Mighty Fjords & Nordic Grace on the
Regent Seven Seas Grandeur
7/29/2026 to 8/15/2026

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Page 1 – Pre-Trip in Reykjavik, Iceland
Page 2 – Embarkation, Ship, Ports of Call: Isafjordur,  Iceland; Siglufjordur,  Iceland;
Seydisfjordur,  Iceland
Page 3 – Ports of Call: Trondheim,  Norway; Kristiansund,  Norway; Alesund,  Norway
Page 4 – Ports of Call: Geiranger,  Norway; Nordfjordeid, Norway; Flam,  Norway
Page 5 – Ports of Call: Eidfjord,  Norway; Rosendal,  Norway; Post-Trip in Oslo, Norway

Preface

With us living in south Florida year around, it is a real treat to be able to cruise to cooler climates in our summers. When looking for another cruise with Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we found this Iceland/Norway cruise which seemed like a great way to escape the summer heat. It would be Cathy’s first time in Iceland and my second. We both did a wonderful northern lights cruise to Norway in 2023, but it was very different from a summer cruise. In 2004, I did a summer cruise that stopped in two of the 9 Norway ports on this itinerary, so this would be a much more fjord intensive cruise.

Pre-Trip in Reykjavik, Iceland – Day 1

For this trip, we were using United Airlines to fly to Iceland and Lufthansa to return from Norway. We rarely fly with United but had been recently. It seems like every time we have issues with cancelled or major changes to our itinerary. We did this time also. We flew from Miami to Chicago with no issues. We were notified on the morning of the flight that there was an equipment change for our flight from Chicago to Reykjavik. When we saw the seat chart on our flight, we were most disappointed that our business class seats were domestic seats not the lay flat seats we were supposed to have. This was certainly better than a cancelled flight, but we were not thrilled about it. We then had a two-hour delay in leaving Chicago. Upon boarding, we also found that the seats didn’t have video screens or even options to watch their entertainment on our iPads. Fortunately, the flight attendants were just outstanding which offset some of the other negatives of the changed plane. During the flight, I looked out the window as we were passing over Greenland. Definitely not green!

As we approached Iceland, we were pleased to see green.

We have heard that the names were swapped for defensive purposes to keep people away from Iceland and for encouraging people to go to Greenland. Not so! When Iceland was discovered, they suffered through a brutal winter, thus the name. The naming of Greenland has been considered a way that Eric the Red, who was expelled from Iceland, encouraged settlers to move to his new homeland.

After landing, we were picked up by https://airportstaxitransfers.com, to be taken to our downtown hotel. We were staying at a very nice boutique hotel, the Sand Hotel by Keahotels (https://www.keahotels.is/sand-hotel). It only has 78 rooms and is in a great location close to everything and on a very nice pedestrian shopping street.

The hotel is in seven different connected buildings with very nice public areas.

The front desk staff are very helpful and friendly, especially Roberto, who gave us great recommendations and helped us in many ways.

With our room being on the top floor of a building, we had interesting ceiling lines. It was a very comfortable room with a separate sitting room. We only had a couple of small drawers in the bedside tables, but we had plenty of room to leave our suitcases open where we could access everything in the sitting room.

Although you had to watch your head when going into the sitting room, we enjoyed the area very much.

We were impressed with the large Bluetooth speaker on one of the shelves. We never did get to use it.

Looking out the windows, we could see the port in the distance where we would be leaving from in three days.

The bathroom had a great shower, but not much counter space.

Even with a couple of negatives, we loved the hotel and would stay here again if we returned to Reykjavik.

We were originally supposed to land at 9:00 AM. With the two-hour delay, we were at the hotel at lunchtime. With the late breakfast on the plane, we wanted to do some sightseeing before lunch. The first place we were going was to the Hallgrimskirkjur Church. When I first visited Iceland in 2016, our tour didn’t have time for us to see the interior, so I was looking forward to finally getting inside. The unique 244-foot-tall building is one of the city’s best-known landmarks. Construction started in 1945. It took 41 years to complete in 1986. The main building was completed earlier in 1974.

