bladerunner6

On 5/8/2024 at 8:18 PM, fetch94 said:

Bladerunner - where are you booked for Egypt in 2027?  I’ve been through two total eclipses (TN in 2017 and TX in 2024) and Egypt would be an amazing place to see one!

We are booked on the ship Hamees.

3 minutes ago, ssawjo said:

Bladerunner, based on chart for the upcoming TSE, would you or do you think a cruise out of Iceland would be better to view the eclipse? Cunard has one leaving Southampton and ending in New York, via Iceland and Greenland, and will be in Reykjavik the day of the TSE.  Just curious.

Thanks.

The point of a TSE cruise is to be mobile.  My assumption is that eventually Cunard will come to understand that and make it a sea day for the eclipse.

That being said, here is some info on the weather prospects for Iceland.

https://weatherspark.com/d/31501/8/12/Average-Weather-on-August-12-in-Reykjavík-Iceland

I am not giving advice to anyone but I personally would avoid Iceland.

42 minutes ago, sheltielover256 said:

Are they billing as an eclipse cruise?   I would book it in a second if so!

No they are not billing it as an eclipse cruise- I am just saying they are in the right waters at that time of year and in 2030 it would be an easy modification.

On 4/19/2024 at 10:50 AM, MJC said:

We had an amazing eclipse day on the Emerald Princess with her sister Discovery within sight to our aft as well. Weather couldn't have been better and our captain did an amazing job of keeping the decks as steady as possible for photos. What a great day!

 

We're already setting our sights on 2026 and have booked Queen Anne out of Southampton to see the eclipse from northern Spain.  Princess will be adding eclipse cruises on the Sky, but I've heard the itineraries won't be available until May.

 

Time to start an eclipse 2026 thread...

You should do that!

We just did the Total Solar Eclipse on the Discovery Princess and are booked for Egypt in 2027 so it is time to start thinking about the next one after that.

This eclipse is a possibility:

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2030_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=-34.96819&Lng=42.28699&Zoom=6&LC=1

I noticed NCL has this cruise in about the right time of year.

https://www.ncl.com/cruises/12-day-africa-from-cape-town-to-mauritius-south-africa-and-madagascar-DAWN12CPTMOSLIZRICNOSDIEPDGLUI?destinations=4294949304&numberOfGuests=4294949461&sortBy=featured&autoPopulate=f&from=resultpage&itineraryCode=DAWN12CPTMOSLIZRICNOSDIEPDGLUI

Is this a new cruise for them or have they being doing it a while?

Thanks.

While I am thinking about this eclipse like many others, it should be noted that this is a particularly tough one.  Aside from much of the eclipse being out in the North Atlantic it is relatively low in the sky and is descending as the eclipse progresses.

If you click on the a location in the map below it will tell you duration and the altitude in the sky.

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2026_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=56.70086&Lng=-20.38983&Zoom=4&LC=1

For those of us on the Discovery Princess (and other ships) the sun was pretty high up and ascending.

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=22.53344&Lng=-106.77862&Zoom=6&LC=1

Please let me be clear, I don’t want to discourage anyone in their enthusiasm after seeing the eclipse, but this next one is definitely more challenging.

3 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

On Discovery’s 10 day r/t LA cruise: Cabo overnight, Mazatlan, Manzanillo & Puerto Vallarta.

 

We had guest speakers including a Q&A with Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak.

 

Another difference from the European TSE is the length of totality…we had 4:26 but the next one is nearly half of that time at 2:18.

 

It was an AMAZING experience & the sun’s corona was very bright, it looked like dusk & the temperature dropped a lot.

 

Crowding wasn’t an issue because all of us on the starboard side could view it from our balconies with the TSE being 70° above the horizon…AMAZING! The small dot to the upper right of the corona in the second photo was a planet visible during totality but I forgot which planet.
 

Even if everyone that observed from their balconies had been on deck there still would have been enough room.  Modern ships are pretty spacious.

But a great eclipse and a wonderful cruise.

7 hours ago, phabric said:

What did Princess do to make it an amazing cruise beside what they normally do on a cruise?  I have taken 30 cruises with Princess.

 

It is the weather -heat/humid in August in Europe , I am thinking about.

Aside from what others have mentioned they also have some other speakers to go with the eclipse theme.

Also, some of the trivia sessions tied into space or astronomy.

During the eclipse officers strolled around with sunscreen and staff offered towels and other amenities. 
 

And as many of the crew as possible were allowed to watch the eclipse.

They also gave us certificates and had eclipse cookies.

We have only stayed at the Crowne Plaza but we really liked it.  And we walked to the ship.

3 hours ago, Captain-John said:

 

Crikey, I did not think a mass-market cruise ship would be favoured by a centimillionaire. Makes me feel even better about my choice to sail Discovery next year.

 

Thanks everyone for relaying your experience on the ship, great insight. Interesting O'Malley's is being installed. Also keen to try the UBD.

In regards to Woz using a mainstream cruise line to see the eclipse:

He wanted to see the eclipse and Captain Tony did an impeccable job of finding clear skies and setting the ship adrift.

I am dubious that a private yacht charter would have done any better.

I think these changes are great- there are options to please everyone.

Both Sky Suites were booked for the TSE cruise so you might check that thread.

