Iceland trip report

Day 5 begins with another buffet breakfast. There is espresso included on this one, which is a bonus to me personally. The rooms here are similar to those at the first hotel. The bathrooms have glass sliding doors to enter and open showers. This limits privacy and really creates lots of water on the bathroom floor when anyone showers, regardless of how careful you are. Our start time is later than usual at 9am. We board the bus and drive an hour to a spectacular waterfall. It is different from the others we saw in the south....grander and more majestic. The weather here is warmer and dryer, at least for now. After the waterfall, we head to the Turf Houses. This tour was fascinating and was filled with old world charm and history, which is what the ice cream stop lacked. After this, we went to Husavik, where we were given almost 2 hours of free time. It is a very small village. We bought and brought food and sat at a picnic table by the water. 2 of my family members bought sandwiches at a nearby take out place and said they were great. It was very scenic and we lucked out with the weather. I still find it strange that a trip of this cost leaves you in a remote place for lunch on your own. I think today’s lunch should have been included. I understand more of an on your own meal in a large town with lots of options. Admission to the whale museum is included and we enjoyed that. When we return to the hotel today, right after Husavik, we are on our own. We are also on our own for dinner tomorrow night, even though we are scheduled to get back to the hotel after 8pm.
 
Thank you for these ongoing insights. While I have to disagree with @sayhello about salmon for every meal :) it is so very helpful to hear what you're eating, wearing and having to pay OYO. This appears to be a very expensive trip and the add-ons (ie food) make it more so. Hopefully ABD will receive similar input from other travelers and make positive changes (eg porterage, packed lunches on day 5, breaking up the horseback ride, etc).

Hope you are getting wonderful photos and quality time with your family.
 
Day 5 begins with another buffet breakfast. There is espresso included on this one, which is a bonus to me personally. The rooms here are similar to those at the first hotel. The bathrooms have glass sliding doors to enter and open showers. This limits privacy and really creates lots of water on the bathroom floor when anyone showers, regardless of how careful you are. Our start time is later than usual at 9am. We board the bus and drive an hour to a spectacular waterfall. It is different from the others we saw in the south....grander and more majestic. The weather here is warmer and dryer, at least for now. After the waterfall, we head to the Turf Houses. This tour was fascinating and was filled with old world charm and history, which is what the ice cream stop lacked. After this, we went to Husavik, where we were given almost 2 hours of free time. It is a very small village. We bought and brought food and sat at a picnic table by the water. 2 of my family members bought sandwiches at a nearby take out place and said they were great. It was very scenic and we lucked out with the weather. I still find it strange that a trip of this cost leaves you in a remote place for lunch on your own. I think today’s lunch should have been included. I understand more of an on your own meal in a large town with lots of options. Admission to the whale museum is included and we enjoyed that. When we return to the hotel today, right after Husavik, we are on our own. We are also on our own for dinner tomorrow night, even though we are scheduled to get back to the hotel after 8pm.
I was going to ask if you remember the name of the sandwich take out place, but I'm guessing from what you say, that it wouldn't be hard to identify! :)

Did you find that the shops in Husavik took credit cards, or did you need cash?

Sayhello
 
I guess with all the seafood Iceland is known for, I was hoping for more of a variety of seafood. As much as I love salmon, I don't think I could eat it night after night!

These updates have just been an amazing resource!

Sayhello


I agree - this report is super helpful in getting my mindset right (although I do hope by August they will have fixed some of the negative aspects!)

Iceland is also famous for their lamb dishes, which I was really looking forward to. Bummer that hasn’t been a featured option
 


Thank you for these ongoing insights. While I have to disagree with @sayhello about salmon for every meal :) it is so very helpful to hear what you're eating, wearing and having to pay OYO. This appears to be a very expensive trip and the add-ons (ie food) make it more so. Hopefully ABD will receive similar input from other travelers and make positive changes (eg porterage, packed lunches on day 5, breaking up the horseback ride, etc).

Hope you are getting wonderful photos and quality time with your family.


And please please please share your reactions with the guides and in any survey you might receive!
 
I agree - this report is super helpful in getting my mindset right (although I do hope by August they will have fixed some of the negative aspects!)

