Viking Cruise Lines Begins Its Welcome Back Cruise Around Iceland For The 2021 Season
Its no mystery that we are devoted fans of Viking Cruise lines, with whom we have traveled over the years on many amazing and memorable adventures.
Were overjoyed to announce that Viking successfully launched its season just a few days ago to begin its 2021 season. Here are the highlights:
The majestic Viking Sky sails past the town of Tromso, Norway on its Into the Midnight Sun voyage. Photos of the newly-launched Iceland itinerary will be posted shortly.
Viking® celebrated the latest milestone in its return to service as guests were welcomed on board in Iceland. Over this past weekend, guests boarded the award-winning Viking Sky® in Reykjavík, where the ship will homeport this summer along with her sister ship Viking Jupiter®. Both ships will sail the new Icelands Natural Beauty itinerary through early September 2021. Offered as part of Vikings Welcome Back collection, exclusively available for vaccinated guests, the voyage currently underway is the first of 19 round trip sailings from Reykjavík. The eight-day circumnavigation of Iceland calls upon the coastal towns of Akureyri, Seydisfjördur, Heimaey and more before returning to the capital city.
In addition to Iceland, Viking will also launch Welcome Back sailings in the Mediterranean with three ocean ships homeported in Valletta, Malta. It will also restart its European river operations with select itineraries in Portugal, France and along the Rhine.
Booking Details
You Will Get A Great Family Deal On A 5
One of the reasons we like to cruise as a family is because when you do the math, the savings are always there. To give you an idea, our son Jack, a 21-year-old rising senior in college, received a $500 cruise discount for booking, on top of a $200 previous sailing bonus, which resulted in a $342 per day cruise rate which included his accommodations, meals, wine and beer at lunch and dinner, a daily excursion, plus access to all the ship’s amenities, including the gym and entertainment. Once home, we joked Viking may have lost money on Jack simply based on the amount of BBQ wings he consumed at lunch each day.
Cruises To Iceland From The Uk
Most Iceland cruises from the UK depart from Southampton, but you may also be able to find occasional regional departures from other UK ports such as Dover and Liverpool.
Cruises to Iceland from Southampton
There are several round-trip no-fly cruises from Southampton to Iceland each year. These last between 12 and 30 nights.
Round-trip cruises to Iceland from Southampton will be on the following ships in 2022:
- Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Silhouette
- P& O Cruises Aurora & Arcadia
- Princess Cruises Sky Princess & Island Princess
Cruises to Iceland from Dover
If youre aged over 50 you can take a 12-night round-trip cruise from Dover to Iceland with over-50s cruise line Saga. Another option is a cruise on the family-friendly Carnival Price, which is also 12 nights from Dover.
Cruises to Iceland from Liverpool
There is a just one cruise to Iceland from Liverpool scheduled for 2022. This round-trip cruise will be onboard Fred. Olsens ship, Borealis. The 17-night Whales, Waterfalls & Volcanic Islands cruise will visit the Azores as well as four ports in Iceland.
Cruises to Iceland from Newcastle
There are currently no cruises scheduled from Newcastle to Iceland for 2022. Fred. Olsen did have one scheduled in 2021, so we hope to see a return to cruising to Iceland from Newcastle in the future.
Cruises to Iceland from Hull
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Boston To Iceland & Europe Cruises
Every year there are cruises from Boston to Iceland and Europe. One round-trip cruise is to several ports in Iceland, Greenland and Canada. The other round-trip cruise goes all the way to Europe and makes stops in Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland.
The 24-day cruise from Boston to Iceland is on Holland America Line. It departs August 3, 2022, and visits Sydney , Corner Brook , Red Bay , Qaqortoq , Isafjordur , Akureyri , Seydisfjordur , Djupivogur , Reykjavik , Nanortalik , St Anthony , St Johns , Halifax and Bar Harbor .
