Iceland Bound

[Kimby]

Who has visited Iceland? Any feedback that can help me plan my trip to Iceland in July? My sister and I gave up on the pandemic-postponed Peru trip and switched our destination to Iceland, a safer destination.

It’s a packaged tour, so we don’t have to choose lodgings, or plan an itinerary, but we will be on our own for many lunches and some dinners. We will also have some free time in various places. Here’s a link to the tour.

www.goaheadtours.com/guided-tours/iceland-the-golden-circle-ring-road

BTW, there’s 10 extra slots if anyone wants to join us!

[lagatta]

I have far too much winter right here. I'm sure it is fascinating, but it doesn't appeal to me.

[Kimby]

Surely it’s not winter in JULY in Iceland? And one of the days is spent at a thermal spa surrounded by lava rocks.

[kerouac2]

I think that the thing that I would find the most unusual is the fact that even though the sun sets, it doesn't get dark at night until the very end of the month. Lolling about in the hot springs would be a treat for those of us without a hot tub, but those of you who do have one might not find the huge crowds of people appealing at those places.

Finally, the food is considered to be pretty awful unless frozen french fries are your favourite vegetable. I remember seeing a Scandinavian crime thriller once where a Swedish investigator joined his Icelandic colleague on a case and one of the running gags (even though it was not a comedy) was the total lack of vegetables.

[bjd]

Didn't Fumobici and NYCgirl both post threads about Iceland?

[lugg]

Looks fantastic Kimby. I have never been but my son, niece and someone I know have . They all said it was one of the best places they have visited. The photos my son took showed me just how beautiful the island. Yes - all of them said the food was not great and expensive too.

[Kimby]

Apr 8, 2021 6:55:37 GMT bjd said:

Didn't Fumobici and NYCgirl both post threads about Iceland?

ProBoards search didn’t turn it up.
(Scurries off to look again.)

[Kimby]

From an old thread by “icy” that contained a link to a food blog that makes me think I’ll lose weight on this trip:

“Scouring the menus for Hakarl, the national dish of Iceland, we ended up at a "Geysir Bistro". The Hakarl, my reason of being here, came as small cubes in a closed jar which might as well have said "open if you dare" on it. I have heard a lot about it and how it tasted like rotting fish and stinks of ammonia etc etc but none of these descriptions did it justice. As i opened the jar my first whiff of it felt like something grabbed on to my nose from the inside and yanked on my brain. It doesn't smell anything like fish! The only thing i could compare it to is industrial extra strong bleach!? If there was a chemical that could take out a heard of elephants with a single drop, it would smell like this. The waitress said that it "smells strong but tastes good". And then quickly retracted her words and said "well not good but...". I have learnt from experience that things taste very much like they smell. And Hakarl was not about to change that. It tasted exactly like is smelt. It tingled my nose like wasabi paste as i chewed it, it burnt like tequila as i swallowed it and i could feel it fumigating my insides like an asprin as i attempted to digest it. Its actual taste? Well it tasted like what it is... poisonous shark meat that has been buried for a couple of months and then hung for a few more. A taste of chemicals and pee. Like licking an old urinal cake from a train station toilet. Officially the worst tasting national dish i have ever had. “

A link to the blog which contains both food and touring advice:

www.bernyeatstheworld.blogspot.co.uk/

[Kimby]

One good thing about Iceland (as opposed to Alaska):

According to the Icelandic Web of Science, Iceland is home to 1,600 species of dryland animals. Despite this diversity, there is one species missing – the mosquito! Yes, Iceland is one of the few countries in the world that is mosquito-free.

[htmb]

Kimby, good luck with your trip planning. I’m guessing that you and your sister will enjoy the opportunity to get away, and it won’t matter much where you are as long as you’re spending some quality time together.

A few years ago one of my friends took advantage of Icelandic Air’s policy of allowing passengers to stay in Iceland on a layover (her flight was Orlando, Iceland, London) and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

[Kimby]

I’m trying to decide whether to let the tour company book my flights. The downside is it costs more (maybe $200-300 more). The upside is if ANYTHING goes wrong, they have to deal with making it right and getting me connected with the tour group. They also provide airport to hotel shuttles if we book through them, instead of having to figure out how to get there - and pay for it - on my own.

Mr. Kimby’s all for me saving money, but I can’t stand the thought of having to phone airlines and rebook a missed or cancelled flight and then having to catch up with the group.

[kerouac2]

If it's only a matter of $200 more, I would say to go for the convenience. If it were $500 more, I would absolutely say no.

[fumobici]

I did two Iceland threeads here. Both are now useless and should probably be deleted because I stupidly relied on a skeezy photo hoster when I made them.

[fumobici]

I should add parenthetically that almost any for-profit photo hoster is likely to eventually hold your online photos hostage and delete them at some point if you don't pay their new ransom demands. Capitalist imperative.

[Kimby]

Apr 8, 2021 17:45:51 GMT fumobici said:

I did two Iceland threeads here. Both are now useless and should probably be deleted because I stupidly relied on a skeezy photo hoster when I made them.

I visited those threads fumobici, and found the words helpful even though the images were gone...

[kerouac2]

And if fumobici is really motivated, he can put the images back using a different hosting site.

But I understand how just about everybody here considers the past to be the past and not worthy of renovation.

[bixaorellana]

Apr 8, 2021 17:45:51 GMT fumobici said:

I did two Iceland threeads here. Both are now useless and should probably be deleted because I stupidly relied on a skeezy photo hoster when I made them.

Not at all ~

anyportinastorm.proboards.com/post/284507/thread

[fumobici]

I repaired the Reykjavik thread with better photos. Just so you know.

