Question about flight to Reykjavik and home from London

Prices were good even one way. I did not get any warnings about having
a return ticket.

> You shouldn't have a problem as long as you have onward travel booked. Personally on this complicated of an itinerary, I would have paper copies for immigration. So you will arrive into Reykjavik where you're entering Schengen. Depart Schengen via ship to England, thus you'd be entering the UK, and then flying out of the UK to the USA. (I know you're working on ETA, so that's going to be covered.) The airlines aren't going to warn you about one-way, that's an immigration issue. But it's not a problem, as you have inward & outbound covered.

The problem with looking at flights more than a year out is that you can't book this far in advance so the website is basing its pricing on....I don't know what????? A magic 8 ball? Coin toss?

I believe both on Delta and American tickets are not available more than 331 days in advance.

Pam is correct on all counts. In addition, if you book any flights 331 days out, the chances
the schedule you originally booked is the one you end up with is about 10%. As far as
getting into a country goes, if you have documents showing your future travel after the
one-way flight, you will be fine, but most likely they won't even ask, unless perhaps your
passport is close to expiring.

So around October, you should see actual flights and fares you can book. Now, perhaps
the cruise line can book airfare for you and they have some sort of contract in place to
give you some idea of fares. But contracts for that type of thing are most likely renewed
yearly, and given the overall uncertainty in oil prices, and even currency exchange rates,
what you see now has no guarantee to be close to what you see for next September.
In addition, peruse the forum for people asking for advice about when to book airfare.
The answer is, "who knows for sure???".

What is your originating airport? An itinerary that is Delta one way and American non-stop
the other only makes sense for 3 or 4 airports.

Finally, another option is to book a RT to London, and take a one-way to Reykjavik the next
day, or later if you want to spend some time in London. The chances of that being cheaper
than the other itinerary are nontrivial.

Both Pam & shoeflyer made some excellent points. I know you're a planner, but wait this one out until October. I hope you're using Google Flights? And the idea of RT to LHR with a one-way add on to Iceland is also a good idea!

London and Reykjavik are two of the best cities in Europe to be able to book one-way flights for cheap and without having to pay a one-way penalty. Last time we went we flew over on Delta/Virgin to London and home on Iceland Air. IA does a great job and I’d totally fly them again.

I think multi-city makes sense when you are flying same airline/partners. In this case, since best tickets are Delta and American, one way might be cheaper. But I agree that you need to look at prices and booking later this year.

Delta will not book more than a year in advance.

Thank you to everyone for your answers

I was just doing research early. Just getting some ideas of how I am going to get there and home again.

I would not book until less than a year in advance.

So, in addition to looking at flights, you need to consider how many days in advance you would like to arrive in Reykjavik to time your flight. Iceland is very expensive. You certainly want to arrive at least one day prior to your cruise and hopefully more. Look at hotel prices and budget accordingly. Food will also be quite expensive. Example, a pizza could cost around $45.

It is easy to get from the airport into town by bus. No need to pay for a cruise line transfer.

I frequently travel with two one way tickets on different airlines when using frequent flier miles. It has never been an issue. In fact, no one has ever asked me to prove I had a return flight!

I fly from the West Coast so a bit different than you, but Iceland Air has always had the best prices for me.

PS I understand cruise pricing is usually best when just released. You are smart to plan/schedule your cruise far in advance.

hi shoeflyer

I live in Austin, TX and we have very few non stops. It is exciting that I will be able to fly home non stop.

But good idea to fly round trip non stop to London and add Reykjavik going. That would be American non stop and they will put me on B A so I believe.

EDITED I could book air through Norwegian Cruise Line and save some money but you do not know what yu are going to get. You get your flights about 30 days before you leave. You have no control or choices. Some guests get great flights and are thrilled while others are left with "are you kidding me"

Not a good idea to fly London roundtrip necessarily. First of all, LHR airport fees are extremely high. Price carefully. Secondly, why backtrack? Your original plan of two one ways seems much better.

And by the way, I did use both Kayak and Google Flights. I think it was Google Flights who suggested that I would do best booking one way going and coming on different airlines but back to back.

Carol N R

I plan to stay three nights if possible and I plan to book a hotel with a good breakfast.

I know that food is going to be outrageously priced, for me.

I will be eating a hotdog or other street food. I will be buying from supermarkets..

I was diagnosed with CKD last year and I am on a strict diet and food is now to be rationed so I will not be going into too many sit down restaurants. But surely just one.

Most of the hotels in Iceland that I have found provide you with a free breakfast. You can certainly fill up there, but Carol is right in that it will be expensive. Just be prepared for that and be prepared for a very expensive hotel.

Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Reykjavik is about a 40 to 45-minute drive from Keflavik, which is where the airport is, so you will need to get from Keflavik to Reykjavik after your flight lands. Most people use the FlyBus, which will pick you up at the airport and drop you off at the terminal in town. You can either walk to your hotel or take another bus there, depending on where it is, but even the FlyBus is expensive. But at least you won't have a return trip since you are leaving on a cruise. And I read that there is a free shuttle that goes from the city center to the cruise port.

We always fly Icelandair and are loyal to them, but now that Alaska Air is flying there too, we have a reservation with them.

As for food, I wouldn't worry. You do not have to spend a lot of money on a meal unless you want to. There are plenty of places you can get a meal for less than $20 such as at the Sea Baron, Joe and The Juice, the food halls, street food and of course the hot dog stands. Also the 10-11 stores are like a 7-11 store and they have hot pizza and hot dogs. The 10-11 stores are overall expensive because it is a mini mart, but if you just want a slice of pizza on the go, this is perfect. Plus there are various food trucks around town that are very reasonable. You can also walk along the waterfront path and then cross over to the gas stations as gas stations actually have pretty good food. They often times have a hot grill so you can get a burger, soup etc for around $15.

Thank you Mardee

I had already done some research on Reykjavik because I was hoping to do this cruise sometime back but decided on another cruise.

I will be doing the FlyBus. A taxi will not be in the budget.

I know that you and others have spoken about Center Hotels. The calendar to book on booking only goes through August 2027 but I am going to book something as soon as I am allowed to. However whatever I book will have free cancellation.

Yes, I am aware that food is very expensive but unfortunately for me, I have been diagnosed with CKD and need to eat simply as well as ration my food. Some fish is good for my kidneys. And then there is fruit and vegetables. I am going to try a hot dog and maybe have one sit down meal but I will not be there for the food.

My cruise already offers 52 excursions and the cruise is over. a year away. The excursions are expensive. and there are many ports. Usually excursions are not even open yet.

I have begun to watch youtube videos.

I feel like I am going to have. a lot of questions and will need some guidance.

My UK ETA was approved.

Hello mikilz97

I know you and others are fans of Center Hotels. I am going to book a hotel ASAP but with free cancellation so that I can keep shopping around.. You have cautioned me that hotels sell out very early.

As to food, I have to eat and drink carefully. I have been diagnosed with CKD and my diet is now restrictive. I will be rationing food and eating simply but it is not going to stop me from at least one delicious hot dog and at least one sit down meal in a restaurant. Some fish is ok so I am going to the right place.

This is a huge cruise with 10 ports. There are already 52 excursions available which is unheard of a year before a cruise. However every excursion costs over $200 and some over $300.00.

I have started watching youtube videos.

As I have just told Mardee, expect. a lot of questions for this cruise.

My U K ETA was approved. I feel so much better and now I can really focus on my next journey..

Bostonphil—The Sea Baron is good as it is kebabs and you choose what high you want. Plus they have veggie kebabs, so you could do one of each and have a nice healthy meal. Yes the Center Hotels are great and are my go to. Keep an eye out for specials by signing up for their newsletter. They just had a promo for 45% off and we had the sane promo a few months ago.

Also, BP, don't book your hotel with booking.com. If you book direct with Center Hotels, you get 20% off, even if there's no sale, and some other benefits as well.

ok

I will go direct to Center Hotels. Which one do you suggest? I know there are a few.

We have stayed at three of them, multiple times each. CH Plaza is right in the heart of Fenton on the main square. It is a great location but not as nice as the other two. There is nothing wrong with it, just older. Then CH Midgardur and CH Laugavegur are straight down the main shopping street about 15 minutes. Both of those have tour and Flybus stops literally right outside the doors. For CH Plaza you would need to walk a couple blocks. Breakfast for CH Plaza is in the basement so a bit drab. St the other two this on the main floor and has a better feel to it. Plus those two have restaurants on site where CH Plaza does not.

Big typo in my last post, auto correct from the phone, grrr. Anyway, CH Plaza is right in the middle of downtown right on the main square.

Some of them are better location-wise than others, but you may want to check the prices of each one because their prices are all different. I pretty much picked the cheapest one (Midgarder) because we're only there for one night, and it's still within walking distance to the major sites. And I knew it had the mikliz seal of approval. 😊

I think that I will be leaning towards these two. I like that the flybus stops are right outside.

I have been watching you tube videos not just about Reykjavik but about all the ports tht I am going to visit.

