I'm on a cruise ship going round Iceland AMA

[Imdunfer]

As title and we have a day at sea tomorrow so I'll be around to answer.

The evening show starts soon so you might not get a quick answer tonight.

It's like a warmish winter. It's been around 10-12 degrees most of the time outside. On the ship I'm sometimes wearing one of my fleeces (cues screams about shedding plastic all over the world) and sometimes not. You definitely can't sit round the pool in a bikini. Rooms are comfortable, adjustable between 3 degrees warmer and 3 degrees cooler than whatever the standard they set it at is.

it does sound lovely. Thanks for the advice and enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Have you gone ashore for anything else other than to walk around Reykjavik? If not, you are missing out on some spectacular sights.

There are 2 nights designated as sparkly nights and in our restaurant we get a string ensemble playing those evenings. Most of the men wore DJs or smart shoes.

The rest of the time we're in one of the more formal restaurants in the evening, so people are mostly changing our of leisure gear into something a bit smarter.

I would add that the food is excellent. The freshly baked bread is amazing, fresh scones every afternoon, lobster, massive juicy prawns, lovely salads, loads of choice. Buffet open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, midnight snacks. Would also recommend the espresso martinis!

We drove through Reykjavik, my husband isn't very mobile. Neither am I today, one of my knees has decided it's had enough of all the stairs. Thankfully the lifts are large, fast, and numerous.

We're taking a trip out every day. The return journey on day two past a glacier through the volcano fields was truly spectacular as the clouds rose and the sun also came out and we could see the tips of the craters. The waterfall surrounded by basalt columns was pretty amazing but we couldn't walk out to it and only saw it from a bit of a distance.

Today's view is pretty ordinary from the ship, a big green hillside but I'm hoping for good sights again today. There's another good waterfall, were told.

I had an 8 ounce rump last night that was better quality and tastier than our local pub restaurant charges £23 for.

The house wine included in the price are very drinkable, not any old vinegary rubbish.

I could eat rump steak every night if I want. I dread to think what the scales are going to say when I get home 😲😖

Suits, not shoes, though they write those too!

Hmm. We went around Iceland on a boat with 100 passengers. I know what I’d rather do! Avoid the monster ships and certainly avoid the ports when you are there!

When we went we were surprised at the lack of whales. Saw very few. We did see a lot of birds including puffins. Have you seen them at their burrows?

Which company was that with? It sounds more like my sort of thing.

@Sereine It’s Noble Caledonia (Hebridean Sky). You need fairly deep
pockets and it’s a world away from the bigger ships (not that 1400 is huge!). You get all excursions included and we like the expedition type trips making use of the zodiacs. I can highly recommend the Hebrides and we are off to Norway on this ship in a week. You might also like the amazing trips vis Blue Water Adventures in Vancouver. It’s not glamorous but the boats only take 12 passengers. We went to the Great Bear Rainforest which was unforgettable! I expect there are other small ships around Iceland - thousands of passengers doesn’t appeal to me!

Hurtigruten and Aurora do similar expedition style trips, 120 passengers maximum.

I’ve just read this whole thread. @LandingLightsyou really come across as being a bully. It’s clear that in your own head you think you are better than anyone else, you will deny that but the tone of your posts say otherwise.
you are clearly very angry that the OP doesn’t rise to your bate. I just think you need some self awareness of how your constant attempts to belittle just make you come across as awful. Do you really think your posts are convincing or educating anyone in environmental responsibility.
why have you decided to target this op? Your very first post jumps straight into targeting the op because of a different thread she wrote. I think you need to go have some self reflection.
I anticipate this post will get deleted for calling you out directly, I would urge MN to review all of your posts and see if the constant attacks on individuals are common on @LandingLights posts.
The irony of @LandingLights accusing the OP of being an attention seeker!

Temperature shot up today to 20c, apparently that's a hot summer. Saw the most beautiful waterfall with turquoise water and a long canyon of rapids and spectacular volcano mountains. Whale watching boat tomorrow, no guarantee of whales but got everything crossed.

