Iceland cruises offer a variety of options for travelers seeking a unique and unforgettable experience. Some of the top Iceland cruises include Viking Cruises’ Icelands Natural Beauty, which offers 7-night sailings in July and August starting from 4,299, while Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Golden Circle Expedition is best for families. Windstar Cruises’ Around Iceland with Windstar Cruises is also a popular choice for cultural immersion. Lindblad Expeditions’ Wild Iceland Escape is a short cruise, while Silverseas Reykjavík to Reykjavík is a luxury cruise. Ponants Iceland Mosaic is known for its underwater views. Cruise Critic provides the latest deals on Iceland cruises, allowing travelers to plan their next cruise with cabin price comparison, departure ports, and dates. The Ocean Diamond cruise line, with a maximum capacity of 210 passengers, offers spacious public spaces and offers a journey through dramatic landscapes, northern lights, and vibrant culture. Popular cruise lines include Windstar Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Holland America Line (HAL), and Oceania. The Ocean Diamond offers unique Iceland cruises and Greenland tours, while Viking Cruises offers Iceland’s Natural Beauty ocean cruises.
📹 9 Biggest Pros and Cons Of Cruising To Iceland
Should you cruise to Iceland? If you want to visit Iceland what are the pros and cons of cruising over doing a land-based visit.
How much does a 7 day cruise cost for one person?
What Is the Average Cost of a Cruise for 2 People?. The average cruise cost for two people in 2024 can vary based on factors such as cruise line, duration, cabin type, and destination. As per the provided search results, the average price for a seven-day cruise is around $1,500 per person, totaling $3,000 for a couple. It’s essential to note that this is a general estimate, and actual costs may differ.
Additionally, guests often spend extra on onboard expenses such as drinks, excursions, specialty dining, and gratuities. On average, guests may spend around $680 on these extras, adding $1,360 for a couple.
- The cruise line’s reputation
- The ship’s amenities
- The chosen cabin category (inside, oceanview, balcony, or suite)
- The cruise itinerary
How much money do you need for a 5 day cruise?
Most guests bring $50-$120 cash per day to spend during the cruise. You will have many opportunities to purchase duty free goods, take exciting shore excursions, buy local souvenirs, play your chance in the casino, or enjoy some pampering in the spa.
Most guests bring $50-$120 cash per day to spend during the cruise. You will have many opportunities to purchase duty free goods, take exciting shore excursions, buy local souvenirs, play your chance in the casino, or enjoy some pampering in the spa. You can charge these items to your shipboard account or pay with a debit or credit card for “in port” purchases.
Once you are off the ship and touring your destination while in port, It is a good idea to carry cash for the smaller purchases. Most guests spend on transportation, tips, gifts, food, and shopping.
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Can you cruise around Iceland?
One of the most popular means of discovering Iceland through cruise ship travel is to take a circumnavigational trip around the island, making stops at a number of country’s ports. This way, guests will have the opportunity to see each of Iceland’s unparalleled regions, as well as soak in the Icelandic coastline in all of its glory.
There are eighteen ports in Iceland which will be listed in alphabetical order below. Reykjavík, however, is by far the busiest, and a citywith two major harbours, so to avoid any confusion, it will be discussed first.
Iceland’s capital city is the heart of the country, central to the tour industry and a cultural, historical hub with a wealth of activities on offer. It has two mainharbours, the Old Harbour, or Miðbakki, and the New Harbour, or Skarfabakki, which in turn have several quays that your cruise ship may dock at.
Can you see the northern lights from a cruise ship in Iceland?
In short, the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland on a cruise is late August and September, any year between 2021 and 2026.
If you’re ready to cruise to see Northern Lights in Iceland, check out Holland America Line’s Iceland cruises to explore your options.
What is the best month to cruise to Iceland?
June, July, August, and September are the best months to take a cruise in Iceland. June starts the extended days of summer daylight where whale watching is in full effect. The lingering clear nights of fall begin in September when spectacular sightings of the Northern Lights often occur.
Although Iceland is a year-round destination, the summer weather makes it the time of year that cruises have many different itineraries in the region. For smaller crowds, both spring and fall give way to adventures on the water exploring the glaciers, fjords, national parks, and small villages of the island. For details about planning a trip around specific months, contact a member of our team.Iceland Cruises in June-Weather and WildlifeIceland’s average temperature in June is just below 50 F. The month has the least amount of rainfall and is the time of the midnight sun. From the 16th to the 29th, the sun sets after midnight and the 21st of the month is the longest day of the year with only a few hours of nightfall.This is a great time to explore Iceland. The currents of the sea create ideal conditions for a thriving underwater ecosystem which brings 23 species of whales to the waters including orcas, humpbacks, minke whales, and blue whales. Other creatures of the sea to keep an eye out for in open waters are white-beaked dolphins. Around 60% of the Atlantic Puffin live on the shores of inhabited and uninhabited islands around Iceland during the summer, and June is one of the earliest months to see them.
