LIVE from "Iceland's Natural Beauty" -- All Sailings, 2021

[Clay Clayton]

14 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Clay or JMO, could you confirm that at Harpa, you can just go outside and walk around once you've  checked in?  And how do they do the buses once they start running to the ship - just form a line and get onboard when you can, I assume?  

 

Thanks for the info, and hope to get some comments for a couple excursions, especially the Through the Lens one in Reykjavik!  Haven't heard or seen a thing yet! 

I can’t.  We didn’t have Viking transfer. 

[Doc who loves to travel]

25 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Sounds like ours. Standard CDC-card

 

8 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

My Covid Vax Record Card appears to be complete, but could you (or someone) please tell me exactly what information Iceland requires?  The card has my name and DOB, plus 2 stickers (for 1st & 2nd doses) showing Mfg (Pfizer), lot #, date, and site.  My state also has a databank but I don't know if it has anything more than what's on the card. Thanks.  

Like our cards and there were no problems at all at KEF. Ours were mostly hand written and no stickers and abbreviations for sites of administration.  They didn’t take them out of our covid card holders. 

[Clay Clayton]

17 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

So they just canceled everything you had and you go when you want, like in the old days?  Hurray!  Although we didn’t have any trouble moving things around when we were on board.

Yup

[JM0115]

6 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Well, I'm not so sure my card will be sufficient.  I guess I'd better do what you did.  Thank you very much for the information. 

I had to add my date of birth to the card as it was not on it originally. Not sure if it would have mattered or not but the Iceland list does say that you need DOB.

[SantaFe1]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

21 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

So they just canceled everything you had and you go when you want, like in the old days?  Hurray!  Although we didn’t have any trouble moving things around when we were on board.

Yup

I just checked our other two Viking cruises (not welcome back cruises) for this December and September ‘22.  They still have The restaurant listed as requiring reservations and have the date listed as when I am able to make those reservations.  I wonder if this will soon go away like the comfort checkin that lasted about a month…?

[ladytrek]

On 7/8/2021 at 8:41 AM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Well, it was maybe 40 minutes it took for 2 of the popular, paid excursions I wanted to get snapped up.  But those would have been puffin-hunting excursions for me (Vigur Island on Isafjordur and Boat trip on Heimaey).  But I've since read that people are seeing puffins on the Footsteps of the Elves excursion, so I signed up for that.  And in late August, early September, the puffins may be reduced in numbers quite a bit (or off at sea fishing, or deciding not to be visible, or whatever puffins do!) so those excursions may not be as desirable as they look for those doing the last couple sailings. But yes, don't worry about the included excursions - guaranteed.  They had loads of times available, with the early morning ones apparently very popular so that people can stay in port, or do another afternoon excursion, etc.  But I WOULD suggest that you prioritize your "wants," reserve those first, pay for them, and then go back and do the rest, leaving the included ones until last. And while some people want to see and do it all, this is a very port intensive itinerary, so my opinion is that there's nothing wrong with just doing an included excursion, walking around a little bit, and going back to the ship to relax!  Good luck!   

Went on all 3 excursions and the best to see puffins up close were the footsteps of the elves.  You walked down a path then about 4 slights of stairs across a lot then upstairs again but there were some so close to the 2nd set of steps I didn’t feel the need to go higher.

[Clay Clayton]

For those on future cruises, be sure to include a few clothing items for warmer weather. I wore my polo shirt today and brought a jacket which has remained in the backpack. Most folks are wearing long sleeve fleece or flannel and are wishing they were in a lighter weight material.   
 

That being said, I wouldn’t only bringing just short sleeves as I am sure if you did, it would be cold and rainy. 

[ladytrek]

57 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

For those on future cruises, be sure to include a few clothing items for warmer weather. I wore my polo shirt today and brought a jacket which has remained in the backpack. Most folks are wearing long sleeve fleece or flannel and are wishing they were in a lighter weight material.   
 

That being said, I wouldn’t only bringing just short sleeves as I am sure if you did, it would be cold and rainy. 

I was on the last cruise and did pack layers and short sleeves and lightweight long underwear, that I could if necessary wear under the short sleeves if needed.  Just wish I would have brought with me my sandals for on the ship.  I only brought sneakers and shoes and I was jealous of those on board with flip flops and sandals, when going to dinner!

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

For people in Reykjavik on Sky today (July 11), and others wanting to see a good video, check out

https://www.facebook.com/yourfriendinreykjavik/videos/338514541321872   You may need to be on Facebook; not sure.   Valur ("Your Friend in Reykjavik") s a tour guide who posts videos for visitors.  This one starts out a little slow as he's on a bike, heading downtown, but it does cover: 

 

-The back of his house

-Arrival at the shore around 7:00 minutes in

-Distant view of Sky when Valur turns his head to look up that way around 18:00

-Sculptures along the path than runs along the water 

-Sun Voyager sculpture 19:50

-Harpa 22:45 (some Americans inside - is that you?!)

