Holland transfers: KEF to Skarfabakki Wharf Cruise Terminal?

[Midwestern Cruiser]

Doing my first cruise in Europe (Reykjavik Iceland to Amsterdam Holland).
Wondering about transfers from airport to cruise ship.
Can't select pre-cruise travel yet and my PCC is not familiar with this port.
Anyone used HAL transfers to the ship on arrival in Reykjavik?
TIA

[cruisemom42]

I recently sailed out of Reykjavik but not with HAL. Taxis from the airport are VERY expensive. Transfers might be a good option depending on the cost. 

 

There is a shuttle into the city from the airport that's pretty cheap, but you still have to get from the center of town to Skarfabakki which, while not a long distance, will still cost you another $20-$30 in a cab.

 

 

[Midwestern Cruiser]

43 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I recently sailed out of Reykjavik but not with HAL. Taxis from the airport are VERY expensive. Transfers might be a good option depending on the cost. 

 

There is a shuttle into the city from the airport that's pretty cheap, but you still have to get from the center of town to Skarfabakki which, while not a long distance, will still cost you another $20-$30 in a cab.

 

 

Thank you.
Pretty much supports what I'm finding online: neither bus nor train will get you to the cruise terminal (would still need a cab from either depot) and cabs are WAY expensive.
My HAL PCC says she'll start asking others and I'll continue to look at pre-cruise travel on their site to see if transfers become available.

[Heartgrove]

Are you spending any days in Reykjavik before the cruise? The airport shuttle runs to the bus station and then a mini-bus to the hotel. Streets are tight in Reyjkavik. I can recommend Skuggi Hotel as it is near the mini-bus stop on the green line. Then only less than 10 minutes by cab to the pier.

[Midwestern Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

Are you spending any days in Reykjavik before the cruise? The airport shuttle runs to the bus station and then a mini-bus to the hotel. Streets are tight in Reyjkavik. I can recommend Skuggi Hotel as it is near the mini-bus stop on the green line. Then only less than 10 minutes by cab to the pier.

We are, but have our hotel chosen already and it has an airport shuttle.
If HAL has a transfer, we'll return to the airport to take it -- just can't seem to get a for sure answer.

[Heartgrove]

1 minute ago, Midwestern Cruiser said:

We are, but have our hotel chosen already and it has an airport shuttle.
If HAL has a transfer, we'll return to the airport to take it -- just can't seem to get a for sure answer.

 

Just use a cab to the ship then. Far easier as it is 45-60 minutes back to the airport depending on where you hotel is. Then that amount of time plus some by HAL transfer. The cruise terminal is a very small building so far easier to show up in a cab than a bus load of passengers.

[Reagan0712]

1 hour ago, Midwestern Cruiser said:

We are, but have our hotel chosen already and it has an airport shuttle.
If HAL has a transfer, we'll return to the airport to take it -- just can't seem to get a for sure answer.

I’ve been to Iceland several times. You don’t want to go back to the airport. It’s an hour from Reykjavik.

Your best bet is to schedule the FlyBus from the airport to your hotel. Then just get a cab over to Skarfabakki. The front desk at the hotel will order you a cab.

[Midwestern Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Heartgrove said:

 

Just use a cab to the ship then. Far easier as it is 45-60 minutes back to the airport depending on where you hotel is. Then that amount of time plus some by HAL transfer. The cruise terminal is a very small building so far easier to show up in a cab than a bus load of passengers.

No -- our hotel is 7km from KEF, but about 50k from the cruise port.

[Midwestern Cruiser]

46 minutes ago, Reagan0712 said:

I’ve been to Iceland several times. You don’t want to go back to the airport. It’s an hour from Reykjavik.

Your best bet is to schedule the FlyBus from the airport to your hotel. Then just get a cab over to Skarfabakki. The front desk at the hotel will order you a cab.

Our hotel is 7km from KEF and provides transfers between the two -- that's why we need the transfer to the ship.

