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. There are many good things about taking a cruise, and I explore the 6 best pros of cruising to Iceland before looking at the 3 top things you need to consider that may make a land-based trip a better option for you.

Note: I travelled as a guest of Saga Cruises on a round Iceland cruise when making this video. A lot of the footage and tips also draw on my Voyages To Antiquity cruise to Iceland last year too.

Gary Bembridge's Tips For Travellers aims to help you make more of your precious travel time and money on land and when cruising the oceans or rivers of the world. To help you, in every video I draw on my first-hand tips and advice from travelling every month for over 20 years and 60+ cruises.

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[joliettraveler]

We spent 17 days driving on almost every road in the country. Saw everything. More fun going off roading.

[davidbajomilazar]

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.

[davewhetton]

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.

[gregstotelmyer]

We have done 1 cruise to Iceland and one campervan trip cicrcling the entire Ring Road and few side roads. Hands down, the land based experience was much better, providing loads of adventure.

[eppsislike]

I visited all of these places through dedicated tours with the cruise. Sulfur bath's smell gave me one hell of a headache - but I wasn't even mad, all worthwhile. One of my best trips I've ever done.

[theeverydayprepper]

The footage is stunning! I had never seriously considered an Iceland cruise, but you have convinced me

[stuartdavis]

Taking a cruise to Greenland and Island this August. Will follow with a land tour. Best or worst of both worlds!

[CP]

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 4x4 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.

[kays]

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.

[jeffross]

i loved iceland and will go back for geological reasons, but it was expensive to eat and drink (beer was introduced back in 89)...the fermented shark will be passed next time too

[adelarsen]

For authentic Iceland cruiser choose Smyril Line and MS Norrøna.
Get from DK to Iceland in just 39 pints of Carlsberg.

[mysterytrip]

Absolutely loved your new Travel video. Very nice. Just clicked subscribe. Putting together our Mystery trips with the kids reminds me of all the advance work necessary.

[justhavingfunadk]

Great video! We cannot wait to go to ICELAND! So beautiful!

[tammy_oh_nevermind]

Thanks for this one! Hopefully I'll get there in the next couple years. ☺

[thrasherx]

Wow Gary, you nailed this one. I am veteran cruiser who never thought about Iceland and I am very interested. Thanks.

[InnocentsAbroad]

Another excellent video, Gary.

We were just there in June on a cruise ship and it was an amazing method of travel.

[patrickmooney]

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!!

[GreaterTorontoTV]

We sailed from Tower Bridge in London to Iceland - a great adventure!

[lisamorice]

Iceland is on my radar for the future and your footage was gorgeous. You struck some perfect cruising weather by the look of it. Thanks for this list of pros and cons to consider. Definitely more pros in my book.

[barbaraboudreau]

The vacation I've been dreaming of. Need to work on making it real! Thanks for this video.