We had a glorious 12 night trip on the beautiful Celebrity Apex, starting from Amsterdam, to Akureyri (Iceland), to Isafjordur (Iceland), to Reykjavik (Iceland), to Belfast (Northern Ireland), to Dunmore East (Ireland), back to Amsterdam. This was a wonderful itinerary not just because it goes to some great places, but also the fact you have 2 sea days on the front end, which gives you a chance to adjust to the time zone before venturing out. It also stays overnight in Reykjavik, which gives you a lot of options, especially since the sun was up 24 hours a day during our trip, so you can literally visit pretty sights all day long and see.
My previous blog discussed the ship, dining, bars, entertainment, activities, etc. This blog we will focus on the ports on our trip. (We also have 2 blogs that focused on our time spent in Amsterdam, which you can read about here, and here.)
Akureyri
For our first port of call, we booked the Lake Mývatn excursion with GetYourGuide. We had a good experience with them. They were at the port on time and the guide did a good job explaining the stops and moving things along. The guide was friendly and we never felt rushed.
First stop, Goðafoss waterfall. I love waterfalls, and Iceland has no shortage of them. I’ve seen a lot of waterfalls in my life and this one is up there. Not to mention, it’s hard to pass on a waterfall named God of Waterfall.
Next, we went to Skútustaðagígar to see the pseudo craters. Pseudo craters are quite unique because it’s formed when volcanic eruptions flowed over wetlands. The hot lava made the wetlands boil instantly, creating steam eruptions, which formed these craters. They aren’t true craters because they aren’t caused by lava itself – it’s the steam eruptions that created these craters. There are many hiking trails around these craters and it was beautiful.
Also at this stop, we got to taste some authentic lamb stew! At the entrance of the craters, there’s a little Café shop called Kaffi Sel. They sell this amazing lamb stew (with unlimited refills) and some local beer. I had lamb stew at some other ports in Iceland, but this one was the best (and cheapest).
Next stop, we visited Dimmuborgir, also called “The Black Fortress” or “Dark Castles”. This area is made of lava fields, with various rock formations and caves. This is one of Iceland’s most popular attractions due to its unique looking rocks, the folklores surrounding it, and the filming of Game of Thrones.
There are many Icelandic folklores revolving around “yule lads“. They are half-ogre, half-troll creatures that were probably originally created to keep children indoors during harsh winter months. Over the course of the years, the stories have changed flavors and the yule lads are getting less scary, and now they are even wearing Santa suits and bearing gifts! Supposedly you can see some of the yule lads in Dimmuborgir. The guide took us on some hikes around here.
Next stop – Stand on the continental rift between Europe and the Americas! There’s also a small lava cave here called Grjótagjá. Some Game of Thrones scenes were filmed here as well. This is a thermal cave, although temperatures have been slowly dropping over the years. This cave is free to visit, but no swimming is allowed. When we went, it was rather crowded as well, making it difficult to even get a picture (but Teddy managed!). There’s something really powerful about standing on the continental rift – the split is so big that I don’t think it’s safe to stand on each side with one leg. You can really see the power of nature when you walk close to the opening. (There’s also a strong Sulphur smell that will keep you from being there for too long.)
Next stop is Námafjall Geothermal Area (also known as Hverir). I won’t lie, this place smells so strong of Sulphur that it was, let’s just say, easy to pass gas undetected. There are lots of fumaroles and boiling mud pots, surrounded by Sulphur crystals of many different colors. It’s unique and fun to walk around. There are ropes that protect you from getting too close to the hot and active areas and I would suggest respecting those boundaries.
Next we went to the Mývatn Nature Baths. Our tour did not include a dip in the pool but the scenery here is absolutely gorgeous. We have a hot tub at home so I don’t typically like paying extra for hot tub access elsewhere. I’m also not so convinced that these natural hot tubs have healing properties like they say, especially since they definitely destroy my hair. Nonetheless, I’m glad we stopped here because the baths are just breathtakingly beautiful and we enjoyed our lunch here overlooking those baths. For our lunch, we enjoyed some sandwiches made with local salmon and some beer. It was wonderful.
To end the tour, we were given the option of being dropped off in town, so we can walk around the city, or being taken to the cruise port. Since the cruise port is easy walking distance from the town, we decided to be dropped off in town and walked around the city.
We came across this beautiful landmark of a Lutheran Church, Akureyrarkirkja.
The driver also made a quick stop so we can take a picture of our beautiful ship. This was a great way to spend the day and I highly recommend it.
Isafjordur
Isafjordur is a new port for all cruise ships so the excursion options are slim here, unless you want to take an excursion with the ship, which is what we ended up doing. We took the excursion called Dynjandi Waterfall & Local Village tour. The best part about taking an excursion with the ship is that they have the ship’s photographer following us around and taking pictures of us as we toured, then we can purchase those photos as part of any photography package.