The 35-day cruise from Boston to Europe is called the Voyage of the Vikings and is also on Holland America Line. In 2022 the cruise departs July 9 and goes to Bar Harbor , Red Bay , Qaqortoq , Reykjavik , Djupivogur , Alesund , Bergen , Rotterdam , Dublin , Scrabster , Seydisfjordur , Akureyri , Isafjordur , Nanortalik , St Anthony , St Johns and Halifax .
The itinerary begins with a stop at Bar Harbor in Maine. It is a summer resort town on Mount Desert Island. See the Millionaires Row mansions and Acadia National Park.
Red Bay, Labrador, Canada is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town is known for its Basque history.
Qaqortoq, Greenland, is one of the prettiest towns in all of Greenland. Explore the colonial buildings, Inuit culture, and the Stone and Man carvings. The hot water spring site of Uunartoq is a little farther south.
Enjoy The Therapeutic Geothermal Waters Of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
Back in the mid-1970s, after a geothermal power plant was built on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, waste water from the plant began forming a pool near the facility in a lava field in Grindavík. By the early 1980s, reports of the water’s therapeutic properties prompted locals to start bathing in it. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was established in 1992, and has become one of Iceland’s most popular attractions. Its aqua-blue pools of mineral-rich geothermal seawater with a temperature between 98 and 102 degrees F. are believed to have many medicinal benefits… and on your visit, you’ll have an opportunity to soak in their supposedly healing waters.
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Ports & Harbours In Iceland
Credit: Closer to nature | Whales & Birds in Eyjafjordur Fjord.
One of the most popular means of discovering Iceland through cruise ship travel is to take a circumnavigational trip around the island, making stops at a number of countrys ports. This way, guests will have the opportunity to see each of Icelands unparalleled regions, as well as soak in the Icelandic coastline in all of its glory.
There are eighteen ports in Iceland which will be listed in alphabetical order below. Reykjavík, however, is by far the busiest, and a city with two major harbours, so to avoid any confusion, it will be discussed first.
Ways To Explore In Iceland
Iceland can be a jumping-off place for a longer trip or serve as a one-stop destination, serving up natural features that include glaciers, hot springs, geysers, active volcanoes, portentous peaks and vast lava deserts over an expansive landscape.
Visitors can circumnavigate the island nation on a cruise ship or embark on their own self-drive adventure. Its easy to get around the country on ones own or enjoy any number of small-group and larger group itineraries.
The hub of activity in Iceland is in its capital city, Reykjavik, which is home to a buzzing cultural scene where art museums, music venues, galleries and eateries can all be enjoyed by visitors.
Visitors usually fly into Keflavik International Airport , the countrys main hub for flights, located approximately 30 miles from Reykjavik. Those who are planning a trip can save some money traveling to one of the most expensive countries in the world by saving on airfare with new airline, Play. Icelandair is the main carrier, however, and is integral in connecting guests to Europe should travelers want to follow up the fun they had in Iceland in places such as Rome or Paris.
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Scenes That Inspired 1000 Paintings
Endless possibilities are what the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal have always been about. Generations of painting greats from Van Gogh to Picasso have found inspiration from the crystalline coasts of the French Riviera, to the craggy mountaintops of the Canary Islands. Of course, the best European cruises also dock in timeless cities like Barcelona, Cherbourg, Lisbon and beyond.
What Are Some Things To Do In Europe
Europe is a wealth of cultural landmarks, museums dedicated to art and relics, scenic hiking trails, natural wonders, modern capitals of fashion and some of the best food or drink on the planet. You could do as much as you want traversing Norway, France, Italy or Croatia or simply stroll around and admire the architecture. See more: 15 European Ports With Amazing Architecture.
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The Pros And Cons Of Cruising In Europe
Recently I was on a massive cruise ship with 3,000 passengers blitzing the great ports of the Mediterranean and having lots of fun. No, Im not suddenly abandoning my independent travel principles and becoming a huge proponent of cruising. But I am impressed by the economy, efficiency, and popularity of this kind of traveland, to be honest, I enjoy cruising.
