The Iceland/Scotland Cruise - An Instant Classic

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Curious how the sea conditions compare to the cruises to Alaska (my dh got a bit queasy on the more open sea days on our Alaskan cruise). Tia and have a wonderful remainder of your trip!

One of the posts above said they weren't having any issues with sea conditions which is a blessing for sure. The open sea crossing to Iceland and back can be really really rough.

On our Cruise last week, We only had one day with some rolling seas but it was calm and clear for the majority of the cruise. We were very fortunate, I can be really sensitive to ship movement.

 

[anricat]

We are booked for France/Iceland/Norway next year. I'm really looking forward to it. I do wish we were going to be on the Magic though. And I, personally, would have preferred Scotland to the France port that we have, but I'm sure it will still be amazing.

 

[Intr3pid]

Here is a snap of the northern lights on the way to Iceland. This was taken at approx 1.30 AM local time out on the sports deck.

I am not really good at night photography, but look for the green hues that my iPhone did capture.

 

[themouseketeer]

Here is a snap of the northern lights on the way to Iceland. This was taken at approx 1.30 AM local time out on the sports deck.

This is so cool, I never thought to try to catch the northern lights from a cruise. Did the crew let you know when to keep a look out?

 

[Intr3pid]

A bit about the Iceland sojourn.

Initially, there were three ports on the itinerary: Reykjavik, Isafjordur, and Akureyri. The ongoing construction work in Isafjordur prompted a late change to an overnight in Reykjavik.

REYKJAVIK

The Skarfabakki port is where most larger cruise ships dock, and it's about a 25-minute walk from downtown.

Disney arranged free shuttles all day long - and late into the night too. This allowed pretty much all crew members to step out and claim an 'Icelanding' for a few hours. Very cool.

Very cool literally too. I think it's safe to say that most guests, including us, were underdressed for this trip. Those jerseys flew off the onboard and on-shore store shelves, LOL.

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If you are in port for a full day, do the Golden Circle during the day and hit one of the lagoons in the evening.

The Golden Circle has the Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir pools (including those naturally spouting), and Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir is where you will see the North American and European tectonic plates meet. You can literally walk between them! There are a few Game of Thrones filming locations in the park too.

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About the two main lagoons.

Blue Lagoon is better known, of course. It has the blue mineral hue and makes for nice snaps. It's about a 45-minute drive from the port.

Sky Lagoon is newer, more modern, and actually in the city. Clear water though. I'll let you google them and do your own research.

Both were booked solid for the evening. So plan in advance.

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We did a walking tour of the city the next morning. (There was just enough time for one.)

You also get to see some of it on the sail-in/sail-out.

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Here is the Reykjavik sunset captured from outside the Cabanas at about 10.00 PM.

 

[Intr3pid]

This is so cool, I never thought to try to catch the northern lights from a cruise. Did the crew let you know when to keep a look out?

A lot of us had one of the apps that can predict (within about 3 days) when/if a solar storm will hit the magnetic fields. There was word on the ship that we might see them that morning! It just had to get dark enough first.

 

[mmmears]

Lovely photos! Best cruise ever!!! We were lucky enough to take this one in 2018 and were booked for the canceled 2020 version (which had the best itinerary I've ever seen on a DCL cruise). I hope you have a great time.

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

We are booked for France/Iceland/Norway next year. I'm really looking forward to it. I do wish we were going to be on the Magic though. And I, personally, would have preferred Scotland to the France port that we have, but I'm sure it will still be amazing.

You say that but i think France is the better option. Haha.

 

[anjuan]

Great photos and info. Thanks so much for sharing! We're thinking about doing a similar itinerary next year. We would love to do DCL but NCL works so much better for my daughter's schedule.

 

[ekms]

We were on the Cruise before this one (8/10 from Copenhagen). For our Alesund stop, they said it was only the second day with sunshine in over a month! They said everyone in town watched the sun come in with the Mickey ship and they were very happy to see both.

We were on this cruise too and the weather in Alesund was amazing! Felt so lucky to see the sun!

 

[Intr3pid]

May I sidetrack your thoughts for a second and ask how was the drive of the Path of the Trolls and how long did it take RT? We're doing it in September - well my husband may be doing it, I may lay on the floor and want to make sure I have all my timing right!

A very easy drive - little traffic, only one direction, and incredibe scenery. The path you want to follow goes like this on Google Maps:

Alesund >> Sjoholt >> Andalsnes >> Trollstigen .. and back if you don't want to take any ferries.

Otherwise, ... Trollstigen >> Sylte >> (Ferry) >> Stranda >> Sykkylven >> (Ferry) >> Alesund, which will make for a very nice circle tour. Make sure you time your arrivals correctly for these car ferries.

We did the full circle. The trip was incredibly scenic - so much as so that we kept driving and ended up in Hellesylt - just 30 minutes from Geiranger - where the ship was to port the next day.

With all the stops, ferries, and detours - including the rental pickup/return in Alesund - the trip took about 5.5 hours in all.

 

[Intr3pid]

Did you go to Geirangerfjord? That has been one of our two (along with Mykonos) all time favorite cruise stops.

We didn't care too much for Alesund b/c it's more German architecture (and it poured down rain there when we there there in 2016). Preferred Stavanger and Bergen.

