We went to Iceland with Tauck in 2016. Your tour is different from what we did back then - I'm enjoying the description of your tour. We were on the L'Austral.
Myvatn was also one of my favorite days. I felt rejuvenated and reborn after soaking in the mineral baths. These baths were so much more appealing to me than The Blue Lagoon. We also enjoyed the Godafoss Falls.
Please note, my review could be totally different than someone else on this tour, if they chose different excursions.
Some notes about the Le Champlain. It is a wonderful ship. It was launched in 2018 but looks like it could have launched last year. We had a low end cabin on Deck 3, the lowest cabin deck, just two rooms from the main lobby where the Hotel staff, Tauck liaison (Mark) and Tauck directors had desks. Except when we went ashore by launch, all comings and going were from this space- we swiped our cards on departure and up return. Just forward of this lobby was the store (limited supply of stuff) and further aft was the main lounge. The restaurant was also located aft but on Deck 4 above the lounge. Everything was very convenient to our room. Despite all the nearby activity our room extremely quiet. At the end of the forward end of our Deck 3 passageway was the small theater where they held performances and gave lectures. Our room was small as expected but arranged well. I would rate it higher than our favorite Cat 3 river boat cabin. There was a bathroom with nice shower and separate toilet room (vacuum toilet- like in airliners.) We also had a small balcony. The only complaint we had was the partition door to the next balcony wouldn't latch and banged the first night at sea. It was promptly repaired the next day. We could always tell when the ship got underway from the slight motion and change in ambient sound though we could not actually hear the engines. The wait staff was fantastic like all Tauck boats. I noticed they had a cheat sheet in one area that had our ID photos and names so they quickly learned our names and our favorite drink and food selections- "Will you be having XXX to drink again tonight, Mr Alan?"
Day 6, at 9:50 we departed the ship and walked to a nearby excursion (ferry) boat for a 45 minute ride to Vigur Island. It was very calm but I bet the ride could get very uncomfortable in rough weather. Besides its owners/caretakers, this small private island also hosts a small number of visiting scientists who study the local birds- Arctic Terns, Puffins, Guillemot, etc.. The staff also raise Ider ducks and harvest their world famous and incredibly soft down. We had a lecture and got to touch the down, then had a little time to do some wandering to see its few buildings- house, a windmill, and a tiny cafe/gift shop, before boarding the ferry for the trip back to the boat in Isafjorddur. We arrived 30 minutes before they stopped serving lunch which was not an uncommon occurrence on this tour!
Guillemot
Ider duck and chicks:
Puffin. Interesting facts- baby Puffins are called Pufflings and due to their clownish appearance, a gaggle of adult Puffins is a Circus!
This was our last "regular" day of the tour. The ship docked early this morning in Rekyavik (Hafnarjordur) and at 8:15 we set off on the 8 hour "Golden Circle" excursion. Even though it includes the Blue Lagoon, we decided to forgo the 11 hour "Golden Circle + Blue Lagoon" excursion. We had already experienced the thermal bath at Myvatn so felt we didn't need to experience the Blue Lagoon which undoubtedly would have been more crowded with tourists- those dang tourists!
Along the way we visited the site of early government and a nearby section of the rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates,, the Gullfoss, a waterfall which in my estimation was better than the Godafoss (it could have been the fantastic weather we had this day?), and an area of of geothermal pools and geysers (nothing like Yellowstone)
Admin note- we used the VOX listening devices on many (most?) of the excursions. In my opinion, they unfortunately have a range that is shorter than the old version used on tours a few years ago. I stop to take photos and my walking speed is greatly diminished lately so I easily fell behind our local guide and out of VOX range.
A little hint about our Tauck lagniappe lunch:
Day 8, Departure Day.
A typically well organized Tauck departure- colored tags for each group, separate buses, etc. Our departure involved another great lagniappe which I am not at liberty to tell you about.
Final note on our trip to the airport our bus came within 1 mile of the location of the fissure eruption* that happened that night while we were over the Atlantic. *most eruptions in Iceland occur at fissures not at conical volcanoes. (Photo from the Washington Post)
It’s funny you should mention about the range on the voxes. Like you, I like to wander and take photos while the group is standing and staring and listening to the guide. Why look at a guide when you should be looking at the site you came to see? On our Small Ship last month, I thought the voxes went out of range way more easily than I have found in the past.
So how was your first Small Ship experience?
British
7:46AM edited 8:14AM
. . . . .So how was your first Small Ship experience?
Not bad, but not an out of this world adventure. The ship, service, and staff were very nice, food plentiful, consistently good and always close by.
Due to the scarcity of adequate lodging ashore for a group this large and, unfortunately, due to the long distances between attractions on mostly narrow, dual lane (but well maintained) roads, everywhere except in Reykjavik, there is really no way to run a tour like this other than from a ship.
