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

[TayanaLorna]

20 minutes ago, Snit13 said:

Test results via email or on Iphone?  Will either do for boarding?

Whichever is easier to find and show OR print it out to have a hard copy.

[BrynMawrPA]

58 minutes ago, Australia08 said:

VeriFLY info is send directly to Viking via VeriFLY. After I got the ready to travel message on VeriFLY, I called Viking to see if they got the approval and they immediately verified that they had received it. This was about 2 weeks before we flew in. So Viking won’t ask to see if as long as you received the ready to travel notice (that means it was delivered to them)

As pointed out earlier, VERIFY is a Viking thing. If you don't do it before flying to Iceland, you can still get your full vaccination status verified at the Viking Cruise check in.

 

Having a print out of the test report at the airport counter will facilitate airline check in process. Fellow travellers standing in line after you will thank you for doing that.

 

The Iceland Covid requirements can be found when you continue to pre-register for the bar code at the visit.covid.is website.

 

We all love to travel and want to resume it safely and soon. For the benefits of your fellow travellers, please take the PCR and not the Antigen test before you go to Iceland. The main reason is that the Antigen test is prone to produce false negative results. That means a negative Antigen result does not guarantee that one is not infected or is a carrier. No one wants someone with a false negative Antigen result on the ship. Please...Please...Please.

[Clay Clayton]

12 hours ago, id4elizabeth said:

We were told by one of our Viking guides on an excursion in Seydifjordur that the Star is bringing additional covid vaccines to finish off any crew and vacinate those locals in town who still have not gotten their jab yet.

That makes sense for her first visit but doesn’t explain why she did a u-turn before docking anywhere else….unless someone forgot to offload all the packages. 

[Camden lady]

4 minutes ago, BrynMawrPA said:

As pointed out earlier, VERIFY is a Viking thing. If you don't do it before flying to Iceland, you can still get your full vaccination status verified at the Viking Cruise check in.

 

Having a print out of the test report at the airport counter will facilitate airline check in process. Fellow travellers standing in line after you will thank you for doing that.

 

The Iceland Covid requirements can be found when you continue to pre-register for the bar code at the visit.covid.is website.

 

We all love to travel and want to resume it safely and soon. For the benefits of your fellow travellers, please take the PCR and not the Antigen test before you go to Iceland. The main reason is that the Antigen test is prone to produce false negative results. That means a negative Antigen result does not guarantee that one is not infected or is a carrier. No one wants someone with a false negative Antigen result on the ship. Please...Please...Please.

Thanks BrynMawrPA.   I have given up on the VeriFLY piece and will just let Viking handle when I get there.  I found a place that will give me the PCR test at 9.30 on Wednesday morning with results by  5 PM same day.   This should cover either flight....first or second.  First flight is 2.30 Friday afternoon and second flight is 10.30 Friday night.  Cost is 150 but to me it is worth it to be certain I can go and certain that I won't be putting anyone else at risk.  I have no intention of removing my mask to eat or drink on the flights so hopefully all will be good.   Still 3 weeks out for me but getting psyched for this cruise.  Could stand some cooler weather...97 here today.  Whew!!!

[bluesea777]

23 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

That makes sense for her first visit but doesn’t explain why she did a u-turn before docking anywhere else….unless someone forgot to offload all the packages. 

 

Saw a post in one of the other threads, Star has a spare part that Jupiter needs - possibly an emergency. Jupiter is heading to Reykjavik now - had to bypass Westmann Island due to wind and high waves.

 

P.S. Viking Ship Locations is the thread ....

 

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by bluesea777

[JenAussieLover]

On 6/22/2021 at 5:34 PM, Msgolferfhcc said:

We’re on this Aug 17 cruise too. Can’t wait to “ get out of town”!

We are on Aug 17 cruise also!!! Jennifer from Houston, Texas!

[Steve NH]

Jupiter July 27

We are leaving now for the airport! This time tomorrow we will be on the ship. Yippee! Hope to see some of you on the Jupiter!

[patchicago]

13 minutes ago, Steve NH said:

Jupiter July 27

We are leaving now for the airport! This time tomorrow we will be on the ship. Yippee! Hope to see some of you on the Jupiter!

