Live from the NCL Star July 23-August 15, 2023. Will I survive 23 days without the beverage package?

[Always Cruising]

The sweet horse reminds me of Li'l Sebastian from "Parks and Recreation"  He was marching with the actors on strike yesterday, as was most of the cast of "Parks and Recreation"

[BrianLo]

I'm also sad it's ending. Do we have to wait until BC's March break, or do you have something closer-in planned next?

Edited August 15, 2023 by BrianLo

[fstuff1]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:39 AM, YVRteacher said:

I have to go to bed now (it’s 12:36am) but coming up tomorrow:

the story of a souvenir I didn’t buy and really regretted it, the story of a cruise ship photo, the best dinner I’ve had on board, more about the Broadway Cabaret than you likely want to know and a photo of the famous heart traffic light in Akureyri.

Glad you liked the forest lagoon!

I'm going there tomorrow :)

[Muckyduckway]

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable journey home - hope Icelandair helps bring your amazing and restorative adventure to a pleasant conclusion... and has cake!

[Cruisewilm]

We are going to miss your posts and insights.  It's been fun.  Safe travels to home.

[ceilidh1]

Hurry home. There's beers to be had!

[YVRteacher]

20 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

Glad you liked the forest lagoon!

I'm going there tomorrow 🙂

With sister?

 

Have some strawberry daiquiris!

[YVRteacher]

8 hours ago, Cruisewilm said:

We are going to miss your posts and insights.  It's been fun.  Safe travels to home.

Thank you!

[YVRteacher]

18 hours ago, Muckyduckway said:

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable journey home - hope Icelandair helps bring your amazing and restorative adventure to a pleasant conclusion... and has cake!

Today was cakeless😢

 

Just landed at YVR airport. YVR is our city airport code and it’s the first two letters of my first name and the last letter of my last name. Hence the name YVRteacher.

[YVRteacher]

On 8/14/2023 at 7:31 PM, BrianLo said:

I'm also sad it's ending. Do we have to wait until BC's March break, or do you have something closer-in planned next?

March break. 7 months until the next cruise seems like a long time to wait!

[YVRteacher]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:37 PM, wally4ever said:

I'm sad that this cruise is ending and I'm not even there!  Thank you for sharing it with us.

Thank you for reading! It’s a pleasure and a joy to write.

[Muckyduckway]

32 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Today was cakeless😢

 

Just landed at YVR airport. YVR is our city airport code and it’s the first two letters of my first name and the last letter of my last name. Hence the name YVRteacher.

A day without cake is a sad day indeed! I'm pretty sure that's how that quote goes 😀

 

Interesting about your screen name - in my head I just read "Vancouver teacher". Too many hours spent researching future holidays has me all too familiar with the airport codes of countless airports that I've never stepped foot in!

 

Seven months until your next cruise is way too long but the fabulous memories and simple joys you found and created for yourself on this one (two?) will carry you through 

 

I am inspired and touched by your deep appreciation of the landscapes and communities you visited and very grateful that you took the time to share it with us all here.

 

 

[Norwegianprincess]

So glad to read that you are safe home in YVR, @YVRteacher hope your flight was ok! 
We had a nice, calm day just strolling around in Reykjavik. I didn’t have cake, but the best hot chocolate with cream I’ve ever had!

Going on a whale-whatching tour today before our flight home this evening 😊

[LauraAnneC]

Really enjoyed reading about your adventures Yvonne. Glad you’re home safe and sound. I’m sure your dad will be thrilled to see you! Will look forward to reading your next report. March seems like too far away but the way time flies it will be here before we know it! 

[nhtravels]

Thank you so much for taking us on this amazing adventure @YVRteacher.  With your writing and pictures, many times I felt that I was right there with you.  Whether it was exploring paths of flowers, looking for reindeer or enjoying some of Verde's Beste, you took us readers on a once in a lifetime journey!  

 

I'm glad you made it home safely.  I'm sure you and your dad will be happy to see each other.  

 

Selfishly I wish summer was a bit longer so you could squeeze in one more trip, as I've loved following your epic tales!  I hope you have a wonderful school year Yvonne!

[SenatorsFan]

Many thanks for such a wonderful report! Your pictures and descriptions of your port days were outstanding, and who doesn't love pictures of delicious cakes? 😋Hope back to school goes smoothly.

[YVRteacher]

We are back in Ísafjordur on a hot, sunny day with azure skies and no flies! By hot I mean 15 degrees Celsius. Locals are wearing tank tops, shorts and flip flops. One of the tour guides took off his shirt and guided his tour bare chested. Let it be known that summer in Ísafjordur officially happened on August 13, 2023.