Im the first to admit that cruising doesnt appeal to everyone. For some, its anti-travel. For others, its the perfect vacation.
On our ship, I met people who seemed to be having a great timemost of them veterans of many cruises. I also met lots of budget-conscious travelers who told me that a cruise is a wonderful value.
The per-day base cost for mainstream cruises beats independent travel by a mile. For a weeklong European cruise, a couple can pay as little as $100 per person per night thats less than most hotel rooms in London or Paris. To link all the places on your own with hotels, rail passes, boat tickets, taxi transfers, restaurants, and so on would add up fast. And you cant beat the convenience and efficiency of sleeping while you travel to your next destination.
There are some negatives. Theres no denying that the cruising industry contributes to water, air, and marine-noise pollution but technology and consumer pressure are helping a bit. Environmental responsibility is such a hot topic that all the large cruise lines have website sections where you can evaluate their efforts.
Reasons To Cruise To Iceland
There are so many reasons to visit Iceland as it offers so much to see and do. Here are the top five reasons why you simply must explore Iceland at least once in your lifetime
- Royal Caribbean
As well as the mainstream family-friendly cruise ships, Iceland is a popular port of call for ultra-luxury cruise lines like Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea and Viking and expedition cruise lines such as Hurtigruten, Aurora Expeditions and Lindblad.
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You Will Feel Safe From Covid
Prior to sailing, I kept envisioning a substantial COVID-19 outbreak on the ship it wasn’t hard considering what we witnessed with cruise ships early on in the pandemic. But the truth was, from the moment we stepped on board, my husband and I felt safer on the ship than we did at a hotel we stayed at in April for our anniversary. There’s a full-scale PCR laboratory on this ship and guests and crew are required to submit saliva samples upon embarkation and every morning thereafter to isolate any cases of COVID-19 and to prevent a potential chain of transmission. We had independent air handlers in our rooms and high-density filters and UV-C lights had been placed in all the public air handlers. At night, two Roomba-like robots roamed the ship sterilizing all the public spaces using the UV-C light technology. Plus, everywhere you turned, there were crew members sanitizing with rags and spray bottles of Oxivir Plus, a broad-spectrum disinfectant. From the deck chairs to the dining tables, from the door handles to the rails in the hallways, it was non-stop cleaning. Our family worked out at the gym together, and oftentimes, as we finished with a piece of equipment, an attendant would appear to wipe it down. In our rooms, we found sanitizer sprays and wipes, along with a generous number of complimentary masks.
Meet The Giant Of The Seas
This is certainly one of the most magical activities in this country: whale watching in Iceland. During a stop at Grundarfjördur, on the west of the island, a visit to the coast on the Snæfellsnes peninsula is essential. Humpback whales, sperm whales, killer whales, common minke whales and white-beaked dolphins are among the species present in the Icelandic waters.
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The Joy Of Going Dutch
The Dutch have managed to keep the sea at bay for hundreds of years, but many of the best European cruises still make their way into Amsterdam. If you tire of the tranquility you find amid tulip fields and beneath towering windmills, make your way to the hipster capital of Rotterdam.
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Spain Has Moved To Protect Consumers From The Effects Of The Truck Drivers Strike Which Could Result In Distribution Shortages And Factory Shutdowns
With effect from Monday, November 14 special police units will be deployed to strategic locations to ensure the continued flow of goods. Where necessary the police working in partnership with the Department of Transport, will escort delivery trucks to their destination.
The strategic points include facilities such as the transport centre in Coslada, the MercaMadrid and the port of Barcelona.
Points that are considered strategic are based on security forecasts and analyses to guarantee the free movement of goods and prevent incidents, according to a spokesperson for the department.
The situation will also be monitored closely with regular follow ups by the government to ensure that the striking drivers do not inhibit the flow of goods.
