Reykjavik, Iceland - Updated 9/12 and photos included! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Reykjavik, Iceland - Updated 9/12 and photos included!
Hello!
I am quite the TR lurker. Chances are, if you've written an TR, I've read it. And yes - sometimes even comment. TR's are such a great way to travel. I feel like they really give a sense of being there.
So, here's my chance to write one as our family embarks on a trip the the most Northern Capital in the world: Reykjavik, Iceland!
Cast of Characters:
Includes 6 adults (Me, DH, DMIL, DFIL, DBIL, DSIL) ranging in age from 38 to 72 and 2 kids, (DD’s 8 & 6)
Background:
Large family vacations are done all the time. Trips to the shore, ski weekends, even cruising. I know many different groups of people who rent a beach house every single summer with grandparents, nieces and nephews and third cousins twice-removed. But how on Earth did our family end up deciding to go to Iceland together? Good question.
This trip is for DH. It is a celebration of his 40th year (I say it that way instead of “for his 40th birthday” because that was last year. However that is when we presented this trip to him … more on that soon). DH didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh (where we live now). His entire family lives elsewhere, where as mine is all right here. He doesn’t get to see them nearly as much as he’d like, and I know that there isn’t a whole lot I can do about that.
Also, he has wanted to go to someplace other that WDW and the beach for awhile. But those vacations are a hit with my DD’s and me (we travel with extended family to WDW, with friends to the beach). We’ve been rotating the two locations for about 5 years. Quite honestly these types of trips are fairly easy vacation choices for a family with younger kids. Sure, Europe sounds great, but cruising Venice’s canals with my girls never seemed very practical. But, I can appreciate that DH really hasn’t had his first choice of vacation for some time.
With his 40th birthday approaching in late summer 2011, I talked to his family (mom, stepdad, brother and sister in law) about the idea of a group trip for DH, location TBD. They liked it!
In a perfect world, we’d surprise him and get up and go. But trying to figure out six adult schedules with vacation time, etc. isn’t really easy (not to mention making sure he got the time off). Plus, I know if we were going to travel to a place on the top of his “list” he’d understandably want to help plan it so that he could see the stuff that was important to him. With this in mind, our group decided to do a little pre-planning: We’d research and discuss what some options were and agree on 3 locations we were all comfortable traveling to (and spending our vacation dollars and days on). We’d present DH with a “vacation of his choice” on his 40th birthday with our pre-approved locations as choices.
To make a long story not quite as long – we did. He was thrilled. And of the choices, he went with Iceland (a dream trip of his for a long time).
Travel negotiations were made. I say negotiations because they were just that. This person can’t travel these days. That one can’t commit longer than this amount of time. She wants to spend far less on accommodations than him. This family member doesn’t want to plan that far out or have any type of itinerary, that one wants specific plans for each day, etc. It proved to be a bit of a struggle. But in the end, we made it all come together. It was definitely a process, but here we are, just 1 week away from the trip!
Itinerary:
July 3 – Evening “red eye” flight from JFK to Keflavik Airport, Iceland
July 4 – Arrive Keflavik Airport at 6:20 a.m. (Yikes!); Take shuttle to Blue Lagoon (shuttle pick up time: 8:30, the earliest available); After refreshing at Blue Lagoon, take another shuttle to our apartment (Embassy Apartments in Reykjavik); Hang out, and probably crash
July 5 – Kick around Reykjavik; 1 p.m. Whale Watching tour (with a swing by Puffin Island)
July 6 – 7** - After we pick up rental vehicle (widening our options on touring); we hope to make a few “day” trips to outlying areas. We know we can’t do it all, but some of the areas/attractions we are considering a visit to include: Geysir, Gullfoss, Pingvellir National Park, and /or Vik, among other areas.
Other things that have piqued our interest: riding Icelandic horses (a very special breed), maybe do some beachcombing, and experiencing the famous Reykjavik Nightlife (if MIL and FIL agree to watch the kiddos).
A must: eating some fresh seafood (looking forward to lobster soup at Sægreifinn)
July 8 – Depart for JFK (but not until 5 pm … so there will be time to fit in a few last things!)
