Windstar Iceland Pre-cruise Itinerary help

[rockymtgirl]

My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary with a 7 day Windstar cruise that circumnavigates Iceland this July. We are arriving early on a Monday morning and have until Friday to explore the South coast. We we're planning on leaving from the airport in our rental car (Honda CRV 4x4 from Blue Car Rental), driving and exploring the Reykjanes peninsula then heading to Hveragerdi to visit the Reykjadaluk hot springs. We will make our way to Hotel Ranga, to be our base for the next three nights. On our second day we will drive to visit Seljalandsfoss and Gulfrafoss, then head to Vik to explore Cape Dyrholaey area. On our way back to Hella we will visit Skagafoss and lastly, Seljavallalaug pool for a soak. Day three we want to see the Turf house, then head up to Haifoss and Granni and enjoy the area before heading back to Hella. On our fourth day, we will drive to visit Gullfoss, then the Geysir and then onto Pingvellir National Park. We will be staying at the Hotel Grimsborgir for our last night before our cruise the next day. Is staying in Hella for 3 of the 4 nights the best for what sights we want to see? We are very active and enjoy the outdoor scenery and activities, is our itinerary realistic without being rushed? Thank you for any suggestions /critiques you can offer, especially any off the beaten path sights along our routes.

[cirman52]

Hello rockymtgirl.

Which Windstar cruise are you on ? we are on the 7/22 cruise, arriving a few days early, like you, travelling with my brother & his wife.

[ljandgb]

You'll get a lot more specific feedback on your itinerary if you try posting this on the Tripadvisor Iceland forum. I found it immensely helpful there, myself.

 

I can't comment on your trip as I'm not really familiar enough with all the places you mentioned.

[Nitemare]

Your main problem will be finding accommodations on such short notice. Most places in Iceland were booked up by January or February for this summer.

 

If you're taking an overnight flight from the states, I'd strongly discourage going anywhere beyond Reykjavik your first day. Jet lag, timezone changes, plus the incredible sensory overload that is Iceland will make it very hard for you to safely do much driving in Iceland upon arrival. We've been many times and we won't go beyond Hveragerdi at most that first day.

 

If you can you should have at least one night east of Hella, maybe in Vik or Kirkjubæjarklaustur, so you can get to Jokulsarlon and that area on your own. There is so much to do out there and it's a good 4 hours from Hella, which is a whole lot of driving if you're going to go out and back the same day.