The Virtual Explorers' Lounge

[DaveSJ711]

The "Welcome Back" announcement was quite the coincidence -- my wife and I were just planning a land-based two-week trip to Iceland! We thought long and hard about booking Viking instead, but decided the timing just didn't work for us.

 

On a positive note, a land-based trip will give us the chance to drive and explore Iceland's famed Ring Road, 800 miles of absolutely spectacular scenery. I did the drive 10 years ago and had a fabulous time. Let me know if you have any questions about the cruise ports -- I've been to all of them with the exception of the Westman Islands and Isafjordur. I've also done the Golden Circle twice, once on my own and once with a private excursion.   

[Twitchly]

5 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

The "Welcome Back" announcement was quite the coincidence -- my wife and I were just planning a land-based two-week trip to Iceland! We thought long and hard about booking Viking instead, but decided the timing just didn't work for us.

 

On a positive note, a land-based trip will give us the chance to drive and explore Iceland's famed Ring Road, 800 miles of absolutely spectacular scenery. I did the drive 10 years ago and had a fabulous time. Let me know if you have any questions about the cruise ports -- I've been to all of them with the exception of the Westman Islands and Isafjordur. I've also done the Golden Circle twice, once on my own and once with a private excursion.   

We drove about a third of the Ring Road during our very brief visit, and it really is spectacular. Just otherworldly. After being there, I can see why people believe in dragons! Some day we’d like to return and do the whole thing. 

[Clay Clayton]

11 hours ago, DaveSJ711 said:

The "Welcome Back" announcement was quite the coincidence -- my wife and I were just planning a land-based two-week trip to Iceland! We thought long and hard about booking Viking instead, but decided the timing just didn't work for us.

 

On a positive note, a land-based trip will give us the chance to drive and explore Iceland's famed Ring Road, 800 miles of absolutely spectacular scenery. I did the drive 10 years ago and had a fabulous time. Let me know if you have any questions about the cruise ports -- I've been to all of them with the exception of the Westman Islands and Isafjordur. I've also done the Golden Circle twice, once on my own and once with a private excursion.   

We have a stateroom on hold mostly as it appears to us that this may be the budget way to see Iceland. Are we incorrect in thinking that hotel and meal costs in Iceland will not come close to the cost of the cruise so that rental car and fuel would make a land tour significantly more expensive?

[TayanaLorna]

7 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

We have a stateroom on hold mostly as it appears to us that this may be the budget way to see Iceland. Are we incorrect in thinking that hotel and meal costs in Iceland will not come close to the cost of the cruise so that rental car and fuel would make a land tour significantly more expensive?

We missed our connection to Bergen so Icelandair put us up in a hotel with meals and private airport transfer.  We saw the taxi van fare one way tick up over $120 and the dinner buffet (fabulous) at the hotel was over $65 pp.  We only stayed the one night and were exhausted but it seemed pretty costly to us.

[Twitchly]

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

We have a stateroom on hold mostly as it appears to us that this may be the budget way to see Iceland. Are we incorrect in thinking that hotel and meal costs in Iceland will not come close to the cost of the cruise so that rental car and fuel would make a land tour significantly more expensive?

It would be interesting to compare the two. Iceland can be very expensive. After DH’s conference there, we had a few days on our own and were pretty stunned by prices. We ended up buying food at a grocery store a few times just to save money. 
 

By the way, Icelanders love all things licorice. Their licorice yogurt (aka skyr) is fabulous! Wish I could find it here. 

[Clay Clayton]

5 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

It would be interesting to compare the two. Iceland can be very expensive. After DH’s conference there, we had a few days on our own and were pretty stunned by prices. We ended up buying food at a grocery store a few times just to save money. 
 

By the way, Icelanders love all things licorice. Their licorice yogurt (aka skyr) is fabulous! Wish I could find it here. 

That’s why we decided to do the cruise.  I found a week of hotels and a rental car we’re about the price of the cruise.   So food plus fuel would be much more expensive.  And the hotels weren’t as nice as our room on Viking 😂

[Peregrina651]

22 hours ago, vslparis said:

optimistic since Iceland is already open to US travelers.

 

And has been open to EU even longer than that.  

[DaveSJ711]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:51 AM, Clay Clayton said:

That’s why we decided to do the cruise.  I found a week of hotels and a rental car we’re about the price of the cruise.   So food plus fuel would be much more expensive.  And the hotels weren’t as nice as our room on Viking 😂

 

Over 16 days and 15 nights, our land-based trip to Iceland in June will cost us $250/night on average for accommodations. Add to that $100/day for Icelandic hot dogs and other delicious food, $1,000 for rental car, and $200 for fuel, and the total (not counting airfare and incidentals) comes out to about $6,500 for 2 people. 

 

I don't know whether my wife and I will save money or lose money compared to the cruise option. I do know that the land option works best for us for a variety of reasons. Others may feel differently depending on their situation, and all power to them! The point is, we're traveling again and to a great place. See you in Iceland! 

