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A wide view of the magnificent Gullfoss Falls in Iceland, cascading into a canyon with a trail winding along the grassy cliffs.
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Iceland

Discover the Wilds of Iceland On Board the Ocean Albatros

Program No. 24633RJ
Participant Reviews
4.74
Based on 20 Reviews
SHOWING
Beth – Class of 2024 | Thornton, CO
This program was a fantastic way to experience the highlights of Iceland without having to unpack every few days. "Choose Your Pace" made it accessible and enjoyable for travelers with varying levels of ability.
— Review left October 11, 2025
Edeltraud – Class of 2010 | Bloomington, IN
A very enjoyable experience on the Ocean Albatros and in Iceland.
— Review left September 30, 2025
Barbara – Class of 2004 | Rochester, MA
Interested in going to Iceland....check out Road Scholar Albatros Expeditions aboard a floating venue.
— Review left September 29, 2025
Susan – Class of 2006 | Morrow, OH
Another top-notch educational travel experience.
— Review left September 26, 2025
Kathryn – Class of 2023 | Deltona, FL
"Day 1" of the trip started for a lot of us at 11:30pm on a grueling red-eye flight out of Boston. We wouldn't consider that a "Day 1" experience - more of a travel day. Most of Day 2 was spent bleary-eyed as we fell asleep, exhausted, during the Perlan shows. Starting Day 3, this was an amazing adventure! The scenery was gorgeous. The Ocean Albatros ship was luxurious and first class. Loved the museums and the nature. Most of the bus excursions were very nice. A couple groups were stuck on very filthy old buses for the one long nine-hour day trip. Road Scholar might consider reviewing all bus accommodations in the future. The last two nights were spent at a hotel that was subpar. It could handle large groups. But the accommodations were very spartan and uncomfortable, and the hotel Natura is very inconveniently located in the boonies, far from the nice downtown. Road Scholar tried to make up for it by running shuttle buses which were supposed to run every 30 minutes. However, we waited more than 30 mins in the cold wind because the 4:15pm bus was running early, and the 4:45 was late. Bad timing. We noticed a nice large Hilton hotel downtown which we are sure would have been more comfortable and able to manage large groups. Some people had steps inside their Natura rooms, and tripped and fell in the middle of the night! The cruise part of the trip was a homerun, and ended on a meh note. For almost $2000 a day, we expected a great experience the whole time.
— Review left September 25, 2025
Lynn – Class of 2025 | Marietta, OH
Great way to visit and learn about every aspect of Iceland, its culture, its people and amazing geological features. Spectacular enough to get me into a bathing suit for the thermal lake!
— Review left September 24, 2025
Susan – Class of 2025 | Narrowsburg, NY
I wanted to experience the west, north and east of Iceland and this trip fulfilled my desire completely. The education given was superb. Iceland is memorable in geography, history, scenery, and most of all, the friendly people.
— Review left September 24, 2025
Georgia – Class of 2022 | Pultneyville, NY
My husband and I were thrilled with our first Road Scholar experience. The trip was extremely well organized, your staff was exceptionally accommodating and we had a wonderful time! Thank you!!
— Review left September 22, 2025
Mary – Class of 2022 | Foxboro, MA
Iceland has many natural wonders not to be missed but are spread all over the country. Sailing on the Ocean Albatros is the perfect venue to cover a great deal of territory in comfort with ready spaces for instruction, meeting, and socializing. The program gives you an ocean view with all that that implies and a land view with museums, glaciers, tectonic plates, and more.
— Review left September 22, 2025
David – Class of 2019 | Downingtown, PA
If you want a top-class trip ANYWHERE in the world and are 55+, Road Scholar is the answer. They are professional, cost effective, very capable of handling misadventures that often happen in this age group. "Homogenous travel mate' helps. You deal with only other 55+, no families with three generations....
