Trying to update this VIKING roll call....I know Mike & June cancelled, Ray & Penny cancelled, Kristin & Greg cancelled, Margo cancelled and now Joanna & Tony switched to 2nd segment.

What else needs changing....??

Ngaire and Ken
Marcie & Tom #648
Leslie & Brad #655
Peggy & Jerry #650
Gary and Carol
John and Christina #665
Andi and Doug #643
Tom and Mona #644
Joanna and Tony #646

I'm adding cabin #'s now....anyone want me to add theirs?

We're in #655.

We're in 650.

Hallo'

We are in herbergi #665

Takk,
John & Christina

Marcie,

We have cancelled this one. Now on CAPTAINS.

Sorry to hear that but know CAPTAINS will be lots of fun too!

We are in the elegant F GTY :woh: :woh: ... never stayed in this room before, Usually just stay in one of the H cheapies, for which we are waitlisted and hope we get.

Tom and Mona are in 644. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Andi and Doug are now happily in 643. Also looking forward to seeing everyone!

Marcie....I'm so sorry to miss traveling with this wonderful group..but I have a wonderful chance to travel to Norway, Sweden and Spain with a wonderful new friend - maybe I can talk him into cruising with everyone in the future!

Good decision Margo....I think most of us would have made the same choice BUT you know you will be missed!! :hug:

Margo: I so hope you succeed in convincing your friend to try an LCT trip with you - how about TUT October 2010?? Very happy for you! :hug: :hug:

What are your pre and post cruise plans?

We arrive in Reykjavik on the 19th and are spending two nights at the Hotel Holt.

At the end of the cruise we're spending one night in Southampton (hotel TBD) before flying home.

Also, did you notice that Mark Conroy is going to be on board when the cruise begins? Tom.

We arrive the 19th at 6:30 am from JFK - waiting for hotel info from Regent and then we'll know where to book as full 23 nighters get one night comped - try and get in same hotel. Have made no pre plans for Rey. What are others doing?? Leave Heathrow June 1, overnight at airport May 31. My TA, Marcie, made those arrangements at Crowne Plaza London Heathrow. Flying coach to Rey and biz(Delta)back from London. Another $1500 to fly biz from JFK to Rey decided to grin and bear it -

We're 5 nights pre-cruise in NYC then fly to Reykjavik on 5/18 @ 6:25pm.

The Reykjavik hotel Regent is using is the Grand. http://www.grand.is/grand_hotel/english/

I booked Joanna & Tony and us for 2 nights (we'll cancel one of our 2 nights when we find out which one is free). You can book a double room on otel.com for $197. per night...best price i could find anywhere and it includes breakfast. Whatever you do do NOT book through Regent....they're charging $625. per person...ridiculous beyond words.

We 4 are also at Crowne Plaza Heathrow airport the night of 5/31. You can get it on hotwire for $49. per night, I just got Joanna & Tony's room.

We've got basically the same itinerary as Joanna and Tony. Still waiting for word on the hotel in Reykjavik, but on Marcie's recommendation we made a preemptive reservation at the Grand. If you make a reservation on the hotel website, the rate is $190/night (including breakfast) using todays exchange rate. We're staying at the Sheraton Heathrow for one night post cruise. When we get closer to the travel date, I plan to try to line up transportation from the ship to the hotel or airport after the cruise. I have a fairly extensive list of private companies that provide transportation from Southampton to the London area. A van for six people is about $45/person or a minibus for 12-14 is about $20/person. Anybody interested in joining?

Due to the fact Doug and I have differing days off, I am arriving on the 17th and he is arriving on the 20th. We are coming through London on BA and taking Icelandaire over. We're staying at the Hilton where we're using a combo of points and good rates. Post cruise, we have to go straight back home unfortunately. We will be glad to share limo to airport.

We arrive on the 16th - we're staying 3 nights at the Hilton. Planning an excursion to the South Coast & Thorsmork on Sunday and then a super jeep Golden Circle tour (with Andi?) on Monday. Now that we've received a pretty definitive indication from Mark Conroy about the sailing I will go ahead with booking the excursions.

We're picking up a car the morning of the 19th and exploring the Snaefellsnes Peninsula (west coast) for 2 days staying at the Hotel Budir then dropping the car and boarding the ship on the 21st.

For those who need transfers from the Reykjavik airport you may want to look at Flybus which will drop you at your hotel for 2200 ISK, less than $20.

The Iceland krone had strengthened a bit in March but as of late has resumed its slide vs. the dollar, which is good news for all of us for hotel rates, excursions, etc.

We're flying home from London the afternoon of the 31st so we would like to share the transfer too Peggy.

:app: I'm so glad everyone's plans are coming together! I can feel the lemonade coming on! ;)

We sure will miss you all. I couldn't quite talk Greg in to that 2nd leg, unfortunately.

Still in London Heathrow. Long layover.

Ken and I need a transfer to Heathrow airport.

Some may need either Gatwick or Heathrow and others hotels in Town. It would make sense for those with the same destinations to travel together.

There are a lot of companies that offer transfers and it seems each time we use someone different since the really good company sold out. Peggy if you have done that research and a company in particular caught your eye would appreciate you posting the link.

Just need to figure out who needs a transfer and to where.

I know Peggy and Jerry and their friends are spending the night in London, as are Marcie, Tom, Joanna and Tony.