[Clay Clayton]

10 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 

Over 16 days and 15 nights, our land-based trip to Iceland in June will cost us $250/night on average for accommodations. Add to that $100/day for Icelandic hot dogs and other delicious food, $1,000 for rental car, and $200 for fuel, and the total (not counting airfare and incidentals) comes out to about $6,500 for 2 people. 

 

I don't know whether my wife and I will save money or lose money compared to the cruise option. I do know that the land option works best for us for a variety of reasons. Others may feel differently depending on their situation, and all power to them! The point is, we're traveling again and to a great place. See you in Iceland! 

No disagreement that works for each is what we each ought to do.  As I said I didn’t do anywhere near the amount of research that I would normally do given the short fuse to make a decision on the cruise.  So I’m glad you’ve proven me only half wrong!  LOL

[DaveSJ711]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:43 AM, Twitchly said:

It would be interesting to compare the two. Iceland can be very expensive. After DH’s conference there, we had a few days on our own and were pretty stunned by prices. We ended up buying food at a grocery store a few times just to save money. 
 

By the way, Icelanders love all things licorice. Their licorice yogurt (aka skyr) is fabulous! Wish I could find it here. 

 

Try to get an Icelandic hot dog if you can (seriously). The most notable wiener place in Reykjavik is Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, in the same family since 1937. Bill Clinton made it famous when he stopped by for a dog in 2004.

[Heidi13]

Being April 11th, it is now a year since the final 8 of us disembarked the Magical Mystery Cruise and arrived back in Canada.

 

Wow!! at the end of the World Cruise, we thought we had arrived in a new World, when ashore in Gibraltar, as life ashore was such a contrast to our experience on the Viking Sun.

 

I can only hope we don't experience another year like the last one and that we can get back to some semblance of normal cruising and travelling in the not too distant future.

 

Time to enjoy an early afternoon libation, while reminiscing the great memories of our last cruise.

[Twitchly]

The governor of Florida just did his bit toward getting the cruise industry going again: he filed a lawsuit against the CDC over their ongoing no-sail order. https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/04/11/ron-desantis-lawsuit-feds-cdc-reopen-cruise-industry/ 

[TayanaLorna]

56 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Being April 11th, it is now a year since the final 8 of us disembarked the Magical Mystery Cruise and arrived back in Canada.

 

Wow!! at the end of the World Cruise, we thought we had arrived in a new World, when ashore in Gibraltar, as life ashore was such a contrast to our experience on the Viking Sun.

 

I can only hope we don't experience another year like the last one and that we can get back to some semblance of normal cruising and travelling in the not too distant future.

 

Time to enjoy an early afternoon libation, while reminiscing the great memories of our last cruise.

The last Viking cruisers.  I followed your journal and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Jim Avery]

6 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

The governor of Florida just did his bit toward getting the cruise industry going again: he filed a lawsuit against the CDC over their ongoing no-sail order. https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/04/11/ron-desantis-lawsuit-feds-cdc-reopen-cruise-industry/ 

At some point someone needs to say "no" sometimes.  The cruise industry has been punished the most in this entire ordeal.  If congress went on cruises it would have been the first to open.....

[Peregrina651]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Time to enjoy an early afternoon libation, while reminiscing the great memories of our last cruise.

 

I hope that is short for a celebratory Zoom conference of the Elite Eight.

 

3 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

 If congress went on cruises it would have been the first to open.....

 

My only responses to this are potentially libelous.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

At some point someone needs to say "no" sometimes.  The cruise industry has been punished the most in this entire ordeal.  If congress went on cruises it would have been the first to open.....

 

Jim - As an outsider, I am having extreme difficulty understanding why the CDC carries any weight in the ongoing pandemic. I believe they are responsible for ensuring the health & safety of US citizens.

 

No disrespect to our many good friends South of the border, but the numbers of infections and deaths in the US are not great figures to promote the ability of the CDC to control the pandemic and why they should be taken seriously for restarting the cruise industry.

 

I firmly believe that more infections are possible on aircraft, but the airline industry has continued with minimal changes. Going back to the Seadream incident. The cruise was cancelled after less than a week, as about 7 pax on board had the virus. In all likelyhood, they actually caught the virus in an airport or flight. However, while you can catch it on a plane you have already left before symptoms show.

 

With Vancouver being one of the few Canadian airports accepting International flights, we receive frequent news reports listing flights that arrived in Vancouver with COVID cases. Sadly our Govt is no better, as they banned cruise ships, but the airline industry has operated with minimal restrictions. The flight we returned to Vancouver on last year was full, yes every single seat. Thank goodness we weren't in "cattle class"

 

If the CDC want to be taken seriously, perhaps they should address the airline industry and many other situations in the US that has driven the number of infections and deaths.

 

Long past time to leave the cruise industry alone. BTW - I used to have immense respect for the CDC, sadly that is no longer the case.