Unfortunately, being aboard a ship also limited how much time we had at attractions and we always seemed rushed. Earlier starts could have helped (we didn't leave the ship for excursions until 8:00 - 9:00.) Having more or loosely scheduled meals ashore (there was only one lunch ashore once we were aboard ship and few other places to eat outside of Reykjavik) or for the ship to delay or extend meal hours (it didn't) would have helped some. The buses were comfortable, but the A/C did not always work (we had a heat wave, almost set records, during the second half of the tour). There were approx 155 Taucktourians and due to the demand for some excursions over others, the buses were nearly full. Luckily, they were Euro buses with rear doors, but even so, it took awhile for everyone to get on and off, especially with the large number of mobility challenged people we seemed to have. A couple of times our local guide set off before everyone had exited the bus. I am not mobility challenged but I walk much slower these days so was often out of VOX range, even at the beginning or along the way. Many of the attractions were a bit distant from the bus park! At Gullfoss there wasn't enough time to walk to the lower view point (see photo) and make it back to the bus by the announced departure time, especially with the crowds.
So, bottom line- the tour was interesting and the ship very nice, but Iceland just does not have the attractions of our many favorites like K&T, Peru&Galapagos, Jordan&Egypt, E,S,W, Italy, etc. so unlike those and others, there is no reason to ever go back. It is more than an "I've been there" place, but not much more. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.
I have a pretty bad case of motion sickness, sometimes medicines don't work well. I get sick on the bus when there are a lot of turns but have never asked to sit in the front, on the bus Dramamine helps.
This is one of the reasons I've never really thought of Iceland and the fact that it has never attracted me. It will be more like Alan says "I've been there place.
While I don't know if I'd go back, I enjoyed our Iceland tour (https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Iceland-01.htm). One tour I really enjoyed, and would like to go back for a more in-depth visit, was Cuba (https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Cuba-01.htm). We were lucky and visited there during the thaw between the two countries. All the tours I've seen recently are much too limited. The Tauck tour of Cuba barely touches the island.
Alan - the tour was interesting and the ship very nice, but Iceland just does not have the attractions of our many favorites like
K&T, Peru&Galapagos, Jordan&Egypt, E,S,W, Italy, etc. so unlike those and others, there is no reason to ever go back.
My travel life and my travel budget pretty much precludes return visits to anywhere (excluding for an occasional common hub city overlap). Because of that I'm very much a see as much as you can on my one visit because there will be no return visits.
From my perspective, Iceland had many attractions that were as impressive or more so than some of the places you call out. They weren't as densely packed perhaps but their beauty was undeniable. So for me, seeing Iceland for the first time is much more appealing than seeing any of the places I've already seen for a second time.
Smiling Sam: well said, and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s these destinations that are the most memorable for me such as Africa, Antarctica, Iceland, the Arctic, Galapagos. There isn’t anything about these remarkable places in the world that one could forget the beauty and magnificence of these continents. Don’t get me wrong, I do love going to Europe but at some point in time it all begins to blend together. I can’t distinguish which church was where, who built it and when, what all the history is behind the churches , which museum had the most impact for me. I’m the first to admit that sometimes I get too inundated with an abundance of ancient history being thrown at me; it begins to feel like mush at one point. Personally, I would love to hear more about daily life and current events in the countries that I’m visiting. Local tour guides rarely touch on the subjects of education, the medical system, politics, etc.
As you know, I do like to return to countries, there is always something new to see, learn about and enjoy more than the first time. There are a lot more things about countries than churches and museums, you just need to go elsewhere other than Europe.
I have no desire to keep checking off countries one by one just to experience a place I’m not really that interested in seeing.There are other companies out there that delve deeper too, we have found that out of late. More time in a country, less rush etc
Tauck tours did used to to give more details about the things you mention Ourtravels, but I don’t think many are interested especially judging by how rude people on the buses are talking loudly while the Tour director is talking. If you ask these questions they are very willing to tell you in our experience.
British - I might have a different approach if I had been as lucky as you, being able to travel as much as you have. You probably have traveled more than 4 times as much as I have (I’ve done about 20 tours). If I had taken 80 tours I would have repeated seeing places several times as you have.
I’ll be happy (and lucky and thankful) if I get to see all the things I want to see using my ‘One and Done’ (highlights, not depth) approach. My list of things that I’d still like to see isn’t that long, but being in my mid-70s it is still a race against time.
Current things booked are things we want to see, but haven’t (southern Italy, Sicily, Malta; South Africa/Victoria Falls; western France/Normandy; on a wait list for a Japan/Korea tour).
We have traveled for a long time. We’ve been on about 50 tours and traveled independently too. You could do N W France, Sicily and Malta very cheaply on your own. Some of our best trips were glamping in France. You don’t always have to stay in Four Seasons to see the best of a country.