The statue of Leif Erikson in front of the church was a gift from the United States in 1930 before the construction of the church. It honored the 1,000th anniversary of the convening of the Iceland parliament in 930 AD.

When we first walked into the church, there was a line to purchase tickets. We then found out that the tickets were to go up to the viewing platform at the top of the steeple. So, we went in to see the large church with very high ceilings.

At the back of the church is a large pipe organ.

The console was at one side of the nave.

They had a unique statue of Jesus with Viking like features including a braided beard and long hair.

As we were walking to our next attraction close by, we had a nice view of the church from the side. We were able to see the sanctuary area at the back of the nave. Its cylindrical shape has been described as evoking Viking war helmets.

Across from the church is The Einar Jónsson Sculpture Museum. From the museum’s website, the below tells about the artist and museum that was opened in 1923.

“Einar Jónsson (1874-1954) was the first Icelandic sculptor to make a career in his art. He was a pioneer of Icelandic sculpture, who had a major influence upon Icelandic art. The museum’s collection comprises of over 350 works of art from Einar’s 60-year career as an artist, along with many objects relating to the life and work of the artist.”

This is a photo of the back of the museum from the garden showing how close it is to the church.

I was looking forward to visiting the gardens, where 26 bronze statues can be appreciated without buying a ticket to the museum itself. We were so glad we were visiting on a sunny day, where we could thoroughly enjoy the unique statues. Although some were quite strange, they were intriguing and beautiful. I am putting more photos of some of the statues to help me remember them.

After leaving the garden, I would have loved to have enough time to be able to visit the main museum, but we had other places to see on our only free day in Reykjavik. It was time for a light lunch, since we had an early dinner planned for our travel day. A must try delight in Iceland is their unique hot dogs. They are made from a blend of lamb, pork and beef. The toppings, which mostly go under the dog, are raw white onions, crispy fried onions, sweet brown mustard, remoulade, and apple-sweetened ketchup. To get all of those, you tell them you want a hot dog with everything. For us, that is the only way to get the full experience. Rather than going to the famous hot dog stand a 15-minute walk away that has long lines, we chose another very popular stand next to the church, VikingA Pylsur. Pylsur is hot dog in Icelandic. The hot dog was outstanding. We held ourselves back from getting a second one, so we wouldn’t spoil our dinner a few hours away.

After lunch, we headed to our next attraction. We passed by the Penalty House, a prison that was built in 1872 and was used until 2016.

We liked the interesting artwork we saw on walls and some buildings.

It wasn’t long before we came to Rainbow Street. It was very crowded when we first arrived, but I got lucky to take a photo when nobody was walking on it.

Walking back to the hotel, we looked down another street and saw the church in the distance. It does stand out.

Back at the hotel, we put everything away and Cathy wanted to take a nap after our overnight flight. I wanted to do some more exploration first, so I headed out. I liked seeing more building artwork.

I wanted to see the Sun Voyager statue. I walked down to the waterfront where the 30- foot-long and 23-foot-tall stainless-steel statue proudly stands. It resembles a Viking ship and serves as a symbolic "dreamboat" and an ode to the sun. I took lots of photos and was pleased when the sun shined brightly on it for a few of them.

I walked back to the hotel after a little more sightseeing. I rested for a bit before we hit the streets for dinner. We noticed that so many of the shops had puffin souvenirs in the windows. We walked into one shop where there was a giant puffin.

We were going to a very popular restaurant called Old Iceland (https://www.oldiceland.is). The latest reservation I could get for any of the three nights we were in Reykjavik was 5:30 PM. I booked the reservation several weeks ahead too. For our first night, the early time was perfect, since we weren’t staying up late. When we arrived, we understood why reservations might be hard to get, since it is a small restaurant with few tables.

It is a family run business. The waitresses were so sweet and helpful. The reviews I read also praised the service. The food did live up to the hype. It was an outstanding meal! The fish soup and mushroom soups were so yummy. I put a photo of the soup before the liquid was added to show all the fish.

The Arctic Char I ordered was to die for. Best fish dish I have ever had. Cathy loved the fish of the day, perch.