[CharTrav]

8 hours ago, Twitchly said:

The governor of Florida just did his bit toward getting the cruise industry going again: he filed a lawsuit against the CDC over their ongoing no-sail order. https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/04/11/ron-desantis-lawsuit-feds-cdc-reopen-cruise-industry/ 

DiSantis is an idiot doing his best to undermine the vaccination program. With that I'll put a cork in my political opinions. 🙃

[TayanaLorna]

6 hours ago, CharTrav said:

DiSantis is an idiot doing his best to undermine the vaccination program. With that I'll put a cork in my political opinions. 🙃

I bite my tongue often here re potentially charged topics.  However someone needs to get the CDC to move more quickly to provide opening support to the industry.  But I did wonder if DiSantis will ban cruise ships in Florida from requiring vaccinations and proof thereof just like he is banning Florida businesses from doing so.  

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

I bite my tongue often here re potentially charged topics.  However someone needs to get the CDC to move more quickly to provide opening support to the industry.  But I did wonder if DiSantis will ban cruise ships in Florida from requiring vaccinations and proof thereof just like he is banning Florida businesses from doing so.  

 

We even heard about the Florida situation on our local news. If/when the CDC permits cruising to resume in US Waters, the Florida Governor's recent decisions would prevent us from considering any cruise to/from any Florida port.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

But I did wonder if DiSantis will ban cruise ships in Florida from requiring vaccinations and proof thereof just like he is banning Florida businesses from doing so.  

 

9 hours ago, CharTrav said:

DiSantis is an idiot doing his best to undermine the vaccination program.

 

Sword-rattling?? Used intentionally to get attention, to get folks moving to solve the problem?? For the time being, I'm giving the guy some benefit of the doubt. He is doing what a governor should be doing for his state: going to bat for the people he serves.

[TayanaLorna]

37 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

We even heard about the Florida situation on our local news. If/when the CDC permits cruising to resume in US Waters, the Florida Governor's recent decisions would prevent us from considering any cruise to/from any Florida port.

Well then come to cruise out of Puerto Rico.  When this US Territory allows cruise ships to return, i think we will have the same strict guidelines as we have had since March 2020.  Still a mask rule inside and outside, curfew just made earlier again 10 pm to 5 am, still a negative Covid pcr test to enter even if vaccinated AND we are hoping for only fully vaccinated crew and passenger requirement.  We don't have the same charged politics as the US, at least not as far as Covid19.  Only people who complain are tourists or the 2 month condo snow birds.

[DaveSJ711]

18 hours ago, Twitchly said:

The governor of Florida just did his bit toward getting the cruise industry going again: he filed a lawsuit against the CDC over their ongoing no-sail order. https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/04/11/ron-desantis-lawsuit-feds-cdc-reopen-cruise-industry/ 

 I read the lawsuit with some interest, both as a Viking cruiser (four to date) and as a practicing lawyer (40 years and counting).

 

In its complaint, Florida touts the benefits from vaccination as one reason to open up the cruise industry. At the same time, however, the governor has banned businesses -- including, presumably, cruise lines -- from requiring vaccination passports. How does Florida square this circle before a judge? And how would passengers prove to the cruise lines that they are fully vaccinated if the governor won't let them do so?

 

It will be interesting to see how the legal battle plays out.  

[Azulann]

4 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 I read the lawsuit with some interest, both as a Viking cruiser (four to date) and as a practicing lawyer (40 years and counting).

 

In its complaint, Florida touts the benefits from vaccination as one reason to open up the cruise industry. At the same time, however, the governor has banned businesses -- including, presumably, cruise lines -- from requiring vaccination passports. How does Florida square this circle before a judge? And how would passengers prove to the cruise lines that they are fully vaccinated if the governor won't let them do so?

 

It will be interesting to see how the legal battle plays out.  

I am  more concerned about the  cargo, container ships unable to get into ports along the US coast because  crew members have COVID.  All countries are figuring out  this whole  shipping scene going forward for  global commerce. There are no blueprints left over from last century panademic.

[TayanaLorna]

7 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 I read the lawsuit with some interest, both as a Viking cruiser (four to date) and as a practicing lawyer (40 years and counting).

 

In its complaint, Florida touts the benefits from vaccination as one reason to open up the cruise industry. At the same time, however, the governor has banned businesses -- including, presumably, cruise lines -- from requiring vaccination passports. How does Florida square this circle before a judge? And how would passengers prove to the cruise lines that they are fully vaccinated if the governor won't let them do so?

 

It will be interesting to see how the legal battle plays out.  

Apparently Texas has made a vaccine requirement ban for businesses also.  I understand Galveston is a big cruise port.

[PasadenaDave]

7 minutes ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 I read the lawsuit with some interest, both as a Viking cruiser (four to date) and as a practicing lawyer (40 years and counting).

 

In its complaint, Florida touts the benefits from vaccination as one reason to open up the cruise industry. At the same time, however, the governor has banned businesses -- including, presumably, cruise lines -- from requiring vaccination passports. How does Florida square this circle before a judge? And how would passengers prove to the cruise lines that they are fully vaccinated if the governor won't let them do so?

 

It will be interesting to see how the legal battle plays out.  

Also interesting that a party that doesn’t want the government interfering with how private business operates wants to tell private business what to do as respects vaccine passports.  What is that called again.....hypocritical