First, a follow-up to a my comment in Note 1 that this is our first “really big” trip post-pandemic. We did go on a “big” 12-day trip last fall to Greece with a half-day in Turkey. It was a fully escorted 10-day tour through Baylor Alumni with Collette called “In the Footsteps of Paul” and we added a DIY day on the front and back. We only booked it about 4 months in advance and didn’t have to do much planning for it as everything was taken care of. This upcoming 19-day trip has really been years in the making and I’ve obsessed longer over it than the Greece one. Thus, the distinction in my head of “really big” trip versus a “big” trip! But, I should have explained that in Note 1 – lesson learned! And, I will eventually write a post or two about that epic trip.

I like to research as thoroughly as I can, especially if I don’t expect to ever return to the area. Thus, I try to prioritize seeing the sights most important to me. Also, plans can change, so having researched in advance, I know what my alternatives are from transportation options to the operating hours of any place we might want to go. I learn about local geography, customs (tip or not?), currencies, and of course, the weather, including sunrise/sunset times. And yes, being someone whose career revolved around storing data, everything goes into Excel spreadsheets – also known as the world’s most used database!

Where to Start

New York City is the only place on this trip that we’ve been to previously – enough times that it wasn’t important to add more than our preferred extra travel day before boarding. So that was easy – one night in NYC. Coming from Houston, Newark is the easiest airport for us to fly in to. We originally booked at a Newark airport hotel near the New Jersey port as that was the departure port on the original itinerary (we weren’t even going to try to go into Manhattan). However, when we discovered that Viking switched to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, we moved our hotel reservation. So, now we needed transportation into the city. I found a highly recommended car service for the four of us, as our friends arrive close to the same time, so we’ll see how it goes.

Where to Finish

Next, looking at the end of the trip, how much time to spend in Reykjavik after disembarking? I knew about the Golden Circle, but not much else about Reykjavik or the rest of Iceland for that matter. So, first up – read Rick Steves’ Iceland book, then research various travel forums and websites for ideas. The South Coast full-day tour kept coming up as one that many people recommended over the more well-known Golden Circle full-day tour. So why not do both, plus a full day in Reykjavik proper? We are retired after all! With that determined, we could book our Reykjavik lodging and start watching airfares for the best options to NYC and return from Reykjavik to Houston.

What’s In-Between

Now on to researching all the in-between locations and specific tour operators for Reykjavik. The Viking website lists potential excursions that they might offer at each port. One of these is always designated an “included” tour in your cruise fare, the others are optional for additional costs. The specific excursions and pricing for each itinerary are made available around 120 days from sailing. The included excursions are usually an introductory walking tour or a panoramic bus tour with a photo stop or two. You must read the descriptions carefully to determine if that’s of value to you are not. We tend to avoid panoramic bus tours. Given the remoteness of many ports and the variability of port times when tendering, we decided to book either Viking included or optional tours at all tender ports on this itinerary. We ended up booking 5 included and 3 optional excursions with Viking. In Halifax, ĺsafjördur, and Akureyri, where we will be docked, we booked private or small group excursions with local companies doing similar excursions to Viking optional excursions but with fewer people and generally less expensive. Once again, I utilized Rick Steves’ Iceland book and many travel forums to determine which excursions best suited us.

Recommended Reading

My next level of planning involved reading as much as I could about Icelandic history and Norse culture. We also watched several videos related to the areas included in the itinerary. Viking has a recommended reading list for each itinerary encompassing history, art, architecture, culture, biography\autobiography, fiction & classics, science, and wildlife & nature. From that list, I read How Iceland Changed the World: The Big History of a Small Island by Egill Bjarnason; The Little Book of the Icelanders: 50 Miniature Essays on the Quirks and Foibles of the Icelandic People by Alda Sigmundsdóttir; The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson, Jesse L. Byock; and Independent People by Halldór Laxness, James Anderson Thompson. I enjoyed the “Little Book” so much that I got another one written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir – The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland: Tips, tricks, and what the Icelanders really think of you. She has written several more “Little Books” – they are fun, educational, and quick reads. She really drives home what NOT to do when visiting Iceland. So, we’ll try to behave ourselves!

We are now a few days from leaving and I’m all planned out, so time to pack!