Cruising Through a Solar Eclipse

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Total eclipses of the sun are awesome events. And there’s good news for eclipse chasers (a.k.a. “umbraphiles”) who also love cruising: 2026 and 2027 will each bring a total eclipse of the sun that you can experience from a cruise ship.

Total eclipses take place when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, casting an impressive shadow. Within the shadow is a narrow “path of totality,” where the light of the sun is completely blocked for a few minutes (a bit of the sun’s corona may still be visible). By the way, always be safe when viewing a solar eclipse, whether from land or sea: be sure to wear special solar eclipse viewing glasses to enjoy the show.

If you’d like to experience a total eclipse at sea, one is coming soon. On August 12, 2026, the path of totality will begin in the early afternoon in the North Atlantic, and then will move across parts of southern Europe. Here are some cruise lines that will celebrate this spectacular natural phenomenon by navigating in the path of totality:

Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 will be docked in Reykjavik, Iceland, on August 12; just imagine watching the eclipse from the famous Blue Lagoon. Two more Cunard ships will be in the path of the eclipse, but at sea: the Queen Anne will be near La Coruña, Spain, and the Queen Victoria will be near Tarragona, Spain.

Three Holland America Line ships will sail in the path of totality on August 12, including the Zuiderdam, which will be off the coast of Iceland as part of a 35-day “Voyage of the Vikings: Solar Eclipse” cruise. The Nieuw Statendam will also be off the coast of Iceland, while the Oosterdam will be off the coast of Spain.

Princess Cruises also plans to have three ships – the Sky Princess, the Sun Princess, and the Enchanted Princess – near the coast of Spain on August 12.

Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas will also spend August 12 sailing off the coast of Spain, during a “Spanish Flair and Solar Eclipse“ cruise.

Anita, your professional travel advisor, can help you consider these and other options for viewing an eclipse from the deck of a cruise ship. In fact, it’s not too early to look into cruises that will be in the path of totality for another total eclipse of the sun on August 2, 2027.

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