The Rhubarb and oats dessert was not what we were expecting but was very good.

We couldn’t have been more pleased with our first meal in Iceland. If you visit Iceland, I highly recommend putting this restaurant on your “must try” list. Be sure to make reservations way ahead.

It had been a most enjoyable day after very little sleep while traveling. We slept very well that night.

Pre-Trip in Reykjavik, Iceland – Day 2

After a very nice breakfast at the hotel, we were ready for the first of our two full day tours from Reykjavik. The most popular full day tour is to do the Golden Circle. It covers the most popular tourist attractions in the area. I was using the same company I used 10 years earlier, GeoIceland. I booked it through TripAdvisor (LINK). A major benefit of booking through TripAdvisor/Viator, is that you can cancel and delay payment until two days before the tour. Most Reykjavik tour companies pick up passengers at several bus stops. With the tour starting at 9:00 AM, we could take our time in the morning. We walked over to bus stop #6. It was right next to Arnarholl Park where there was a statue of Ingolfur Arnarson. He and his crew were the first permanent settlers of Iceland in 874 AD. The sculpture was done by Einar Jónsson, whose museum garden we visited the previous day.

When the van arrived, we were pleased that there were large windows to enjoy the long rides we would have. With the seats not having a lot of legroom, we were glad that there were only 12 people on the tour. With the van having 6 rows of seats for 19 people, each person had their own double seat if they wanted to.

Our guide was Jon. He was a nice fellow who provided us with lots of info while in the van. I don’t think he stopped talking except when we were out of the van. He pretty much dropped us off at the various sites and let us do our own thing until we returned to the van.

We had over an hour’s drive to our first comfort stop or restroom break as most people call it. During the first leg, we saw very barren terrain with few trees, as is the norm in most of Iceland. We did like seeing the volcano in the distance and some geothermal power plants. These and the hydro power plants make electricity in Iceland very inexpensive. It is one of the few things in Iceland that isn't inexpensive. It is a very expensive place to visit.

The comfort stop was next to a bakery. How convenient! I picked out one of their pastries that was calling my name. I shared it with Cathy who was thrilled with my lack of willpower to avoid this sweet delicacy.

We passed by a pretty pseudocrater. These aren’t volcanoes. They are described as “Landforms that look like real volcanic craters. They form when hot lava flows over wet marshland or lakes, trapping boiling water underneath. The trapped water turns to steam and explodes through the surface, building-up distinct crater-like mounds without any magma vent."

We came to the Kerid Crater. This volcano crater was created by an eruption around 7,500 years ago. It is a very popular tourist attraction since the crater is close to the road. As we walked up to the viewing platform, we were surprised at how deep it was, plus there was a small pond at the bottom. I walked around getting different angles of the crater.

I wanted to walk up to the highest edge where lots of others were viewing the crater.

When I got closer, I saw that I would have to climb rocks to get up there. I won’t climb a lot of rocks unless I have my walking stick. I have learned that at my age, my confidence on rocks is diminished and I don’t want to ruin a vacation or my life by falling.

I then thought about going down to the low side of the crater where there were stairs down to the water. I decided to pass, since we were getting short on time.

We got back in the van and headed to the next stop that was the highlight of the tour for me, Gulfoss, the Golden Waterfall. Jon dropped us off at the bottom of the two-tiered waterfall. He showed us where the other viewing areas were and told us where the van would be when we finished checking it out. I took lots of photos, but this one shows it best.

Ten years ago, I spent all my time at the bottom of the falls and didn’t get to the other two main viewpoints. The one viewpoint I had no desire to go to was way up on a ledge overlooking that area. I couldn’t see climbing a bunch of stairs to get a view further away from the falls. The one I did want to go to was the one closer to the fall’s upper tier. It was a pretty good walk, but worth it.

I took some photos from there, but they aren’t as impressive as the ones from below. Still nice to be close to all that powerful water. There was also a nice view of the lower falls going into the gorge from that viewpoint.