Iceland Cruises in July-Activities and AdventureJuly in Iceland is a time when the weather, the prolonged daylight hours, and the wildlife converge- exploring on a cruise lets you cover a lot of ground. At sea, whale watching while relaxing on the deck in the late hours of the evening is a rare experience. On land, discover colonies of terns and puffins, trek to waterfalls close to traditional fishing villages, and wander the streets of towns at the back of isolated fjords make for fun-filled days.
Are there any cruises around Iceland?
The Iceland cruise season is just five months long, from May to September, and Holland America Line offers plenty of Iceland cruises to enjoy the season and make lasting memories.
How expensive is it to travel around Iceland?
It is relatively expensive, but maybe the thing to look at here is that it is not the *most* expensive country in the world. An average trip to Iceland will cost you between $100 and $200 a day. So, for a week-long holiday, you can expect to spend between $700 and $1400.
One of the first things to come to mind for many when thinking about Iceland – apart from fire and ice – is how expensive it is. But is it that expensive compared to other nations?
Well, yes. It is relatively expensive, but maybe the thing to look at here is that it is not the *most* expensive country in the world. An average trip to Iceland will cost you between $100 and $200 a day. So, for a week-long holiday, you can expect to spend between $700 and $1400.
It is also possible to get away from Iceland without burning a hole in your pocket.
How much does a cruise around to Iceland cost?
Top 8 Iceland Cruise & Tour DealsTrip NameSaveFromIceland & Greenland PassageCustom Label$11099Three Arctic Islands: Iceland, Greenland and SpitsbergenCustom Label$18295Iceland in DepthSavings$8058From the St Lawrence to Greenland, the Last Moments of WinterSavings$25610.
On this active 10-day Iceland cruise aboard the National Geographic Explorer, you’ll circumnavigate Iceland and witness glaciers, geysers, thundering waterfalls, immense cliffs, geothermal springs, boiling mud pots, and lava-scapes of on dinghies, hiking, or kayaking. Visit Reykjavik, Ísafjördur, Lake Mývatn and Húsavík, Siglufjördur and Akureyri.
There are three ways of getting to Iceland, by airplane, by ferry, and by cruise ship. Approximately 20 airlines fly to Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport all year round from main cities in Europe and North America. For visitors driving into the country, the Norröna ferry sails weekly from Denmark via the Faroe Islands. Finally, many cruises from Scandinavia and Greenland include stops in Iceland, giving visitors a chance to explore this wonderful country.
By air: Direct flights to Iceland from Europe are about 4-5 hours. From North America, they are 5-6 hours. From other countries, you will have to transfer in Europe.Most flights arrive to the Keflavik International Airport.
Why is Iceland so expensive to travel?
Taxes in Iceland are high, including import taxes, and again, it’s due to Iceland’s small market and population. However, the state maintains a strong infrastructure, e.g. a wide-ranging welfare system and an extensive road network. When fewer people shoulder those costs, it means higher taxes per person. The state also levies heavy tolls on imports in order to maintain local production, for environmental, social, and safety reasons. Local production, e.g. food production, does not have the same economies of scale as producers in other countries and therefore cannot keep the prices down to the same level. In order to support local production, protective tariffs are used on imports. These reasons seemed validated e.g. during the Covid pandemic when global supply lines were disrupted.
Iceland’s small population leads to a small market making it less attractive to global companies. A good example is from the global financial crisis in 2008 when the exchange rate of the local currency ISK plummeted. McDonald’s no longer considered Iceland a feasible market to operate in, so they shut down all McDonald’s locations in the country. A side note: Some Icelanders were happy to see the American burger chain leave the country while others missed it immediately, some to the extent that the first thing they do when visiting other countries is to grab a McDonald’s burger. In a similar vein, some Icelanders have regularly complained about the lack of Starbucks, but the café chain has never seen a reason to open a branch in Iceland due to the small size of the market.
When Costco opened a store in Iceland in 2017, there was great excitement in the air, as Icelanders were only used to local grocery stores like Bónus and Krónan, where the variety is limited compared with other countries and prices are also significantly higher. The hype was so great that a large part of the population joined a Facebook group for sharing photos and prices of products bought in Costco. When this is written, roughly 25% of Iceland’s population are members of the group (97,482 members while the population of Iceland was 387,800 at the end of 2022).
