dcl999

We cruises the Amazon over Christmas and new year’s several years ago. Christmas wasn’t much different but New Year’s was great. First time we’ve been on a Viking trip where my husband wore tie and jacket and I wore a cocktail dress. 

On our flights the delta plane between Boston and Reykjavik called the old domestic 1st class section premium select. It was the top category. We flew back economy since the upgrade wasn’t available. Fortunately the flight wasn’t full.  The toilets for economy and comfort+ were minimal in numbers, size and cleanliness. The mid cabin toilet was the smallest I have ever seen. The upgrade was definitely worth the $250 but not close to $2000. 

We upgraded to premium select (best category on plane) for our delta flight from Boston to Reykjavik. It was the traditional domestic first class. We couldn’t get the upgrade for the return flight. 

We got back late last night from the August 24th cruise. This was our first international trip since January of 2020. We were somewhat apprehensive but had a good time. We missed the easy interaction with other passengers. We had no problem with our flights or getting to the bus for the transfer to the opera hall check in. The opera house experience was not pleasant. Breakfast food was very poor and in a huge crowded room of unmasked people. We did not find out about the walking tours until after the last one has left so we had a lot of time standing around waiting. Once we got onboard things were much more like a normal Viking cruise. The bar areas had lots of people sitting around without masks socializing. If you preferred to wear a mask it was more difficult to meet other people. After the golden circle tour we just did the included tours. We had signed up late and the extra tours we were interested in were booked. Except for one of the bus tours, the guides were quite good and tours were interesting. We were lucky with decent weather most of the time, calm seas and even some sun. There were quite a few people on the buses that did not wear masks or had mouth or chin masks. We had one sunny day with the traditional Viking welcome back with the crew outside greeting everyone, music, and champagne or drink when we entered the ship. The Abba and Beatles evenings were little changed from the ones on past cruises except the performers were a little weaker. Viking did a decent job keeping much of their traditional cruise experience. We were disappointed with the number of passengers that minimized their proper mask wearing.  
 

It seems odd that passengers with Viking transfers are confined but those who book independently can wander around Iceland for hours or days and then mingle with everyone else. Is Viking following any different protocol for the independent travelers? 

2 hours ago, libraryworld said:

We’re in RI also, but leaving from Logan at 10:25 p.m. booked through Viking Air. So I’m very interested in anything you might learn.

We’re also routed through Boston. 3 leg trip that also has an Atlanta connection. We’re hoping the storm will have cleared the airport by then but are also scheduling a COVID test for Sunday in case we’re delayed a day. Delta usually posts something about options to change if they’re expecting to have to cancel. Viking has been very good in the past about rescheduling people and eventually getting them to the ship. 

15 hours ago, MarkTapley said:

Viking provides two 100 ml bottles of “desderman pure”, made by Schulke & Mayr GmbH, Nordersted, Germany.  The liquid is clear.  The label says it contains ethanol and biphenol-2-ol.  It does not list aloe. It is completely different than what we get at home (Chicago);  Purell that we buy contains aloe and is in gell form;  this is liquid.  The sanitizer stations around the ship spray a fine mist, that also appears to be a clear liquid.

 

Hope that helps.

Very much so. I’m one of the few people allergic to aloe. 

We’re sticking with our August 24th cruise. Yes conditions have changed since we booked. We’ll be wearing our kn95 masks as much as possible. We’re approaching this as a hope for the best and a guide to future land vs cruise vs on our own travel decisions. We are both retired, our bucket list is long and we’re not getting younger. We’re vaccinated with Moderna and under 80 so we not likely to end up dead or in the hospital. 
Hopefully all our fellow cruisers will take the necessary precautions and be able to enjoy themselves on a wonderful Viking cruise. 

Totally different topic- does anyone know if the hand sanitizer Viking provides contains aloe? If it’s green it does, clear you have to read the label. Thanks 

What about the situation where government requires quarantine because of contact tracing but since my PCR test is negative the cruise line can arrange for me to fly home to the US? If stay and quarantine many insurance policies will pay for lost days. 

Would someone who is currently on board please ask the crew what little things they miss the most/need the most since they cannot get off the ship. Toothpaste? Candy? We’d be happy to bring small fairly light stuff that we have room for in our suitcases. It would be nice if someone posted a list and everyone started bringing a few items. We had planned to ask when we got on board but it looks like we may be in a bubble

Many thanks to the person who suggested watching Trapped on Amazon prime 

Are there still buffets in the world cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Also, which night of the cruise is the seafood buffet?