-Old Harbour with Ocean Diamond, very small cruise ship, docked there, plus 2 lighthouses

-"Flea Market" close to the harbor (only open Sat. and Sun., perhaps opens 11? I forget) - 39:00. He shows stalls with things for sale, and then goes into a lot of detail on foods there.

 

While he's riding he answers people's questions.  Apparently 90% of Icelanders over age 16 have now received at least one vaccine and 81% of over 16's are fully vaccinated.  He's moving to the UK in about 3 weeks but has guides who have promised to continue his Facebook site. 

 

 

[Envelope21]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

For those on future cruises, be sure to include a few clothing items for warmer weather. I wore my polo shirt today and brought a jacket which has remained in the backpack. Most folks are wearing long sleeve fleece or flannel and are wishing they were in a lighter weight material.   
 

That being said, I wouldn’t only bringing just short sleeves as I am sure if you did, it would be cold and rainy. 

Thanks for the report, Clay. I looked at weather.com and they say it is 58 degrees right now and partly cloudy in Reykjavik, which sounds really nice ... although for this Florida girl that is pretty chilly for me. When I do the extended forecast for when we will be on our cruse starting July 17, they claim it won't get above 55 for the whole trip (except for Akureyri which always seems to be warmer) and rain, rain and rain. I know these extended forecasts should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but the trend does seem to be some pretty wet weather. Rain suit is packed and ready when needed!

 

[cfgrandma]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Here is the one from yesterday and another one from this morning- I’ll try to get a better one on our way back aboard this afternoon. I forgot to try until I was on the bus. 

Thank you, Clay. 

 

These are perfect. Enjoy your cruise. 

 

We are on countdown 9 days to go. 

 

Carolyn

[alohadave]

You may need to be on Facebook; not sure.

20 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

For people in Reykjavik on Sky today (July 11), and others wanting to see a good video, check out

https://www.facebook.com/yourfriendinreykjavik/videos/338514541321872   You may need to be on Facebook; not sure.   Valur ("Your Friend in Reykjavik") s a tour guide who posts videos for visitors.  This one starts out a little slow as he's on a bike, heading downtown, but it does cover: 

 

-The back of his house

-Arrival at the shore around 7:00 minutes in

-Distant view of Sky when Valur turns his head to look up that way around 18:00

-Sculptures along the path than runs along the water 

-Sun Voyager sculpture 19:50

-Harpa 22:45 (some Americans inside - is that you?!)

-Old Harbour with Ocean Diamond, very small cruise ship, docked there, plus 2 lighthouses

-"Flea Market" close to the harbor (only open Sat. and Sun., perhaps opens 11? I forget) - 39:00. He shows stalls with things for sale, and then goes into a lot of detail on foods there.

 

While he's riding he answers people's questions.  Apparently 90% of Icelanders over age 16 have now received at least one vaccine and 81% of over 16's are fully vaccinated.  He's moving to the UK in about 3 weeks but has guides who have promised to continue his Facebook site. 

 

 

You may need to be on Facebook; not sure.   Other than see his back yard...   Yes.

[ValarieDennis]

Our MVJ shows Day 8🎉🎉🎉. We’re on the 2nd Jupiter sailing and can’t wait.

[alohadave]

Looks as if we will not cross Arctic Circle.   No Blue Nose for YOU...

[sfocruiser]

3 minutes ago, alohadave said:

Looks as if we will not cross Arctic Circle.   No Blue Nose for YOU...

we were on the Jul-3 sailing.  Captain stated we crossed the Arctic circle twice.   No ceremony but we did get certificates which was a fun touch

[ValarieDennis]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

That is what we had planned until the delays at immigration last week when we moved our pickup to 9. I called BL to see what would happen if we arrived after 10. She said we would have to buy new addmission if available.  I thought about canceling and rebooking but our transport advised against it and said that they hadn’t had trouble within a 2 hour window. 
 

Due to our long stay on the tarmac waiting for a gate, we ended up not getting to our driver until 9:30 or a little after and got to the parking lot of BL right at 10. Nothing was said when I presented our entry barcode. 
 

so no advice from me-who knows what the planes will do or how many immigration gates will be open.  

Clay, we have a transfer picking us up at the ship to go to the Blue Lagoon on our way home at 9am. Looks like everyone has to be off by 8am? Can you let us know so that we can change our pickup to an earlier time. Based on your experience, looks like our “reservation” will be honored.

 

Thanks.

[sfocruiser]

5 minutes ago, ValarieDennis said:

Clay, we have a transfer picking us up at the ship to go to the Blue Lagoon on our way home at 9am. Looks like everyone has to be off by 8am? Can you let us know so that we can change our pickup to an earlier time. Based on your experience, looks like our “reservation” will be honored.

