LIVE from "Iceland's Natural Beauty" -- All Sailings, 2021

[gramfrog]

In case you haven’t heard, the strike at Keflavik was averted today at 4 PM and we will be able to fly as scheduled on Tuesday. Thank God. 

[gramfrog]

And so delighted to meet cSea onboard today!! 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I forget who was worried about Heimaey, but Jupiter did make it there today.  I see the orange tender behind the white coaches. 

[MarkTapley]

That’s great!  A bonus for those folks!  I believe the last few cruises missed this stop.  I know we did.

 

Jerry

Viking Sky August 14th sailing

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 8/28/2021 at 6:47 PM, Bookworm114 said:

I wish. The coupons are good for Langabud in Djupivogur and Tanginn in Heimaey. Both of them are right by the piers. Now I just hope we stop in Heimaey since the last five cruises have bypassed due to weather. 

Glad to see you made it to Heimaey!

 

[Bookworm114]

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Glad to see you made it to Heimaey!

 

We had a lovely day on the mountain hike. Lunch at Tanginn was soup and sandwiches w chocolate cake. Choice of soup and the mushroom was delicious. It was cloudy and overcast this morning but now (3:00) the sun is shining and the skies are blue. 

[Jay23]

3 hours ago, Bookworm114 said:

We had a lovely day on the mountain hike. Lunch at Tanginn was soup and sandwiches w chocolate cake. Choice of soup and the mushroom was delicious. It was cloudy and overcast this morning but now (3:00) the sun is shining and the skies are blue. 

Well, you have it better that in the UK .  where we have grey overcast skies and very chilly temperatures.

[Bookworm114]

Well the cruise went really well and we are in JFK waiting for the next flight. Two other things to share. We were late (communication error) in requesting the transfer back to the airport and Viking said it was to late to add. Lo and behold, there was an opportunity on board to add a transfer on day 4 or 5. We already had a taxi booked but it would have been less expensive to use Viking. And I don’t understand the restrictions on the Thermal Spa. We used it twice and there is signage stating a limit of four in  the big pool and two in the hot tub. The first time there were nine people total in the Facility and the second time there were seven.  I don’t know if they overstayed their time or if it is poorly enforced. Hubby resisted me asking so I did not pursue but I still wonder what was going on. 
 

Best wishes to those still to cruise. Have a great time. Lisa. 

[MarkTapley]

21 minutes ago, Bookworm114 said:

And I don’t understand the restrictions on the Thermal Spa. We used it twice and there is signage stating a limit of four in  the big pool and two in the hot tub. The first time there were nine people total in the Facility and the second time there were seven.  I don’t know if they overstayed their time or if it is poorly enforced.

We had the same concerns.  First time we used it there were six people total in the Thermal Spa area.  Second time, when it got to 15 total, we left.  Brought it up to the attendant at the Spa desk and at guest services, but no one ever got back to us with an explanation.

 

Jerry

Viking Sky, Iceland, August 14

[patchicago]

1 hour ago, MarkTapley said:

1 hour ago, Bookworm114 said:

 

We had the same concerns.  First time we used it there were six people total in the Thermal Spa area.  Second time, when it got to 15 total, we left.  Brought it up to the attendant at the Spa desk and at guest services, but no one ever got back to us with an explanation.

 

Jerry

Viking Sky, Iceland, August 14

It is so disheartening when passengers completely ignore stated rules and just do what they want. So many of us follow the rules because we want to sail and we want to travel while also keeping safe. I saw people remove their masks on the buses and tenders while on an 8/3 Icelandic cruise on Jupiter. Last week I took a Rhine Getaway river cruise on the Einar and saw folks removing their masks on the excursion buses. During both cruises I mentioned the mask removal to guest services. And I even wrote to tellus@Vikingcruises.com. But I don’t see Viking stepping up to enforce the mask rules. And there hasn’t been an outbreak on any ship so maybe a handful of people removing their masks isn’t a big deal. I don’t know but I’m not comfortable being around maskless people.

[CaniacWino]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:57 AM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

This may have already been mentioned, but in case it's helpful: I was rusty coming back into Minneapolis from Iceland.  I put my hand on the Global Entry screen but was rejected.  Then I put just my fingers on there, and that was accepted.  I think there's a little diagram to show you that, but of course, I didn't pay much attention to it before I tried it. 

