Iceland's Natural Beauty General - 2022

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

12 hours ago, sleepybobo said:

When I read about the unsubstantiated rumor about a couple got quarantined off Venus after being in a tour bus with someone tested positive, I still assumed the risk for us will be minimal. But after reading what happened to the FB admin and his wife, it hit way closer to home. The risk is real. Rethinking the July cruise. Perhaps Viking should get rid of the daily testing?

But was it the person on Venus who was apparently drinking during the day?  And Viking clearly states that for their test, you should refrain from eating or drinking for an hour before their test.  I'm thinking that wasn't adhered to, and made the test invalid.  But I forget the situation, so if I'm totally wrong, someone PLEASE tell me. Neil?

[Twitchly]

33 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

We saw how quickly the no going ashore on your own policy changed.  Just ever night.  Viking’s lawyers clearly worked hard on drafting the health policy.  There is a lot of CYA language like this:

 

“Depending on your dates of travel, Viking may require frequent PCR testing throughout your itinerary.”

 

They could change that policy at any point with no notice, and then change back again.  But it does make us wonder whether to keep our Viking excursions.  

That’s a thought. Spending as little time as possible around other Viking passengers and taking non-Viking excursions would reduce your chances of ending up in quarantine, since the rest of the world isn’t wearing tracker devices and getting tested daily.
 

Not ideal, of course, but maybe the best route during these initial cruises.  

Edited June 19, 2021 by Twitchly

[SantaFe1]

11 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

Not true.   It's purpose is to let Viking and its passengers know if a guest is postitive what other guests they have been in contact with.  That does not change if you are out and about in Iceland.  If you come back and test positive, Viking will be able to let any other guests you were in contact with know that they are at risk.

OK, retracted.  This whole topic is making my stomach churn!

[Dukefan]

Just now, SantaFe1 said:

OK, retracted.  This whole topic is making my stomach churn!

Some people who have been vaccinated are going to get Covid, the vaccine is not 100% effective in preventing this.   The good news is, so far, almost all the folks that have gotten breakthrough cases have had very mild cases.  It is more likely to happen at home where probably less than 50% of the folks you pass in grocery stores or on the street have been vaccinated than on a Viking ship where 100% have been vaccinated. 

 

I know this case in Bermuda is concerning to almost all of us but when we think about it, we knew it was  going to happen sooner or later. The message from this is to not let your guard down whether you are at home or on a cruise and to take reasonable actions such as getting insurance, bring along a cruise plus 14 days supply of medications, etc.   I understand you concern but don't let it spoil a great vacation because there is less than a 1% chance that something could go wrong.  Life is about taking reasonable actions in everything we do and then enjoying it - that's part of what makes life such a wonderful adventure.

[librarylady19]

17 hours ago, Mehroswitha said:

If anybody else is flying Saga Class on Icelandair, remember to pre-order your meals at meals.icelandair.com at least 48 hours beforehand. I wouldn't have known to do it if a friend who flies regularly on Icelandair hadn't tipped me off. Some of the choices sound fairly appealing--as airline meals go.

You might also want to consider pre-purchasing food in Economy as they don't give free snacks - or plan accordingly at your departure airport.

[librarylady19]

2 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

Some people who have been vaccinated are going to get Covid, the vaccine is not 100% effective in preventing this.   The good news is, so far, almost all the folks that have gotten breakthrough cases have had very mild cases.  It is more likely to happen at home where probably less than 50% of the folks you pass in grocery stores or on the street have been vaccinated than on a Viking ship where 100% have been vaccinated. 

 

I know this case in Bermuda is concerning to almost all of us but when we think about it, we knew it was  going to happen sooner or later. The message from this is to not let your guard down whether you are at home or on a cruise and to take reasonable actions such as getting insurance, bring along a cruise plus 14 days supply of medications, etc.   I understand you concern but don't let it spoil a great vacation because there is less than a 1% chance that something could go wrong.  Life is about taking reasonable actions in everything we do and then enjoying it - that's part of what makes life such a wonderful adventure.

 Life is about taking reasonable actions in everything we do and then enjoying it - that's part of what makes life such a wonderful adventure. Well said!!

