We Ranked Every Included Excursion on Our Ponant Iceland Cruise

One of the things that stood out most about sailing with Ponant on the Iceland Mosaic itinerary was that every port came with an included excursion. No extra cost, just a shortlist to choose from at each stop. Compare that to most mainstream cruise lines, where practically everything beyond the ship itself comes with a price tag, and it felt like a proper perk.

But an included excursion is only as good as the choice on offer. So once we were home, we sat down and ranked all five, worst to best, to help anyone booking their own Ponant Iceland cruise decide what to prioritise.

5. Golden Circle (Reykjavík)

This is the one every visitor to Iceland already knows about. Thingvellir, Gullfoss and Geysir are genuinely spectacular, there's no arguing with that. But it's also the most heavily trodden route in the entire country, and using your one included pick on somewhere you could easily visit independently, before or after the cruise, felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. If you've already done Iceland's tourist trail, this probably isn't the one to prioritise.

4. Snaefellsnes Peninsula (Grundarfjörður)

A full day out taking in a black pebble beach, the glacier made famous by Jules Verne, dramatic lava cliffs and a scattering of fishing villages. The scenery here is some of the best on the whole itinerary, no question. Where it lost a little ground for us was pace, it's a long day with a lot of stops, and there was also a whale watching alternative on offer at this port that we found ourselves wondering about afterwards.

3. Flowers & Fjords (Ísafjörður)

Quietly one of the most underrated excursions on the list. A drive through a mountain tunnel out to Dýrafjörður and Önundarfjörður, finishing at Skrúður Botanical Garden. It's the least "bucket list" sounding of the five, which probably means most people don't know much about it going in. The fjord scenery alone justified the drive, and the botanical garden was a nice, unexpected bonus at the end.

2. Circumnavigation of Heimaey (Westman Islands)

A small boat tour circling Heimaey, taking in cliffs, puffin colonies and sea caves before finishing at Klettshellir. This was the closest thing to a proper wildlife boat trip on the whole list, and it paired nicely with the orca sighting we'd had earlier in the cruise. If you want the excursion that punches hardest above its included price tag, this is it.

1. Thermal Bath & Godafoss (Akureyri/Húsavík)

Not the excursion we expected to top the list, if we're honest. This one pairs geothermal sea baths with a stop at the Godafoss waterfall, and it turned out to be exactly the change of pace the itinerary needed. Where some of the other excursions felt like a lot of moving and looking, this one gave us a proper chance to slow down and actually enjoy where we were, before still getting the big, dramatic waterfall moment on the same day. If you only take one thing away from this ranking, it's this one.

So, does Ponant's included excursion model actually work?

Genuinely, yes. Having one included choice per port removes a layer of decision fatigue and extra cost that you'd face on most mainstream lines, and even our lowest ranked pick here wasn't bad, it was simply the least essential when weighed against the other four. If you're booking your own Ponant cruise and can only prioritise one or two ports, we'd point you towards the Heimaey boat trip and the thermal bath and Godafoss combination first.

Sailing gear tip: if you're heading somewhere as changeable as Iceland, a proper waterproof overcoat earns its keep fast. We rate the Regatta waterproof overcoat, available on our Cruise Essentials page (affiliate link).

Watch the full video ranking on our YouTube channel.