We just came through MSP yesterday.  No fingerprints -all facial rec.

 

[gramfrog]

16 hours ago, MarkTapley said:

We had the same concerns.  First time we used it there were six people total in the Thermal Spa area.  Second time, when it got to 15 total, we left.  Brought it up to the attendant at the Spa desk and at guest services, but no one ever got back to us with an explanation.

 

Jerry

Viking Sky, Iceland, August 14

Be SURE to express all concerns. On the third day, I was called down to "discuss" with the Guest Services head, "Gi", my comments per my answers to the previous day's survey.  I was told that I was the only one with concerns and that everyone was so thankful for the consistent policies.  I found that that was not the case; others had expressed concerns, also.  Now that you are off the ship, you have doubtlessly received a n email from Viking wishing to hear more (if on the last day's check survey questionnaire that you did not check the  "Much More Than Expectations" boxes).  Please be honest and follow up.  That's how we get better service next time, if there is a next time. 

[superwife]

We just returned from the August 24th cruise.  Despite our anxiety leading up to the flight, all went very well.  Embarkation was handled well and enjoyed a walking tour of the city to kill time.  We visited the spa twice few there so no problem.  The staff at the desk takes reservations for use, so they should be monitoring.  Some special tours we took:    Icelandic Horseback riding.-  chance of a lifetime. They divided us into two groups so we could trot and toilt if we wanted.  Fantastic.  They helped my wife get onto the horse!  Kayaking Djupivogur.  Great guide.  He supplies waterproofing from the waist down.  Ship never mentions this. Great tour.  Took all of the included and enjoyed them all.  Took a paid tour in addition each day.  Skalenes Nature Center - grueling bus ride, no much to see, not really a nature center. Would not recommend. Vigur Island is a must.  Yes, all puffins are gone, but still great. Last day they gave us a city tour which was great, deposited us at the Perlan Center.  Fantastic place lots to see.  They even gave us lunch!  Great time user for our 4:50 flight. Another tour on the way to the airport.  Very classy Viking.

 

All went very well.  Entertainment was good because the performers were so good.  Cruise director and assistant are VERY talented.

 

[commencemilo]

Some PCR info to passengers on the 9/7 sail.  I made an appt to do the PCR test Thursday morning at a Insta Care facility but just found out that because we are doing if for travel no insurance allowed and the cost is $ 185 per person.  Crazy.  So now I am going to go as a walk in to a Quest Diagnostics lab where there is no charge.  We are flying on Saturday night.

I can't wait to get through all this paperwork and enjoy my cruise.

 

See you on board!

[izmackar]

15 hours ago, gramfrog said:

Be SURE to express all concerns. On the third day, I was called down to "discuss" with the Guest Services head, "Gi", my comments per my answers to the previous day's survey.  I was told that I was the only one with concerns and that everyone was so thankful for the consistent policies.  I found that that was not the case; others had expressed concerns, also.  Now that you are off the ship, you have doubtlessly received a n email from Viking wishing to hear more (if on the last day's check survey questionnaire that you did not check the  "Much More Than Expectations" boxes).  Please be honest and follow up.  That's how we get better service next time, if there is a next time. 

You were told you were the only one with concerns?!  Sounds like an attempt at bullying to me. 

[dcl999]

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.  
 

[patchicago]

7 hours ago, dcl999 said:

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.  
 

I too experienced that many passengers were not wearing their masks on the excursions. And I’ve read a few remarks by other recent cruisers that had the same experience. But I have to say that I am encouraged by the fact that there has not been a ship wide outbreak of covid on any Viking cruise in spite of these incidents where people don’t wear masks as required. I have two more cruises planned this year and on those I’m going to try to relax about the rule breaking non-maskers and just sit further away from them. Vaccinations and pre-flight/daily testing are doing their jobs.