Leslie and Brad - Heathrow as well? We can plan on going together and we will see how many more for Heathrow there are for our van.

If you would like me to do this I can organize this when I get back or if you all want to do your own thing that is fine also.

Leslie, my daughter and I used Flybus, and it was fine. Took us straight to the hotel, and easy because this is not a big airport.

Thanks Olivia - did you book ahead or just buy tickets from the kiosk when you got to the airport?

Ngaire - yes, Heathrow - 4:35 PM AA flight to Chicago.

Andi & Doug leave from Heathrow too, on BA, I think around 1:30 PM.

Actually at this point we could get a minibus as it looks like those who have posted are all going to Heathrow or that area. At this point there would be 10 of us unless Joanna and Tony also want to join us--then it would be 12. Marcie and Tom get Regent transportation and are probably planning to use that. I'd be glad to line that up--I have three potential companies that will supply a minibus. I planned to contact them and see who offered the best price. Let me know if I should try to get a large vehicle or not.
I also have a couple companies that will do smaller vehicles with fewer people. I'll post those if someone wants to do a smaller group: www.atstaxis.co.uk and www.westquaycars.com.

Unless Marcie has some other plans for us count us in Peggy appreciate it! - sure Marcie will chime in shortly -

Forgot to mention, I also did a little research on getting from Reykjavik airport to the hotel (in case Regent doesn't choose to get us there). The Flybus works fine (we used it last time we were there) but depending on your hotel you have to go to a central terminal and then transfer to a smaller vehicle that takes you to your hotel with stops along the way. Since the Grand Hotel (if that's what Regent is using) is a ways from downtown, you would have to transfer. You can also get a private van for 6 or 8 that costs about the same per person(14,900 ISK total) through Private Shuttle that will take you directly to the hotel or you can just get a taxi that holds 6 people for about the same or a little less than Flybus (12,000 ISK for 6 people, 10,000 for four people). You'd need to book the Private Shuttle in advance, but the FlyBus and Taxi you can arrange when you get to the airport. You have to buy the FlyBus ticket at their kiosk when you exit the airport. All this information is on the Keflavik Airport website in the Transportation area (at the top of the website www.kefairport.is ). Click on the little British flag on the upper righthand corner or you'll probably have a hard time reading the information.
Private Shuttle and the taxis will also do city tours or other tours before you go to the hotel if you want.

Aloha

Christina and I need to get to London post cruise (InterContinental). Is anyone going our way? Would love to share.
We arrive Iceland from LHR on the 19th and will stay at "Viking Village Hotel" in Hafnarfjordur.

John

Peggy, we do have transportation provided from pier to Heathrow airport (we EARNED it :) so don't need anything on 5/31.

Since it's about the same cost, I like your idea of a direct mini bus from Reykjavik airport to Grand Hotel for the 6 of us since we're on the same flight from JFK. (If you end up at a different hotel, we'll stop there too). Sounds a lot better than transfers to a smaller vehicle along the way.

If you booked Grand Hotel for $190. that's great. The lady there told me the price converted to $230. per night plus I was afraid there would be a fee for foreign credit card usage, liked paying in USD....anyway, at least we have cancellable rooms just incase Regent changes their plans.

Marcie, sounds like a plan. If need be, I'll contact Private Shuttle and line up transportation for the six of us after we hear what Regent is going to do or not do). As far as the rate at the hotel--you're right, who knows what the exchange rate will be on the days we're actually there--it could be better or not as good, and yes, there will be a foreign exchange fee. It was just easier to book on the hotel website while I was there looking.

< plus I was afraid there would be a fee for foreign credit card usage, liked paying in USD.>

Marcie: Just a head's up on the foreign credit card usage fee... I just got a notice from Bank of America that the fee (on their cards) will now apply to charges made in US Dollars IF those charges are made in a foreign country. No FX exposure as your charge would be in USD, but they will charge the fee. I would fully expect other card companies to follow in short order.
As always, it really pays to be aware of these sneaky fees.
CapitalOne still has no fees. It is the main card I use when I'm outside the USA.

Doug
Can't wait to see everyone!

Good to know Doug. When we're outside USA we too use Capital One. When I booked this hotel I used my AmEx....the charge already showed up @ $190. x 2 nights = $380. in USD. (booked 2 nights but will be cancelling one), hopefully no sneaky fees yet.

Looking forward to seeing everyone too!!

Just checked my Amex - $394 charged for hotel in Rey - 2 nights @ $197 per night - let's hope it is "the" hotel -

FYI for those 12 who were interested in transportation from Southampton to the Heathrow area. I emailed a couple companies and have received a reply from one of them. I forwarded the email to you with comments. Let me know what you think.
Capt.John -- not sure where the Intercontinental you're staying in post cruise is--is it near Heathrow?

Peggy, thank you for your reply. Our hotel is in central London, not at an airport. Hope someone out there is heading downtown.

Mahalo,
John & Christina

For those of you not settled on hotel in Reykjavik yet, I called today to firm up our room at the Hilton. Room rates have plummeted. A standard room is $107. An executive queen with breakfast, hor d'hoevres, beverages, access to lounge and spa, sea views, sitting area, free internet is now $200.86 per night. I booked directly through Hilton. The hotel got very nice reviews.

