceland are young people.

[Flatbush Flyer]

"One and done."

Iceland is certainly a majestic natural wonder. But, that's about it. In an overnight (Reykjavík ) and a couple of other circumnavigation stops on a cruise you can do things like the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon and even throw in some other local experiences.

But, beyond that (IMO), whoever does the tourist advertising for Iceland should get a big bonus and take a trip to Patagonia (after doing the South Pacific and thawing out).

[K32682]

Two nights there on a repositioning cruise a few years ago was enough for me.  Nothing against the place and I'm glad I saw it but what it offers I can see in my own country. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm looking to book a cruise a some point that visits Greenland (the areas I'm interested in are probably easiest visited on a ship) and most also include Iceland.

 

I'm struggling with whether to book one with an itinerary I like slightly less but that begins and ends in Iceland (plus 3 stops in Iceland onboard the ship).  OR doing one with an itinerary I like slightly more on a somewhat smaller ship but that only offers 1 day in Reykjavik and one in Isafjordur.

 

As a caveat, I am totally NOT that person who is into scenery. My reasons for wanting to visit Greenland (and to a lesser degree Iceland) are because of the Viking history of these places. 

 

With that in mind, can anyone recommend things to do in Iceland that are not geared around geysers, waterfalls, etc.?  Is it worth it to stay longer in Reykjavik before or after a cruise -- or with my interests will the two day stops be sufficient (for now)?

 

 

IMO, do a northern TransAtlantic from Southampton (or Dublin) to NYC. Oceania does some form of this annually and it'll include Greenland/Iceland (overnight in  Reykjavík), Faroe Islands and northeastern Canada. With a few sea days in the mix as well as pre/post cruise stays in London and NY, I'd be hard-pressed to find a more interesting yet value-laden vacation itinerary.

 

[cruisemom42]

18 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

IMO, do a northern TransAtlantic from Southampton (or Dublin) to NYC. Oceania does some form of this annually and it'll include Greenland/Iceland (overnight in  Reykjavík), Faroe Islands and northeastern Canada. With a few sea days in the mix as well as pre/post cruise stays in London and NY, I'd be hard-pressed to find a more interesting yet value-laden vacation itinerary.

 

 

Value laden?  Not for me....

 

I booked a while back (pre-COVID) on Oceania Sirena to do a cruise from Southampton to Stockholm. It is longer than I really wanted but has a fairly good itinerary/sampling of Greenland, Iceland and Northern European ports. Then I found a Hurtigruten expedition cruise with a better itinerary, shorter, and far less $$$ than Oceania. I booked it, but as it was earlier it has already been canceled while the Sirena is still on the books as I had almost forgotten about it.

 

Now that I recently realized the older booking still exists, I am looking again at alternatives and find two better itineraries on what -- in your eyes -- would be considered far lesser lines, I'm sure. But both have better ports in Greenland for my purposes and both include more but are less than half the cost of Oceania per day for me AS A SOLO.

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by cruisemom42

[donaldsc]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Value laden?  Not for me....

 

I booked a while back (pre-COVID) on Oceania Sirena to do a cruise from Southampton to Stockholm. It is longer than I really wanted but has a fairly good itinerary/sampling of Greenland, Iceland and Northern European ports. Then I found a Hurtigruten expedition cruise with a better itinerary, shorter, and far less $$$ than Oceania. I booked it, but as it was earlier it has already been canceled while the Sirena is still on the books as I had almost forgotten about it.

 

Now that I recently realized the older booking still exists, I am looking again at alternatives and find two better itineraries on what -- in your eyes -- would be considered far lesser lines, I'm sure. But both have better ports in Greenland for my purposes and both include more but are less than half the cost of Oceania per day for me AS A SOLO.

 

 

Totally agree w you.  I wonder how many days of the cruise do you actually spend in the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland as compared to the total length of the cruise.

 

DON

[Flatbush Flyer]

18 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

Totally agree w you.  I wonder how many days of the cruise do you actually spend in the Faroes, Iceland and Greenland as compared to the total length of the cruise.

 

DON

This was our Oceania  itinerary.

[Flatbush Flyer]

28 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Value laden?  Not for me....

 

I booked a while back (pre-COVID) on Oceania Sirena to do a cruise from Southampton to Stockholm. It is longer than I really wanted but has a fairly good itinerary/sampling of Greenland, Iceland and Northern European ports. Then I found a Hurtigruten expedition cruise with a better itinerary, shorter, and far less $$$ than Oceania. I booked it, but as it was earlier it has already been canceled while the Sirena is still on the books as I had almost forgotten about it.

 

Now that I recently realized the older booking still exists, I am looking again at alternatives and find two better itineraries on what -- in your eyes -- would be considered far lesser lines, I'm sure. But both have better ports in Greenland for my purposes and both include more but are less than half the cost of Oceania per day for me AS A SOLO.

 

You'll get no argument from me that the "solo" cruiser item can be problematic when it comes to cost.

[clo]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

But, beyond that (IMO), whoever does the tourist advertising for Iceland should get a big bonus and take a trip to Patagonia (after doing the South Pacific and thawing out).

We've done both and thoroughly enjoyed both. Patagonia, Argentinian and Chilean,  was an escorted trip that then segued into an Antarctica, Chilean fjords and Falklands cruise.