[Kimby]

Apr 8, 2021 22:31:10 GMT huckle said:

Apr 8, 2021 17:17:52 GMT Kimby said:

I’m trying to decide whether to let the tour company book my flights. The downside is it costs more (maybe $200-300 more). The upside is if ANYTHING goes wrong, they have to deal with making it right and getting me connected with the tour group. 

When Covid hit and I had to cancel my Paris trips, I had no trouble getting my expensive airfares back quickly from Air France.  People did not have such an easy time with travel agents.  Something to consider?

However, this isn’t a travel agency. It’s the tour company that we’ll be with the whole trip.

[Kimby]

Apr 9, 2021 2:03:37 GMT fumobici said:

I repaired the Reykjavik thread with better photos. Just so you know.

.
You’re FAST! Cant wait to see them!

[Kimby]

I’ve now read the fine print and it seems that even if they book the flights, the traveler - me - would still have to work with the airlines in the event of a cancelled or delayed flight and missed connections.

But if the whole trip has to be cancelled because of volcanic eruption or new variant of COVID then I would get a refund of the air ticket, while if I purchase a cheap non-refundable ticket, I can only “adjust” it. That means I’d have a year to go to the same destination, I think.

So there’s that. Plus the transfers.

[mich64]

Sounds like an adventure Kimby for you and your sister, wonderful! Excited to hear all about it once you return. I have never been but have considered the Icelandair deal when we were planning our trips to Ireland, did not have enough time. Next year once my husband retires, trip planning will be alot different! Enjoy your planning!

[onlyMark]

Apr 10, 2021 16:19:39 GMT Kimby said:

while if I purchase a cheap non-refundable ticket, I can only “adjust” it.

If you book the flights with the airline and the airline cancels the flight you can get a refund or a voucher to be used at a later date. It's only non-refundable if you want to cancel it. If they cancel the flight it must be refundable no matter the class of flight.

If you book a package with the tour company that includes the flights and the airline cancel the flights it is the company who will dictate if they will give you the money back or only allow you to carry the booking forward to another tour - bear in mind only a few of the participants may be on the same flight as you - thus the tour company my still be running the tour as others may be coming from places where the fights aren't cancelled.

If the tour company cancels the tour for some reason like not having enough participants, but the flights are still running, you may only get back the portion of money the tour company has taken for its services - if they will refund you at all rather than say you must have a voucher for another tour another time. The problem they have is reclaiming the money from an airline when the airline hasn't cancelled anything - but - the airline they've booked you on may allow for a change in flight date/time for free. Or may not.

That's how I understand it.

A travel agent can book you a just flights or packages or tours with various companies/airlines and in the case of someone like TUI/Neckermann/Thomas Cook also run tours themselves. An individual tour company can book you just a tour or a tour and flight package with them. There are advantages and disadvantages to booking it all through one body or separating each element out.
If booking a package (flight and tour) the terms and conditions vary from company to company, whereas airlines (tend to) have the same regulations and terms and their behaviours are more strictly controlled generally as to your rights.

Individual tour companies may or may not be bonded or abide by industry regulations.
Read the small print, as they say.

Me, I separate. If the flight is cancelled I get the money back at some time but try and find another flight that is running. Maybe not quite so convenient for sure, but it gets me there.
If the tour company cancels I'd get that money back (at some time) and I would look if there are other equivalent tours or maybe two shorter ones to make up the time or maybe some other tour - but at least there'd be a tour or two.

[onlyMark]

Apr 10, 2021 16:19:39 GMT Kimby said:

the traveler - me - would still have to work with the airlines in the event of a cancelled or delayed flight and missed connections.

And because you paid the tour company to book the flights for you, you end up not getting your money back until the company get it back from the airline and pass it on to you - possibly minus any 'admin' fees they want to charge.

Kimby, it's a risk either way, there's no absolute answer. You've got your head screwed on so do what you think is best.

[Kimby]

Or what Mr. Kimby - ever the penny-pincher - badgers me into doing!

[Kimby]

So I've had to change my flight once already because United had a schedule change that caused a misconnect with my overseas flight. United was willing to shift my itinerary to a better one, with only one stop in Chicago instead of a Denver Newark routing. So far so good.

But now the tour company informs me that due to Iceland's policy requiring testing and quarantining incoming passengers, they will be moving the Blue Lagoon spa visit to the end of the trip. However, this would be AFTER our flights depart.

So I either have to drop the Blue Lagoon or extend my trip by one day or at least a later departure from Reykjavik. Sigh.

Is the Blue Lagoon worthwhile?

[fumobici]

I thoroughly enjoyed my Iceland visit minus visiting that place. Seems mostly like a tourist trap to me. I wouldn't spend two seconds worrying about missing it.

[Kimby]

On the other hand, if we stayed another night, we could do Blue Lagoon AND maybe squeeze in an excursion to the “new” volcano on our own...

[lugg]

No advice to offer for now , although I will ask my son as I think he visited the Blue Lagoon on his trip

[Kimby]

May 27, 2021 16:42:43 GMT Kimby said:

But now the tour company informs me that due to Iceland's policy requiring testing and quarantining incoming passengers, they will be moving the Blue Lagoon spa visit to the end of the trip. However, this would be AFTER our flights depart.

So I either have to drop the Blue Lagoon or extend my trip by one day or at least a later departure from Reykjavik.

Well problem solved itself. United cancelled our return flight from Reykjavik to Toronto so we had to rebook anyway, and United allowed us to rebook for a day later with no rebooking fee. We’ll get to stay one more night in Reykjavik (without the rest of the tour group), and we will not only get to do the Blue Lagoon, we might be able to squeeze in a helicopter tour to the new volcano. If it’s still erupting....