[FoggyEthan]

10 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

bring along a cruise plus 14 days supply of medications, etc.   I understand you concern but don't let it spoil a great vacation because there is less than a 1% chance that something could go wrong.  Life is about taking reasonable actions in everything we do and then enjoying it - that's part of what makes life such a wonderful adventure.

I'm not sure anymore about that 1% chance. The PCR test often has a false-positive rate >1%, in part depending upon how fastidious the lab is. If everyone gets tested daily, and even contacts get thrown into quarantine off the ship based upon a single positive test, then I think we're looking at significant risk.

 

Hopefully some of the reporting we've heard is either wrong, or just doesn't apply in Iceland. We're panicking in part based upon guesswork. If there's a second test after a positive to confirm, no problem. If contacts of positive-testing individuals can quarantine on-ship and re-test within just a few days, no problem. If they stop daily testing on asymptomatic people, no problem.

-- Ethan

[cfgrandma]

19 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

You might also want to consider pre-purchasing food in Economy as they don't give free snacks - or plan accordingly at your departure airport.

I did an On Line Chat last night with Icelandair and was told that you only need to pre-order if you have diet restrictions or needs.

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

 

It does make for motivation though to just go ashore yourselves and not come in contact with other Viking passengers.  I believe from now on the motivation will also be to disengage from anyone else on the ship itself.  Will be like the beginning COVID days when everyone was avoiding everyone.

But if I’m going ashore I want to do some type of touring, whale watching, etc and I can’t afford to charter a boat for three of us or want to afford a private car for Golden Circle so I feel like traveling with other folks we know are being tested and have been vaccinated is a lower risk than with the general public. 

[SantaFe1]

44 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

That’s a thought. Spending as little time as possible around other Viking passengers and taking non-Viking excursions would reduce your chances of ending up in quarantine, since the rest of the world isn’t wearing tracker devices and getting tested daily.
 

Not ideal, of course, but maybe the best route during these initial cruises.  

Driving home from the market, thinking about this, I realized that the last three ports are probably going to be tender ports.  So, even if we do excursions on our own, we will have to be in a Viking tender with other pax to get ashore.  

[librarylady19]

The other consideration is our exposure pre-cruise. Many parts of the US are now essentially mask-free with no restrictions. We can't let our guard down now though as we may end up testing positive at the airport or on the ship. 

[azdrydock]

2 hours ago, librarylady19 said:

Sounds like you all have little appetite for the unexpected and are expecting a pre-Covid experience. That’s not where we are at and if you can’t accept the fact that you can’t control the situation and that both Viking and the Icelandic government have the right to set the rules to keep us all safe, then I say you should cancel your expensive vacation amd wait for the world to catch up.  Calling up Viking and expecting answers from low-level employees is ludicrous.I don’t think even the Chairman knows what’s happening in Iceland day to day. it’s a fluid situation.

I’m just going to expect what we were told when we booked (testing, Viking bubbles, masks, etc.) and If the situation changes for the better, its all good. 

Totally agree !

If your expectations was that this was "Welcome Back to 2019" you misread the big print.

 

We don't know if anyone was  removed solely because they were in proximity of the person that tested positive or for violating Covid rules as alluded to by others. The fact they were forced to quarantine after they were removed seems to be a local decision not necessarily Vikings.

 Give the reps a break unless you  are calling to cancel.

 

Have you thought about what happens on the last day of the cruise if you test positive? Most likely you will have to quarantine for x number of days at your expense prior to being allowed to board a plane back to the US.. Last month, traveling back to the US, you could not retest. The logic was if you tested negative on the second test all it proved is one of the tests was wrong and they would have to err on the side of the positive test.

 

 

[TayanaLorna]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

But does it cover if you don’t test positive but were in contact with someone who did?

Aye, there's the rub.  Many policies say they treat Covid infection like any other medical concern or illness.  Many also say the medical issue must be confirmed by a licensed physician.  Testing negative after being in close contact with someone positive is NOT a medical condition.  YOU are not sick.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

But if I’m going ashore I want to do some type of touring, whale watching, etc and I can’t afford to charter a boat for three of us or want to afford a private car for Golden Circle so I feel like traveling with other folks we know are being tested and have been vaccinated is a lower risk than with the general public. 

