Eastporter

I have been to Iceland several times in the last few years (and actually lived there for 3 years in the 70’s, courtesy of the US Navy) and taken Flybus. It works ok going to Reykjavik, not as easily returning to the airport (you first have to get to the bus terminal). Last summer, after a Homelands cruise, we did a self guided week in Iceland with another couple. We booked a recommended taxi service (Walter Unnarsson), taxi-tours.is. He met us at baggage with a van and for the four of us, I believe the cost was about the same as the bus. Also, much more convenient. Enjoy Iceland. It is fascinating. Just expect temps in the 50’s.

I didn’t choose either Brussels or United. Viking did. I had no idea what carriers they would use. They quoted air as part of the cruise price and I purchased my air transport thru Viking. Why should I have to be concerned about varying policies; that’s their job. BTW - last time I use Viking Air. I will likely purchase my own directly in the future.

I realize this is the Ocean board, but it has a Viking Air topic whereas the River boards don't address this issue. I am on a Viking River cruise in Sept, flying premium economy Washington thru Brussels enroute Nice, as booked by Viking on Brussels Airlines. Viking doesn't control seat assignments for this airline and tells one to contact the airline directly. I tried several times over the past months but, as Viking had not yet paid for the ticket, the airline wouldn't allow me to select seats. This was remedied just this week as the flight is now 60 days out and Viking has finally paid. Lo and behold, in order to select one's seat ahead of time, there is a $55 fee, payable to the airline. Otherwise, you can wait and get your seat assigned for free at checkin. There was no such problem on the return flight - on United. We selected our seats (for free) on United months ago. I had visions of two middle seats in the back of the aircraft for eight hours and coughed up the fee. The airline wanted a separate fee for the short Brussels to Nice leg, which I declined to pay and look forward to the middle seats on this flight. I have taken many trips with Viking and as I fly from a major international airport, I usually let Viking make the arrangements. This is the first time I have extorted for this type of fee. I realize this is an airline (not a Viking) imposed charge, but I expect better from Viking and their airline partners. I

Daily nonstop (summer months anyway) at 3:30pm - about 2 1/2 hrs. You can connect in Keflavik for direct flights to many large US cities.

HI We did a self guided Iceland visit to Reykjavik/South Iceland (Golden Circle and as far as Vik and the glaciers) last summer after a Homelands cruise ending in Oslo (after the post extension from Bergen). There is a daily Icelandair flight from Bergen to Keflavik. We lived in Iceland for 3 yrs (US Navy at Keflavik) and have vacationed there several times since, so we are quite familiar with Iceland and have been to many parts of this country. We will be visiting again next summer after a British Isles Explorer cruise ending in Bergen. We will do Akureyri, Husavik (remember the movie Eurovision), Myvatn and the North Coast then. While I can't comment on the location of your Viking post extension hotel, I can say that Reykjavik is a fascinating and compact city. If not walkable and you need a cab, the hotel desk (or restaurant) can easily call one for you. They also have the typical Hop On/Hop Off bus system with stops at most of the city sights. The main shopping street is Laugavegur (find a list of shops on the Web) at the bottom of the hill down from the cathedral. Everyone speaks English (as only 400K people in the world speak Icelandic). If I were in Iceland for the first time and for only a few days, I would spend one day in Reykjavik and take the Golden Circle tour on another day (either offered by Viking or a local tour provider). This tour will take you to the "real" Iceland - waterfalls, geysirs and history. I am conflicted on the Blue Lagoon. It is somewhat hokey and a tourist trap, but how can you visit Iceland and not do it. Everyone does. If it prevented my only opportunity to spend time in Reykjavik, I would pass on it. Otherwise - I would go. It's like visiting NYC and going to Times Square. Your friends back home will expect it. Dining in Reykjavik, recommend the Fish Market (Fiskmarkadurinn) at 12 Adalstraeti - near the Parliament Building (the Althing). The restaurant features both seafood and Asian fusion. Reservations (online) required. Enjoy your trip. provider).

We hold numerous MDR reservations for a July Homelands cruise. Would you recommend we cancel or not? I assume they are not checking/honoring existing reservations now. Is the only downside a possible conflict with specialty restaurants? If so, we can cancel as needed.

An easy way to figure out the port times for your cruise (and the times of your excursions and meal reservations - after you make them), is to select "Calendar" on the MVJ dropdown menu. WIthout the need for an invoice, for each day, you will see Port Arrival and Port Departure times plus any booked excursions/reservations (times and what you chose). If you are doing this on a laptop, instead of a Iphone type device (which requires you to go day by day for each day of the cruise to get the data), the display is different and you will see, on one printable page, the entire cruise with port times, excursions and reservations.