 

Thanks.

this was the disembarkation schedule yesterday 

 

 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

46 minutes ago, ladytrek said:

I was on the last cruise and did pack layers and short sleeves and lightweight long underwear, that I could if necessary wear under the short sleeves if needed.  Just wish I would have brought with me my sandals for on the ship.  I only brought sneakers and shoes and I was jealous of those on board with flip flops and sandals, when going to dinner!

Did you ever eat outside at the World Cafe?  If so, were you in port (sitting still), anchored in the water, or moving along to the next port?  Was it too cold to eat outside with a fleece or sweater?  I'm probably way too optimistic, but we love eating outside and would love to do that on occasion (maybe Reykjavik?) if it's warm enough either along the side of the ship or elsewhere to do that.

[SantaFe1]

1 minute ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Did you ever eat outside at the World Cafe?  If so, were you in port (sitting still), anchored in the water, or moving along to the next port?  Was it too cold to eat outside with a fleece or sweater?  I'm probably way too optimistic, but we love eating outside and would love to do that on occasion (maybe Reykjavik?) if it's warm enough either along the side of the ship or elsewhere to do that.

We had lunch outside at the world cafe a couple of times while the ship was in port, between excursions.  It was lovely and I just wore a 3/4 sleeve cotton shirt.  People were in the outdoor pool and jacuzzi too.  But you never know what weather you will get!

[Clay Clayton]

28 minutes ago, Envelope21 said:

Thanks for the report, Clay. I looked at weather.com and they say it is 58 degrees right now and partly cloudy in Reykjavik, which sounds really nice ... although for this Florida girl that is pretty chilly for me. When I do the extended forecast for when we will be on our cruse starting July 17, they claim it won't get above 55 for the whole trip (except for Akureyri which always seems to be warmer) and rain, rain and rain. I know these extended forecasts should be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but the trend does seem to be some pretty wet weather. Rain suit is packed and ready when needed!

 

FWIW, the forecast for us one week out showed rain everyday, then a few days out it showed some ports with rain, some without.  So far today, we had a coolish morning, a sunny and very comfortable mid day, and now as we are headed back to Reykjavik from the big rift it has clouded over. Someone on board said their driver from the airport told them, that the weather is always changing and so hard to predict correctly  that they just always forecast rain. 

[Clay Clayton]

5 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Did you ever eat outside at the World Cafe?  If so, were you in port (sitting still), anchored in the water, or moving along to the next port?  Was it too cold to eat outside with a fleece or sweater?  I'm probably way too optimistic, but we love eating outside and would love to do that on occasion (maybe Reykjavik?) if it's warm enough either along the side of the ship or elsewhere to do that.

We ate lunch, cocktails and breakfast there so far. My DMIL said it was too cold last evening.  I was wearing a polo and was going to get my light jacket before she asked us to move inside for dinner. 
 

[ValarieDennis]

21 minutes ago, sfocruiser said:

this was the disembarkation schedule yesterday 

 

 

Thank you. Looks like we need to move up our pickup time. Man I’m glad we have something to do before our 4:50pm flight home. Will make a long day easier.

[librarylady19]

46 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Did you ever eat outside at the World Cafe?  If so, were you in port (sitting still), anchored in the water, or moving along to the next port?  Was it too cold to eat outside with a fleece or sweater?  I'm probably way too optimistic, but we love eating outside and would love to do that on occasion (maybe Reykjavik?) if it's warm enough either along the side of the ship or elsewhere to do that.

Yes, we ate outside several times! Weather was generally very nice - 50's and 60's and especially when the sun was out it was very pleasant out there. As elsewhere in Iceland, layers are key. You will be fine with fleece/sweaters with layers underneath when dining al fresco.

[stbiehn]

18 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

On 7/10/2021 at 10:59 AM, NeilP57 said:

 

They’re were lines but they appear to be working with folks to fine them a spot. We were able to get both a Manfredi’s and a Chef’s Table reservations for 6 pm.

Quick question - where do you go to sign up for Manfredi and Chef's Table reservations?  Used to be upstairs but heard earlier it was down on 1st level.  Also. how do you get on a wait list for an excursion that's full?  We are going out on July 27.

 

[Clay Clayton]

38 minutes ago, stbiehn said:

Quick question - where do you go to sign up for Manfredi and Chef's Table reservations?  Used to be upstairs but heard earlier it was down on 1st level.  Also. how do you get on a wait list for an excursion that's full?  We are going out on July 27.

 

On our embarkation day they were dealing with alternative dining reservations at the Chef’s Table Maitre d’ stand. (I suspect this was because they were taking folks first temperatures at the entrances to The World Cafe.) They also were dealing with them at one of the desks which on previous cruises were  manned by excursion folks. 
 

I can’t answer that but my best guess would be with the excursion folks on Deck 1.