Aug 19 Keflavik Flights Home
With the time change we only got about 3 hours of sleep before we had to be up for the airport pickup. Breakfast was open so we popped in and ate. We went out front of the hotel where we were to meet our taxi and the German lady that we met on the cruise was there and a couple that wasn’t on our cruise.
When the
taxi showed up it wasn’t for the other couple but had the German ladies name
and we were to travel together. The other couple was at loose ends and asked if
they could ride with us. We said no problem, but that was up to the driver. He
said he was fine with it as long as we were. Win-Win. I hope he was paid for
the other couple as the cruise line paid for the 3 of us, but they weren’t with
our group. Everyone tipped him, so he at least got that. I imagine the taxi
cost the same no matter how many passengers so I’m sure the driver wasn’t out
of any money.
Our
flight to Boston was delayed by an hour which shortened our layover to 2 hours,
so no biggie.
We
arrived in Boston where we had lunch at Legal Seafood. I had the ½ lb Maine
lobster roll and Greg had a smaller lobster roll with clam chowder. I have to
say it probably was the best tasting lobster roll I have ever had.
We
went back to the gate to see that it still listed no time for takeoff. The word
we got was that the plane was stuck in Puerto Rico with mechanical issues. It
was to leave at 2:30. We waited and waited. Oddly, the airport was so cold
everyone was wearing sweatshirts. I was glad that at the last minute I moved my
heavy fleece to my carryon to cushion everything inside. I put it on, and I was
still freezing. Loud, cold, and smelly, what a pleasant experience. Fun to
people watch in airports, though.
The
plane kept getting later and later and we were told we should be out by 9:00.
So, we needed to find dinner and chose Mexican food, and we shared some really
good nachos.
By now we had been up for nearly 24 hours (add in the 4 hour time difference from Iceland) At long last we boarded the “Disney flight” to Orlando. The biggest issue with flying in and out of Orlando is that there are always lots of families with lots of kids.
We arrived in Orlando and got our luggage and headed out to pick up the rental car. There was no paperwork waiting for us since we were to arrive at 4:45. It’s nearly midnight and the lady at the counter wasn’t at all helpful. They were supposed to hold the car for 12 hours, but they did not. She went in search of a car that we could take. She finally came back with a set of keys and got us on our way after about half an hour. As we are driving away Greg sees that the maintenance light is on. It was for a tire.
We have had really
bad luck with the last 4 rental vehicles. Remember our outbound rental had a
maintenance required light that wouldn’t allow the speedometer or the gas gauge
to be seen. So, not wanting to possibly die in a blow out on the way home, we
circle back around to the car drop off place. No one is there and we followed
the signs for Avis but ended up a lane off and the guy who didn’t speak much
English just repeated SUV and pointed. We drove to where he thought he pointed
(next to an SUV), but the Avis guy was there and pointed out where to go. At
night they bock the exit with their SUV and then get out and let people out.
So, we finally got the right lane and parked the car. No one was there to check
in the car, so Greg goes back to the lady that rented it and she said she would
get us a different car. So, dead tired we get out all of our luggage and drag
it to another car. Since no one was there I took the keys back to her (since
all the signs said there was a huge fine if you didn’t return them), but she
yelled at me that they needed to stay in the car. She wouldn’t take them, so I
drag myself back and tossed them in the car. (I wanted to toss them in her
face…lol)
Finally,
the car was loaded, and we appreciated the upgraded car she gave us and stopped
for a cold drink for the drive home. We got home at 3:30 in the morning. (7:30
in the morning Iceland time) We crashed and burned and got up our usual times
to get back on Florida time. Unpacked and started some laundry and had to do
some grocery shopping. UGH. Tough getting back to real life. Air travel is
definitely not the fun part of travel, but a necessary evil.
Final thoughts:
It’s
amazing that Iceland Pro Cruises made us feel more special than Princess did
for a world cruise. We were blessed with glorious warm weather with only a few
short moments of a bit of rain, which of course helped the experience. However,
the friendliness of the expedition leaders, the efficiency of the restaurant
and bar staff was like cruising used to be. From the Captain on down everyone
was always “on”.
The
guys that helped us onto the Zodiacs were amazing. The challenge for me was
having use of only one arm and they normally have 2 people one on each arm on
the ship and in the Zodiac, and I just said, “left arm only” and they adjusted
their “sailor’s grip stance” with no problem. Eventually, they got to know me.