WOW Andi!!!! the ex queen sounds wonderful!!!! Hope my TA, Marcie, reads this - but I understand many, Marcie included, will want to take advantage of the one night Regent comp at Regent's hotel -

I agree that being comped can't be beat! Can't wait to see you again.

Great group, Andi, and we are sooo ready to chill and be with good buddies - can't wait!!!!! Anxious to see PRIME 7...

We got Regent's new brochure the other day and it is wonderful - lots of pics of refurbished Voyager - and even has the Prime 7 menu listed! I'll be anxious to hear about Prime 7 from you, Joanna, and all the rest of the ING'ers!

Thanks Andi. Those rates look great. I may switch hotels. But I think the rates you quoted are for one person in the room. When I search using two guests I get rates about $20 per person per night higher, still a good deal given the rates at other hotels. You can also save a few dollars with the AAA rate.

On Trip Advisor the Hilton is he number 2 rated hotel in Reykjavik. It's also a bit out of town but has a shuttle bus. See you soon. Tom.

Good info Andi. Not sure what to do since we have 1 free night by Regent and they're choosing the Grand (Regent must get a great deal) the Hilton would cost us a little more but not enough to worry about if it's superior. Both the Grand and Hilton sound excellent and both have shuttle into town since neither are in the center of town.

I looked at flybus and it doesn't appear it stops at the Hilton ??
http://www.re.is/Flybus/PickUp/

Isn't that the best way to get from the airport to hotel. I've never been to Iceland so all new to me!!
With things always changing, I wouldn't book any hotel room that I couldn't cancel and get 100% refund. Andi, was your cc billed in USD ?

It was billed in Icelandic dollars, but it isn't charged unless we stay. We are FULLY refundable and can cancel up to 4pm the night before. Our credit card only holds the room.

My rates definitely include my spouse for free. It even says so on the reservation. I am not sure if this is because I am a Hilton honors member, but I don't think so.


Rate per night: 25700 ISK
Tax & Service Charges:
• Taxes are included.
Additional Charges:
• Self parking: 0/night
Rate Rules and Cancellation Policy:
Clients: 1 Adult
Room Type: QUEEN EXECUTIVE ROOM
Preferences: Non-Smoking; King
Your room type preferences have been submitted with your reservation, and are subject to hotel availability.
Comments and Requests: SPOUSE STAYS FREE ///,

Interesting about Flybus. Thanks for the info, Marcie. I will check with the hotel about the best way to get there.

On another note: tours. I am taking a golden circle jeep tour with Brad and Leslie who kindly invited me to join them. I am looking for a tour for the the 19th. Doug is arriving on the 20th and we are planning on doing a night tour called Lunar Landscapes.


The lunar landscape at Reykjanes, with all it´s volcanos and different lava formations, gives you a good idea why Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin came to Iceland to practice their moonwalk. Our adventure is not quite as extreme but still very extra terrestrial.
You might call this a "hot" tour since we experience geothermal power, blowing steam, hot springs and endless lava before a relaxing soak in the Blue Lagoon.

We start by going driving up to the geothermal area around Hengill volcano and visit the geothermal powerplant. Not only do we get to go into the powerplant but we also drive into the lava field and feel first hand the power of a blowing borhole.

We then continue through a secret little track where we need to cross an unbridged river many times before we get back to a main road (our driverguides love this bit). We don't stay long on the main road but go into another lavafield where you have the opportunity to do some caving in a lava tube cave.

A bit further we see how Icelanders still dry fish in the lava field just outside of the capital area - even if it's just a few miles from the city, it still the middle of nowhere. A few minutes later we are again away from all city lights off-roading on the Super-Jeep in lunar-like landscape which is vast, barren and deserted with many volcanoes and endless lava. We are in fact driving right where the tectonic plates meet; the Eurasia-plate and the North America-plate. This is the reason why the Reykjanes Peninsula is so volcanic.

We make our way along the rough tracks to Lake Kleifarvatn, a secluded mountain lake with black sanded beaches. At Seltun in Krysuvik we will explore a large geothermal area with many hot springs, boiling mud pools and blowing steamvents. Some journalists have said this are to be more facinating than other more known than the more famous Geysir area. There are certainly fewer people and it is a strange and colorful world.

In the spring it's worth while to take a look at the Atlantic ocean from the sea cliffs at Krýsuvik which is brimming with sea birds. Later in the afternoon we go by the back roads to the Blue Lagoon for a relaxing soak before heading back to Reykjavik.
The Reykjanes tour is also ideal to do in the afternoon and evening. This adds to the mystery and the extraterrestrial feeling. After relaxing in the Blue Lagoon you have dinner in it´s award winning restaurant before we go hunting for the Northern Lights on the way back to Reykjavik.

We are also looking into a jeep tour on the 21st.

21st Tour idea 1
Thorsmork Nature Reserve - a Real 4x4 Adventure Day Tour from Reykjavik


Thorsmork is a wide valley named after Thor, the Viking God of Thunder. The rugged nature of green valleys, steep mountains, clear creeks and wild rivers make Thorsmork one of the country´s most popular hiking grounds.

Surrounded by 3 glaciers, Myrdalsjokull, Eyjafjallajokull and Tindfjallajokull in the southern part of Iceland, it offers a great picturesque panorama and landscape. It´s only about 160 km east of Reykjavik but the last 30 km is one of greatest strips of mountain track you encounter – with unbrigded rivers and streams to cross in our strong and reliable Super Jeeps. It´s a great 4x4 track and a lot of fun.