We did Geiranger back in 2019 - which was the only time a Disney ship ever docked there (and may ever will now with the strict emissions requirements).

The 2019 fjords cruise was probably the best combo of ports: Geiranger (the fjord), Alesund (Trollstigen), Olden (Briksdaal glacier), and Stavanger (Pulpit Rock).

 

[Intr3pid]

Where do you stop in Scotland? I live near the cruise port in Greenock, i dont recommend going out and about there, but there are some lovely places to see nearby.

Stopping in Kirkwall/Orkney tomorrow and Invergordon the day after. Taking a Disney tour all the way to Eilean Donan and Skye from Invergordon.

 

[Intr3pid]

Curious how the sea conditions compare to the cruises to Alaska (my dh got a bit queasy on the more open sea days on our Alaskan cruise). Tia and have a wonderful remainder of your trip!

One of the posts above said they weren't having any issues with sea conditions which is a blessing for sure. The open sea crossing to Iceland and back can be really really rough.

On our Cruise last week, We only had one day with some rolling seas but it was calm and clear for the majority of the cruise. We were very fortunate, I can be really sensitive to ship movement.

Yup, been avoiding the rougher North Sea waters so far. For the most part. It's been chilly but otherwise steady.

 

[tidefan]

We did Geiranger back in 2019 - which was the only time a Disney ship ever docked there (and may ever will now with the strict emissions requirements).

The 2019 fjords cruise was probably the best combo of ports: Geiranger (the fjord), Alesund (Trollstigen), Olden (Briksdaal glacier), and Stavanger (Pulpit Rock).

Our 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Magic stopped in Geiranger.

 

[closetmickey]

A bit about the Iceland sojourn.

Initially, there were three ports on the itinerary: Reykjavik, Isafjordur, and Akureyri. The ongoing construction work in Isafjordur prompted a late change to an overnight in Reykjavik.

REYKJAVIK

The Skarfabakki port is where most larger cruise ships dock, and it's about a 25-minute walk from downtown.

Disney arranged free shuttles all day long - and late into the night too. This allowed pretty much all crew members to step out and claim an 'Icelanding' for a few hours. Very cool.

Very cool literally too. I think it's safe to say that most guests, including us, were underdressed for this trip. Those jerseys flew off the onboard and on-shore store shelves, LOL.

--------------------

If you are in port for a full day, do the Golden Circle during the day and hit one of the lagoons in the evening.

The Golden Circle has the Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir pools (including those naturally spouting), and Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir is where you will see the North American and European tectonic plates meet. You can literally walk between them! There are a few Game of Thrones filming locations in the park too.

--------------------

About the two main lagoons.

Blue Lagoon is better known, of course. It has the blue mineral hue and makes for nice snaps. It's about a 45-minute drive from the port.

Sky Lagoon is newer, more modern, and actually in the city. Clear water though. I'll let you google them and do your own research.

Both were booked solid for the evening. So plan in advance.

--------------------

We did a walking tour of the city the next morning. (There was just enough time for one.)

You also get to see some of it on the sail-in/sail-out.

--------------------

Here is the Reykjavik sunset captured from outside the Cabanas at about 10.00 PM.

View attachment 696759

Or you could be crazy like us and plan a 16 hour tour for the first day in Reykjavik to add glacial snowmobiling and a tour of the Southern Coast (my favorite part) to the Golden Circle, followed by a 7am call to the Blue Lagoon on day 2 before the ship’s noon departure. I can honestly say it was worth every minute and dollar!! Best day ever

 

[AquaDame]

Our 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Magic stopped in Geiranger.

I was going to say I thought there were more..? Our cruise in 2017 didn't make it. We did sail all the way in for a scenic treat, but it was far too windy for them to use the retractable docking arm we were supposed to be at. Another ship was using tenderboats and we longingly watched them go ashore before turning away.

 

[mousefan73]

We are also on this cruise. All I can say is OMG have we lucked out weather wise. Forecast pre cruise was depressing. But the weather has been amazing. I think with this itinerary you run risk of having bad weather though and not really seeing anything. Had it been low cast or rainy in Iceland we wouldn’t have seen half of the magnificent scenery we did. We simply got very lucky. Iceland is simply amazing.

Alesund was kind of a dud in our opinion. The short port time there really didn’t let you do anything big. The town itself is okay the view though from the top was nice but in a way we thought maybe it would’ve been nicer to add more time in Iceland. at least my kids say they have now been the Norway too.

 

[Scottishdisneyfan]

Stopping in Kirkwall/Orkney tomorrow and Invergordon the day after. Taking a Disney tour all the way to Eilean Donan and Skye from Invergordon.

Thats some bus ride mate, it will be beautiful drive but you’ll be on the bus for a fair while, take snacks, enjoy the winding roads. Skye is beautiful! If you get the chance to have some sea food, scallops,langoustine etc i guarantee it’ll be the best you’ve ever had. Also deep fried mars bars are only for tourists but if you stop at a chippy then have a fish supper and single black pudding with salt and vinegar, life changing (and possibly ending).

 

[ladyofthetramp]

I may ditch Italy/Greece for this itinerary-seriously intrigued!