42 minutes ago, Orsino said:

Well, I booked it. I have nearly two years to change my mind. If another cruise line has a better itinerary, I will be very tempted to switch.

The itinerary I was sent has: "8/12/2026    La Coruna (Tours To Santiago De Compostela), Spain    09:00 AM    09:00 PM"

A tour to Santiago De Compostela on that day seems like a very bad idea, and not only because it leaves the area of the total eclipse (barely), but the traffic!!

 

Princess is announcing an eclipse cruise on 5/23 on the Sky Princess.

8 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Yes, if you can book this with a refundable deposit, you might as well.

Maybe (?) Cunard will come to their senses and change the schedule at least a bit.

 

Or if not, you could find some other place/way to see it?

 

Are there any ships that day/time off the coast of ... Spain?  Or ??

I'd think being at sea, for the sense there, would also be amazing.  NOTHING in the way to interfere with the view.

 

Where we were, in a park, there were a few trees, with bare branches from winter, and during the changes before totality, it was a bit annoying, but still didn't interefer with what we were watching.

But at totality, that amazing GLOWING CORONA was *so* bright, that we weren't aware of anything at all in the way if viewing.  We didn't realize it at the time, but shortly after, we both agreed that at totality, it was as if all of the thin branches just vanished.  We didn't even think about them untl after totality.

 

Enjoy, no matter where!

 

GC

Originally the Discovery Princess was docked but the schedule was changed to be at sea.

It might be wise to follow Cunard on social media and point out they need to change the itineraries.

4 minutes ago, D&N said:

And the difference between sitting on OUR HOUSE BALCONY and anywhere else is all the din in the world. (whatever that means),

We were totally underwhelmed by 100% in a German supermarket car park in 1999.

The food and wine is much more important!

Difference in the world. I corrected the typo-this middle seat isn’t the most user friendly space for typing.

On 3/28/2024 at 1:36 PM, D&N said:

We'll settle for 95%. 90 minutes before sunset. On our balcony, no travel required.

The difference between 95% and 100% is all the difference in the world.  It is like driving to Disneyworld and staying in the parking lot.

We just got off the Discovery Princess and they did the eclipse right.  The people at Cunard should contact their associates at HAL and Princess to understand what they need to do.

Cunard currently has two of the three ships at port for the eclipse.  The whole point of an eclipse cruise is to have mobility to avoid clouds.  That is why since they started doing eclipse cruise on a regular basis over 50 years ago, they have all been at sea.

https://www.eclipse-chasers.com/article/history/tseByShip.shtml

They also suggest you can watch the eclipse with sunglasses!  That is a way to suffer permanent eye damage.

As I said, they the people at Cunard need to talk to their opposite numbers at HAL  and Princess.

Assuming Cunard does it right you are in for the experience of a lifetime!

Clear skies to you all!

21 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

It’s just a coincidence that thematically those songs tied into the Eclipse theme of your particular cruise. Both songs are a regular part of the Rock Opera lineup. But pretty cool that they offered extra meaning on your cruise! 
 

We have some friends onboard with you and from her reports it looks like an amazing experience. Lucky you!

It was absolutely an amazing experience. Everyone should put a total solar eclipse on their bucket list.

Thanks everyone that clarified that those songs are a normal part of the performance.

I expected that but clarification is nice.

We are on the Discovery Princess for the eclipse cruise.

We noticed they did a couple of topical songs- “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “The Sounds of Silence”.

Are those normally in the lineup or did they add them for the eclipse cruise?

They also did “Bang, Bang- I Shot My Baby Down”.  My lovely wife and I were pleased by that. That is the song from the movie “Kill Bill, Volume 1” which was our first date.

In any case, it was a great show and the eclipse was awesome.  The rest of the cruise has also been wonderful.

• We have a few hours left in Mazatlan today and have PV and Manzanillo ahead of us.

Any reliable recommendations on where to buy some silver jewelry?

I know that buying in the tourist trap area right off the ship is not the best choice.

Thanks.

We have a few hours left in Mazatlan today and have PV and Manzanillo ahead of us.

Any reliable recommendations on where to buy some silver jewelry?

I know that buying in the tourist trap area right off the ship is not the best choice.

Thanks.

On 3/8/2024 at 8:20 PM, NavyVeteran said:

They've normally given me 1 gallon for my CPAP, which would be 16 cups, so you should have more than enough.

Technically, the request for distilled water under Dietary Restrictions says "Distilled water (for CPAP machine use ONLY)". The note under Medical Requests General Information says "Distilled water is only provided for use with your c-pap machine, onboard free of charge in gallon units, provided you submit a request in advance of sailing." So, technically, they will not provide free distilled water for mixing medication. However, I doubt that the cabin steward or anyone else will verify that you have a CPAP machine and refuse you the water if you don't.

I would think anyone with any idea about good customer service would be okay with it: I specifically need purified water for this.

Thanks for all the constructive input.

I need about 8 ounces (1 cup) a day of distilled water for a medication I need to mix.  
 

For a 10 day cruise that is 80 ounces or 10 cups.

If I ask for water for a CPAP will that be enough?

Thanks.

1 hour ago, shellbeachjim said:

It’s the Golden Princess. Put the image in 3D mode and zoom in. 

Wow! Thanks👏 Not only did you answer my question but you taught me something really cool and useful.