Iceland is also famous for their lamb dishes, which I was really looking forward to. Bummer that hasn’t been a featured option
Oh, I'd kind of forgotten about that! Lamb! and I *love* lamb! I'll have to make sure I get lamb during my pre-days and OYO time!

Sayhello
 
Yes the lamb is superb. All meals except one was included in my (our) trip with another trip company. As you can attest having to pay out of pocket for food can get quite expensive in Iceland.
 


Yes the lamb is superb. All meals except one was included in my (our) trip with another trip company. As you can attest having to pay out of pocket for food can get quite expensive in Iceland.
To be fair, there are only 3 on-your-own meals on this trip. The lunch in Husavik, and the 2 dinners in Akureyri. While I agree they could do a box lunch in Husavik, the fact that both dinners in Akureyri are OYO tends to make me think there's a lack of places in Akureyri that can (or are willing to) accomodate a party of 40 people...

Sayhello
 
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I was going to ask if you remember the name of the sandwich take out place, but I'm guessing from what you say, that it wouldn't be hard to identify! :)

Did you find that the shops in Husavik took credit cards, or did you need cash?

Sayhello
Everyone takes credit cards. I haven’t used cash once. You are correct that we don’t remember the sandwich place name but the guides were the ones who pointed it out
 
Yes the lamb is superb. All meals except one was included in my (our) trip with another trip company. As you can attest having to pay out of pocket for food can get quite expensive in Iceland.

We ordered lamb at the hotel where our dinner was included by voucher. This was when the kids had their kids/teen night. It was really good! We also chose lamb at the Blue Lagoon so there are opportunities.
 
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One of the excursions on the Rhine River cruise was to a small village in France. It was going to span lunch hour, and the guides gave each person €25 to spend on a meal etc. I thought that was a really nice gesture and I don't see why it couldn't be done at that village in Iceland…
 
I hate to come on your trip report and disagree but I do think different people have different experiences which is why reports are so helpful.

For another poster asking, my oldest son ate lamb at several meals. We actually found there to be a good variety and thought that overall the food was delicious.

Iceland is an extremely expensive Country but I was pleased that there were fewer on your own meals than other ABDs we have done. I remember having to pay out of pocket for almost every dinner on our Amalfi Coast trip.

As I stated in the other thread, the hotels are not normal ABD hotels and I do think it is good to know that going into the trip. I hope that the lack of Tinkerbell express doesn’t deter people. This was our 5th ABD so we were surprised by the lack of porters but it didn’t bother us. Maybe ABD should alert travelers so there are not surprises.

We enjoyed the ice cream stop but I am wondering if there was a different family member doing the talk. We actually heard a lot about the old ways and how things have changed. And the ice cream was yummy. But this stop is highly dependent on the family member doing the info session.

I do think the logistics of the horseback riding need work. We enjoyed it even though it rained a little at the beginning but we only had 25 people. I can imagine that makes a huge difference.

I hope y’all have a great time in the north, where everything is 3 times better.
 
You definitely need to bring waterproof things. You might not have as much rain as we did in the beginning but you might. Also, the rain pants I brought were nice and warm. You also should bring hiking boots. If you don’t have boots for the glacier hike, they lend you a pair. Also, for the horse back ride and the whale watching, they provide rain gear. The horse back ride even has hats and gloves you can borrow. I’ve worn a long sleeve, a sweatshirt, a lined rain jacket each day. On the bottom, I’ve worn tights and heavy rain pants. Today, is the first day I’ve worn “regular” pants and it is day 5. Does that help?
Yes, thank you so much. I will make sure I put my waterproof pants and jacket in my bag. I think the rain will continue, but we will be prepared. I'll just wear a knit cap everyday, lol.
 
I hate to come on your trip report and disagree but I do think different people have different experiences which is why reports are so helpful.

For another poster asking, my oldest son ate lamb at several meals. We actually found there to be a good variety and thought that overall the food was delicious.

Iceland is an extremely expensive Country but I was pleased that there were fewer on your own meals than other ABDs we have done. I remember having to pay out of pocket for almost every dinner on our Amalfi Coast trip.

As I stated in the other thread, the hotels are not normal ABD hotels and I do think it is good to know that going into the trip. I hope that the lack of Tinkerbell express doesn’t deter people. This was our 5th ABD so we were surprised by the lack of porters but it didn’t bother us. Maybe ABD should alert travelers so there are not surprises.