Isfjordur is a tender port, and if you want to be one of the first few to get off the boat, you’ll need to get a tender ticket the night before, or be scheduled for an early tour with the ship’s excursions. Apex has some of the most beautiful tender boats I’ve ever seen in my life. They are brand new and very comfortable and efficient.
First stop, Dynjandi Waterfall. What makes Dynjandi Waterfall special to me is that it’s actually made up of several scenic falls. Bæjarfoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Göngumannafoss, Strompgljúfrafoss, and finally Hæstahjallafoss. You walk up the trail and would encounter each of these falls as you go. You can stop and turn around whenever you wish, but each fall is more beautiful than the last. We were also given salmon wraps and water before our hike so we were well energized!
Next, we walked around the small town of Suðureyri. To get to Suðureyri, we must travel through a 5km tunnel through a mountain that’s like, one lane wide, but must allow two lane traffic. There are special cut outs and lighting that tells the traveler who needs to pull over if another car is coming. Scary!! Suðureyri is quite remote, as expected. The town has one hotel/restaurant called Fisherman. We stopped here for some yummy carrot cake and beer!
Next we made our long drive back to the ship – going through the tunnel again, then traveling along the coast where we saw many fishing boats.
This was an expensive excursion (as is the case with most cruise company excursions) but it gave us a chance to see what small town life is like in Iceland. The areas we went to were not developed or touristy. As time goes on, I’m sure this port will have more to offer, bringing the cost down but also spoiling the beauty some. If you have on board credit to spend (like we did), this is a great way to use that credit since we couldn’t find any third party excursions available. We enjoyed our day here but if I had to pay for the excursion with cash, I probably would have just stayed on the ship or around the ship.
Reykjavik
There’s so much to do in Reykjavik. Thankfully, we are here overnight so we can spend a long day if we wish. During our trip, the sun doesn’t set, so we have sunlight 24 hours a day, which makes our long day much easier. Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and there are many tour companies and options available. Since this is our first time in Reykjavik, I went with the popular Golden Circle tour with Viator.com. Our particular tour also includes a trip to the Kerid Crater, but you can add or subtract other options too, like the popular Blue Lagoon. The specific tour we took is called Small-Group Golden Circle and Kerid Volcanic Crater Day Trip from Reykjavik.
First stop, Thingvellir National Park. This is a must-do for anyone who’s never been to Iceland before. Thingvellir is famous for both its history and its beauty. Starting from 930 until 1798, Thingvellir has been used as the site for annual parliament meetings to discuss all important matters in Iceland. In 1944, this is the place Iceland declared independence from Denmark, and confirmed its first president.
Thingvellir also has amazing beauty all around. Iceland is divided by the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate. Iceland is the only place in the world where the Mid-Atlantic rift is above sea-level. Nowhere in the world can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Thingvellir.
It’s also home to the beautiful Öxarárfoss waterfall, and the hike leading up to it is gorgeous too. It was great that our tour bus dropped us off at the entrance of Thingvellir, then picked us up close to the waterfall so we didn’t have to backtrack all the way.
Next, Gullfoss Falls, which literally means Golden Falls. Gullfoss is one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland and I can see why. It’s huge and powerful.
Next, we stopped at a little roadside attraction called Brú, where we were able to pet some Icelandic horses. The guide also purchased some feed for us to feed the horses. The horses eat the feed SO FAST!
Next, we were taken to the Geysir (also called, The Great Geysir). There are several geysers around here but we were so tired that we only walked to a couple of them. These geysers are much like the Old Faithful – it shoots up every few minutes. I’ve never been to the Old Faithful, so this was a very exciting sight to behold.
This is also the stop where we got to enjoy some lunch. There were quite a few restaurants to choose from here, but all were very expensive. It’s interesting because excursions are about a quarter of the price compare to the other two ports in Iceland, but food is most expensive here.
Next stop, Kerid Crater, a beautiful volcanic crater that you can hike down to the lake if you like. We were way too exhausted by then to accomplish that, but this lake was beautiful from up above.
Belfast (Northern Ireland)
For the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, we booked the Viator tour of Giant’s Causeway and City Tour. If you’ve never been to Giant’s Causeway, then I think that’s a must do. Other popular attractions in Belfast include the Titanic museum and Belfast Castle.
Our tour started an hour late – we were waiting in the parking lot along with many others who were on the same tour and no one was notified of the new schedule. Not sure if someone failed to communicate or what happened. It was annoying but at least the guide did eventually show up and he was good at his job. We started our day traveling on the coastal highway of Dunluce Rd, passing by Whiterocks Beach. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous here.