Walking back to where I would meet the bus, I stopped by the memorial to Sigridur from Brattholt. She is credited for saving the waterfall from those that wanted to turn it into a hydroelectric plant. Thank goodness she did. Her father had agreed to lease the property for the plant, but Sigridur fought it doing many things to draw attention to her cause. It was eventually saved from destruction, and she is considered Iceland’s first environmentalist.

I came back to the lower falls area to walk further down the gorge getting different views.

We got back in the van and headed to our next stop at the Geysir geothermal area. The original geyser here, Geysir, was where the name geysers come from. It has been over a hundred years since Geysir erupted. We went to Geysir’s close by neighbor Strokkur that erupts around every 5-10 minutes, shooting water up 50-60 feet. There were lots of people waiting to see it. We saw it erupt a few times. This is the best pic I could get.

We then walked around looking at the other bubbling mud and water pools nearby before heading to the restaurant on the grounds for lunch.

We only wanted a light lunch, so we each got a bowl of tomato soup. I had to include a photo of it, since it costs $24 for each bowl. Iceland is expensive.

After lunch, we took an hour drive to our last destination, Thingvellir National Park. This park is located at the rift between the North Atlantic and Eurasian tectonic plates. It is also the site where the Iceland parliament had their annual meetings from 930 until 1798. It is Iceland’s first national park being created in 1928. Jon told us that we would be dropped off at the bottom of the trail so that we could walk over to the waterfall before heading up the trail to the top. He pointed out where we would be walking to way in the distance up on the mountain. Where we would end up is past the high mountains on the right.

He told us that he would meet us up at the top. Cathy wisely stayed in the van to be let off at the top. She enjoyed the facility and museum up there without too much walking. I began the walk to the waterfall, which was going away from the destination at the top of the mountain. It was a pretty walk.

I then went up some steps to get to the boardwalk heading the other way to the waterfall. I finally saw the waterfall. I walked closer to it for some photos.

I hoped that I could continue the walk to the top of the mountain from the waterfall, but the path didn’t go any further. I backtracked down the boardwalk through the pretty terrain.

When I got back to the original starting point, there was a long walk to where I was heading. I took a photo when I got closer and zoomed in some so you could see the mountain top where all the people were standing on the ledge behind the flagpole.

As I got further up the path, there was a nice river close by.

I saw a trail that went around the flagpole. Jon mentioned going to that area for the views, so I took off around it. I thought the views were better on the main path, but glad I checked it out.

The trail returned to the main path I was on. I continued walking up the path through the deep rift. It is an impressive place.

The path got much steeper. I kept wondering why Jon didn’t just drop us off at the top and let us walk downhill, like I did on the tour 10 years earlier.

I was very glad to finally get to the top. The views from there are the best ones.

I went out a viewing platform that I had seen at the beginning of the walk where people were looking down at the surrounding area.

I was glad to see the facility and find Cathy. I was disappointed that I didn't have enough time to go into the facility to see the exhibits.

When we got back to the van, I asked Jon why he didn’t drop us off at the top and pick us up at the bottom. He said that they did it this way so that they wouldn’t have to backtrack and drive further. Seriously? It wasn’t that far out of the way in a van.

After getting back to the hotel we headed out for dinner. We passed by another brightly painted building and the Government House where the Prime Minister has his office.

We were looking forward to this evening's dinner. We saw the restaurant on one of Rick Steves’ videos. He raved about the food, so we decided to book the Grillmarkaðurinn restaurant or Grill Market. It was in a very nice building with a lovely interior.

We ate on the ground floor. They also had a nice basement level. For dinner we got a couple of the items that Rick ordered and raved about. Cathy and I shared the Langoustine Lava Rocks. It was such a delicious appetizer.

For our main course, I had the Grilled Lamb Chops. They were the best lamb chops I have ever eaten. Cathy ordered the Lightly Salted Cod. She also enjoyed hers.

It was an amazing meal! Thank you, Rick Steves, for the recommendation. On the walk back to the hotel, I had to take a photo of Rainbow Street with the church in the background in the sunshine.

It was a wonderful touring day with beautiful weather. Then next day had the same great forecast with sunny weather and a high of 61 degrees.