[Reagan0712]

27 minutes ago, Midwestern Cruiser said:

Our hotel is 7km from KEF and provides transfers between the two -- that's why we need the transfer to the ship.

So your hotel is right at the airport. Honestly, you’d be better off getting a hotel in Reykjavik. If you are arriving very early in the morning, which most east coast flights do, you’ll be missing out on so much up in the city especially if you are flying in the day before you board the ship. There is really nothing at the airport but hotels and car rental agencies.

I can recommend Fosshotel Reykjavik on Porunnartun street. It’s walkable to the downtown area.

But whatever you decide to do, have a great cruise.

 

[Midwestern Cruiser]

17 hours ago, Reagan0712 said:

So your hotel is right at the airport. Honestly, you’d be better off getting a hotel in Reykjavik. If you are arriving very early in the morning, which most east coast flights do, you’ll be missing out on so much up in the city especially if you are flying in the day before you board the ship. There is really nothing at the airport but hotels and car rental agencies.

I can recommend Fosshotel Reykjavik on Porunnartun street. It’s walkable to the downtown area.

But whatever you decide to do, have a great cruise.

 

Thanks @Reagan0712
Don't land til almost 9am, but planning to whale watch that afternoon, so I now see why being in Reykjavik makes more sense.  Also checked out FlyBus a bit.
Fosshotel is sold out, as is Skuggi as recommended by @Heartgrove
We're actually looking at apartments too.

 

 

[highfields]

Can highly recommend Center Hotels. There are two locations in the center of Rekeyavik. One on the Plaza and another on the main shopping area.

[Midwestern Cruiser]

16 minutes ago, highfields said:

Can highly recommend Center Hotels. There are two locations in the center of Rekeyavik. One on the Plaza and another on the main shopping area.

Thanks.  Looks like Plaza has availability, but I can't tell which is in the shopping area (there are at least six).

[highfields]

Center Hotel Laugavegur is the other one. We also took the city bus from the central bus station to the cruise ship pier.

[Gary72]

We are on your cruise as noted in the roll call.  We are arriving on July 7 and have reservation at Reykjavik Residence Hotel/Apartments.  It gets rave reviews on tripadvisor....

[alwaysfrantic]

We are arriving in the opposite direction.  Our cruise ends there.  Our plan is to rent a car and tour for 3 days before flying home from KEF.  

 

From the port is the only option getting to the airport to rent a car? Can they be rented at the port? 

[Midwestern Cruiser]

On 9/14/2023 at 8:41 PM, Gary72 said:

We are on your cruise as noted in the roll call.  We are arriving on July 7 and have reservation at Reykjavik Residence Hotel/Apartments.  It gets rave reviews on tripadvisor....

Thought your 'name' looked familiar, so I guess it was from seeing it in our roll call!

My flight to KEF leaves here (St Louis) July 7th.  Meeting friends from TN in Chicago for the long haul flight, arriving July 8th.  One more day there would be nice, and we haven't booked flights yet, so I guess it's possible, but we'll hit the ground running when we land -- planning a whale watching tour that afternoon, once checked in (wherever we stay).  Doing the Golden Circle on the 9th.  Can't wait to soak in a lagoon.

I really like the idea of an apartment (kitchenette, pre-cruise laundry, wifi) and with four of us, it seems more economical.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll check the place out.

[scubadawg]

On 9/14/2023 at 6:41 PM, Gary72 said:

We are on your cruise as noted in the roll call.  We are arriving on July 7 and have reservation at Reykjavik Residence Hotel/Apartments.  It gets rave reviews on tripadvisor....

We are at this same hotel Gary, arriving in the evening on July 7th.  Booked it right after booking cruise because it sells out quickly.    I did the Golden Circle tour 25 years ago but my friend hasn't so will do that one day and Snaefellsness Peninsula another day.Puffin trip and some time in Reykjavik too.    

