Reykjavik, Iceland and the Arctic Circle???

​We were leaving Iceland at 12:00 today but felt we had seen plenty the day before and decided to make it a full “sea day” for us.  We slept in and relaxed.  Chris and I are pretty nerdy when it comes to travel and cruising and had studied the maps prior to our trip.  We both were very excited to learn we would be above the Arctic Circle for a short period of time.  Chris went to Guest Services to ask about what time this would happen.  The staff member did not know but said she would call to the bridge after sail away to ask.  She asked him to return in an hour or so.  We went to CruiseNext trivia to kill time.  It was mostly propaganda to buy a CruiseNext reward but we did win, flexing our cruise port knowledge!  In addition to signatures, we also won two lanyards that we had to pick up at their office.  Hmmm…a way to get us to buy that reward??  Chris popped over to Guest Services to find out the time we would be passing.  We thought it would be fun to jump in the pool or at least the hot tub at that time.  He was told we would not be passing through.  When he returned with this information, I did not believe him.  But how could the bridge be wrong?  Chris went to get our prize at CruiseNext, the lanyards I mentioned earlier.  Since they are the itinerary experts,  he decided to inquire about the Arctic Circle.  They said we wouldn’t pass through but showed him future cruises that would be above the Arctic Circle. 

We went to our usual trivia at cocktail time.  Then, it was the buffet for dinner and to Henry’s Pub for pub trivia.  I know this is not a food centric report compared my last trip but the main dining has not intrigued us much this voyage.  We joked with some delightful people at trivia from Stanley in the Falkland Islands and said we would team up with them tomorrow.  They are also keen to know about crossing the circle since one of them has piloted zodiacs on a cruise to Antartica, so for him to now be at the other end of the globe is a true feat for him.  Their home is definitely on our bucket list! It is still quite chilly and dreary, which is typical of the weather in the North Atlantic.

​We returned to our favorite spot, Galaxy of the Stars to finish our night.  The bartenders who work there have been outstanding.  We did a little dancing and then entered the Ultimate Dance Clash.  This is the event that they pair you with a crew member to find out who has the best moves to a variety of styles.  Unlike Caribbean itineraries, very few entered.  So shocker, we both got picked.  I was paired with a dancer while Chris got his first choice pick, a member of the cruise staff from Croatia.  We danced our hearts out and I scared the British judges with my East Coast vibe but alas we made it to finals only to lose to the older lady.  We realize we can’t the old men or woman who have the joie de vivre to enter a contest in front of tons of people and that will be shown on cruise tv.  Some day, we both hope to be that passenger multiple times over!  
After our public workout, we had another drink and Chris watched the monitors displaying the ship’s position.  We were steadily heading north right for the Arctic Circle.  The Arctic Circle is located at 66 degrees 33 minutes.  We were getting close.  No way we were not watching this monitor.  Then we noticed we passed it!  Success!  We crossed the Arctic Circle.  Warm after dancing, we ran to cabin and changed into our suits only to find hot tubs drained and pool covered.  Oh well, at least we crossed it.  I am however a bit upset that either Guest Services never called the bridge or that the bridge has no idea where we are going.  The latter is the most troublesome!