There are three cruise ships (Regent, Celebrity Apex and NCL Star.)

 

NCL’s prices for shore excursions were sky high so I booked with Get Your Guide which contracts with BusTravel Iceland. The instructions in the email said they would be right at the harbour but they didn’t mean the harbour where NCL tenders. I asked a shore excursion driver and he showed me where to go. By the time I got on the bus it was almost full and I had to sit at the back. For someone who gets so motion sick this is not good.  Further, the windows were filthy inside and out. The glass is double paned and hasn’t been washed since the last ice age.  The seats were layered with crumbs and  unidentifiable chunkies. These pants are going in the laundry tonight! The people in front of me and the people behind me were coughing. I wanted to get off the bus but also wanted to see the waterfall so I stayed on the dirty bus. This ended up being the absolute best choice because Viktoria was our guide!

[YVRteacher]

Ah, crap.

[lgdesign]

39 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Ah, crap.

Brevity and poignancy in one breath.

[DCGuy64]

50 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Ah, crap.

Heat warning at 25? I scoff. In DC we routinely have morning temperatures higher than that.

[YVRteacher]

On the bus ride to Dynjandi the guide, Viktoria, made me howl when she said without the glaciers carving the landscape, Iceland would be flat and boring like Denmark.

 

 

If you are going to Dynjandi, go to the bathroom before you get on the bus. When we arrived there were 6 large tour groups from the three ships as well as many mini vans and private cars. We were given 50 minutes at the site and some people (not me!) spent 30 minutes in the line for the toilets.

 

I headed to the fjord and river first

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then began the climb to the various viewpoints.

 

 

This walk up is not a simple one: there are no railings, the rocks are not set in place and shift with every step and thousands of people with walking challenges are attempting the climb. It felt unsafe and it was unsafe. My photos of Dynjandi were taken at strategic angles to avoid this

 

 

I absolutely loved the waterfall and am beyond grateful for the recommendations from Cruise Critic members to do this day trip with Get Your Guide. I think the experience at the waterfall would be better on a non-cruise ship day in a rented car.

 

Our time at Dynjandi flew by! I could have spent hours there. I climbed as high as I could while giving myself time to navigate the loose rocks people on the way down in order to make it to the bus on time. Our bus driver wouldn’t turn on the air conditioning and a young fellow came back to the bus and exclaimed “it’s a thousand degrees in here!”

 

Back on the bus en route to the farm the magnificent scenery did not disappoint.

[YVRteacher]

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

Heat warning at 25? I scoff. In DC we routinely have morning temperatures higher than that.

I knew someone would say that!🤣

[DCGuy64]

4 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I knew someone would say that!🤣

Well, I'd swap our weather for Vancouver's gorgeous scenery any day! Thank you so much for the lovely pictures and travelogue. You're a very gifted travel writer, BTW!

[YVRteacher]

 

 

Sheep in Iceland. Viktoria says they are the dumbest creatures ever. She explained that when you hit a sheep while driving there are three options:

 

1. Stop the car. Look at the tag on the sheep’s ear. Call the farmer and apologize for hitting and killing the sheep. Pay the 500€ fine to the farmer.

 

2. Stop the car. Rough up the sheep a little more so it looks like it has been by the side of the road for at least a few hours. Look at the tag on the sheep’s ear. Call the farmer and tell them you are so sorry but you found their poor sheep on the side of the road and you wanted to let the farmer know. 
 

3. Stop the car. Load the sheep in the car. Have dinner for the next month.

 

Note that if Viktoria has a script to follow for this tour, she is definitely not using it. She is irreverent, delightful and hilarious. The woman next to me called out to ask her how much snow Ísafjordur gets each year. Viktoria said it is hard to measure. The woman next to me rolled her eyes, as if the measure of a good guide is the knowledge of the depth of the snow. Viktoria gave us her take on Icelandic politics, gender diversity, eating whale, nightmares kids have, believing in elves and trolls and what it’s like to be a young adult living here.  She sang us many lullabies, all crafted to scare the living daylights out of children. She sings beautifully and is one of the best guides I’ve ever met.

[www3traveler]

30 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Heat warning at 25? I scoff. In DC we routinely have morning temperatures higher than that.

I live 320+ miles South and East of Vancouver, in Southeastern Washington State, at 1:10 P.M. it is 99F heading for 107 with very little humidity.  HOT HOT HOT  Only supposed to last until about midnight tomorrow night, by Monday 83 F.  Widfire danger over the next few days extreme.  Two veery bad fires right now within a 100 miles of my home.  Lots of smoke in the air-- hard to breathe.

Edited August 16, 2023 by www3traveler
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