We´ll take a photo stop by a glacier lagoon where you can get real close to the falling glacier and icebergs. In Thorsmork we stop for a couple of hours to enjoy the fantastic landscape, have lunch or take a short hike. On the way back you have the opportunity to take a short hikes through small but magnificient canyons with a hidden waterfall at the end.

We will also stop at the clear freefalling waterfall of Seljalandsfoss where we go a short walk behind the waterfall and feel the refreshing spray and drizzle from one of Iceland´s highest waterfalls. Once in Reykjavik we will drop you off at your hotel or a restaurant of your choice.

21st Tour idea 2

Iceland´s Magnificient West Super-Jeep Day Tour: Lava Tube, Hot Spring, Waterfalls & Glacier

This Nature Explorer adventure day tour starts by driving to Thingvellir where the oldest parliament in world was founded and you can see the tectonic plates drift apart. After Thingvellir we cross the rough mountain road of Kaldidalur (Cold Valley) were we enjoy great variety in barren landscape before reaching Langjokull, Iceland´s second largest glacier. After a short cruise on the white plains of the glacier on the Super-Jeep we continue to one of Iceland´s largest and most magnificient lava caves, Surtshellir which was inhabited by outlaws. We can provide you with headlights so you have the option of caving and explore the strange lava formations. We continue down to Borgarfjordur to see Hraunfossar (Lava Waterfalls) where the river flows from underneath the lava field and cascades down into river. Just a few meters away there´s another great waterfall, Barnafoss. We pass through the historical site of Reykholt before visiting Iceland´s most powerful geothermal spring, Deildartunguhver. Return to Reykjavik via scenic Hvalfjordur (Whale Fjord).
Anyone interested in joining me to do anything on the 19th?


Anyone interested in joining us on either of our other adventures?

Not sure we have new booking number for #2 Viking - tried Viking #1 booking nada - so no excurions/restaurants till that is settled - No problem willing to wait -

Hey Joanna, know the ING part is not what you booked, but know what, you may just have gotten the better part of the deal.

Enjoy, have fun, and you guys, Tom, Marcie, Tom and Mona, remember us in a toast one night ---- we wanna be there!!!!!! We will be, in spirit.

You are right JoAnn - I didn't mind #1 Viking, 13 nights, going into NYC and Boston and some sea days - BUT the replacement trip sure is OK - we will toast and miss you and Frank very much!!!

The Hilton is out of alphabetical order on the flybus web site - it is right under the Icelandair hotel.

Also, if you book online then you put KEF Int. Airport as the pick up point. And you want the flybus+ ticket which includes drop off at your hotel vs, just a central point.

We're doing a Thorsmork/South Coast tour on the 17th, not a super jeep one though, Andi so we can let you know how it is but you might want to contact them to see what their reservation lead time is.

I don't know how many of you are aware of this...I may just have been clueless...but if you pre-book tours FOR ANY PORT ON THIS CRUISE, you cannot apply your credit to tours. You can only apply your credit to tours if you sign up on board. I am going to wait to sign up for my remaining tours til we get on board in order to use up our credit. I may even cancel and resign up in order to use our credit.

There's lots of tours you can book online in Reykjavik without going through Regent. Haven't really looked, but they're probably cheaper also.
Everyone who has time should definitely do the Golden Circle tour, it's probably the most interesting tour we've ever taken--however it is an all day tour, so you need one full day to do it. The other really fun thing to do in Reykjavik is the Blue Lagoon. It's kind of a hot spring type thing but the bottom is a silica mud that you can put all over your body and it makes your skin really, really soft. It's supposedly very therapeutic. The only problem with the Blue Lagoon is that you may freeze your tushie off when you get out. Reykjavik is not a warm place--so bring jackets, etc. Just doing a tour around Reykjavik is pretty interesting also--there is a hop on hop off bus you can take. You can find Iceland tours on the Icelandair website or by just searching Reykjavik tours.
Editing to add: Marcie, I agree--I wish Regent would get their act together and let us know what the deal is on the hotel. I'd probably rather stay at the Hilton myself. Also, weren't we going to get a private van to pick the six of us up at the airport? And there's still hope that Regent will pony up for the transportation I think.

Yes Peggy. I know Ngaire was going to bat for us to try and see if we could get airport pick-up included. I think we're in a holding pattern on this one.

...the Hilton does sound nice and I like getting Hilton points. I was told that 100% sure the hotel we are getting via Regent for free night was The Grand (but after the past few weeks, we know nothing is ever 100% !!)

Yes, I guess we'll just have to continue to sit in the holding pattern for a while longer. I doubt the Hilton will fill up, so we can always change later if it makes sense to do that.

Thanks for the heads up on spouse staying free Andi. They don't tell you that when you make the reservation on line so I made it for two guests. I called Hilton and they confirmed the spouse does stay for free and lowered the rate to the one guest rate. So if anyone else decides to make a reservation at the Hilton just book for one guest. Tom.

I have no problem switching to Hilton BUT it is in my TA's hands (Marcie) ..she always makes the right decisons! The Hilton rate is amazing - thanks Andi for heads up regardless of where "we" stay - editing to say we do not get the free night perk so Hilton may be answer for us

Thanks Tom - Changed our Hilton reservation to the one person rate. The rate has steadily dropped since I originally booked it so it pays to keep checking on the rates.

