The cruise ships who swing by Iceland each summer are apparently unafraid of the mighty Eyjafjallajökull volcano, and will be coming to our shores as planned.
If you live in the capital, then you’ve probably come to expect that summer means a giant honking cruise ship docked in our tiny harbor, dwarfing the city and blasting its horn loud enough for the entire town to hear. Fortunately, not even the prospect of ash mist – which has wafted down onto the harbor in recent days – is enough to cancel their arrival.
This is a good thing, as cruise ships alone generated 3.7 billion ISK in revenue last summer alone, from about 200 arrivals. Our continuingly depressed currency should generate similar numbers this summer. In fact, the Harbor Association of Iceland estimates the numbers will be even greater this summer.
Travelling to other countries by ship – once the domain of retirees and minor nobility – has seen an upswing in popularity since our volcano shut down air traffic across the European continent. Many who were stuck in Iceland have found a solution in driving east to Seyðisfjörður and then taking the Smyril Line ferry to Denmark.