Comments
We went to Iceland with Tauck in 2016. Your tour is different from what we did back then - I'm enjoying the description of your tour. We were on the L'Austral.
Myvatn was also one of my favorite days. I felt rejuvenated and reborn after soaking in the mineral baths. These baths were so much more appealing to me than The Blue Lagoon. We also enjoyed the Godafoss Falls.
Day 6, Vigur Island
Please note, my review could be totally different than someone else on this tour, if they chose different excursions.
Some notes about the Le Champlain. It is a wonderful ship. It was launched in 2018 but looks like it could have launched last year. We had a low end cabin on Deck 3, the lowest cabin deck, just two rooms from the main lobby where the Hotel staff, Tauck liaison (Mark) and Tauck directors had desks. Except when we went ashore by launch, all comings and going were from this space- we swiped our cards on departure and up return. Just forward of this lobby was the store (limited supply of stuff) and further aft was the main lounge. The restaurant was also located aft but on Deck 4 above the lounge. Everything was very convenient to our room. Despite all the nearby activity our room extremely quiet. At the end of the forward end of our Deck 3 passageway was the small theater where they held performances and gave lectures. Our room was small as expected but arranged well. I would rate it higher than our favorite Cat 3 river boat cabin. There was a bathroom with nice shower and separate toilet room (vacuum toilet- like in airliners.) We also had a small balcony. The only complaint we had was the partition door to the next balcony wouldn't latch and banged the first night at sea. It was promptly repaired the next day. We could always tell when the ship got underway from the slight motion and change in ambient sound though we could not actually hear the engines. The wait staff was fantastic like all Tauck boats. I noticed they had a cheat sheet in one area that had our ID photos and names so they quickly learned our names and our favorite drink and food selections- "Will you be having XXX to drink again tonight, Mr Alan?"
Day 6, at 9:50 we departed the ship and walked to a nearby excursion (ferry) boat for a 45 minute ride to Vigur Island. It was very calm but I bet the ride could get very uncomfortable in rough weather. Besides its owners/caretakers, this small private island also hosts a small number of visiting scientists who study the local birds- Arctic Terns, Puffins, Guillemot, etc.. The staff also raise Ider ducks and harvest their world famous and incredibly soft down. We had a lecture and got to touch the down, then had a little time to do some wandering to see its few buildings- house, a windmill, and a tiny cafe/gift shop, before boarding the ferry for the trip back to the boat in Isafjorddur. We arrived 30 minutes before they stopped serving lunch which was not an uncommon occurrence on this tour!
Guillemot
Ider duck and chicks:
Puffin. Interesting facts- baby Puffins are called Pufflings and due to their clownish appearance, a gaggle of adult Puffins is a Circus!
Day 7, Iceland's "Golden Circle"
This was our last "regular" day of the tour. The ship docked early this morning in Rekyavik (Hafnarjordur) and at 8:15 we set off on the 8 hour "Golden Circle" excursion. Even though it includes the Blue Lagoon, we decided to forgo the 11 hour "Golden Circle + Blue Lagoon" excursion. We had already experienced the thermal bath at Myvatn so felt we didn't need to experience the Blue Lagoon which undoubtedly would have been more crowded with tourists- those dang tourists!
Along the way we visited the site of early government and a nearby section of the rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates,, the Gullfoss, a waterfall which in my estimation was better than the Godafoss (it could have been the fantastic weather we had this day?), and an area of of geothermal pools and geysers (nothing like Yellowstone)
Admin note- we used the VOX listening devices on many (most?) of the excursions. In my opinion, they unfortunately have a range that is shorter than the old version used on tours a few years ago. I stop to take photos and my walking speed is greatly diminished lately so I easily fell behind our local guide and out of VOX range.
A little hint about our Tauck lagniappe lunch:
Day 8, Departure Day.
A typically well organized Tauck departure- colored tags for each group, separate buses, etc. Our departure involved another great lagniappe which I am not at liberty to tell you about.
Final note on our trip to the airport our bus came within 1 mile of the location of the fissure eruption* that happened that night while we were over the Atlantic. *most eruptions in Iceland occur at fissures not at conical volcanoes. (Photo from the Washington Post)
It’s funny you should mention about the range on the voxes. Like you, I like to wander and take photos while the group is standing and staring and listening to the guide. Why look at a guide when you should be looking at the site you came to see? On our Small Ship last month, I thought the voxes went out of range way more easily than I have found in the past.
So how was your first Small Ship experience?
Alan - Any bird attacks on Vigur Island as you walked around the island?
Not on Vigur- we had flag sticks, but on Grimsey I got a single, light peck on my head.
Not bad, but not an out of this world adventure. The ship, service, and staff were very nice, food plentiful, consistently good and always close by.