The documents have arrived!!!. Tom.

We received our documents today - am I missing something - I don't see a "cruise ticket/document" enclosed? Is it now just the itinerary detail sheet?

We didn't get a "ticket" either. Perhaps they no longer feel they need to include it. Tom.

No more cruise ticket booklets, only the print out sheet. I liked the booklets as I knew not to throw that away!

We got our airline e-tickets like that - a piece of paper. Very nerve wracking for someone who had not flown in 8 years.

It worked though which is all that counts!

Everything went as smooth as silk on our return flight - we were escorted from the Rome airport hotel, through all the officialdom, to the plane and were met just outside the door of the plane in NY and deposited in our car. Absolutely perfect.

Thank you Regent!

Peggy, after not flying for 8 years, I hope you appreciated all that attention! You didn't get to see the "real world" as it is now for travel. The getting there part has become "yuk"!

Sorry your cruise ended so abruptly on the wrong side of the pond, but it was great hearing your always reasoned commentary along the way.

We couldn't find anything in the documents that indicated the dress codes. Does anyone know what to expect? Tom.

That's crazy. NOT what the ladies want, no direction! You have a very port intensive itinerary, maybe no formal nights!

I printed the itinerary with dress codes from the old website a while back, so don't know if it's still valid. The formal nights are May 22 (Heimaey) and May 29 (Cobh), there's one informal night on May 25 (Portree) and all the rest are CCC.

Tom, there is an insert in my docs that states that there are 2 formal and 1 informal nights, the rest are country club casual; and that attire will be designated onboard in the daily program.

On another note - we are within 30 days until sailing - anyone able to make restaurant reservations?

When I log in it says:
"Dining reservations for this cruise are not yet available. Please check back approximately 30 days prior to sailing to make your reservations."

and FINALLY - a somewhat confusing and disturbing note on the pre-purchased tour sheet:

"No substitutions are allowed and no refunds or credit will be issued for individual Your World Tours not taken, unless canceled by Regent"

I am taking this to refer to a no-show, right?

Leslie: I got same message for restaurant booking at 5 PM - called Regent on hold 10 minutes, ugh, and then gentleman, who didn't grasp I was 28? days from booking dining, checked and told me to call back later tonight or tomorrow morning - system down - may be up now for all I know - I am Regented out today -

Leslie, this surely will discourage on-line bookings, not being able to cancel within the range of time Regent used to allow on the ship. Not going to sit well with passengers!

And you can't use your credit for tours if pre-booked too. So, it is better to wait to book on the ship. I was going to book more tours, but decided to hold off.

Thanks Leslie. I found the insert. Tom.

I think that language on the confirmation sheet must refer to no-shows or maybe to a pre or post tour.

In the booking area online there is a whole long paragraph of terms and conditions that you have to check that you agree with, including a 36 hr cancel period:
-----------------------------

In order to ensure quality guides and sufficient transportation, we must provide the tour operator with passenger counts at least 36 hours in advance. Therefore no refunds will be given within 36 hours of tour departure for cancellations or no-shows. Please pay special attention to scheduling and tour lengths when booking your shore excursions. In many cases, it is not possible to participate in more than one tour per day in a given port. Tours operate rain or shine. Tours require minimum participation levels to operate so please sign up as early as possible. Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Prices, Itineraries and General Information shore excursion prices are subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases or currency fluctuations. The information provided here is current as of today. However, changes may occur before your scheduled departure. Please consult the Destination Services Desk onboard for information and current pricing. During local or national holidays, access to certain facilities (such as museums or archaeological sites) may be limited or denied. In such instances, adjustments will be made to minimize inconvenience to guests. Some tours have limited availability. Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. Regent Seven Seas Cruises reserves the right to require guests to complete a liability waiver for select shore excursions. For more information, please visit the Destination Services Desk onboard. To make changes to tours already purchased, please contact Regent Reservations at 877.505.5370

Accept Terms
-----------------------

I just called Regent and was told 2 Formal nights (May 22 & 29) and only 1 informal (25th). These are always subject to change. I know Signatures is always Informal...is Prime 7 the dress code of the night ?

Yes, Prime 7 is the dress code of the night.

I just got a post from Hilton that the airport is only 10 minutes from Hilton and 8.000 ISK by taxi

The Hilton might be 10 minutes from the domestic airport (REK), which is right in Reykjavik, but Keflavík, (KEF) the international airport, is about 30 miles from Reykjavik - probably about 45 minutes away.

The flybus+, which will drop you at the hotel, is 2200 ISK. That's what we plan to do.

Andi, are you sure that is the distance to the international airport? I think there there is a domestic airport that is closer to downtown.

The hotel's website is unclear. It shows one airport being 4 km from the hotel and the other airport 50 km. Tom.

Sorry, I didn't realize Leslie and I were posting at the same time.

We're at the Grand Hotel...the hotel Regent chose for complimentary night. I have no idea distance from KEF Airport, Peggy set it all up :hug: Only know it's about $23. USD per person.

Thanks for clearing this up. I saw two times and the directions seemed the same so I thought I misunderstood. Thanks, Leslie and Tom for the correction. I hope I can manage the Flybus by myself with all my luggage. Usually, I have Doug....