Is cruising a good way to see Iceland?
The centre of Iceland is basically a large wasteland of lava, and so all the key sights and places you’re going to want to see, stop at or go to are around the coast. So, going on a cruise is very logical. If you want to see Iceland by land, you have to drive around one key road that goes right around the island. This is Highway 1, the Ring Road, and it is 880 two miles long (1,300 kilometres) and, if you want to see the island, you’re going to have to go all the way around the coastal area.
So, a cruise is a great way of getting there. The Ring Road is not a particularly big road and can be very busy, so it makes a lot of sense to go on a cruise. It’s going to take you to all of the keyplaces and sights that you want to see as they are in easy access of the port’s that you call on.
The two big classic things that you’re going to want to see are what’s known as the “Golden Circle” out of Reykjavik, and then you also have the “Jewels of the North”. If you go on the “Golden Circle”, you’re going to see three of Iceland’s most impressive and important landmarks: Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall and the Geysir.
What is the cheapest month to visit Iceland?
The cheapest time to visit Iceland The off-season begins in early Autumn and goes into late Spring (from September to May). There are far fewer tourists and crowds from January through May, which means flights, car rentals, and accommodation are at their cheapest.
Sofie is a nomadic journalist who loves to write about people, places, and food. In her free time, she can be found twirling around in her dancing shoes.
Iceland is one of the most popular travel destinations for travelers with adventure-filled bucket lists, but the cost is a common concern. Lucky for you, we have created a handy guide on the best time to visit Iceland if you are on a budget and all the best activities you can do during this season!
If you are looking for the best time to visit Icelandwhile getting the best value possible,werecommendtravelingduring the off-season.
How much does a 4 day cruise usually cost?
How Much Does a 4-Day Cruise Cost per Person?. Depending on a number of factors, the cost of a four-day cruise can vary significantly. However, establishing a rough figure as the starting point would be useful. An average of $250 to $1,500 per person can be spent on a 4-day cruise. This wide price range covers everything from affordable cruises to luxury vacations.
1. Understanding the basics. When selecting a cruise line and ship, your choice significantly impacts the overall cost of your cruise vacation. Various factors vary across cruise lines, including the price range and accommodation type. Here’s an overview of some of the most popular options:
- Budget cruises: Budget-friendly cruise lines provide a wide range of onboard activities without breaking the bank. On the lower end of the price spectrum, you can find four-day cruises typically priced between $250 and $400 per person.
- Midrange cruises: For those seeking a balance between quality and affordability, cruise lines in the midrange category are suitable. A four-day cruise in this category generally costs $500 to $800 per person.
- Luxury Cruises: If you’re looking for an opulent and exclusive experience, luxury cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages. A four-day luxury cruise can start at $1,000 per person, with prices increasing significantly for each cabin category.
📹 We sailed our first GREENLAND & ICELAND Cruise 2024 | The Good, Bad & Ugly (Our Honest Full Review)
For information on how you can book your next Cruise with JJ Cruise contact us at [email protected] In our JJ Cruise News …
I live in Iceland and I work as a tour guide. I definitely recommend to go on a land based tour. The most beautiful part of Iceland is the South Coast where you can see Seljanlandsfoss (waterfall), Eyjafjallajökull (volcano and icecap), Skógafoss (waterfall), Dyrholaey (promontory), Reynisfjara (black sand beach), Vík (small seaside town), Eldraun (lava field) and Jökulsárlón (glacier lagoon with icebergs). This part of Iceland is almost never offered as an excursion from the cruise ships.
Gary, your tip regarding land based costs is invaluable information. Having visited Iceland three times, I can attest that food and drink are extremely expensive. One bottle of beer is around 9 US dollars. The price of gas/petrol was 9 dollars per gallon (although they use liters). I filled our rental car one time, filling an 11 gallon tank. Cost over $100! Having said all this, it is my favorite place on the planet and well worth a visit.
We did a driving trip (rental car) of Iceland two years ago. It far more beautiful than the pictures show. Prices are like NYC or London. You will go way over on your budget. Our GPS only worked part time as the spelling of roads was different for the GPS and the local spelling. Lot of traffic and road construction and detours. We want to back but will cruise next time.
We did a cruise in Iceland with Princess some years ago. We called at four ports. I found it was much colder than I had expected (I packed as if for Alaska) and bought some hats, etc. in port. I had to miss an excursion at Reykjavik but spent the day exploring the city. It is small, but so interesting, and the people I met were just lovely.
