The following was shared on the FB group by LovesToRun who went to a 1-hour seminar at the Rick Steves' store on Reykjavik. LovesToRun isn't on the DIS much and said I could cross post it here.
Here are a few things I thought might be helpful bits of info as you all start your planning that we learned.
1) food in restaurants is very expensive in Reykjavik. He said with his experience there (he's been there twice now), a meal in a restaurant will run around $40/per person! He said you can get some things like Fish and Chips at pubs for around $15/pp. But, other than that, expect food to be very expensive.
2) he said the coffee in Iceland is VERY good, so if you are a coffee drinker, you will love the coffee there.
3) He said the public busses will take you everywhere! He said they will take you to all the major sites (like the Blue Lagoon, etc. etc), and they are easy to use and figure out, and a cheap option to see the sites on your own.
4) He said Icelanders LOVE credit cards and they actually prefer credit cards over cash. He said you can use your credit card anywhere to buy anything, and they don't need to have a chip in them, as Iceland doesn't require the chip credit cards (but chip credit cards work just fine). So, he said there is no need to have a lot of cash on you when in Iceland... just use your credit card everywhere.
5) He said while food is expensive in Iceland, the private tour companies are very reasonably priced and affordable. And, he said in terms of tipping for the private tours, he said all you need to do is just round up to the nearest 10. So, for example, if your tour is 90 Kroner, then give 100 Kroner, and that is good enough. He said it's not necessary to give 10% or a certain percentage... just round up to the nearest 10. He did qualify, though, that if you pick a private tour company where their rates are much lower than other companies, that tells you the guide isn't getting paid much, so he said he tends to tip more with the cheaper private companies, and tip less with the more expensive companies (he said the more expensive companies, the guide is getting paid more).
6) He said a popular souvenir people tend to want to buy in Iceland is the "Icelandic Sweater". He said a brand new one will cost between $200 - $600 (he said the $200 ones are the ones that are made in China, and the $600 ones are the ones made actually in Iceland). But, he said the way to get an authentic made in Iceland Icelandic Sweater is to go to the Salvation Army or Good Will in town and buy a used one. He said he got his Authentic Icelandic sweater for $50 at the Salvation Army store, and it is just as good as new. So, that is just a tip, if that is something you were considering buying.
He went over all the things to see and do, and it's all the same things that are in all the books and online when you do your research, so no new news there. The one tip he did give about the Blue Lagoon, if you go there, is to put conditioner in your hair BEFORE you get in (and leave the conditioner in your hair while you're in the Blue Lagoon). He said if you don't do that, the minerals are so rich in the water that without conditioner, your hair will feel grimy for up to a week!! So, if you want your hair to feel normal after the Blue Lagoon, put conditioner in. He also said there are lockers and changing areas and I think showers at the Blue Lagoon, so you don't need to wear your swimming suit.
So, there is some small tidbits of info! It was so interesting and made us even MORE excited about planning this port!!!
(Btw, he did not have any info on the Akureyri port in the seminar, but I did ask him about that port after it was over. He said he hasn't been to that port, but from what he has heard, all of the sites to see are far enough outside of the city that you for sure will need a private (or ship) excursion for that port. He said he has heard there is a museum in that port, but from what he has heard from people, the museum is not worth going to. He did say that particular port is known for getting fogged in, though, where it's hard to see much when it is fogged in. So, hopefully that won't be the case when we are there! That is all I have for that port.
Anyway, happy planning!!
Thank you LovesToRun for sharing the information.
banana: I , for one, am NOT complaining about this in the least!)
We signed up for the pre-cruise Copenhagen ABD so those hotel stays will be arranged by ABD. We also have our excursion for the Kirkland stop booked as well. Now, if I could only figure out what we to do during our London post stay then we will be all set!