Right you are.  Read that only 57% of visitors are arriving in Iceland vaccinated.  Others come in with a negative test and currently tested again at airport.  But exposure can occur between testing and not yet show up on a subsequent test.

[patchicago]

The couple on the Bermuda cruise who tested negative but have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid and was forced to quarantine for 14 days has now returned to the Viking ship. They will be tested and if they receive negative results will resume their cruise.

 

 

[TayanaLorna]

This drama today has been exhausting.  To relax,  I am going to wash windows as i had planned to do today.

[sleepybobo]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

But if I’m going ashore I want to do some type of touring, whale watching, etc and I can’t afford to charter a boat for three of us or want to afford a private car for Golden Circle so I feel like traveling with other folks we know are being tested and have been vaccinated is a lower risk than with the general public. 

Exactly! I don’t have the budget to arrange private tours for the two of us. If we go with Viking tours, there’s a risk of quarantine if we are in the same tour bus with someone tested positive. If we explore on our own and join local tours, we run a chance of spending a whole day with unvaccinated strangers. 
 

 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, cfgrandma said:

I did an On Line Chat last night with Icelandair and was told that you only need to pre-order if you have diet restrictions or needs.

 

Interesting. I pre-ordered but there was no place for me to tell them what my restrictions actually are (good thing I'm not celiac). It also says that if your meal isn't available come flight time they will substitute a similar meal:

If the date of the flight is changed after a meal has been ordered the meal will be moved to the new flight as long as it is 48 hrs before the flight. If the menu has changed after the order and the meal is no longer available you will receive a similar meal.

[cfgrandma]

14 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Interesting. I pre-ordered but there was no place for me to tell them what my restrictions actually are (good thing I'm not celiac). It also says that if your meal isn't available come flight time they will substitute a similar meal:

If the date of the flight is changed after a meal has been ordered the meal will be moved to the new flight as long as it is 48 hrs before the flight. If the menu has changed after the order and the meal is no longer available you will receive a similar meal.

I didn't see how to pre-order.  How did you find it?

 

Thanks, Carolyn

[Peregrina651]

1 minute ago, cfgrandma said:

I didn't see how to pre-order.  How did you find it?

 

Thanks, Carolyn

 

fortunately the person who mentioned it also posted where to find it because otherwise I would still be looking for it.

 

meals.icelandair.com

[librarylady19]

2 hours ago, patchicago said:

The couple on the Bermuda cruise who tested negative but have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid and was forced to quarantine for 14 days has now returned to the Viking ship. They will be tested and if they receive negative results will resume their cruise.

 

 

What a racket. This guy is getting special treatment because he has a group of online followers. Was brazenly posting photos of them hosting events in the owner’s suite prior to the test result. I seriously doubt Viking would treat most of us with the VIP treatment they received. Everyone is falling over themselves to congratulate them 😚 like they are some heroes. 

[FoggyEthan]

2 hours ago, patchicago said:

To describe their quarters as a "room" is a bit of an understatement, since they're in the Owner's Suite.

[Milliegirl229]

It is good that Viking and the Bermuda government were able to work together to satisfactorily resolve Steve and Sally's ( per other site) testing/quarantine situation so they are able to complete their cruise. At this point it seems that they received special treatment but as it's the first case it's hard to know. Let's hope that any future Viking passengers that have the same situation are given the outcome Steve and Sally received and they will also be able to remain on the ship and not be required to quarantine in Bermuda for 14 days. Time will tell just how Viking will take care of all their valuable passengers.

[patchicago]

16 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

Was brazenly posting photos of them hosting events in the owner’s suite prior to the test result.

I think the photographs of the dinner party or the tea were from a few days ago after they were tested on initial arrival onboard and before the couple were put into quarantine in a hotel. As I understand it the couple are huge supporters of Viking and travel with them frequently so it’s not a surprise that they received an available upgrade. It appears that they organize group trips and are very popular on that date-not-say-their-name site.

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

For Sky watchers: Sky has now left Portsmouth UK and is now heading to Reykjavik. Expected arrival is still 7 AM June 24.