🚢 🐋 🚢 🐳 🚢

@Imdunfer The worst I've seen so far is the 70 year old bloke with the huge belly wearing what is almost a Speedo thong. It's quite a disgusting sight and he's very obviously proud of his big pouch of dangling stuff 🤢 🤮 🤢

Are you always so judgemental about other people’s appearance?

I am sure you and your DH look amazing in your swimming costumes, but maybe that man does too to him. Who are you to say it’s a disgusting sight with those awful emojis?

Fingers crossed your comments like this are not noticed by anyone else on the ship, as you have specified the cruise line company name and the location of the ship day by day, so they’ll know it’s about someone on their cruise.

It's clear from looks on faces and comments being made that the majority of people in the pool area feel that his choice is costume is unacceptable. There are men in Speedos and nobody is batting an eye. I am clearly failing to adequately describe how far left of field his tiny scrap of tissue-thin genital covering is in the environment he's in.

It's extraordinary to be criticised on Mumsnet for calling out unacceptable behaviour by an entitled twat of a man, it really is. I'm usually one of the people defending men on this forum!

Aside from the cost I'm not sure if I'd want to be on a boat that small for a few reasons, like stability in bad weather. I do enjoy the entertainment on this one. Last night we saw Lorraine Brown, who I'd never heard of, but she's a cruise ship specialist and she put on a terrific show.

Does it feel weird and unsettling to enjoy and admire the wildlife while knowing your boat is harming the environment they live in?
Genuine question. The location of the cruise sounds amazing but I really don't think I could justify it to myself

@Imdunfer I’ve crossed the Drake Chanel in Antarctica in a 100 passenger boat. The best ones have stabilizers and you will find high seas and bad weather affects all boats! Most people will be ok in Iceland in the summer but you can get some swell. We did and that unsettled lots of us! It’s overall just a better experience on a small ship.

@LaliqueSaltGrinder Do those companies go to Iceland?

It feels great to know we're supporting the jobs of people of a country with little industry beyond subsistence farming and a short season of fishing, and are providing a livelihood way above what they can earn in their own countries to the crew members. The team of ecologists on board monitoring the wildlife don't seem unhappy either, and the more economic support we can give Iceland by watching their whales, the less they will feel the need to kill them.

Nothing in life is as black and white as climate/ecology zealots think it is.

"better" is relative. I wouldn't get half the stuff I'm enjoying on a ship with 100 passengers and it would come with stuff I don't want too. I'm glad it's better for you but it wouldn't be better for me.

I don’t need all the big cruise ship entertainment and numerous restaurants. Or anything much besides a decent cabin, good food and a great itinerary going into smaller ports. I like the all inclusive nature of the trip and no extra costs. I like talking to people and going to lectures and being with wildlife experts who greatly enhance what we are seeing. I don’t want to go ashore with 1400 people. In Iceland we sailed into tiny ports, visited remote islands, used the zodiacs for exploring the sea life and birding sites as well as hiking and visiting museums. It’s just lovely doing it with 100 people and not 1400.

But it's horses for courses. If I were asked to work on one of the small 100 people boats of course I'd go - it's work. I have a friend who is in a similar line of work to me who has worked with Aurora Expeditions and enjoyed it very much. When there are only 100 people on board it is a more personal experience, you are expected to socialise and eat with other guests and you can't avoid them. Some people would love that, others would hate it. And on the flip side, on the massive 5000 people ships you have anonymity which some like. And then you have ships like the OP is on which are something in between.

In my experience it's not 1400 people all leaving the ship at the same time. Some people will book onto the official shore tours which on the cruises I work on are generally 9ish to 1ish or 1ish to 5ish so you have either a morning or afternoon free. Others will use the shuttle bus into town, and walk around for an hour or so, or organise a taxi or hire car to look around the wider area for longer. A percentage may not leave the ship at all.

Well said.