— Review left September 20, 2025
Scott – Class of 2019 | Saint Joseph, MI
Iceland is an amazing country and culture full of wonderful people and places. It is clean and safe and English is widely understood and used. It is possible to travel in Iceland on one's own, but Road Scholar takes you to places and provides guides and accommodations that greatly enhance ones experience of this island. It is a joy just to focus on the experience and let Road Scholar staff deal with all the details and arrangements!
— Review left September 20, 2025
Roseanne – Class of 2023 | Berkeley, CA
An excellent tour of a fascinating country on a beautiful ship. A once in a lifetime experience!
— Review left October 8, 2024
Sharon – Class of 2019 | Berkeley, CA
Iceland is a starkly beautiful country, well worth a visit. Would recommend reading up a little on the history (and Sagas) of the country before visiting; it enriches the experience. By September, the birds had mostly migrated, and we saw very few whales at quite a distance away, so wildlife spotting was not really part of our experience. The Ocean Albatross is a great ship, very comfortable and lots of amenities. Road Scholar staff and lecturers and the Ocean Albatross staff are all terrific, very friendly, amazingly organized. The lectures helped me to better understand not only the history and Sagas of Iceland, but also global volcanism and plate tectonics. I also really enjoyed getting to know my fellow travelers. However, with buses full of Road Scholar passengers to move around, and timelines incredibly restricted, it felt very much like we were constantly being herded with no time to look around; certainly no time to talk with locals other than our local guides. We spent loads of time in lines, given that most of the stops were popular tourist attractions anyway, with other buses and boats unloading. Lastly, our 2024 itinerary put us in ports either early mornings (before anything but the bakery was open) or on a Sunday, when few things open, which was very disappointing. I see the itinerary has changed for 2025 to allow for a weekday afternoon in Reykjavík - I would have liked to experience that.
— Review left October 4, 2024
Lynne – Class of 2024 | Tavistock, United Kingdom
The Land of Ice and Fire didn’t disappoint. As well as crossing into the Arctic Circle this programme offers the perfect introduction to a country that has a rich cultural and geological history. With so many opportunities to explore, from city to village to island and with input from excellent speakers, I came away inspired to learn more, The vast Icelandic scenery is breathtaking, both stark yet beautiful, and where else can you stand with one foot on the American tectonic plate and one foot on the Eurasian plate and start to appreciate the enormity of it all. I’d definitely recommend this trip.
— Review left October 3, 2024
Amanda – Class of 2006 | Pittsburgh, PA
Viewing puffins and seabirds was part of the advertisement for this trip. However, the puffins and most other seabirds had already migrated. This was a great disappointment to us. If we'd known this, we probably would have gone to Iceland when they were in residence. Also, we felt that there were too many museums and not enough nature. We did enjoy the things that we did, especially the glacier lagoon.
— Review left September 26, 2024
This participant did not give a star rating.
Trudy – Class of 2023 | Castaic, CA
The trip was awesome. Five star from start to finish. Crew, passengers, and Road Scholar staff were top notch. Iceland was amazing and the education they provided made the journey more meaningful. It is a truly beautiful country.
— Review left September 24, 2024
Andrea – Class of 2019 | Littleton, CO
FIVE STARS This is an exceptional program. The Ocean Albatross is a beautiful and comfortable small ship and the staff and crew are friendly and professional. The scenery can't be beat. Every day offers something new and fascinating to enjoy. Volcanoes, glaciers, geysers. Oh my! Lovely group leaders, experienced local experts, great food all help to round out the experience. Everyone enjoyed the mineral bath spa. Highly recommend!!
— Review left September 24, 2024
Jan – Class of 1983 | San Jose, CA
This is an excellent way to experience the wonders of Iceland in the company of fellow travelers who love life and travel.
— Review left September 24, 2024
Susan – Class of 2017 | Franklin, VA
Iceland is a visual and learning fun trip. Highly recommend the albatross ship as the vehicle.
— Review left September 23, 2024
James – Class of 2017 | Franklin, VA
Excellent program. Iceland is an amazing place with a geology probably found in few areas. Highly recommend. The ship is is superb.
— Review left September 23, 2024