Jupiter August 3

I hope you have a great time and calm seas.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/19/2021 at 4:06 AM, bardstowntraveller said:

Would appreciate feedback on the Beluga Whale excursion in Heimey. A previous review indicated it was just viewing the whales in an interior enclosure. Seems pricey if it does not also include boat ride and Puffin viewing

 

On our sailing (July 13) that Beluga Whale excursion was cancelled and the center was closed that day. We arrived on a Monday, which is normally their day off. I'm not sure if that will be resolved for future sailings.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/19/2021 at 7:01 AM, Clay Clayton said:

We throughly enjoyed the ports we got to visit. The Golden Circle day is a long one but we all (including 79 year old DMIL who wasn’t sure she was up for it) feel like it was the highlight of our trip. We had elected to take only three optional excursions, this was one of them.

 

The biggest issue was recognizing crew members. The spit test wasn’t a big deal for me though Mike seemed to have some trouble. Same for wearing the contact tracer-though I would prefer for Viking to have made it an all encompassing device like I understand Princess has done where it replaces your keycard. 
 

 

I really do think like the Golden Circle is not optional, from my personal perspective. It's such a great collection of places.

 

I am in *complete* agreement about not recognizing crew members. I would get so many "Good Evening Mr. Ethan"s and I would always struggle to remember the person behind the mask.

 

For the spit test, I moved the tube to the sink so I wouldn't mistakenly brush my teeth before using it. A trick to help get the saliva flowing is to use the tip of your tongue to tap on the soft squishy area below your middle lower teeth, right in the center of the jaw. It's a salivary gland and tapping it gets it going.

 

The contact tracer was easy -- I removed the lanyard and shoved it in a pocket. Perhaps this is easier with male clothing rather than female. No one ever asked me to prove that I had it.

 

The reason I'm only catching up with old posts now is that the WiFi on board was so terrible that I gave up trying to read the boards. Don't rely on it. If you can get an international plan for your phone, it's worth it. I couldn't believe that I had signal when we were so far from land that I could barely see it. Even on the top of the glacier in the Day 2 tour.

[Camden lady]

Is there a lot of walking on the Golden Circle tour?   Trying to determine if we can do that one.   Are the hikes long to the waterfalls and how is the trail to them?   What did you enjoy most on that full day excursion?    How was lunch?    Thanks

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/19/2021 at 4:03 PM, Margigarcia said:

Weird question of the day. 🙂

what does the bottom of the blue lagoon feel like?  Do we need water shoes?

do you have a towel or does it stay in a locker?  I LOVE natural hot springs, but admit to never getting out in 45 degree weather and running to the locker room.

 

 

In our experience, although much of it is smooth, there are some bumps especially around the edges. So slide your feet forward and you should be fine. In some of the less used parts there will be this slimy build up, which grossed me out at first but then I realized it's just the silica minerals.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/20/2021 at 9:18 AM, Heartgrove said:

Quick update for Viking Sky in Akureyi today. We just returned from the Northern Iceland's Natural Treasures excursion and I noticed conversation on clothing. It is 80 degrees F. here today. This part of Iceland is known for being warmer. I actually shed my long sleeve shirt at Godafoss about 9:15 this morning. Never had a jacket on today. It was even warmer at Dimmuborgir.

Wow! On the July 13th cruise (arriving a day early) we saw the sun literally only for a day and a half. Just in the eastern fjords. While it was never cold, it was never warm. And some days had strong wind. So I packed "all the things" from my REI visits, and I used every one of them. I guess the lesson for people packing is that literally any weather combo is possible so pack for all of them, unless you want to hide on the ship if it's blustery and wet.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/20/2021 at 9:37 AM, Jaea said:

Current travelers: Are you finding the weather reports for a few days out fairly inaccurate? For example, was Sunday’s forecast for Tuesday way off?

The weather forecasts were always wrong about the wind (July 13-20), which was always stronger than they warned. But the rain forecast was reasonable.

[FoggyEthan]

On 7/20/2021 at 10:06 AM, KiwiClaire said:

As long as they're visible you can wear them how you like. 

Mine was never visible (in my pocket) and no one said anything.

[KiwiClaire]

2 minutes ago, FoggyEthan said:

Mine was never visible (in my pocket) and no one said anything.

