Hi, I am sorry you feel this way so I would like to address all the points here, as I am head guide and also was your guide that night so I remember the tour very well.
The boat was not overcrowded, there is a legal limit on how many people we can take based on the size of the boat and the number of seating, and we were well below it. That night many people chose to stay in the main saloon instead of spreading out around the yacht despite being told of the four different inside seating areas on board.
The panelling is just wood colour, and the reason it is dark in the boat is because the overhead lighting was off. We keep the lighting level low during northern lights tours as this allows your eyes to adjust to the dark - making it easier for you to see the northern lights if they show.
I explained this during the introduction. Then I explained the plan for the tour - where we are going. I shall repeat it now.
So we go to wait for the aurora between the islands that guard Reykjavik. There the ocean is calm, allowing you to take the long exposure photographs needed in order to photograph the aurora well. If we were to go out to the ocean then there would be bigger waves making people uncomfortable and unable to take great photos. On top of that the aurora is very high up. So even if we had motored out to the area we go whale watching for example we wouldn't see the lights any differently. We make sure we are far enough away from the city that the light pollution doesn't affect us. We can see the city lights in the distance to the south, but we are looking to the north. These reasons are why all the aurora boat tours go where we go, not just us.
The only focus on drink sales from the staff is in my introduction I point out that we can put Baileys in your hot chocolate. It is delicious. I have never had a complaint about mentioning that before! Other than that the bar is just there for people who want it.
As to me talking for just 5 minutes, I am sure my crew would find that laughable, I am known for being a massive nerd and very talkative, I love sharing my knowledge with people.
My normal speeches in a night are; 1 the welcome and safety briefing and where things are on the boat. 2. Where we are going, what the plan is, why we go out on some nights and not others and how to take photos of the aurora on your phone. 3. The science behind the aurora inc why we see it in the north and why we see colours. 4. The mythology of the aurora from around the world 5. The peace tower as it was lit up this week 6. Astronomy - included pointing out the main constellations and the mythology behind them. 7. Apps, websites and museums where you can learn more about the aurora.
I spread these out throughout the trip as well as anything else that interests me, and also any updates on cloud cover and disturbance in the Earth´s magnetic field. With the best will in the world, I couldn´t do all that in 5 minutes.
Yes, tourists who went on a land tour that night may have seen the lights. Our forecast was for clear skies but the clouds came in. As I explained we could see the aurora was happening over Iceland and we were waiting for a break in the cloud. We only go out when the forecast is good, and it was, we are not arrogant enough to think we know better than the national weather station. Sometimes we will see it at sea and no one will see it on land. That is how it is. The day before and the day after your trip we had beautiful auroras on the yacht. Which is why you saw an aurora the next night, the sky was clear everywhere so everyone saw it.
Lastly, as to it being cold and windy outside on deck, it is Iceland in winter. It is always cold and often windy! We tell people to wrap up for the tour and there are a huge stack of blankets for people to borrow, and we keep the inside nice and warm so people can come back inside to warm up.
I am sorry you are so disappointed with us, especially as I was guiding that night, I honestly don´t know what else I could have done to make your trip better. I had many people come to thank me for the tour despite not seeing the lights.
I hope you find the rest of your time in Iceland more satisfying and that mother nature puts on her best shows for you!