**Notice: there is no “plan” set for July 6-8 (aside from our flight), rather just some “ideas” as to what we’ll see/do. This is stressing me a bit, but considering we have things planned for the first two days, we had to leave these days more “fluid” to appease the group as a whole. I do feel better having done some research and knowing what I would like to do.
Recently, I’ve started to “pack” – or more accurately – pull clothing into piles for eventual packing. It is kind of hard to prepare for 55 degree weather when it is 84, but I’m certainly trying.
So, that’s the long and short of it … a trip more than a year in the making. My enthusiasm for it has ebbed and flowed over the last year ranging from super excited to being indifferent. I cannot rationally explain why. But as we have inched closer to the trip, I have been enthusiastic. After all, National Geographic has named Iceland one of the 20 best places in the world to visit in 2012 … that’s pretty exciting.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Sounds like a great trip - Iceland is some place I would love to visit.
If you've never seen this blog - Stuck in Customs by Trey Ratcliff, it's worth a look for his Iceland photographs - Here is a link to some of his photos of the horses.
Large groups can be a planning nightmare! Sounds like you did the right amount of compromising to appease everyone and are in for a great trip. Looking forward to hearing how it all works out.
At least the flight is a short one! I've made two unplanned visits to the airport in Reykjavik on my way home to Maine from Europe.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
DH and I are also going to Iceland in July, but we will be on a bus tour. My brother and sister-in-law will be traveling with us. This trip is my husband's idea, not mine, but I'm sure we will have a great time. My biggest concern is the temperatures. Our trip is through AAA, from July 22-30.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
What a great trip! I can't wait to read all about it, as Reykavik is on the list of places I want to go to one day. One of my friends has been to Iceland already and his photos were amazing.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Elaine - That is awesome that you are going to Iceland in July! Is your bus tour a full-circle tour? In a perfect world, DH would have chosen to do a self-drive tour around Iceland. But with a large group - our DD's part of that group - driving all around didn't seem practical. So Reykjavik here we come.
I've really started to kick it into full-on preparation mode here. I know I have a week, but I'd like to get most of the packing and such done early this week so I can enjoy the last part of the week hanging out at the pool with my DD's (it suppose to get hot here - 92 degrees Thurs. and Fri!).
Right now my biggest dilemna is where/how to pack our items as we have 2 separate legs our our trip in 2 different climates (here to NYC, then onto Iceland). I'll figure it all out ... it just may take me packing and repacking a little, but I did start early after all (unlike DH who I KNOW will try to cram everything in a suitcase the night before we leave - LOL).
__________________
Visions of WDW dancing in my head ...
Last edited by TinkRocks; 06-25-2012 at 07:33 PM..
Thanks! I did complete a good portion of the packing. The carry-ons still need to be sorted, but the checked luggage is sort of set to go, aside from toiletries(Icelandair allows 2 checked bags per passenger ... not that I want to take too many bags, but it is a bit freeing to not have to worry about fitting everything in a small luggage space).
I just checked the weather for Reykjavik and saw that it is supposed to be a bit warmer than expected. So ... that changes things slightly. I may have to swap a few items out before we leave.
And ... on the planning front ... the contingent of our group who likes to tour with a "free and easy" style actually started conversation about what to do the last two days of our trip! Although nothing is set, this is a huge step and I am pleased. We each had some suggestions and we're all considering the others' ideas ... but we've agreed to wait until we arrive and sort of get a sense of things (and talk to some locals). I consider this a "plan" though, so my stress level is relatively low.
This is all really mundane stuff, I know. I hope my post trip report has a little more excitement, or else my vacation would have been a total bust! I doubt I will be able to update as I go along, but I will definitely report on the trip as a whole when I return.
Congrats on the packing! How nice to have a generous baggage allowance-- very rare these days. I'm glad your non-planner seems to be awakening to the fact that some planning can increase enjoyment of a trip!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
I can't wait to read all about it, as Reykavik is on the list of places I want to go to one day. One of my friends has been to Iceland already and his photos were amazing.
with the packing!!
I hope my post trip report has a little more excitement, or else my vacation would have been a total bust! I doubt I will be able to update as I go along, but I will definitely report on the trip as a whole when I return.
Linear Mode