For those who care about this stuff:

Currently, 1000 ISK = about US$5.72
so, 2200 ISK would = about US$12.59

Sounds pretty cheap to me.

Doug

Marcie - the Grand Hotel is fairly close to the Hilton. Both are a bit of a way from the center of Reykjavik - maybe a 20 minute walk or short cab drive. (I think Joanna is already lacing up her hiking boots. ;) )

We are renting a car from Avis on Tuesday - I searched unsuccessfully a few map programs for a map of the address of the city office. I finally found a blog that linked to the Iceland office so I e-mailed them - they will come get us on Tuesday and then drop us off at the pier on Thursday.

For those of you on the 21 May cruise aboard Voyager, there is a schedule update on cruisecritic. Apparently, Capt McNiell says the ship will leave the yard at Genoa 16 May for sea trials and then make a 4 day trip to Reykjavik to pick up pax on schedule. Hope you all have a great cruise!

Thanks, Doug.

That sounds like good news for all you INGers - hope all goes well and you all have a wonderful cruise. We will be there in spirit and looking forward to fantastic SeaMail, so bring it on guys.

:bv: :bv: :bv: and party time!!

20 minute walk??? OY!!! Guess my "Payless" flats ($15) won't work....and my hiking boots on their last leg - like my own legs - :cool: :cool:

Hmm, the FX converter I use (Oanda.com) indicates that 1000 ISK is around $8.45 today($1 = 130 ISK), so the FlyBus would be around $18.50. For those of you planning to take the FlyBus, please be aware that it will take you to a Central Terminal where you have to change to a smaller bus that will take you to your hotel with potential stops at other hotels along the way (and yes, you'll have to transfer your bags yourself--at least we did the last time we were there). We chose to do a private van because since there are six of us it is only slightly more and a lot less hassle. If you're interested the website is www.shuttleservice.is. Be sure you look at the fares from KEF rather than from the domestic airport. They also have a public shuttle that will take you directly to your hotel, but there may be other people at other hotels on that shuttle so you may still have several stops, but you won't have to change buses.

Thanks for the link Peggy - am looking into it - the only problem I see for us is with the public shuttle is that you have to prepay - the shuttle leaves at 4:15PM, which is fine if our flight is on time (arriving at 3 PM), but if the flight is late the next shuttle isn't until 9:30 PM and your payment is non refundable unless canceled 24 hours in advance. Makes perfect sense for you guys since you can split the private shuttle.

Peggy:

very odd. I used a 'normally' reliable iphone app for my figures. Today is is a wee bit different, but not much.
Other searches come closer to your figures..a wee bit less, but close.

Go figure.
Doug

Just to confuse things, we took the flybus last time we were there (same cruise as Peggy). My Joanna thinks we let people off at the terminal, but stayed on and were taken to our hotel on the same bus. We were right in the heart of Reykjavik, though, and as I remember,the Hilton and Grand are out of town a little bit.

Olivia, I think the passengers on the FlyBus who were staying in Central Reykjavik hotels got to just stay on the bus. You were at Hotel Borg,I think , which is very central--we stayed at the Radisson Saga that time which was a little outside of the center of town. You're right, the Hilton and the Grand are both quite a ways from the center of town. Leslie, why don't you email them and ask about what happens if your flight is late. They responded to my email very promptly.

good idea Peggy - I just emailed them and got a response back in about fifteen minutes, so I'm going to go ahead and book - sounds better than switching buses:

We will find out by Icelandair’s schedule when your flight is due.
If there is a considerable delay we find solution for that.
We will be waiting with a sign with your name on it.
You can pay us by credit card or paypal if that suits better.

Julie just sent me a copy of the VIKING pin, it's pretty darn cute!!

Peggy, What is the link? I am not looking forward to switching buses either. Thanks!

Andi, scroll up and you'll see it in Peggy's previous posting.

Karen, such a cute pin...love it!!

We leave early tomorrow morning...looking forward to seeing all of you soon!! :bv:

Karen, here is the ING "pin" :D



:lct:

:app:

Thanks Marc...I needed a good laugh!!

I'm not sure if we're the first ones flying out or not...Leslie, you and Brad still here?

BYE and look forward to seeing the ING people next week in Iceland. Happy and safe travels to all!

Bye Marcie and have a GREAT cruise!

I'm feeling a little sad as I read all of your posts for ING....wish I was still onboard!

As I pack for my 3 week land trip I realize why cruising is so much better - lugging around all of this stuff from place to place isn't an exciting idea, but our plans are, so I'll try to travel as light as I can and know full well that I won't want to wear any of this stuff again when I get home!!!

I have a new blog for our trip is you want to "come" along: http://web.me.com/ogram1/MargoGos

Best wishes to all the INGS!

Bon voyage Marcie - we leave on Friday so you are first out the door.

Margo, as usual your blog looks like it will be great. You both look very excited in the front picture - Lars is a handsome guy!

I'm looking forward to reading your Oslo entries as we will be there a month from now for 2 days. We spent part of a day there 2 years ago and really liked it. Looking for some restaurant ideas. I see you will see it wit an "insider."

