Hi all,

Arrive around 6:35am ( FI852) carry on bag only. Doing a budget rental. I plan on driving to Jökulsárlón but would like to shower/ freshen up before hand. Can I make a 9am BL time slot? 10/11 am slot are already booked. Side note do slots open and close often? should I keep checking for the 10am? Next Friday

Not sure what you mean by "budget rental". If you mean "Budget", the rental company, you'll have plenty of time (assuming you land on time) to get to the Blue Lagoon. If you mean "budget" as in "cheap" do know that many of the cheap (and "SAD") rental companies rent out crap cars and you are likely to have issues getting to the Blue Lagoon.

That being said, BL to Jokulsarlon is a drive of over 6 hours in best conditions, plus stops for meals, bathrooms, photos (lots of photos) and gas, on narrow and winding roads through mountain passes without guardrails, and should only be attempted on solid rest, not after an overnight international flight and the Blue Lagoon, which will only relax you more and make you less alert, even after that shower.

i will have a vehicle most of the time in iceland except the last day when im thinking of going to the blue lagoon. any recs on tour operators for transport to/fro the BL?? thx.

https://www.re.is/day-tours/blue-lagoon-tours

However, the Blue Lagoon is on the way to KEF from Reyjkavik, so if you have an airport car rental, it would be much easier to go on your way to the airport and then drop your car.

Blue lagoon website has a page that includes booking transport from the city or airport to the BL and then to the city or the airport.

BL is nice but found it way too hyped.
There are alternatives both natural (not-so-secret-anymore lagoon) or man-made (Laugardalslaug) that may give different but more entertaining experience at a fraction of cost/crowd.

I recommend a look at Guide to Iceland’s page on hot springs, thermal baths, etc.

Best Hot Springs in Iceland | Ultimate Guide, by Nanna Gunnarsdóttir
link

because there’s a heckuva lot more going on in Iceland than the pricey, crowded, hyped Blue Lagoon (which does have its place, and includes food and souvenir options).

As for the OP wanting to freshen up with a shower, I suspect

(KEF Airport Guide thread wiki) would be a lot cheaper than paying admission fees, etc. at Blue Lagoon, and enable hitting the road earlier.

I have a 5pm FI KEF SFO departure on Dec 14 and would like to book an 8 am bus from the city, 9 am admission, and 1:40 pm bus to KEF. But I'd also like to wait and see what the weather will be like. How crowded might the BL be? Is there a chance they would sell out of my preferred bus and admission times? Should I book now or is it safe to wait longer? If I cancel 3+ days out, my loss would be $28. Not a big deal, but still. TIA.

All cancellations must be presented to Blue Lagoon in writing, via e-mail, to the address [email protected]. Blue Lagoon will always keep 10% of the total booking amount, regardless of the time of cancellation. Otherwise, cancellation charges are as follows (days of notice are based on date/time of arrival):

• If you cancel with more than 3 days’ notice: 90% is refunded
• If you cancel with 1-3 days’ (24-72 hours) notice: 50% is refunded
• If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice: No refund is made

Blue Lagoon regularly sells out.

It's just as fun in the snow as in the sun

The Blue Lagoon gets quite busy...it can be overwhelming sometimes.
The changing rooms are packed with people...

It does sell out