July 25
Before booking a trip to these destinations we needed to
decide on the type of experience we wanted. No wrong answers, everyone is
different.
We discussed whether we wanted to just “tick the box” for
Iceland & Greenland on a regular cruise ship with just a port or two or did
we want more of the same type of experience we had in Antarctica with Quark. I
had heard good things about Iceland ProCruises Iceland and Greenland cruises |
Iceland ProCruises so decided to book with them once we made the decision
to do a more in-depth exploration.
Honestly, at my age I don’t think I have many or any more expedition type cruises in me so this will feel like a last hurrah. Even with this one I had to come to grips with the fact that I can’t sign up for intense 5- or 6-mile hikes that are done in faster times than I know I could do. So, while on an expedition cruise we chose some of the lighter options. Even when we were road-tripping and RVing we knew 5 miles was the limit to hikes and that we would take our sweet time doing that. When part of a group, that pace probably won’t be what they are aiming for.
Unlike Antarctica where most
landings were wet landings which required getting in and out of zodiac type
boats (rigid-bottom inflatables) this ship is able to dock in every port. With
the wet landings we got off into the water and waded to shore. That was the
easy part, as getting back in, especially when short, could be a challenge
depending on the depth of the water and if there was any surf to contend with. So, this should be easier in that aspect. Though there are some zodiac excursions.
Iceland ProCruises has been wonderful to work with in setting up the back-to-back
cruises that we planned. There was only one date when the ship did Iceland and
then Greenland on a separate cruise. (only 2 cruise dates for Greenland this year) Much
like in Antarctica where we wanted the 21-day itinerary that also included
South Georgia, it was only offered once a year on Quark. It tops our list of
best trips. (along with East Africa Safari & Gorilla Trekking) I always leave
World Cruises out of that equation since they kind of are in a category of
their own. Anyway, Iceland ProCruises has always been prompt in answering
questions and time will tell if they excel in the actual delivery of the
product sold.
The
SEAVENTURE has been assigned the highest ice class for passenger ships. A
greater density of steel plates in the hull and a massive stem are just two of
the elements that allow the expedition ship to glide safely through the waters.
There is a maximum of 164 passengers so that will be a pleasure. (on Quark
there were only 117 pax)
Unlike mass-market type cruises (what we normally do) these two destinations have more small villages and not as many opportunities to book independent tours. Add in that due to weather we may need to miss or rearrange ports we are going with the flow and using their tours. We were able to book them about 6 months out and they aren’t charged until we actually take them. Some of the villages are small and not much to choose from and probably could easily be toured on our own, we still chose their short introductory tours and then we can wander on our own afterwards. Others have more choices for various levels of fitness.
We got
the Iceland shore excursions right before we left for the world cruise, but we
had the descriptions and had them ready to choose. A couple had changed, and we
made new choices for those. Greenland’s didn’t drop until we were on the world
cruise. We had the descriptions with us and like Iceland most were easy to
mark, but a few had changes, so we made new choices. So, everything was in
place until we made the final payment 30 days prior to the cruise.
I need
rotator cuff surgery and the surgeon agreed I could/should wait until after
this trip since the recovery is long and I wouldn’t be ready in less than a
month to travel. So, the other option would be to cancel, but I made it through
the world cruise with it, so I’ll make it through this one as well.
We originally
booked a flight with a reasonable take-off time, but several schedule changes
later we would be getting up in the wee hours to drive to Orlando. So, we
thought we’d make use of some of our Marriott Points and drive up a day early
and spend the night and fly out the next morning.
I probably won't blog until we return and get through photos, but here are our travel dates:
The
Iceland cruise is July 29 – Aug 7 Below from Iceland ProCruises website:
|
Day |
City |
Arrival |
Departure |
|
1 |
Reykjavik |
20:00 |
|
|
2 |
Arnarstapi/Grundarfjordur |
7:30 |
19:00 |
|
3 |
Isafjordur |
07:00 |
17:00 |
|
4 |
Siglufjordur |
08:00 |
12:00 |
|
Grimsey |
15:30 |
18:30 |
|
|
5 |
Flatey |
06:00 |
10:30 |
|
Husavik |
11:30 |
||
|
6 |
Husavik |
18:00 |
|
|
7 |
Seydisfjordur |
13:00 |
22:30 |
|
8 |
Djupivogur |
06:00 |
17:00 |
|
9 |
Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) |
09:00 |
19:00 |
|
10 |
Reykjavik |
08:00 |
Greenland
cruise is Aug 7 – Aug 18
| Day | City | Arrival | Departure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reykjavik | ||
| 2 | Day at Sea/Denmark Strait | ||
| 3 | Ammassalik Island | ||
| 4 | Day at Sea/Prince Christian Sound | ||
| 5 | Qaqortoq | ||
| 6 | Qeqertarsuasiat | ||
| 7 | Nuuk | ||
| 8 | Sisimiut | ||
| 9 | Ilulissat | ||
| 10 | Uummannaq | ||
| 11 | Disko Bay/Qeqertarsuaq | ||
| 12 | Kangerlussuaq |
If I find I have spare time (and cooperative internet) I may post some notes, but more than likely I will just wait until we get back.