Safe trip Marcie and Tom! We'll see you at JFK on the 18th. We've taken a quick trip down to San Antonio to attend a reception for our son who was named Physician of the Year here. Back home tomorrow for a day, then we head over to Dallas for our granddaughter's confirmation, then we can finally get home on Sunday to pack in time to leave Monday. Whew!
Andi-in case you didn't find the link, it's
www.shuttleservice.is

See you the 18th Peggy and congratulations on wonderful honor for your son! :app: :app:

Marcie...We will still be in NY..give us a call!

What an honor for your son, Peggy! I know you and Jerry will be ready to flop once you get on the ship!

Wonderful news Peggy, you and Jerry must be bursting with pride. Have a fun and relaxing cruise :hug: :bv:

Yes, it goes without saying, we're very proud of him and of our other two sons who are equally as outstanding in their chosen professions. We got very lucky with the kid thing!!!!!

Peggy & Jerry:
I strongly doubt that luck had anything to do with it.
You should be proud.

See you soon, Doug

Margo: Have a wonderful trip and so looking forward to your blog - will miss you on Viking (ING) but Lars is obviously a very good replacement - Joanna

Ja....Lars and I are printing our boarding passes this evening. He's a wonderful replacement! We will cruise with all of you sometime in the future!

I love that all these summer trips are starting. Seamail every morning is a great way to start each day.

I know what you mean, Betty. But you started it with a surprise (and much deserved cruise). Viking cruisers, can't wait to hear from you. This one was on my list that didn't make it. Shoot.

Margo, I just love your blog. You look so happy. Can't wait for more.

Peggy, I forgot, congratulations on your son's honor. That's wonderful. Plus he lives in the "Venice of Texas," one of my favorites.

Peggy, Adding to Doug's congrats. What a lovely send off. Thank you for the head's up re the shuttle. I am all booked.

For anyone flying on Icelandair from London - here is a heads up on printing your boarding passes.

You can check in 22 hours ahead of time (not the usual 24.) So if you're on the 1 PM flight you can check in after 10 AM eastern the day before.

Go to the Icelandair UK web site - the US site does not allow online check in.

Enter your confirmation number. For 2 people in a record enter one last name, then click add and enter the second last name, even if the same, and continue from there to pick or change your seats and print your passes.

Safe travels to Brad and Leslie....

Leslie, we're on that 1 pm flight on the 19th. Is there any advantage to checking in on line? We'll have to check our bags anyway. Tom.

Bon Voyage ING'ers! Have a wonderful time! Looking forward to your seamail.

Leslie called me last night. It is if you are changing airlines like we are. She said that with her boarding pass, her bags were checked through all the way to Iceland from Santa Fe. She was traveling American. Of course, she is hoping all her bags make it to Iceland....

I had frequent flyer points and was able to fly very cheaply World class round trip on BA and only pay for a 2 hour coach class puddle jump from London on Icelandair. So, I too, have a stopover in Heathrow.

The website said that Icelandair leaves from terminal 3 at Heathrow (I am changing there), but she said that it looked like it was leaving from terminal 1.

Hi All,

According to Marine Traffic, here is where the Voyager is today. [img]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a204/bpunte/LCT/Voyager516.jpg?t=1242481241[/img]

Andi, I did some checking on the terminal because we only have a two hour turn around. I believe Iceland Air uses Terminal 1 which is the same terminal we arrive on US Air.

It would be great if I could check the bags through from Washington, DC but I might feel safer re-checking them myself. Wouldn't they have to go through customs at LHR anyway? Tom.

Don't know? I always thought so. We had to do it the last time and you have to do it in the US. Leslie said they checked them through for her. I am going to call her tonight to see what happened. I hate the idea of lugging the bags from one terminal to another by myself. I have hours to kill though. I arrive at 7:40am and don't leave until 1pm. I was looking forward to a facial at terminal 5!

We always fly through Heathrow and always check our bags through to Toronto with no problem. We have to clear Immegration though, as in-transit
passengers.

We also check luggage through To Asia even when connecting in Los Angelas...no problem.

Sipping my chardonnay in the Hilton Executive Lounge overlooking the snow capped mountains and ocean.

Tom - no, you do not have to go thru customs, etc. - Check your bags through with USAir from the US.

I would definitely recommend printing your boarding passes for Icelandair online - I didn´t see where you would check in while transiting, but admittedly I did not look. We checked our bags through in Albuquerque (ABQ-DFW-LHR-KEF) - just show AA/BA/USAir (or whoever) your Icelandair boarding pass and they will enter the details and your luggage tag will have KEF as the final destination. They all have inetrline agreements.

Icelandair leaves from Terminal 1. We arrived at terminal 3, with less than 2 hours turnaround time since our flight left Dallas about 40 minutes late due to equipment problems with the baggage loader. The bus transfer and security check over to T1 took about 45 minutes.

Our flight left from gate 21, down a long hallway broken up by security doors. Don´t go down there until you are ready to hang at the gate. They block the doors off when planes are disembarking people so you can't get back to the restrooms, etc. until all the disembarkers are though. I think they must be in the midst of construction.

The 1 PM flight boarded about 12:15, closed the doors and left early. We arrived 1/2 hour early in Reykjavik. Quick entry thru passport check and that is it. The airport is very Nordic - complete w/ wood floors! The ATM is to the left after you exit.

All luggage accounted for!!!

