Fire and Ice: A Circumnavigation of Mystical Iceland

Iceland is a unique place and well worth a bucket list visit. The Roads cruise around the island is a great way to get many of the highlights since you get to tour Reykjavik and see little villages as well as various geothermal sites. At the same time you use the boat as your hotel, take advantage of its great services, and avoid the hassle of driving over difficult roads and finding hotels in places where they are not plentiful. Not all the included trips from the boat worked, but on average we were very pleased. The level of activity was not too high, and people who wanted less could just stay on the boat and relax.

Wonderful trip. Educational, inspirational and fun. I learned about Road Scholar from my in-laws who traveled with them frequently back when it was called Elder Hostel. Their trip to Iceland inspired us to take this trip. We had a great time and are already planning our next Road Scholar trip!!!

Wonderful trip - a cruise around Iceland on a small ship is definitely the was to see Iceland! Our guide Eleni was great. The ship was very comfortable and the food and service top notch. All the excursions were very good - we got to see beautiful scenery and countless waterfalls! I highly recommend this trip.

The portion of the trip aboard the MV Sea venture was just right as to the size of the ship, the crew was wonderful, and the "experts" were very knowledgeable and helpful.

Our Iceland trip was wonderful! So much fun, new information, beautiful sights, great group leader, couldn't have asked for more.

The trip to Iceland was a journey back 1000+ years! It was a geological wonderland walking on the island which had been created through incredible volcanic eruptions for thousands of years.

I wouldn't do Iceland any other way than with Road Scholar. The Fire and Ice circumnavigation tour is amazing. You'll see more of Iceland than you would any other way, including remote places and experiences not accessible to the average tourist. Be prepared for variability in the weather, bring water proof and warm clothing as you'd need for winter weather in the northern United States. Also rain pants and jacket. You won't need these things every day but it's better to be prepared. Rest assured that Road Scholar will adapt skillfully to any weather disruptions and ensure that, even if parts of the program are cancelled due to weather, they will be replaced with comparable, if not better, excursions. We enjoyed our trip immensely and look forward to our next Road Scholar program.

Iceland is a magical place and Road Scholar provides an especially good introduction to it - emphasis on content.

Fabulous country to visit. I hope Iceland does not lose its "wildness and beauty" due to tourists discovering the island

I was truly impressed by the quality of all aspects of our Road Scholar cruise around Iceland! Learning and having fun all at the same time made this trip so special. Kathy W.

Absolutely terrific. Fact that most of the activities were from an "expedition ship" rather than a cruise ship made a lot of difference. Captain was able to change itinerary to our benefit as the opportunities arose. Lots of travel by bus is needed due to the nature of Iceland. This resulted in less time at some of the sites but I think this was unavoidable. Starting at the Blue Lagoon was a good plan to help relax from the strenuous travel to get to Iceland. The part of Road Scholar that handles the travel are hard to reach, however when I could reach them, they were very helpful and professional.

Iceland has been on my"bucket list" for several years and this trip gave me a great introduction to the country, its origins, and how it has contributed to the world.

This program was excellent, in that we got a good overview of Iceland. The ship, the Seaventure, was extremely comfortable, and the food and crew were sensational. I would recommend that you take along some scopolamine patches as well as sea bands and Dramamine, just in case. We went quite early in the season, and wore jackets, hats and gloves almost every time we went out. The first two days on board the ship had itinerary changes due to weather. It wasn't a big problem, although we did miss the herring museum as well as walking on a glacier. One important thing to note if you are planning to take this program: spend the extra money to go one day early, and stay at a hotel near the airport. Road Scholar will help you arrange that. The reason is that the way the program is set up right now, people arrive from the States at 6:30 or so in the morning, and then they have an entire day of activity. Most people did not arrive early, and they were totally exhausted by the end of the first day. It was a wonderful trip, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys being outdoors.

Iceland is a very different place and will totally expand your horizons. This is a fairly small cruise ship so as cruises go that was about as good as you can get. Field test your raingear before you go ! Take one pair of not-leather footware!! Forget the idea of an umbrella !!! It is too windy there. I had limited choices on food; on the ship they do not give you ingredients so low-lactose was difficult. The whale watch was very unpopular for everyone I talked to. We raced around the harbor seemingly chasing the whales around. Did not know it was a competition !!! Staff was very nice but they had problems processing my southern accent; complete with mumble. Icelandic has different letters even and the pronunciation tough for some of use. This really IS the way to see Iceland though. The landtours were great!!!!! Be forewarned - this is a ship and the cruise can and probably will be changed when they have problems getting from A to B. The staff did a fabulous job of editing our itinerary when we got stuck in port for an extra day. No real harm done; just different itinerary.

This is a wonderful trip that I think everyone would enjoy, However, you have to be prepared for variable weather that can even change the trip's itinerary.

An amazing trip! We highly recommend!