Does anyone know what happened with the spouse/roommate of the COVID positive person? On board and in Iceland?

Next time you cruise with Viking please do talk to the band about song choice. They were delighted to have someone that danced make a request. We tried to give a style and tempo more than specific song and said if it worked into their schedule for the evening. They remembered us when we were on a second cruise and approached us to ask which nights we were planning to be there and if there was anything in particular we wanted to hear. 

Probably not now. In earlier cruises we managed to dance quite a bit. The band was always happy take requests. The dance floor was tiny so we did mostly rumba and swing. 

What documentation do we need to show proof of a negative covid test? Is an email on my phone enough? Can I print out an email in case my phone dies? 

11 hours ago, AKexplorer said:

SNIT13 - evidently a Rapid Test is ok if it is a certain type. What the new directions say are:

 

So all of these new changes are very confusing. I plan to get tested on the Saturday prior to my Monday departure. Walgreens told me there is no copay with insurance so either test will do.

Viking has already revised this so an antigen test is okay. Hopefully the antigen test will continue to be okay. We would have to travel about 8 hours round trip to get a PCR test in the 72 hour window. 
Revision 1 - “If a PCR Test is not available, an antigen test will be accepted by Iceland.
As of July 27, fully vaccinated travelers must present a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction, nasopharyngeal/nasal swab) or antigen (rapid) test that is taken no more than 72 hours before boarding your flight to Iceland.”

42 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Go to vikingcruises.com and find the Iceland cruises. Click on the “Resources” tab—you’ll see “itinerary” then “dates & pricing” then “resources”. Scroll down to pre-cruise requirements—the pdf is effective July 22 for all upcoming Iceland sailings (until things change again).

Thanks. The earlier post was a link to Viking pre cruise requirement for a PCR test. Following these instructions leads to Revision 1 which requires a PCR or antigen test. 

4 hours ago, Tom.in.nc said:

LATEST VIKING UPDATE FOR ICELAND 

https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/14-210722-RestartPreCruiseRequirement-Iceland-US-UK-FINAL.pdf
 

Not sure if Canadian rules differ?

Tom

Is this also applicable to US travelers? I can’t find it on the my Viking website. 

Are the sauna and ice room open? Do you need to reserve a time? Thanks 

14 hours ago, dcl999 said:

Has anyone had any experience with a low salt diet? I can tolerate a normal amount of salt, including the salt in most cheeses but not all the extra salt that’s present in the delicious sauces and dressings. Am I better off just asking for sauces and dressings on the side and avoiding choices that are probably higher salt?

Sorry, didn’t make myself clear. I read someone who had some lactose problems ended up with no cheese, cream for coffee, etc. He could avoid enough dairy with his meal choices but wanted some of the dairy free sorbet. I wondered how Viking interprets low salt. 

On 6/9/2021 at 8:36 PM, id4elizabeth said:

I've read that tipping is unusual and not expected in Iceland.  Having never been I cannot verify this for sure, but that's what all my guidebooks say.  They also say credit cards are very widely accepted even in taxis.

Can I totally rely on my credit card for this cruise?

Has anyone had any experience with a low salt diet? I can tolerate a normal amount of salt, including the salt in most cheeses but not all the extra salt that’s present in the delicious sauces and dressings. Am I better off just asking for sauces and dressings on the side and avoiding choices that are probably higher salt?

3 hours ago, bardstowntraveller said:

Our 8/3 cruise is fast approaching and I am trying to finalize our touring plans. Could anyone provide feedback on the following tours

Isafjordur & Bolungavik Village Tour

Seydisfjordur on Foot Tour

Beluga Whale Center & Bay by Boat Tour

Heimaey on Foot Tour

Wildlife of Heimaey by Boat

 

Am considering replacing Beluga Whale Center with Wildlife of Heimaey by boat and cancelling the ships tours  If I do, we will tour Seydisfjordur and Heimaey on our own and enjoy ship in place of Isafjordur tour. Will I miss much if I do?

Check the hours at the whale center. They list quite a few times as closed for private tours and list closed Mondays, except for private tours.