We enjoyed the ice cream stop but I am wondering if there was a different family member doing the talk. We actually heard a lot about the old ways and how things have changed. And the ice cream was yummy. But this stop is highly dependent on the family member doing the info session.

I do think the logistics of the horseback riding need work. We enjoyed it even though it rained a little at the beginning but we only had 25 people. I can imagine that makes a huge difference.

I hope y’all have a great time in the north, where everything is 3 times better.

I agree that everyone has a different experience. We have also thought the food was great, as I’ve stated more than once. Lamb, however has never been on a provided menu, nor has seafood other than the salmon and the cod at the fish restaurant/demonstration. I’m confused if you had different choices....
 
One of the excursions on the Rhine River cruise was to a small village in France. It was going to span lunch hour, and the guides gave each person €25 to spend on a meal etc. I thought that was a really nice gesture and I don't see why it couldn't be done at that village in Iceland…

Totally agree and think that’s a great idea!
 
I hate to come on your trip report and disagree but I do think different people have different experiences which is why reports are so helpful.

For another poster asking, my oldest son ate lamb at several meals. We actually found there to be a good variety and thought that overall the food was delicious.

Iceland is an extremely expensive Country but I was pleased that there were fewer on your own meals than other ABDs we have done. I remember having to pay out of pocket for almost every dinner on our Amalfi Coast trip.

As I stated in the other thread, the hotels are not normal ABD hotels and I do think it is good to know that going into the trip. I hope that the lack of Tinkerbell express doesn’t deter people. This was our 5th ABD so we were surprised by the lack of porters but it didn’t bother us. Maybe ABD should alert travelers so there are not surprises.

We enjoyed the ice cream stop but I am wondering if there was a different family member doing the talk. We actually heard a lot about the old ways and how things have changed. And the ice cream was yummy. But this stop is highly dependent on the family member doing the info session.

I do think the logistics of the horseback riding need work. We enjoyed it even though it rained a little at the beginning but we only had 25 people. I can imagine that makes a huge difference.

I hope y’all have a great time in the north, where everything is 3 times better.[/QUOTE

Just realized you might not have seen that I posted that we had lamb twice and enjoyed it very much, but again, it was never offered as a choice in our set meals. Was it for you?
 
At the end of today, before the 90 minute ride back to the hotel, we went to a scenic look out, which was really nice. For dinner on our own in town, we chose a nice restaurant within walking distance. For our family of 5, with one alcoholic drink each and only an entree each, the meal was $350. Food here is VERY expensive. We looked at 3 other menus on the way back and they were all the same. Tomorrow night, I think we will do Subway or something equivalent, which seems silly, but it bothers us to pay hundreds of dollars more for dinner when the tour is so costly. I honestly think all meals should be included, so it can feel like a real vacation.
 
Included meals is one major aspect that we consider when we compare similar trips. That extra money really add up especially when you have multiple family members to pay for
 
To be fair, there are only 3 on-your-own meals on this trip. The lunch in Husavik, and the 2 dinners in Akureyri. While I agree they could do a box lunch in Husavik, the fact that both dinners in Akureyri are OYO tends to make me think there's a lack of places in Akureyri that can (or are willing to) accomodate a party of 40 people...

Sayhello
Included meals is one major aspect that we consider when we compare similar trips. That extra money really add up especially when you have multiple family members to pay for
What company have you used which includes all meals?
 
At the end of today, before the 90 minute ride back to the hotel, we went to a scenic look out, which was really nice. For dinner on our own in town, we chose a nice restaurant within walking distance. For our family of 5, with one alcoholic drink each and only an entree each, the meal was $350. Food here is VERY expensive. We looked at 3 other menus on the way back and they were all the same. Tomorrow night, I think we will do Subway or something equivalent, which seems silly, but it bothers us to pay hundreds of dollars more for dinner when the tour is so costly. I honestly think all meals should be included, so it can feel like a real vacation.
Ouch, that does sound expensive. I agree about the meals. I think ABD should include all meals on these very expensive trips. If people want to skip and eat on their own, that's fine, but I hate having to worry about where to eat and pay even more money out of pocket.
 

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