Next we made a small pitstop at Dunluce Castle, an old abandoned castle perched next to the ocean. The castle charges an admission to go inside, which we did not have time to do on this tour.
Shortly after that, we arrived at Giant’s Causeway. There’s a shuttle available for people who do not want to hike down to the causeway, but it’s 2 euro/pounds per person (they would take either currency). We hiked the loop that was recommended by the tour guide, starting from the top and worked our way down. If we got too tired, we could always take the shuttle back for the uphill hike (which we didn’t). The hike was breathtaking but it was also very crowded.
Next we made another scenic stop at Discovery Point. This is located next to the major attraction, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which was closed due to high winds on the day we visited.
Next up, lunch and city walk. We were given the menu of Harrys Cushendall while we were on the tour bus, so by the time we got here, everyone was ready to order. This is rather brilliant. We got the beer battered cod and some glasses of beer. It was great.
After lunch, we walked around town and found an interesting building called the Curfew Tower.
Next we made a pit stop at Carrickfergus Castle. We walked around the outside of the castle and enjoyed the beautiful ocean view.
Lastly we drove by the Titanic Museum, something we can check out next time we are in town!
We absolutely enjoyed our day in Belfast and this is a port I would come back to check out some of the castles, the rope bridge, and the Titanic museum.
Dunmore East/Waterford
Our final port of the cruise is Dunmore East. It’s close to the historic city of Waterford, known for its Viking history and Waterford Crystal. There aren’t many excursions available for this port, so we booked a private tour with a few others from our ship. With a private tour, we can pick and choose what we want to see. The company we used is called Boru Irish Adventures. I really liked our tour guide/driver, Brian. He was very laid back and helpful. He gave good recommendations and kept everything on schedule, but he didn’t talk constantly like some tour guides too.
Our first stop was Kilkenny Castle. This is a VERY popular castle, so expect it to be crowded. This was our first stop and by having a private driver, we were there before the large tour groups. We were literally there before they opened, so we were the first people to go inside for the day. Win!
There are many castles and abbeys in Ireland. Most of which are in states of ruins. The Kilkenny Castle could have easily been one of them but in 1967, the owner at the time, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde decided to sell it to the Castle Restoration Committee for £50. Since then, much restoration has been done and the castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works.
Next we walked around downtown Kilkenny, passing The Tholsel and the Butter Slip. Downtown Kilkenny is best for foot traffic, not so much for cars (there is no parking). So when we walked around, we were in close contact with our driver (by cellphone) so he could pull over when we were ready and we jumped right back in the car.
Next stop, St Canice’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is beautiful inside and out. Next to the cathedral, is a round tower with a Celtic Cross. This round tower is one of only three such medieval round towers in Ireland that can still be climbed to the top. We were given some time to make the climb if we wanted to, but the internal stairs were steep and there was an extra charge to do this. The summit would have given a clear view of Kilkenny and the countryside around.
After leaving the Cathedral, we came to Kells Priory. This was a little hidden gem because it was free, uncrowded, and no one seems to know about it. I’m glad our tour guide recommended this to us. The priory was expansive and there was a lot of information available.
There are so many trails to take and interesting things to see here. There’s a mill, and a river as well. You can even find the original tombs of the prior and prioress that was buried here. There were lots and lots of sheep laying about, making the place feeling quite enchanted.
Moving on, now we are at the Viking Triangle. The Viking Triangle is basically a little area that has many museums and displays of the Viking history. In this area, there’s the Reginald’s Tower, the Medieval Museum, and the Bishop’s Palace Museum. We weren’t in the area long enough to really go into each museum, but I had wanted to do the King of the Vikings Virtual Reality Experience, which apparently is something we should have booked ahead of time because it was sold out when we got there. Nonetheless, it was an interesting area to walk around and the Waterford Crystal is located here as well.
Next we visited the showroom of Waterford Crystal. The oldest piece of Waterford Crystal in the world is the Penrose Decanter and it’s located here.
Now we were starving. There was a restaurant in the middle of this area called The Reg, an authentic Irish restaurant with nice balcony seating overlooking the Viking Triangle. Perfect.
Ireland has the most beautiful coastline. Since we still had a little time to kill, our private driver decided to take the scenic coastal route and stopped at Kilmurrin Beach and Tramore Beach for some photo ops.
As you can see, we did a LOT in one day. This was possible because we had a private driver that was able to pick us up at the end of each hike and move on to the next destination whenever we were ready. I definitely feel like it was well worth the extra cost (which wasn’t much because we shared the cost with 2 other families) to book private than a group tour. Next time, I will know to schedule the VR experience in advance and I hope to do the Smithwick’s Experience, which was closed due to COVID during our visit.
This concludes our trip of all of the excursions and ports. This was my first time in northern Europe and the experience was so lovely!