Pre-Trip in Reykjavik, Iceland – Day 3

We had another full day (10-hour) tour booked through a different tour company, Your Day Tours. Once again, I booked it through TripAdvisor (LINK). We would be seeing attractions on the southern coast of Iceland. We were again picked up at bus stop #6. This van was much more comfortable than the previous day’s van. It’s a good thing, since we had 16 people on this tour.

Our guide was Palli. He was a heck of a nice guy, but unlike the previous day’s guide, Jon, Palli didn’t talk too much. When he did, we got some great info. After the initial general info about the tour and Iceland, he waited until there was something to talk about rather than just talking to be talking. Not a bad thing.

We had five attractions to visit on this tour. The first was the Skogafoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s biggest and most famous waterfalls. With a 192-foot drop and 82 feet of width, it is a big one. It was most impressive as we walked up to it.

What was also impressive was the 400-500 steps leading up to the upper viewing platform. I couldn’t believe how many people were making the climb. I talked with someone on our tour who tried to do it. She only made it halfway up before she had to get back on time to the van.

On the way to our next attraction, we saw a large glacier in the distance. It was part of the Solheimajokull Glacier we would visit later in the tour.

This was an interesting looking mountain.

We finally arrived near the town of Vik where we saw a small church in the distance. We were heading there for a panoramic view.

When we arrived, we had a great view of the Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks. Legend has it that these are trolls that got caught in the sun.

Since we were there, I took a photo of the cute church.

We then drove to the other side of the mountain to see the world famous Reynisfjara black sand beach. Now this is one very cool beach! As we walked onto the beach, we saw the huge hexagonal basalt columns on the cliff. I am surprised they let people climb up on them.

As we walked closer, we could look out into the ocean to see some more basalt sea stacks.

As we walked the other way on the black sand beach, I could see the Dyrhólaey Arch, a 394-foot-high natural lava rock arch.

The ocean in this area is very dangerous due to sudden unpredictable sneaker waves that can come up 100-feet from the normal surf level. Our guide told us to not go near the water. After walking along the beach, I came back the other way just taking in the beauty around me including a glacier in the distance.

This was a very good stop. I was so glad we got to visit it. Our next destination, 40-minutes away, was to get a closer look at the Solheimajokull Glacier we previously saw in the mountains. Palli told us that it was about a 20-minute walk from the parking lot to the glacier. It was relatively flat on a rocky path, but it was a long walk. The below photo was taken after walking for 15-minutes.

When I finally got closer to see the edge of the glacier, it was rather disappointing. It was a dirty glacier and not much to look at.

There were a couple sections with dark blue ice, but mostly dirty ice.

Some people chose to walk closer to the glacier. It was a pretty good walk down there. You can see from the below photos how high the glacier is with the people closer to it.

After taking lots of photos, I headed back to Cathy and the van. She smartly turned back earlier when she saw how little there was to see and how far it was. Her knees didn’t need the aggravation.

Our last destination was to see the 197-foot tall Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It isn’t a wide waterfall, but the main attraction is that people can walk behind it. We walked up to take photos of the falls and to watch people getting soaked. Many of the people had some rain gear on, but not all. Most people still got drenched. Palli warned us to have a change of clothes if we planned on walking behind the falls.

On the way back, we enjoyed seeing the mountainous terrain. Palli pointed out the moss that was growing on some areas of rocks we passed. He said that it was protected and was not to be walked on, since it is very slow growing and would die if walked on.

It was a very long day and a most enjoyable tour. For our last evening in Reykjavik, we were going to a restaurant recommended by Roberto at the hotel. Mar Seafood had been very successful in the town of Selfoss that we passed through on the tour that day. They opened their second restaurant just a few months ago in Reykjavik. We liked that it was just a couple blocks from our hotel. We didn’t need another long walk. It was a very nice restaurant.

We shared a lobster and crab claw appetizer.

Cathy had cod in parmesan panko and I had wolfish cheeks.

Everything was very good, but after the two exceptional dinners we enjoyed the previous two days, this was not as special. We had been spoiled and were harder to please. That night we began packing for boarding the Regent Seven Seas Grandeur the next day.