I realise that different cruise directors may run things differently, but that was the rule on our cruise. If they can’t see it, they don’t know if you’re carrying it or not. But obviously different ships are doing it a little differently. Odd though, you’d think they’d have the same policy on all ships. 🤷‍♀️

[philw1776]

20 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

Is there a lot of walking on the Golden Circle tour?   Trying to determine if we can do that one.   Are the hikes long to the waterfalls and how is the trail to them?   What did you enjoy most on that full day excursion?    How was lunch?    Thanks

Geothermal Plant: not lots of walking; easy walk over wooden walkways
Geyser: short to medium walking under your control
Waterfall: can be lots of walking to get close OR just avoid the steps & the long walk and take moderate to short walk for viewing
Thingvellir: moderate to more walking OR stay with the bus {it moves} just taking an overview at the overlook (coordinate with guide if so)

If you're up to it, take the max walks
Our guide was a schoolteacher. Excellent.

 

Edited July 26, 2021 by philw1776

[Camden lady]

8 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

Geothermal Plant: not lots of walking; easy walk over wooden walkways
Geyser: short to medium walking under your control
Waterfall: can be lots of walking to get close OR just avoid the steps & the long walk and take moderate to short walk for viewing
Thingvellir: moderate to more walking OR stay with the bus {it moves} just taking an overview at the overlook (coordinate with guide if so)

If you're up to it, take the max walks
Our guide was a schoolteacher. Excellent.

 

Thanks, that is a great help.  Now I can plan on what to do on that excursion.  

[Camden lady]

3 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

Thanks, that is a great help.  Now I can plan on what to do on that excursion.  

How about the lunch on the Golden Circle tour?   I like fish so that would be fine with me.  I also like to try different things and see if I like them.

[JER/MPR]

3 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

How about the lunch on the Golden Circle tour?   I like fish so that would be fine with me.  I also like to try different things and see if I like them.

All the tour lunches, including the Golden Circle, we did served a soup and fresh fish with potatoes and a vegetable.  The fish was excellent everywhere, simple and very fresh.   

[Clay Clayton]

7 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

Thanks, that is a great help.  Now I can plan on what to do on that excursion.  

Agree with Phil. I have some balance issues and found the going very easy since I had my hiking poles along. 
 

We enjoyed lunch. From what I can tell the menu can vary even on the same day. Our group (we ate in the hotel) started with a delicious coconut based soup, then a plate with salmon, an Icelandic rice dish and some veggies. Dessert was a (too) small profiterole that was on the saucer of the coffee/tea cup when we sat down. Wine, beer or soda. DH and I are allergic to salmon so we (after a period) we’re served lamb. It was tasty but was sorry we couldn’t eat the salmon. All who did said it was great. 

[SkystheLimit]

1 minute ago, Camden lady said:

How about the lunch on the Golden Circle tour?   I like fish so that would be fine with me.  I also like to try different things and see if I like them.

We had lunch at a hotel in a small village near the falls.  Started with cream of mushroom soup, then a baked cod(delicious) with mashed potatoes and spinach. One beverage including wine or beer was included.  Coffee and tea offered afterwards.  Our friends were on another bus and had salmon at their hotel lunch.  I don't remember a dessert. Any excursion that we took that had lunch served, fish was the main course.  I was doing a happy dance in Iceland because I love fish.

 

[Camden lady]

6 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Agree with Phil. I have some balance issues and found the going very easy since I had my hiking poles along. 
 

We enjoyed lunch. From what I can tell the menu can vary even on the same day. Our group (we ate in the hotel) started with a delicious coconut based soup, then a plate with salmon, an Icelandic rice dish and some veggies. Dessert was a (too) small profiterole that was on the saucer of the coffee/tea cup when we sat down. Wine, beer or soda. DH and I are allergic to salmon so we (after a period) we’re served lamb. It was tasty but was sorry we couldn’t eat the salmon. All who did said it was great. 

Perfect!!!!  I  have my trekking poles ready to go also so should be ok.   May skip the last stop and stay with the bus.   Lunch sounds delicious, but I am with you....a larger dessert would be great, I do like my desserts. 🙂

 

[philw1776]

14 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

How about the lunch on the Golden Circle tour?   I like fish so that would be fine with me.  I also like to try different things and see if I like them.

Typical Icelandic dead fish lunch.
Salmon.
I liked it very much.
Nice restful setting across from Geyser for us.
NOTE: Sequence of visits vary bus to bus.

[Heartgrove]

We are still in Iceland after getting off the Sky on Saturday. Yesterday we experienced the horizontal rain on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula! The rain combined with the wind would literally knock you off your feet.

 

New COVID requirements for being out in public in Iceland have gone into effect. We ate at a restaurant in the Westfjords tonight. We needed reservations (no walkins), and had to sign in with name, passport number (or European ID number), and phone number. Social distancing and masks in buildings is required.