In addition, the police have said they will not tolerate the violent acts and public disorder that accompanied the strike earlier this year.
This time around the government is prepared for the strike having learned from the many mistakes they made earlier this year. Those led to shortages of some products in parts of the country.
The large supermarkets are keen for this not to happen again and are working with the department to ensure that products move freely. Similarly, industry has called on the government to ensure that factories can continue to operate and that goods can be both delivered and exported.
It is understood that further meetings will take place but for now Spain has moved to protect consumers and producers.
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What Are The Best Things To Do In Iceland
With its enormous glaciers, intricate waterfalls and incredible volcanoes, Iceland offers visitors plenty to do. If youâre travelling during the summer, you can expect to see the Midnight Sun or the Northern Lights in winter. The best things to do in Iceland include bathing in Icelandâs hot springs and toasty geothermal pools, watching whales, dolphins and puffins in the wild and snorkelling between tectonic plates.
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The Westman Islands Photo By Tommy Larey/shutterstockvisiting Icelands Westman Islands Is Another Cruise
Another ship-exploration bonus offered by lines such as Ponant, Windstar, Hurtigruten, and Seabourn is easy access in the south to Heimaey, the only populated destination in Icelands Westman Islands and a small fishing town that lost about 50 percent of its buildings to lava and ash in 1973 when nearby Edfell volcano erupted. From here passengers will also be able to view the Westman Islands 5,000-year-old Helgafell volcano. The island of 4,000 people also boasts a summer population of some 8 million puffins. While youre in the neighborhood, catch views of Surtsey, Icelands newest island, which rose from the sea in the 1960s and is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. Its home to 89 bird species and 335 invertebrates.
Cruises in Iceland typically range from seven days to two weeks, and from budget sailings from as low as $1,406 per person , for 10 days on Norwegian Star between Reykjavík and London, to over-the-top luxury and expedition ships roundtrip from Reykjavík, starting at about $5,100 per personand into five figures for suites.
What passengers will experience during their sailing, as we did during our cruise, is that with so much of Icelands history, identity, and culture intrinsically connected to the water, visiting by ship truly adds to the experience.
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Set Sail On A Cruise To Iceland
Experience the magnificence of Icelands natural wonders on a luxury cruise vacation. Glorious waterfalls, mossy lava fields, snow-capped mountains, and jaw-dropping fjords are breathtaking sights just waiting to be explored on our Iceland cruises.
Dip into the mineral-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon. Discover Viking history at the National Museum of Iceland, or snap a photo in front of the Sun Voyager, a modern sculpture inspired by a Viking ship. In Akureyri, sports and alpine trails at Hlíðarfjall are huge draws for travelers. See the Waterfall of the Gods, Godafoss, or take a relaxing mud bath at Lake Myvatn.
Cruise to Iceland and discover the unparalleled beauty of this Nordic island in complete comfort. Stylish accommodations onboard feature unique design and exquisite amenities. Experience world-class cuisine, innovative venues, and impeccable service on board. Reach new heights of adventure with our award-winning Iceland cruises.
Why Take An Iceland Cruise
Iceland cruises appeal to nature travelers seeking an off-the-beaten-path destination. If you are looking for nature and wildlife combined with history and culture, Iceland is the perfect destination. Active travelers appreciate the chance to get off the ship.
On an Iceland cruise you will soak in geothermal pools, view massive glaciers and explore up close on small craft excursions and guided hikes. Iceland cruises may include horseback rides, whale watching or viewing the aurora borealis.
Towering volcanoes contrast with massive glaciers and spectacular waterfalls, making Iceland an adventure travelers dream. Nature and wildlife are the focus on all Iceland cruises, with naturalist guides on board to point out whales, puffins and Arctic wildlife.
Iceland cruises follow in the footsteps of explorer Leif Erikson. In fact, the word Viking comes from Old Norse and refers to someone who went on expeditions, usually abroad and by sea, in the company of others. There is a long history of cruising in Iceland.
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