It looks like it has the potential of being. a wonderful cruise.

I like that the flybus stops are right outside.

You may be talking about the Midgarder hotel, because I know the bus stops right out in front. Just keep in mind that that is not the actual FlyBus. The FlyBus will take you to the BSI Bus Terminal in Reykjavik. From there, you have to get on another bus (which costs extra) which will take you to a stop by your hotel.

If you prefer, you can just walk from the BSI terminal, but it's a little under a mile and would take at least 20+ minutes, depending on how fast a walker you are. Plus you'll have luggage.

If it were me, I would think about getting a cab from the BSI terminal to your hotel. It wouldn't be that expensive and would save you from having to buy the second portion of the bus ticket to get you from the BSI terminal, so you'd save a bit there.

Mardee thank you

I have done research on Reykjavik in the past so your information is familiar and refreshing me.

It is a good thing that I have a lot of time before this cruise. It s going to be a lot of work.

Remember Bruges. I will be porting in Bruges at the end of my cruise. I am going to do it better this time. You might remenber that Bruges was a port on one of my very first European cruises and I botched Bruges.

I would like to spend four nights in Reykjavik if budget allows but most definitely three. Been watching youtube videos and it is so beautiful and interesting.

.

The bus doesn't stop outside all the Center Hotels.

There is a bus stop right outside the Center Hotel Laugavegur.

When you pay for the Flybus, you will be given the option of the bus only to the bus terminal, or the addition of the smaller bus to a stop closer to your hotel. Depending on which hotel you choose, it may or may not pay to get the added smaller bus. A taxi might be more convenient. Be aware that there are some hills, not big ones, between the bus terminal and the central shopping street (Laugavegur.)

I've been to Iceland, and Reykjavik, numerous times. I have always taken the Flybus. The Center Hotel Laugavegur is now my go to hotel. The last two times I was there I saw the Northern Lights right from the "balcony" of my room.

Interesting fact about Iceland....there are no McDonalds or Burger Kings anywhere in the country.

bostonphil7 there are a number of bus stops in the historic center of Reykjavik that are used by tour companies and shuttles from the main bus terminal. Tour companies use these stops so you can tell them where to pick you up. As noted by Frank, you can also book a Flybus ticket that includes a separate shuttle bus to a stop closer to your hotel. You do this when you book your Flybus ticket and specifically select your hotel from the list as your final destination. It may or may not cost extra, depends on hotel location. If you only book the Flybus to the bus terminal you will have to walk or pay extra for another city bus or taxi.

https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-info/getting-on-your-way-hotel-pick-up-and-meeting-places-for-tours

To be clear: when someone says there is a "bus stop" right outside of a hotel, you will need to sort out if it is a tourist bus stop or a regular city bus stop. There are many more city bus stops than there are tourist bus stops, so you do have to pay attention.

Frank II and CL

Thank you. I like what you are telling me.

I love the FlyBus and the shuttle and the tour buses.

Forum likes the Center Hotels.

I believe there is a hoho bus.

I have been doing a lot of research and watching youtube videos. It is going to be a very expensive cruise. I do not think I will be taking another vacation before this one.

I want to do this one right and it is going to be costly.

YouTube content creators who have gone on this cruise love the ship and love the ports.

Frank--We are also so glad to not see McDonald's etc. Although Starbucks has entered, which we don't care for at all either.

Yes, the Flybus at the airport is a large bus, and then at the central bus terminal, you transfer to a smaller Flybus to go into the city. The large buses are not allowed in the core of downtown anymore, thus the transfer to small buses.

Even though CH's Midgardur and Laugavegur are only 1-2 blocks from each other, both them have bus stops right in front that the tours as well as Flybus pick up at. So both of those are really convenient in that regard. CH Plaza is in the heart of town, right on the plaza, but you have to walk a couple blocks to the bus stop at city hall for the Flybus and tours.

I know there is a HOHO bus, but honestly I have never seen it in all of our trips. It is definitely not like in London or Paris where you see them pass by almost constantly.

I took the HOHO bus on my first trip to Iceland over ten years ago. It was convenient to get an overview of the city. Not sure if I'd recommend it today.

There used to be a Dunkin Donuts on Laugavegur but it closed as did Krispy Kreme. There is a Subway across the street from the former DD location.

Taco Bell and KFC are still there but honestly, if I was going for fast food in Iceland, I'd get a hot dog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. Numerous locations around the city and at Keflavik airport. In fact, the 10-11 store that is in between the Center Hotels Laugavegur and Midgardur has one the Baejarins Beztu Pylsur stands inside.