[Doc who loves to travel]

Someone on the Sky just reported trip interruption on Facebook due to being on the bus with a COVID positive passenger.  That's what happened to a some on our July Jupiter cruise: https://www.luxurytraveldocs.com/2021/07/how-we-dealt-with-covid-19-and-contact.html 

 

That is the one thing that will keep us from going on a viking cruise again right now.  I hope it may just be Iceland?  I don't want to get stuck somewhere like the one girl did in Malta. We are contemplating cruising again in November and December but we are monitoring the situation closely and haven't booked yet because of things like this. 

 

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, Doc who loves to travel said:

Someone on the Sky just reported trip interruption on Facebook due to being on the bus with a COVID positive passenger.  That's what happened to a some on our July Jupiter cruise: https://www.luxurytraveldocs.com/2021/07/how-we-dealt-with-covid-19-and-contact.html 

 

That is the one thing that will keep us from going on a viking cruise again right now.  I hope it may just be Iceland?  I don't want to get stuck somewhere like the one girl did in Malta. We are contemplating cruising again in November and December but we are monitoring the situation closely and haven't booked yet because of things like this. 

I hope it’s just Iceland, too. Having to quarantine (or go home) in spite of repeatedly testing negative is a deal breaker for us. I hope we can find out the policies of the countries we’re supposed to visit before we go next January. 

[Independent]

11 hours ago, dcl999 said:

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.

Thank you for the info.  I wonder if you literally had to stand around, or if there were chairs available?  I’m now debating taking my chair/cane.

[BQEC]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

I hope it’s just Iceland, too. Having to quarantine (or go home) in spite of repeatedly testing negative is a deal breaker for us. I hope we can find out the policies of the countries we’re supposed to visit before we go next January. 

Hello Twichly, It is Viking (not any country to my knowledge) which has the tracking/daily testing requirement. In the absence of  a Viking's positive finding and/or a symptomatic passenger, Iceland's quarantine policies would not come into play. (i.e. positive or close contact of positive - including Viking excursion bus passengers).

Iceland does have a phone app which they "suggest", not require, be used for tracking purposes, available for citizens and visitors. Viking tracking device is mandatory for all passengers. 

Opinions are all over the map about this. Sometimes it may just come down to whether and how the individual posting has been negatively affected by the Viking's daily

testing/tracking/quarantine/disembarked policies.

So, yes, it is the potential negative result of Viking's daily testing - as well as other factors - that continue to be a deal breaker for many .... 

 

 

 

[JeriGail]

In this case it WAS Iceland's policy to quarantine close contacts of positive cases.  Here's what Viking says on close contacts in their Health and Safety FAQ:

What happens if I am confirmed to be a close contact with a guest who tests positive?

Viking’s policy is that close contacts who are fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine. This policy is in line with current CDC guidelines. However, a different approach may be required when in a destination, depending on the local situation at the time.

Edited September 2, 2021 by JeriGail
Forgot some info

[BQEC]

8 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

In this case it WAS Iceland's policy to quarantine close contacts of positive cases.  Here's what Viking says on close contacts in their Health and Safety FAQ:

What happens if I am confirmed to be a close contact with a guest who tests positive?

Viking’s policy is that close contacts who are fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine. This policy is in line with current CDC guidelines. However, a different approach may be required when in a destination, depending on the local situation at the time.

Yes, and it is Viking's daily testing which is not an Iceland requirement that serves to "confirm" a close contact. Land tour and other visitors to Iceland have not been subject to daily testing to my knowledge.

[JeriGail]

1 minute ago, BQEC said:

Yes, and it is Viking's daily testing which is not an Iceland requirement that serves to "confirm" a close contact. Land tour and other visitors to Iceland have not been subject to daily testing to my knowledge.

Sorry - I misread your initial post and thought you were saying it was Viking's policy to quarantine close contacts.  You're correct - if Viking hadn't been doing the daily testing, the positive person would not have been found.  My bad.

[BQEC]

6 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

Sorry - I misread your initial post and thought you were saying it was Viking's policy to quarantine close contacts.  You're correct - if Viking hadn't been doing the daily testing, the positive person would not have been found.  My bad.

Jeri, you are good. Your post further clarifies the issue. Viking's daily testing serves to "legalize" - in Iceland anyway - Viking's quarantine and other measures for "positive" and "close contacts" of "Covid positive" passengers whether or not they are symptomatic.