Red group Leader was Ingiveig. Blue (our group leader) Birgitta Program No. 21877Program Date: Jul 17 - Jul 29, 2022 James Weldy I have 3 issues with this trip. First, Having 2 groups meant meals and some events were not group specific. I felt that took away from the group intimacy that we have experienced in the past. Second it was near impossible to ask Birgitta a question about what he had said and get a clear response. Added to this He was not careful to be sure he spoke to the entire group, beginning at the airport where his instructions were said facing away from much of the group and then not repeated. Third When My wife tested positive for covid we were told to stay in our cabin for the next 3 days. The ventilation in the room did not provide enough air to maintain an acceptable room temperature. No attempt was made to allow us out of the room for fresh air. The museum’s and natural wonders were nice to see and usually the local guides were clear and informative.

Ship and hotel was great. Excursions were great til we caught Covid due to lack of honesty and testing from other travelers outside of Road Scholar. Isolation in cabin was deplorable.

Iceland is a magnificent country, and this itinerary allows you to see a lot of the country. Although most attractions are nature-focused, there were some cultural highlights as well. Both leaders Inga and Birgir, and the local guides were all excellent in the information they provided. Except for one night with somewhat heavy waves, being on the ship was convenient and pleasant.

False information given about tour size; beginning of tour plagued by disorganization on RS part; RS has strained relationships with Icelandic organizations

We had a wonderful time on this trip. Getting to see the entire island without having to pack and unpack multiple times was a huge benefit. The weather was cool and rainy, but we were prepared for it so it didn't impact our enjoyment. It also made the sunny days that much more enjoyable. Luckily the seas were favorable, so we were able to take all of the planned Zodiac outings, including to the "puffin" island.

I would rate this only AVERAGE or a little less. The boat was fine and the leaders were very supportive and attentive to participants' needs. I am disappointed in Road Scholar itself. I like science and this trip had MINIMAL science. I can suggest 3 topics that had very little coverage from the science aspect: the blue lagoon, glacial ice and other topics, the ecology of that denuded land (NO wildlife but birds and what the government is doing about this) which I am sure is NOT the natural ecology. Each of these deserves at least an hour's lecture (or more) BY A SCIENTIST. Also, the boat had an excursion to ride Icelandic horses. This occurred at the time RS drove most of a day to ride a boat for half an hour around a glacial lagoon. Twice I have kayaked among glacial ice and it was great and I learned MORE about the ice than on this trip. I would happily have paid extra for the horseback ride, but I heard of it TOO LATE. So my suggestions: (1) Pass out, just after boarding the boat, a LIST of OTHER EXCURSIONS we could substitute for RS's - what we could do/see, what RS excursion we would have to give up, what extra cost to us. This would alert us to what we might want to substitute. (2) A separate section in you trip descriptions for "LEARNING OBJECTIVES" - a simple list such as (a) intro to Icelandic language and (b) history and current Icelandic culture. This trip should be notable for it's LACK of any scientific objectives. This would have helped me rule the trip out and decide to go to Iceland some other way.

This trip needs a lot of work to bring it up to RoadScholar standards.

This program was largely based aboard the Ocean Diamond and was the first voyage after being in port since the onset of the pandemic. The ship had undergone major renovations right up until a few days before we sailed. It was well appointed, but we experienced frequent major disruptions to several on-board systems, including heating/cooling, water, food preparation and dining room service. Crew had been let go for the pandemic and new crew members were still familiarizing themselves with on-board operations. Covid spread among the passengers in spite of stepped up cleaning and sanitizing routines and disrupted boarding flights back to the US at the end of the program, although these regulations have since been rescinded. The program itself was well organized with full days and our local guides, Harpa and Groa, were excellent. They provided very useful information at orientation, including that credit cards are widely accepted all over the country and there is little or no need to change currency. We were fortunate with weather, but clothing for rain, wind and chilly weather is usually a must for comfort. The Icelandic people are warm, friendly, and casual and English is widely spoken. The itinerary was for the most part set by the ship in terms of stops and excursions, with a few exceptions for our RS group. Expedition guides based aboard ship were excellent and provided informative lectures and guiding in the field. Circumnavigating the island offered the opportunity to see many of the country's notable attractions and beautiful scenery. Lectures about Iceland's geology, history and culture were good, but I wish we had had more detailed information about the production of geothermal energy.

If you have visited Reykjavik and driven the Golden Circle you have not seen enough of Iceland! Iceland is so much more and the "Fire and Ice: A Circumnavigation of Mystical Iceland" lets you experience all the regions of Iceland. If Iceland is on your bucket list this trip is great!

This was a great trip for scenery and birding. We were unlucky in that the weather did not cooperate -- too much rain and cold, down to 2 deg C one morning. So be prepared for any weather.

Highly recommend this program! Iceland is a fascinating country and this program provides an opportunity to explore a lot of it.

Fire and Ice was all I hoped it would be and more. Our guide, Inga, was excellent and took the trip to the next level. Iceland was stunning, interesting, and truly a memorable experience.