2013 Iceland

When will the information for Iceland 2013 be available? Excited to go!

Comments

  • Hello Blues Cruisers,

    The 2013 dates for Antarctica are:

    7/23
    7/30
    8/6

    We hope to have these dates on sale very shortly. If you are interested in any of the above dates, please call 1-800-788-7885 and be added to the waitlist. We will contact you once we are ready to take bookings. Our Antarctica cruises sell out very quickly, so it might be a good idea to be added to the waitlist.

    Hope this helps,
    Emily
  • Thank you, Emily, but are these the dates for Antartica or Iceland?
  • edited April 2012
    Hello Blues Cruisers,


    Sorry for the confusion.

    The dates are for Iceland and yes, the Iceland dates do sell out quickly as well.

    Thanks.
    Emily
  • Looking forward to our July 30, 2013 Iceland Tour! Does Tauck share the ship with other travel companies? Will there be passengers on the ship who are not on the Tauck tour? Just wondering.
  • I did this tour last summer and it was great. There were other passengers on the ship who were not with Tauck, however you basically only saw them at meals and in passing. These other passengers were from an American investment company and some individuals from France. No other tour companies were on the ship. There were lectures and activities scheduled for Tauck guests only and the shore excursions were with tour directors from Tauck. Hope that this answers your question. Enjoy the experience!
  • Thanks, Kathy. What was the weather like when you cruised last summer? Do we tender in to the ports? My husband and I prefer casual dining and would rather not have to dress up for dinner. Is that an option?
  • Hi Blue Cruisers,

    The weather last summer was milder than I expected. Some days I had a sweatshirt under my jacket but on others I didn't need both. When we were above the Arctic Circle on the island of Grimsey, I did have a pair of wind pants but probably didn't need those either. Iceland sits on the Gulf Stream so it was warmer than I thought it would be.

    The only time we used the tender was on Grimsey. At all the other ports, the ship was right at the dock.

    There is a buffet area on the ship. It is small so reservations need to be made if you want a totally casual area to eat. I usual ate in the main dining room and except for the Captain's Dinner, I did not get dressed for dinner even there. I ate in the buffet one evening, but enjoyed being served better. I also do not like to get dressed after a day of touring and did not feel uncomfortable in my jeans at dinner.

    If you think of anything else that I could answer, please ask. I loved this tour and am constantly talking about it.

    Kathy
  • hi kathy- my wife and i are tauck lovers- we just finished the south africa trip[our 5th] and are scheduled for iceland end of july- she is very cold sensitive and is worried about the weather- also we arent big naturalists or birders but like interesting exotic places-please describe what you loved about the trip- thanks - whormoan
  • Hello,
    I also am not interested in birding, however the puffins on Grimsey were amazing. On Grimsey you walk across the Arctic Circle. It was also fascinating seeing the birds on Vigur Island and the family that has owned and lived here for years. Many of the activities that we did were extremely interesting. I had written a review for the website on Iceland but it hasn't been posted yet so I will try to touch on the highlights.

    On Heimay we walked through the area that was buried when a volcano erupted a number of years ago. It is called the Pompeii of the North and they are only starting to excavate some of the homes. We also sailed passed Surtsey on the way there. This was an island that was created in the 1960's when an undersea volcano erupted. I had remembered reading about it when I was in grade school so I finally had an opportunity to see it.

    There are many waterfalls and all are different. We walked through an area of strangely shapes lava formations and along a beach. There were also geysers and bubbling mud pots. I have described Iceland as a combination of Hawaii (volcanoes), Alaska (glaciers) and Yellowstone (geysers and mudpots).

    Another interesting thing was learning about the culture. We went to an area where a "fisherman" dressed in traditional clothing explained the fishing culture of the past. We saw the houses that they lived in as well as the boat. We had the opportunity to witness traditioanl dances and music as well as sample local food at another stop.

    I know that this does not do the tour justice because I only mentioned a few higlights. I have done 18 Tauck tours and this is one of my favorites.

    I hope that this answers some of your questions.
  • I've reserved a cabin for Iceland July 2014. My 16-year-old daughter is rather unenthusiastic about this trip and I'm seriously considering changing to a different destination. Were there other teens on your tour and if so, did they seem to be enjoying themselves? She loves nature and the outdoors, by the way.
  • Cara753 wrote:
    I've reserved a cabin for Iceland July 2014. My 16-year-old daughter is rather unenthusiastic about this trip and I'm seriously considering changing to a different destination. Were there other teens on your tour and if so, did they seem to be enjoying themselves? She loves nature and the outdoors, by the way.

    There were no other teens on the Tauck part of the tour. The ship was of French registry so Tauck was only some of the passengers. I did notice some young people playing with the WII one evening but they could have been French. The only way to know for sure if there are other teens on your tour would be to contact Tauck directly by phone. They could give you an idea of who is going. Anyone who loves nature and the out of doors would probably love this trip. Every day we had a "bird of the day" because we saw a variety including puffins. We also explored the area of a volcanic eruption that is just being uncovered called the Pompeii of the North. I hope that this helps you make the decision.
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