You make some very valid points… my wife and I visited Iceland for two weeks the summer of 2018. It was her first time, but I had been to Iceland many times before… way back when the US maintained a naval air station at Keflavik, so this was my first trip as a tourist. We stayed in self-catering cottages and drove a lot. While driving to see something can be tiresome, there is nothing like buying groceries in a foreign country to immerse yourself in the culture. Also, being on your own agenda allows you to rearrange the itinerary to suit your mood or the weather or even stop for a hotdog at a gas(petrol) station. The ring road can be slow, but drivers are usually quite courteous and it is not much of a challenge… except for those long one lane bridges! The true magic is hiring a 4×4 vehicle and going through the middle of the country on one of the mountain roads. As always, careful planning and planning in advance are the keys to an enjoyable trip.
Agreed. Iceland is awesome! And a cruise make perfect sense for all the reasons you have stated. I’d do that circumnavigation of the island in a heartbeat if I lived in Britain or had local access to a cruise line that did round trips. Still, I’m going to add that itinerary on my list. Next year, I’m making it to Greenland via Princess out of New York. That should be awesome too… I love a good old fishing village. 🙂 Thanks, Gary!!
I went two times to Iceland and planned the trips myself. The first time I flew to Reykjavik and stayed there for a week and only travelled little to the outskirts. The second time I actually took my car by ferry and did a tour of the island. And it was absolutely amazing. I can say the best sights of Iceland lie way beyond the crowded touristy areas. There are also some very enjoyable sections on the Ringroad if you like driving. Also if you ever go to Iceland, do not miss Isafjordur in the Westfjords and DRIVE there. It’s a long drive from Reykjavik for sure but the views are stunning and the road seems deserted for literally hundreds of miles. I did my driving tour in October 2018 and we also had a snowstorm which added to the stress but also to the adventure (thankfully nothing bad happened, we did not get stuck or anything similar).
Thank you for your honesty. Really good to know how to see and experience Iceland. Even in your article, one can see that all of the sites are fairly crowded, and that driving about isn’t necessarily going to give one a personal experience. I’d love to see Iceland. Hate to fly (in general, and because of carbon footprint) so it is great to have an alternative.
Having just returned a short time ago from a cruise on Cunard’s Queen Victoria, I would certainly agree with your comments. We first visited Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands, and then three stops in Iceland, overnighting in Reykijavik. The cost of living in Iceland was quite high; in some cases double the cost one would pay in the UK, or Canada.
For the more adventurous, do both. Take your own vehicle to Iceland and get the best of both worlds. The ferry travels from Hirtshals, Denmark via the Faroes to Seydisfjordur in Eastern Iceland. It takes three nights either way and then drive the ring road. The ferry has limited entertainment though! I love cruising and have been many times on a cruise but this was definitely a more rewarding trip.
One thing I never see anyone mention is the sheer crush of humanity at the tourist spots in the golden circle. Like angry people trying to fight us for a parking spot, thousands lined up to see a waterfall, rudeness, trashed trails, and not a moment of peace if you go some place during the day. Otherwise, loved Iceland, going back next summer.
Hello Gary of Tips For Travellers firstly I’d like to congratulate you on surpassing 90,000 subscribers then the article is very good as like your articles I’ve seen and listened to and as for Iceland it’s one of those countries I’d love to visit at sometime in my life as it’s a place that I’ve been impressed by since the 1980s/1990s though I must admit that I’ve not travelled abroad since 1992 as I’d lost interest in travelling though I’d like to start to get up and go travelling again at a given time as soon as whenever and I must say that’s it’s a very good method of going to Iceland by means of cruising and then go another time to do and inland tour on road by car or coach so that’s it for now and hope your enjoying/ed your cruise time to Iceland so until then take and cheerio
We went to Iceland 3 months ago on Cunard we did our research before we went and were told everything would be ok as I am in a wheelchair. That was not true it was extremely disapointing. The problems were caused by other very rude travellers that made life very difficult. Please if you see someone in a wheelchair don’t expect them to be able to get up and walk the lengthy of a 70 seater coach and to sit on a broken seat with no seatbelt.
Thank you for the article, I think that many of your pros and cons apply to all cruises, not just Iceland. I have visited Iceland many times and it is a magical place. If you have an overnight in Reykjavik, a golden circle tour can be booked in advance from the BSI bus station for half the cost. It is easy to get to on a local bus, or you can be picked up by the excursion company from downtown. I also recommend a local pool at a fraction of the cost of the Blue Lagoon, for immersion into Icelandic culture.