Jo
Mark from the Philippines was the head bartender, and he took a shine to us. On
about the 3rd night in the dining room he presented me with my diet
coke receipt to sign and the black book was empty, and he just smiled and walked
away. He did that a couple of nights in a row, and I said they can’t all be free
and finally just stopped by to say, “I got you”. When the others waited on us,
we signed for the drinks. He always called us Mam (or mom) Annette and Sir
Gregory. Towards the end of the Greenland cruise, he would wait for me at the
lunch buffet and would carry my plate to the table with a diet coke in hand.
He was
rewarded with a big tip (in addition to the included tips for each department)
and he was so pleased. He actually works for the company that owns the ship and
not Iceland Pro that leases it. His contract will be up on Sep 15 and has 1
more Greenland and another Iceland before going to Amsterdam before having a
month and a half off before going to with the ship to Antarctica and he told me
he has been many times.
Peter the Maitre D, and the dining room staff were amazing. Always stopping by every table to make
sure everything was OK. Peter led by example, and you could tell he had a good
rapport with his waitstaff. He helped them and would do anything they asked to
get the job done. He worked for Holland America for many years and quite a few
other lines before “retiring” to work on Expedition ships with the company that
owns the ship. (I think it’s half a Swiss company and half Icelandic)
Each
of the Expedition guides (they work for Iceland Pro) had different specialties
and styles of guiding. Some easily switched back and forth between English and
German without losing the audience by switching back and for after just a few
sentences while others lost control of their groups when they would talk for 5
minutes or more in 1 language and then the other group wandered away. There
were 2 that were kind of slow and boring, but the rest were awesome.
Most Expedition Leaders spoke several languages. While pronunciation might be a bit off (only with a few words) they were amazing at catering to the English speakers and well as the Germans and Icelanders on the trip. We all chuckled when they pronounced geyser "geezer".
The
meals always included lots of fresh vegetables and fruit with the entrees or on
the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Always hot and fresh.
The
deck parties were fun, and the staff blended right in with us, which made it
more special. Included food and drinks is something we used to see on cruise
ships for deck parties, but not for many years. It seems now the regular cruise lines' parties were just opportunities to try and
sell more drinks.
Little
things like big fluffy towels and the newly revamped ship were a welcome
surprise. They still do turndown service with chocolates on the bed. We were upgraded from a porthole several decks up with large windows. It was a semi-promenade, but you could see out of the windows, and no one could see in.
The
crew talent shows at the end of the cruises were so fun and they always ended
with a bunch of songs about leaving like Leaving on a Jet Plane, (your bags are
packed and ready to go) and other songs about being sad to see us go. Corny, but it seemed so genuine.
We normally would just wander the towns on our own, but their $20
city walks were great orientation to the villages, and we learned a lot
about the area which really was nice and then we could wander on our own after.
Since they probably don't get as many repeat passengers as Princess (or other mass market lines), they still treated you like they were trying to win you over.
If I were to nitpick, the only part that needs improvement is their ground transfers where local companies were in charge, and they didn't go as smoothly. Another thing we didn't expect was that our cabin was HOT. So, I had brought warmer things to sleep in and they were useless. Luckily, since we spent the night in Orlando prior, I had one lightweight thing to sleep in. Same with the hotels in Iceland. I imagine they are more concerned with cold weather not the kind of weather we were lucky enough to have had.
We are glad that we decided to do the more in-depth exploration of both Iceland and Greenland. I really enjoyed the small villages the most and this took us where we could see Puffins up close. It was more like "expedition lite", a good combination of a great cruise experience and Zodiacs to get to shore and do cruises to see birds and look for critters. We are also glad that we chose Iceland Pro Cruises. We loved Quark in Antarctica, which was a similar experience, but more hard-core wet landings and wading to shore.
We saw 26 new bird species to make out total 1,725 birds on the Life List.
Well, next I'll have my rotator cuff surgery on Sep 11 and then recovery and no travel until our Asia trip in March of next year.
Thanks for following along on our latest adventure.
Videos have been added to the Google Online Albums. They are too large to add to the blog.
Ammassalik, Tassiliq - Dog feeding and skinning & gutting the seal, Drum Dance
Flatley Island - Puffins
Siglufjordur - Herring Girls
Grimsey Island - The Spinning Phalaropes (birds feeding while they spin)
Reykjavik - Golden Circle tour - Geyser area
Denmark Strait - Sperm Whale (they blow forward)