Karen

[Gary72]

3 minutes ago, scubadawg said:

We are at this same hotel Gary, arriving in the evening on July 7th.  Booked it right after booking cruise because it sells out quickly.    I did the Golden Circle tour 25 years ago but my friend hasn't so will do that one day and Snaefellsness Peninsula another day.Puffin trip and some time in Reykjavik too.    

Karen

Hopefully, we can connect..

We are doing minibus Golden Circle on 8th and  South coast on 9th.

 

 

 

[Reagan0712]

7 hours ago, alwaysfrantic said:

We are arriving in the opposite direction.  Our cruise ends there.  Our plan is to rent a car and tour for 3 days before flying home from KEF.  

 

From the port is the only option getting to the airport to rent a car? Can they be rented at the port? 

There are no car rentals right at Skarfabakki. Some friends rented one that was nearby when the Zuiderdam overnighted in Reykjavik in June but I can’t remember the name. I always rent from Blue Car rental which, in town, is over by the old port. I joined the cruise in Reykjavik and had gotten a Blue Car at the airport when I arrived the day before then dropped it off in town when I returned it the next day. Blue Car rentals also include in their price the insurance you would need to cover driving in Iceland and they have cars with GPS, which came in handy.

[alwaysfrantic]

18 hours ago, Reagan0712 said:

There are no car rentals right at Skarfabakki. Some friends rented one that was nearby when the Zuiderdam overnighted in Reykjavik in June but I can’t remember the name. I always rent from Blue Car rental which, in town, is over by the old port. I joined the cruise in Reykjavik and had gotten a Blue Car at the airport when I arrived the day before then dropped it off in town when I returned it the next day. Blue Car rentals also include in their price the insurance you would need to cover driving in Iceland and they have cars with GPS, which came in handy.

This sent me to the Chase car rental rules thinking Iceland might be a country excluded from their coverage but it is not.  My card will provide rental protection. 

[HappyInVan]

On 9/16/2023 at 2:56 AM, alwaysfrantic said:

We are arriving in the opposite direction.  Our cruise ends there.  Our plan is to rent a car and tour for 3 days before flying home from KEF.  

 

From the port is the only option getting to the airport to rent a car? Can they be rented at the port? 

 

The port is a commercial facility, next to the ferry. Relatively close to the Old Port. The picture shows a cruise ship, taken (with a telephoto lens) from the roof terrace of the Center Hotel, next to the Harpa Building.

 

Iceland is one of the most scenic places to visit. There's the glaciers in the north east, the fjord towns in the west, the waterfalls near Reykjavik, and the city itself is interesting and uncluttered.  IMO, Reykjavik itself is worth three days. 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by HappyInVan

[Reagan0712]

5 hours ago, alwaysfrantic said:

This sent me to the Chase car rental rules thinking Iceland might be a country excluded from their coverage but it is not.  My card will provide rental protection. 

Just make sure they cover sand, gravel, and ash. This is the extra coverage that’s provided and is recommended if traveling along the southcoast, especially if you plan to leave the main roads.

[Reagan0712]

32 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

 

The port is a commercial facility, next to the ferry. Relatively close to the Old Port. The picture shows a cruise ship, taken (with a telephoto lens) from the roof terrace of the Center Hotel, next to the Harpa Building.

 

Relatively close if one is driving (7 minutes). If walking, however, it’s easily close to an hour to get from Skarfabakki to Harpa.  

That’s why when I dropped my car off at Blue Car Rental I did the 20 minute walk along the harbor to Harpa then waited for the shuttle to take me back to the ship. 

[Reagan0712]

On 9/16/2023 at 5:56 AM, alwaysfrantic said:

From the port is the only option getting to the airport to rent a car?

I missed this question previously. They have Flybus. It’s a shuttle that will pick you up at your hotel or other listed places and take you to the airport. I used it the first time I went to Iceland.

https://www.re.is/tour/flybus/