As you have stated, almost all food is imported. Most of it comes from Scandinavia which is not only a long way away, but is also expensive. There are very few farms in Iceland, and tourists appear to be expected to live on fish and endless proccessed food. At least on a cruise you can eat “real” food. It may work out cheaper than budgeting about £60 a day for cafe food plus £100 a night for cheaper hotels. The other point is that I thought that The Northern Lights are likely to be more visible at sea where you can try to keep away from obvious light pollution. However, please do your own research first!
eating in excursions isn’t part of the price of cruising I remember that. is taking some food from the ship considered rude (and more or less socially unacceptable) or are there places on the ship where you can buy sandwiches and the like to eat later on? and are they on your experience worth if financially or is it better to experience the local foods? This is meant as a general question, not to a specific place.
You are right about Iceland being expensive. We have spent 7 days in Reykjavik over 3 visits breaking up the flight from Frankfurt to Denver. We have only eaten at a restaurant once and that must have been with cheaper early dining. I looked at eating there on a next trip and it would have been well over $100 for a pretty minimal meal. The only reasonable food are the hot dogs – around $5each. Everytime we got food for meals in a convenience store, it ended up coating about $75 ! Renting an apartment there was 3-4 times more expensive than Germany
We took a 2 week Northern Isles cruise with Holland America in 2019, and loved it! It was a loop tour starting and ending in Copenhagen, 2 ports Norway, 4 ports/ 5 days in Iceland, Shetland Island and 1 port Scotland. Great Viking heritage cruise. Iceland was one of the reasons we took the cruise. Gary did a great job explaining and showing highlights. The excursions from HAL were expensive. We took a couple but the did local tours that were fabulous. The towns are small so easy to walk around. A couple days we did a 2-4 hour local tour, ate in town and explored on our own in town/went to museums etc. One of my favorite cruises! 🛳🥰 (PS…Copenhagen is fabulous) I forgot to say that Iceland is cold even in the summer so be prepared, we saw many people that were not.
You can do it Cheaply by staying at Airbnb”s where you can get a breakfast, go to grocery stores and get lunch supplies, and then for dinner order something you can split with the other person. We rented a beater Suzuki from a rental Co. who picked us up to their site and then returned us back to the Airport after our week there. Stay away from the blue Lagoon and go Local to community facilities. the car was our biggest expense. without the car each one spent 600 dollars with the car 1000. the car cost 800 for the week. the Co was called Sad Cars no joke.
Hi. We are going on our first Icelandic cruise this summer. From your experience, were you able to wander straight off the boat to find things to do or did you feel like the port was far away from the towns and would require transportation into town. We have some excursions planned but would like a day to just wander.
In our opinion you are the best cruise reviewer on YouTube so we can only surmise that you got the cruise on Saga for free as we cannot comprehend you actually choosing Saga on purpose. This is the VERY worst cruise line we have ever been on. It is supposed to be a 3 star cruise line but in our opinion it should be a 2 star cruise line. It is only for people over 50. We are in our mid sixties but feel that Saga should rather be only for people with very low expectations. On top of this is that it is not a low cost cruise line but definitely is a “cheap” cruise line. Avoid at all cost.
Just don’t cruise to Iceland on Princess. All our ports were canceled. Our ship (Sky Princess) then headed out for the open ocean. We later turned around because I guess they had to drop off contracted entertainers or something. They decided to let us off, taking hours for the tender to unload 4,000 people. Several suitcases came off also. It looked like people were fed up with just floating around in the open sea. They were able to get land transportation to Reykjavik. Our compensation…$300.00 off our next cruise if taken within a year. I had saved up for several years for this cruise. How was I supposed to earn enough money for another cruise in one year?
I do love your articles a lot, but on this one I do have to disagree with your “pros” about cruising to Iceland. In one month we’re leaving to Iceland for the 7th time and must say that Iceland is the last country that I would recommend visiting with a cruise. The most beautiful parts of Iceland are simply not accessible with a cruise because of being way too far from a port. The places you’re mentioning in your article as being the “hot spots” are indeed hot spots for first travelers and for those who don’t mind visiting those places while they are overcrowded with tourists all coming off the cruise ship together. Iceland is THE place to visit with a land based tour (also cost wise), in my opinion.
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So, basically, the cost is a pro and a con…. nice! It’s easy to make articles like this, using the same situation as pro and as con. Basically cruising to Iceland is good for useless people who can’t do anything on their own, because for everyone else it is better to go and see it like a normal person. Even better is to rent a car and during a week to circle the island and see everything… and I mean everything, not just the touristic places the cruise will take you to.