Iceland Meets Thread

[cmcgardner]

I’m glad you had a good trip! Thanks for being our de facto expert!

Wondering if there were days where you changed for dinner - even just into different casual clothes- or if pretty much you went right from outdoor activity to supper table? Trying to decide how many extras to pack. Thank you!

I typically stayed in what I wore for the day. There was only one night that I wished I had changed. Since packing for Iceland is already somewhat of a challenge since it involves Winter clothes, I personally would not pack too many extras.

 

[cmcgardner]

Welcome Back!!

I thought you got to keep the flip flops from the Blue Lagoon...

So as far as what you wore -- Was it really cold? Did you need a heavy jacket, or did you make due with layers? Were waterproof pants needed? I am so confused about what to pack for this trip.

How was the food?

What did you do for your free time in Husavik?

Who were your Guides?

How were the hotels? Were the rooms hot or cold? Did you notice if the hair dryers were decent or not?

How was riding the Icelandic horses? I've heard they're really gentle. I have a bad back, but I really want to ride.

Were there any issues with luggage size/weight on the flight to Akureyri?

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions...

Flip flops.....I think you are correct. Since we had our own I didn't want to carry another pair but I do think you could keep them.

I did not take a heavy jacket but I did take a puffer vest along with a relatively small rain jacket and another jacket with a hood. I also took a good base layer shirt and a pair of tights to wear under my waterproof pants. I found that layers were key. I was constantly adding a jacket or taking one away or even taking off my outer shirt and just wearing my base layer with my puffer vest. Keep in mind that I am typically very comfortable as long as the top of my body and my hands are warm. Definitely take a hat and gloves! Waterproof pants are great but I am not sure they are completely necessary. I was happy in my water resistant items and came back with tags on my waterproof pants. The rest of my family wore their waterproof pants so personal preference plays a role.

Husavik - We had enough time to eat lunch and go to the Whale Museum.

Guides - Stefan and Drew (American) and I loved both of them.

To be continued......

 

[Nhebron]

Sound exciting. Gasoline is quite expensive so don't be shocked. There is a Costco that opened up in the capital so if you are a member bring your card to stock up on items offered at a discounted price compared to the other stores. When we were there our guide told us the story that lines were lined up for miles just to get into it. Try to make your reservations for eating before because it does get quite crowded in certain areas.

Thanks for the tips! Don't have a Costco membership but I do expect to hit up the local grocery stores. I also anticipate eating a lot of hot dogs

 

[WeLoveABD]

Flip flops.....I think you are correct. Since we had our own I didn't want to carry another pair but I do think you could keep them.

I did not take a heavy jacket but I did take a puffer vest along with a relatively small rain jacket and another jacket with a hood. I also took a good base layer shirt and a pair of tights to wear under my waterproof pants. I found that layers were key. I was constantly adding a jacket or taking one away or even taking off my outer shirt and just wearing my base layer with my puffer vest. Keep in mind that I am typically very comfortable as long as the top of my body and my hands are warm. Definitely take a hat and gloves! Waterproof pants are great but I am not sure they are completely necessary. I was happy in my water resistant items and came back with tags on my waterproof pants. The rest of my family wore their waterproof pants so personal preference plays a role.

Husavik - We had enough time to eat lunch and go to the Whale Museum.

Guides - Stefan and Drew (American) and I loved both of them.

To be continued......

Thanks for the update so far! As for Blue Lagoon, any tips re hair conditioner, bathing caps etc?

 

[cmcgardner]

Welcome Back!!

I thought you got to keep the flip flops from the Blue Lagoon...

So as far as what you wore -- Was it really cold? Did you need a heavy jacket, or did you make due with layers? Were waterproof pants needed? I am so confused about what to pack for this trip.

How was the food?

What did you do for your free time in Husavik?

Who were your Guides?

How were the hotels? Were the rooms hot or cold? Did you notice if the hair dryers were decent or not?

How was riding the Icelandic horses? I've heard they're really gentle. I have a bad back, but I really want to ride.

Were there any issues with luggage size/weight on the flight to Akureyri?

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions...

Hotels - The hotels are very basic. We did not have any issues with them per se but they are not your typical ABD hotel. No Tinkerbell Express. I used the hair dryer in at least 2 or 3 of the hotels and it was great. No issues at all. I also brought my flat iron which has universal voltage and it also worked well.

Icelandic Horses - They are gentle. Most of the group participated and our group ranged in age from 14/15 to 70s. As far as I know, no one who rode had any issues.