Due to the scarcity of adequate lodging ashore for a group this large and, unfortunately, due to the long distances between attractions on mostly narrow, dual lane (but well maintained) roads, everywhere except in Reykjavik, there is really no way to run a tour like this other than from a ship.
Unfortunately, being aboard a ship also limited how much time we had at attractions and we always seemed rushed. Earlier starts could have helped (we didn't leave the ship for excursions until 8:00 - 9:00.) Having more or loosely scheduled meals ashore (there was only one lunch ashore once we were aboard ship and few other places to eat outside of Reykjavik) or for the ship to delay or extend meal hours (it didn't) would have helped some. The buses were comfortable, but the A/C did not always work (we had a heat wave, almost set records, during the second half of the tour). There were approx 155 Taucktourians and due to the demand for some excursions over others, the buses were nearly full. Luckily, they were Euro buses with rear doors, but even so, it took awhile for everyone to get on and off, especially with the large number of mobility challenged people we seemed to have. A couple of times our local guide set off before everyone had exited the bus. I am not mobility challenged but I walk much slower these days so was often out of VOX range, even at the beginning or along the way. Many of the attractions were a bit distant from the bus park! At Gullfoss there wasn't enough time to walk to the lower view point (see photo) and make it back to the bus by the announced departure time, especially with the crowds.
So, bottom line- the tour was interesting and the ship very nice, but Iceland just does not have the attractions of our many favorites like K&T, Peru&Galapagos, Jordan&Egypt, E,S,W, Italy, etc. so unlike those and others, there is no reason to ever go back. It is more than an "I've been there" place, but not much more. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.
I have a pretty bad case of motion sickness, sometimes medicines don't work well. I get sick on the bus when there are a lot of turns but have never asked to sit in the front, on the bus Dramamine helps.
This is one of the reasons I've never really thought of Iceland and the fact that it has never attracted me. It will be more like Alan says "I've been there place.
While I don't know if I'd go back, I enjoyed our Iceland tour (https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Iceland-01.htm). One tour I really enjoyed, and would like to go back for a more in-depth visit, was Cuba (https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2016Cuba-01.htm). We were lucky and visited there during the thaw between the two countries. All the tours I've seen recently are much too limited. The Tauck tour of Cuba barely touches the island.
My travel life and my travel budget pretty much precludes return visits to anywhere (excluding for an occasional common hub city overlap). Because of that I'm very much a see as much as you can on my one visit because there will be no return visits.
From my perspective, Iceland had many attractions that were as impressive or more so than some of the places you call out. They weren't as densely packed perhaps but their beauty was undeniable. So for me, seeing Iceland for the first time is much more appealing than seeing any of the places I've already seen for a second time.
Smiling Sam: well said, and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s these destinations that are the most memorable for me such as Africa, Antarctica, Iceland, the Arctic, Galapagos. There isn’t anything about these remarkable places in the world that one could forget the beauty and magnificence of these continents. Don’t get me wrong, I do love going to Europe but at some point in time it all begins to blend together. I can’t distinguish which church was where, who built it and when, what all the history is behind the churches , which museum had the most impact for me. I’m the first to admit that sometimes I get too inundated with an abundance of ancient history being thrown at me; it begins to feel like mush at one point. Personally, I would love to hear more about daily life and current events in the countries that I’m visiting. Local tour guides rarely touch on the subjects of education, the medical system, politics, etc.
As you know, I do like to return to countries, there is always something new to see, learn about and enjoy more than the first time. There are a lot more things about countries than churches and museums, you just need to go elsewhere other than Europe.
I have no desire to keep checking off countries one by one just to experience a place I’m not really that interested in seeing.There are other companies out there that delve deeper too, we have found that out of late. More time in a country, less rush etc
Tauck tours did used to to give more details about the things you mention Ourtravels, but I don’t think many are interested especially judging by how rude people on the buses are talking loudly while the Tour director is talking. If you ask these questions they are very willing to tell you in our experience.
British - I might have a different approach if I had been as lucky as you, being able to travel as much as you have. You probably have traveled more than 4 times as much as I have (I’ve done about 20 tours). If I had taken 80 tours I would have repeated seeing places several times as you have.
I’ll be happy (and lucky and thankful) if I get to see all the things I want to see using my ‘One and Done’ (highlights, not depth) approach. My list of things that I’d still like to see isn’t that long, but being in my mid-70s it is still a race against time.
Current things booked are things we want to see, but haven’t (southern Italy, Sicily, Malta; South Africa/Victoria Falls; western France/Normandy; on a wait list for a Japan/Korea tour).
We have traveled for a long time. We’ve been on about 50 tours and traveled independently too. You could do N W France, Sicily and Malta very cheaply on your own. Some of our best trips were glamping in France. You don’t always have to stay in Four Seasons to see the best of a country.