My day started at 5am when I woke up from what seems like an entire day of sleep! After we checked in at the Courtyard by Marriott Airport yesterday, we went to bed and slept until 1pm. We were trying to make up for a night’s sleep lost on our overnight flight to Iceland.

Courtyard by Marriott Airport in Keflavik

From the exterior, the hotel has a very industrial, almost cold appearance. Once inside, it takes on a much warmer, albeit contemporary, feeling. The property looks to be very new. Check-in was easy and they allowed Swan Hellenic guests to check-in early. We were able to check in at around 9:30am.

We were assigned to room 423, which was very nice and spotlessly clean. The room has everything you would expect. A king-sized bed with a memory foam mattress that was super comfortable…thankfully. A small desk, large flat-screen television, small refrigerator, closet and coffee/espresso machine round out the room amenities. The bathroom has a large shower and all the full-size bathroom amenities you could want, including body lotion.

Our only complaint with the room was that the shower would pour water out into the bathroom floor unless you aimed the shower head toward the wall. The glass panel which serves as one wall of the shower just is not long enough to stop the splashing water. Other than that, the shower was great with excellent water pressure and range of temperature.

Before our lunch at Tokyo, we decided to walk over to a pharmacy located right in the parking lot of the hotel. I forgot to pack deodorant, and they had exactly what I needed. Other than the pharmacy, there is nothing close to this property.

Tokyo restaurant is situated off of the lobby and has a very contemporary appearance and a lot of seating. The menu here is huge with a selection of sushi, sashimi, ramen and other hot dishes.

We decided to try a starter that we have never seen before, fried avocado with flake salt and sweet chili sauce.

For our main course, I ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry Donburi which was very filling and tasty. Rickee had a bowl of ramen noodles which was much more than she could eat. We each had a glass of beer and the total check was just over $80! Eating in Iceland is expensive.

This morning we have been instructed to have our luggage in the lobby by 9am, and to be back in the lobby at 10am to board the coach for the drive to Reykjavik. The lady at the hospitality desk said that 48 guests were in the hotel for the pre-cruise stay, so, it will be interesting to see how many guests are on this sailing. SH Vega only holds 153 guests.

At 10am, we proceeded to the lobby to board the motor coach. The drive to Reykjavik takes about 45 minutes and we are fortunate to have pleasant weather today. The motor coach drops us off near the center of town by 11am and we have three hours on our own before embarkation at 2:00pm. The ship is docked within easy walking distance of the drop-off point.

We used this free time to explore Reykjavik on our own and do some souvenir shopping. One thing is abundantly clear: Iceland is expensive! Even simple refrigerator magnet souvenirs that we would typically pay $2 to $4 were $10 to $12. We visited Hallgrímskirkja, the famous Protestant Luthern Church that is a landmark in Reykjavik.

By 1:30pm, we started walking toward the pier where the ship was docked and by 2:00pm we were boarding SH Vega.

I was on SH Vega in 2022 for a 3-day media sailing and am pleased to see that the ship has aged well over the past three years. When we boarded, we were greeted with a glass of Champagne in the Observation Lounge on Deck 7. Check-in was very fast, after which we were escorted to our suite. More about that in a future blog post.

After unpacking, we headed to the Observation Lounge for the mandatory muster drill, followed by an introduction of the Expedition Team members.

After the briefing, everyone was invited to the outer Pool Deck where the crew has arranged a sailaway party.

The weather is cool today, but we enjoy clear skies and it turns out to be the perfect weather for sailing away from Reykjavik.

Dinner was served at 7pm in the Swan Restaurant. On embarkation day, dinner is served buffet style. For the remainder of the cruise, dinner is offered with full menu service.

After dinner, we head back to our suite to watch a movie and finish unpacking. Tomorrow is a day at sea, and the Expedition Team has a lot planned for us. Rickee and I celebrate our 31st anniversary today on board SH Vega!

Embarkation in Reykjavik, Iceland

Flight to Iceland and Pre-Cruise Stay