The airport shuttle guy will hold a sign - not with your name on it, just the name of the company and logo (orange semicircle w/ an arrow). They have your name on the list. We had only 2 other people on the small shuttle bus and we arrived at the Hilton at 4:15 PM (same time the bus was supposed to leave the airport, so that was great.) Much better than taking the HUGE flybuses that we saw on the curb. The ride from the airport is interesting with views of volcanic rocks tossed around in the tundra, snow-capped mountain vistas. Reykjavik looks very colroful and charming.

The Hilton is very nice - our room overlooks the mountains and ocean. We chatted with another couple who has been here for several days and they reported that the restaurant here is very good. The appetizers in the lounge are delicious. They also enjoyed Selfir - not sure of spelling. We are going to try the upscale Indian place and the Seafood Cellar with Andi tomorrow and Monday.

Weather is sunny - great forecast for the next 4 plus days.

Tomorrow morning we are picked up at 8:30 for our South Coast Thorsmark adventure.

Thanks, Leslie. Sounds like everything is going great so far. Glad the shuttle thing worked out. We leave Monday am, but we connect with Icelandair at JFK. I know they share the BA Business Class Lounge there, so I figure they go out of the same terminal at JFK that BA does. We have about a four hour layover, so we should have plenty of time to find it.

Thanks Leslie, very helpful information. See you on Tuesday. Tom.

On BA flight waiting to take off. They refused to check my baggage through to Reykjavik. Go figure.

SEE you Tuesday Andi - safe travels -

Hi! First time I've checked in on LCT since arriving here in NYC on Wednesday. We've had a fabulous pre-cruise visiting family and friends and having a ball. We've seen plays, walked miles, eaten like there's no tomorrow and had so many fun laughs our sides ache.

See all the VIKINGS soon...we fly out of JFK tomorrow with Joanna & Tony and Peggy & Jerry !

ok. here is the scoop.

Working off the Hilton computer...with a weird keyboard. Nice hotel and is walking distance to the Grand Hotel -- almost across the street -- where all the Regent folks are staying. The Grand looks very nice...a large, glass high rise. The service at the Hilton is lovely and lounge is very nice. They have a very nice spread of food out. It is surprisingly warm here. I almost didn´t need a coat. Perhaps a coat will be needed at a higher elevation?

As Leslie said, the trip was easy. My only snafus compared to the Burnside´s trip was that my luggage was not checked through by BA and the shuttle service forgot to pick me up at the airport in Iceland. Neither were catastrophes. My luggage came out completely and quickly in London, there were free carts to put the luggage on, people helped me on and off the train and Icelandair was very nice about all the luggage even though I was flying coach. Once I called the shuttle service, they sent along a private taxi for me and I got to the hotel directly.

I was through security with baggage in 15 minutes....by 3:15...in Iceland and would have been at the hotel with a taxi by 4. The shuttle told me to to expect to be on the road by 4, and they got me by 3:45, so it really was fine.

We were 1 hour delayed taking off from Kennedy due to fog and arrived at 8 instead of 7:40, then Heathrow delayed us another 20 minutes, so we didn´t land until 8:20. I stayed in the BA arrivals lounge until 10:30 and then made my way over to terminal one and my bags were checked through by 10:45. I misunderstood Leslie´s note about lack of bathrooms and hung out by the ticket counters and the bathrooms until 11:30. I zipped through security in less than 10 minutes and then cooled my heels as the board said that the gate would not be posted until noon. Terminal 1 is really nice and also has nice bathrooms and I just should have spent time on this side of security. It is a really comfortable terminal with nice stores and sitting areas. At noon, the gate was posted (21) and it was a hike. I was one of the first to arrive. They boarded us about 12:15...so it wasn´t that long a walk and the doors closed at 12:50. I fell asleep and awoke to notice it was 4:15 and we still had 30 minutes to go and that´s when I realized that Iceland was 1 hour behind England. We arrived 15 minutes early.

As you fly in, you can see the blue lagoon and the steam rising from the waters. The island is very barren...volcanic and brown. My taxi driver gave me a tour...a benefit to being forgotten. He told me that it doesn´t get very cold in the winter; in fact, Reykjavik rarely gets snow. He said they should really call it "Niceland" as the weather is quite agreeable. Only the mountaintops are covered in snow. It is blue skies and springlike.

Food: Food can be purchased on Icelandair and it looked tasty. There were decent looking sandwiches.

I met a nice couple at Heathrow while killing time celebrating their 40th anniversary by taking their grown kids to Israel, Turkey and Greece and we talked about traveling. I am listening to a pediatric surgeon from Boston chatting up a family from Sweden here in the lounge talking about childen and adoption. Tonight, I´m meeting up with Leslie and Brad for dinner.

Met up with Andi in the lounge when we returned from our tour around 6:30 PM - now we are waiting for her to freshen up.

We took the Thorsmark excursion today. Great scenery and lots of hiking, including a trek down a glacial valley to a hidden waterfall where we crossed freezing streams multiple times, and finally scrambled up boulders to see a hidden waterfall. Unfortunately Brad,s camera fell out of his case into a roaring stream on the way down. Our guide actually took off his pants and crawled in and retrieved the camera which was wedged between some rocks.

We are hoping when it dries out that it will be OK. A nice guy from southwestern Colorado, over here to dispose of used aircraft, whom we met in the lounge yesterday and saw again tonight, actually is lending us his camera for the next few days.