Ready to circumnavigate IRELAND?
How about ICELAND as a bonus?
From August 4-18, 2024, Dance On The Water will visiting seven Irish ports (plus Liverpool, Bristol and the Isle of Man) and then hopping over to Iceland for a four-day land tour!
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Itinerary
Download a PDF of our trip’s itinerary
Ireland and Iceland
August 4-18, 2024
Day 1 – Arrival in Dublin, Ireland Sunday, August 4 – Arrive in Dublin airport, with a shuttle to the ship (if you have booked your flight through Going Places Travel – see the “Flights” tab). You can embark as early as 1:00 p.m. We set sail at 5:00 p.m. Tonight, and every night on the ship, we have a room reserved for dancing!
Day 2 – Waterford, Ireland Monday, August 5 – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner every day on the ship (lunch may not be included on some excursions). Your choice of excursion. Currency: Euros
Day 3 – Bristol, UK Tuesday, August 6 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: British pound sterling.
Day 4 – Cork (Ringaskiddy), Ireland Wednesday, August 7 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: Euros.
Day 5 – Bantry, Ireland Thursday, August 8 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: Euros.
Day 6 – Galway, Ireland Friday, August 9 – Your choice of excursion. Currrency: Euros.
Day 7 – Killybegs, Ireland Saturday, August 10 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: Euros.
Day 8 – Belfast, North Ireland Sunday, August 11 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: British pound sterling.
Day 9 – Douglas, Isle of Man Monday, August 12 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: British pound sterling.
Day 10 – Liverpool, UK Monday, August 13 – Your choice of excursion. Currency: British pound sterling.
Day 11 – Fly from Dublin to Reykjavik Tuesday, August 14
We disembark as early as 8:00 a.m. after breakfast onboard the Nautica. A transport to the airport will be available if you have booked your flight through Going Places Travel – please see the “Flights” tab.
After arriving into Keflavik Airport, you will make the 45-minute journey to Reykjavik with your pre-paid guide. Along the way you will see the otherworldly moss-covered lava fields and peeks of the ocean.
Reykjavik is the capital city of Iceland, the world’s northernmost capital. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s population lives in the capital area. Granted, that’s only around 123,000 people, but what it lacks in terms of the populace, it makes up for in culture and excitement. You will have some time to explore Reykjavik on your own. The króna or krona is the currency of Iceland. Iceland is the second-smallest country by population, after the Seychelles, to have its own currency and monetary policy.
Lunch and dinner on your own. Your accommodation for the night will be Reykjavik Lights Hotel or similar.
Day 12 – Golden Circle Wednesday, August 15
After breakfast, you will make your way to Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir) which is one of the best geological wonders in Iceland. Þingvellir means assembly fields and in the year 930 AD, Iceland’s historic democratic parliament – one of the first in the world – was founded there. Most Icelandic people regard Þingvellir as a sacred place, a place of great beauty and an incredible stepping stone in their history.
After lunch (cost not included), you make your way to the last stops of the day. Gullfoss is one of the most stunning sights in Iceland and is listed as one of the top 10 waterfalls in the world by the World of Waterfalls. Lastly you will continue on to Geysir, one of Iceland´s signature attractions. Geysir is known as one of four places on earth to regularly erupt up to 25 meters high! It was the first geothermal erupting area described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans.
Dinner on your own. Your accommodation for the night will be Fosshotel Nupar or similar.
Day 13 – Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Ice Cave Thursday, August 16
After breakfast, this day starts with the incredible Katla Ice Cave tour. You will ride from Vik in a Super Jeep, taking you on a stunning adventure. Mýrdalsjökull glacier is one of the best-known in Iceland, from which the alluring Kötlujökull glacier originates. Kötlujökull is named after the robust Icelandic Volcano Katla, covered by the glacier. The enormous mass of ice has been slowly crawling down from the volcano mountain, creating some of Iceland’s most impressive natural ice caves. On this exhilarating Super Jeep tour, you will get to explore the wonders of this stunning natural phenomenon. You will see why as soon as you step in!
After this epic tour we continue eastward to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and nearby Diamond Beach. Many of these natural ice sculptures are washed onto the beach and broken into a million pieces that then decorate the black sand like sparkling diamonds. This is how the site earned the name of “Diamond Beach.” Don’t forget to look out for the floating icebergs, cut off from the glacier tongue, on the shore of Diamond Beach.
On the way back to the hotel you will visit Skaftafell Nature Reserve which is a green area in the middle of jagged mountains and snow-capped peaks.