Luggage Size/Weight - We had no issues but I was aware of the limits and made sure everything we had would comply. I can't really comment on whether others had issues or not as we were the first group to check-in. But I didn't hear any complaining so hopefully that means all went well.

 

[cmcgardner]

Thanks for the update so far! As for Blue Lagoon, any tips re hair conditioner, bathing caps etc?

I braided my hair and put it up so that I wouldn't have to deal with this issue. It worked well. They do have conditioner you can add to your hair but most women seemed to put their hair up so that it wouldn't get wet. I know I saw some swim caps at the second lagoon but I can't recall seeing anyone in one at the blue lagoon. You CAN get your hair wet at the second lagoon.

 

[sayhello]

Did you need any dressy or nice clothing for any of the dinners, or was it all casual?

Did you see any whales??

Sayhello

 

[cmcgardner]

Did you need any dressy or nice clothing for any of the dinners, or was it all casual?

Did you see any whales??

Sayhello

Honestly, I didn't take anything nice or dressy and I never felt like I needed it. I did wear jeans a few times so I wasn't always in athletic wear, but we were always super casual.

and YES to whales.

 

[sayhello]

Honestly, I didn't take anything nice or dressy and I never felt like I needed it. I did wear jeans a few times so I wasn't always in athletic wear, but we were always super casual.

and YES to whales.

Thanks! Aw, man! I hope the whales are still there in September!

Sayhello

 

[tsgirl]

My daughter is all better from her horrible case of mono, so we are all set for our ABD trip to Iceland on July 7-14 of this year! We will be posting our trip report, so please let us know if you have any specific questions you'd like answered up front. If there is wifi in the hotels, we will try to post day by day. Should we post on this thread or put it on the trip reports thread?

 

[BluesTraveler]

I'm so glad she's doing better, and hope you have such a great time! I would recommend starting a new thread, because that may be easier for people to locate it down the road without having to sort through all the pages on this thread. Thanks so much. We are right behind you on the 7/21 trip so I'll be reading with interest!

 

[sayhello]

My daughter is all better from her horrible case of mono, so we are all set for our ABD trip to Iceland on July 7-14 of this year! We will be posting our trip report, so please let us know if you have any specific questions you'd like answered up front. If there is wifi in the hotels, we will try to post day by day. Should we post on this thread or put it on the trip reports thread?

So glad your daughter is well, and able to enjoy her trip! I'm really looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

I'm so glad she's doing better, and hope you have such a great time! I would recommend starting a new thread, because that may be easier for people to locate it down the road without having to sort through all the pages on this thread. Thanks so much. We are right behind you on the 7/21 trip so I'll be reading with interest!

I agree. Start a new thread, and then you can post a link to your thread in the Trips Report thread. On this board, we just post links in the Trips Reports thread, not the actual reports themselves. It's easier to search that way!

Sayhello

 

[quinnc19]

Re Blue Lagoon, I kept the flip-flops. I put conditioner in my hair and then put it up , just in case; I didn't have any problems. I didn't really trust my daughter so I put conditioner on her hair and then put a bathing cap over it. Again no problems. I really enjoyed it. We ate in the Lava restaurant and thought the food and service was very good.

 

[WeLoveABD]

My daughter is all better from her horrible case of mono, so we are all set for our ABD trip to Iceland on July 7-14 of this year! We will be posting our trip report, so please let us know if you have any specific questions you'd like answered up front. If there is wifi in the hotels, we will try to post day by day. Should we post on this thread or put it on the trip reports thread?

So happy to hear your daughter is better! We're on the same trip, looking forward to meeting you and your family!

 

[hygienist999]

Anyone else on here going to be on the July 14-21 Iceland Adventure?

 

[sayhello]

Anyone else on here going to be on the July 13-20 Iceland Adventure?

I assume you're talking 2019?

Sayhello

 

[hygienist999]

I assume you're talking 2019?

Sayhello

I am getting ahead of myself. We leave home on the 13th, but the Adventure begins on the 14, two weeks from now. I'll go edit my post.

 

[sayhello]

I am getting ahead of myself. We leave home on the 13th, but the Adventure begins on the 14, two weeks from now. I'll go edit my post.

Ah, OK! ENJOY! And be sure & come back and tell us ALL about your trip!!!

And if you look through the first couple of pages of this thread, you will see that there are several DISers who will be on the July 14th trip!

Sayhello

 

[WeLoveABD]

Anyone else on here going to be on the July 14-21 Iceland Adventure?

Yup! Very excited about the trip!

 

[breezy52]

Anyone else on here going to be on the July 14-21 Iceland Adventure?

Yes. Arriving 7/13 morning with DD18 and DD11. All very excited. First ABD.