I’ll begin by saying, “Not easy” unless you fly Icelandair from America.
I then complicated matters being of the travel opinion that more is more. It would be enough for most travelers to cruise around Iceland and return home but my twisted mind went, “Hmm. Marine Steve and I were talking about hiking in Europe. Why don’t we just add the hiking on after the cruise finishes?” Surprisingly, Marine thought that was a brilliant idea! So… We needed to get to Munich after the cruise ended and then from there to Ischgl, Austria. All Austria details will follow after the cruise.
Air and Transportation? The cruise would begin and end in Reykjavik, Iceland. Since we stick to United Airlines like glue for 1K perks like Business Class upgrades, we purchased an Economy open jaw ticket – outbound Chicago-Amsterdam-Oslo – return Munich-Houston-Chicago. I then turned United Airlines miles into a free Economy Class Oslo-Rykjavik ticket and bought a one-way ticket on Icelandair from Reykjavik to Munich, also in Economy.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport United Airlines Club
tulips for sale at Amsterdam Airport
Visit Priceline.com, Find Discounted Airline Flights at CheapOair, and you’d be surprised what fares materialize.
Hotels? Tauck recommends cruisers arrive at least one day early. Marine and I always arrive at least several days before any tour or cruise in case of delays and to slightly recover from jet lag. Tauck also suggested early arrivals stay at the The Hilton Reykjavik Nordica or Grand Hotel, ideally located in the heart of Reykjavik, and $472 USD per night (gasp). I booked the Fourth Floor Hotel through Booking. com (on the sidebar of this page) which cost $538 USD for three nights, including breakfast and is located only 1.5 miles away from the Hilton and Grand.
Click here to view the embedded video.
The cruise and tours would end at the Keflavik Airport around 2:00p which didn’t leave enough time for an onward flight to Munich. That meant another night’s stay and it was back to Booking. com! Bed and Breakfast Keflavik Airport was the best choice, $116 USD per night, breakfast and transfer to and from the airport included.
Currency? Iceland uses the Krona: 112 Krone=$1; 154 Krona=1 EUR; 187 Krone=1 GBP, 2014 rates. ATMs and Credit Cards are accepted throughout Iceland but don’t forget to notify ATM and credit card companies with your destination or risk a block on all transactions. They’ve tightened up considerably because of identity theft. Your first transaction may go through, but prepare to hear “denied” on the second unless you’ve notified them.
Visas? US citizens only need a passport valid for six months beyond the completion of a journey for entry into Iceland. Citizens of other countries should visit the UTL website for complete information.
Clothing? A minimum of casual clothing for the cruise and walking around in Iceland. Weather is changeable, cool and temperate in the summer so we packed comfortable and layered clothing, rain gear, umbrella, fleece, walking shoes, etc., along with hiking boots considering hiking in Austria was scheduled for after the cruise. Camcorder, cameras, ATM and credit cards. Europe is extremely casual both summer and winter.
TIP: Pack all clothes in large, plastic, heavy-duty garbage bags. It doesn’t matter if they are going to be in your suitcase. Have you ever sat on an airplane and watched a few suitcases sitting out on the tarmac during a rainstorm or snowstorm? Or suitcases may be in a container with something leaking all over them? We have.
Included? The Tauck cruise included: All gratuities, on board naturalist, shore excursions, private visits, Golden Circle tour of Reykjavik, Blue Lagoon, bar and restaurant beverages through the day including house wine and spirits, all meals and complimentary internet via satellite.
TIP: It is also helpful to bring a small stash of goodies for emergencies like granola bars, candy and other munchies. A losing streak of cancellations with hours sitting in airport before flights were officially cancelled in 2013 reinforced this decision.
It took much time to finalize details. Did I really wanted to book such an expensive cruise? What about hotels and air? Where to hike after the cruise? Finally committed, we are ready to fly a circuitous route to Iceland…