Lunch and dinner on your own. Your accommodation for the night will be Fosshotel Nupar or similar.
Day 14 – South Coast Friday, August 17
After breakfast, as we begin our journey back to Reykjavik, the first stop is Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, a stunning and magical canyon close to Kirkjubæjarklaustur in southeast Iceland.
We then make our way to Vík, where we stop at Reynisfjara black sand beach. Reynisfjara black sand beach is the most famous beach on the south coast of Iceland. Its beautiful black sand, powerful waves, and the nearby Reynisdrangar sea stacks make Reynisfjara a truly unique place to visit and a popular filming location (Game of Thrones, Star Wars and more). This is a place of wild and dramatic beauty where the roaring waves of the Atlantic Ocean power ashore with tremendous force. Take care as the ocean is very dangerous in this area.
There are more waterfalls to see! Skógafoss is one of the largest and most elegant waterfalls in Iceland. A waterfall of this size generates a lot of spray, often creating a single or double rainbow on sunny days. Lastly, we stop at Seljalandsfoss. When visiting you should be prepared to get a little wet because Seljalandsfoss is one of few places in the world where it’s possible to walk behind a waterfall.
You will end the day back in Reykjavik. Lunch and dinner on your own.
Your accommodation for the night will be Reykjavik Lights Hotel or similar.
Day 15 – Departure Saturday, August 18
On your final day, your prepaid guide will take you back to Keflavik for your flight home.
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Our Ship
Usually Dance On The Water sails on riverboats, with up to 180 capacity. But we can’t traverse the Irish Sea in a riverboat, so this trip will be aboard the Oceania line’s Nautica, newly refurbished in 2022. This ship has a capacity of 670 passengers – larger than a riverboat, but much smaller than the 2,000+ passenger Norwegian Spirit that DOTW sailed with on the Mediterranean in 2018.
To be honest, the Nautica is a bit more luxe that we’re used to, but it’s the only cruise ship that circumnavigates Ireland. However, it comes with many amenities you might get used to:
- All dining – both general rooms and the specialty restaurants – are available to all passengers at no extra cost. Room service? No charge. Explore more: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/nautica/culinary-experiences
- Beer, wine and champagne are free-flowing by the glass at all lunches and dinners.
- Free W-Fi.
- You get an automatic $400 credit on your excursions, and a 25% discount on the balance (provided you order five or more) – see the “Excursions” tab for more details.
- On board, there’s world-class music, high-energy production shows and dazzling cabarets to rousing deck games, spirited wine tastings and evenings at their casino. For those seeking more cerebral pursuits, engaging talks by passionate guest speakers, and animated Team Trivia sessions.
- And did we mention the Afternoon Tea every day at 4:00, with a wide variety of teas and pastries to choose from?
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Cabins & Prices
We have 15 cabins reserved for us on the Nautica (and 15 rooms booked at Icelandic hotels). All the Nautica cabins are 165 square feet, and feature: a Tranquility Bed, free water and soft drinks in the minifridge, Bulgari amenities, TV with on-demand movies, Wi-Fi and cellular service, hairdryer, and safe. The cabin prices below include all the Iceland features included in the Itinerary.
And each passenger gets an automatic $400 credit on excursions, and a 25% discount on any remaining excursions (provided you order five or more) – see the “Excursions” tab below for more details.
https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/nautica/suites-staterooms
D Cabins – Oceanview – porthole window
$5,998 (per person, double occupancy)
C2 Cabins – Deluxe Oceanview – vista window, forward end of the ship
$6,198 (per person, double occupancy)
C1 Cabins – Deluxe Oceanview – vista window, center of the ship
$6,298 (per person, double occupancy)
Single Supplement: Regrettably, Oceania does not have a discount for Single Supplement – if you want a solo cabin, you would have to essentially pay for two passengers. If you let us know you’re seeking a cabinmate, we’ll aid in your search, but no guarantees can be made.
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Excursions
On most of our river cruises, the itinerary and excursions are fixed, and everyone does the same thing. The Iceland portion of this trip is like that, but Ireland is a whole different kettle of cod. Because it’s a larger ship with more passengers, we are offered, at an extra cost, from 4 to 11 excursions at each port, a variety of activities and a range of prices. Of course, you don’t have to go on an excursion at every port.
Basically, you’ll be ordering á la carte, once you’ve set up your cabin profile with Oceania. But right out of the gate, you’ll start with a $400 per person credit, and a 25% discount on the rest (provided you select at least five excursions).
As as example of how this works out, for the nine excursions Marija and I have listed below, the cost comes to $1,025 for each of us.
You can find a full list of the excursions here [link to PDF], or go to
https://www.oceaniacruises.com/british-isles-cruises/dublin-to-dublin-NAU240804/ports/#ports=DUB
(Note: Excursions in Dublin on Days 1 and 11 are not available, as those are Embarkation and Disembarkation days.)
Marija and I have our eyes on certain excursions in each port (below). You, of course, should pick the ones in each city of most interest to you, but you are more than welcome to join us! On one date, in Bantry, we’re urging everyone to sign up for the same one so we can have a common experience.
Waterford – WAT-001 A Walking Tour of Waterford City
Bristol – BRT-002 Avon By Land And River
Cork – RIN-001 A Walk Through Cork
Bantry – There are only four choices here so we’re proposing everyone sign up for BYT-001 Lakes of Killarney and Mukross House
Galway – GWY-004 Cliffs of Moher and the Aillwee Cave
Killybegs – KIL-008 Wild Donegal and Glencolmicille
Belfast – Marija: BFS-001 Ards Peninsula and Grey Abbey
David: BFS-008 Spectacular Giant’s Causeway
Douglas – IOM-006 Victorian Railways and Snaefell
Liverpool – LPL-012 North Wales and Conwy Castle
Read the descriptions for the excursions carefully – some are more strenuous than others. Also, you can drop or switch any you have signed on for up to three days before sailing.
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Registration
Download Registration PDF: Registration form 2024
To register, please fill out and send us the Ireland/Iceland registration form (mail, fax or scan to email) OR contact us at:
Dance on the Water
2147 Parker Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
David & Marija Hillis
Phone: 510-872-5066
FAX: 510-549-0333
Email: folkdanceonthewater@gmail.com
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Flights
You may of course book your flights on your own with any carrier you wish, but we recommend you contact our travel partners Going Places Travel. Once you’ve made a reservation for the cruise, contact Krystian Roehl, krystian@gptravel.com, 800-255-4567 x 202.
We are also recommending you use IcelandAir, because they fly in and out of Dublin and, more importantly, have a free stop-over in Reykjavik on the way home – most convenient for our tour of Iceland. Flight 417 flies out of Dublin at 12:15 p.m. on August 14 and lands in Reykjavik at 2:00. But we recommend your boarding Flight 419, leaving at 2:50 and arriving at 4:45. There will be a transport waiting to take you to our Reykjavik hotel.
Another benefit to booking through Going Places Travel is that there is no airport-ship transport available through Oceania when you land in Dublin on August 4, but if you book with Going Places Travel they will include such transport – same for the ship-airport transfer on August 14.
One drawback to flying IcelandAir for most of you: they don’t fly out of California. You will have to schedule another flight to take you to an IcelandAir hub, including Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver on the West Coast and a dozen other airports in the US. Going Places Travel can book these connecting flights too.
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Weather
Dublin
Daily high temperatures decrease by 3°F, from 67°F to 64°F, rarely falling below 60°F or exceeding 72°F.
Daily low temperatures decrease by 2°F, from 54°F to 52°F, rarely falling below 47°F or exceeding 59°F.
A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Dublin, the chance of a wet day over the course of August is essentially constant, remaining around 29% throughout. The average sliding 31-day rainfall during August in Dublin is essentially constant, remaining about 2.1 inches throughout the month, and rarely exceeding 3.7 inches or falling below 0.6 inches.
https://weatherspark.com/m/33845/8/Average-Weather-in-August-in-Dublin-Ireland
Reykjavik
Daily high temperatures decrease by 3°F, from 57°F to 54°F, rarely falling below 49°F or exceeding 62°F.
Daily low temperatures decrease by 3°F, from 49°F to 45°F, rarely falling below 40°F or exceeding 53°F.
A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Reykjavík, the chance of a wet day over the course of August is very rapidly increasing, starting the month at 34% and ending it at 44%. The average sliding 31-day rainfall during August in Reykjavík is rapidly increasing, starting the month at 2.9 inches, when it rarely exceeds 4.6 inches or falls below 1.4 inches, and ending the month at 4.0 inches, when it rarely exceeds 6.2 inches or falls below 1.9 inches.
https://weatherspark.com/m/31501/8/Average-Weather-in-August-in-Reykjav%C3%ADk-Iceland
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Trip Insurance
If you would like to purchase trip insurance, please follow the directions on our Trip Insurance page.