April 8 2024 Solar Eclipse - Sapphire Princess

[Gaynors]

I will be on Sapphire Princess (sailing April 5th) somewhere between LA and Hawaii on April 8th.  I know we won't be in the zone of totality but from what I've read we should be able to see a partial eclipse.  However, since we will be somewhere at sea and I won't know the exact location ahead of time I don't know what time to look for the eclipse.  Will Princess let us know when we can look for the eclipse, like posting it in the patter or on the announcements?  Will there maybe be an eclipse watching party?

 

From what I can tell we should be able to see the eclipse sometime in the morning.. weather dependent, of course.

[memoak]

17 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

I will be on Sapphire Princess (sailing April 5th) somewhere between LA and Hawaii on April 8th.  I know we won't be in the zone of totality but from what I've read we should be able to see a partial eclipse.  However, since we will be somewhere at sea and I won't know the exact location ahead of time I don't know what time to look for the eclipse.  Will Princess let us know when we can look for the eclipse, like posting it in the patter or on the announcements?  Will there maybe be an eclipse watching party?

 

From what I can tell we should be able to see the eclipse sometime in the morning.. weather dependent, of course.

We were once on a ship and knew there was going to be a lunar eclipse and when we asked the staff captain about it he had no idea what we were talking about 

[Gaynors]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

We were once on a ship and knew there was going to be a lunar eclipse and when we asked the staff captain about it he had no idea what we were talking about 

Oh no!!  That would be very disappointing.

 

At a minimum I will ask at guest services but was hoping maybe Princess would do something special.. even though we'll only see a partial eclipse.  

 

I guess I should start asking our first sea day (April 6th) and maybe even ask whichever officers or staff attends our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet which is also that first sea day. 

[Thrak]

Check out the Map of Nope. I wouldn't count on being able to see much of the eclipse on your route.

 

 

Edited March 22 by Thrak

[cr8tiv1]

Your chances of spotting the eclipse will be next to nothing.  If there is a chance, the regular crew will know something.  Don't bother with the higher uppers.  

[Gaynors]

Thanks!

Not giving up hope, from what I've read it will be able to be seen, if the skies are clear of course) (granted only partial eclipse) over most of the country and I do understand the difference between seeing a partial eclipse and being in the zone of totality.

If I was on land and stationary the time would be easy to determine.  As best I can tell from the maps and predictions it should be early morning.

[Astro Flyer]

The 20% average maximum for Hawaii is between 0627 & 0757 HST (0927 & 1057 PDT)

 

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/hawaii?iso=20240408

 

Maybe you could locate a map by searching online for approximately midway between LA & HI to find an estimated amount of obscuration…even a guess-timate is better than nothing. 😉

 

If you hope to see the small partial eclipse then get eye protection glasses from someplace such as Amazon. I’m on Discovery’s TSE at sea off of Mazatlan & Princess sent an email confirming that we’ll receive glasses on the ship.

 

[startedwithamouse]

Wouldn't your phone show where you are, if it's going to be visible at all, then just adjust for time of the event?

 

Also, it's going to be covered by Fox News/MSNBC (on your Princess stateroom TV), so you will know the time it's happening. Same with social media online. EVERYONE will be posting. 

 

 

Edited March 22 by startedwithamouse

[Gaynors]

8 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Wouldn't your phone show where you are, if it's going to be visible at all, then just adjust for time of the event?

 

Also, it's going to be covered by Fox News/MSNBC, so you will know the time it's happening. Same with social media online. EVERYONE will be posting. 

 

 

Yes, if I can't find out anything from the ship, and probably as a back up, that is my plan and I've found a website that you can put in your location and it will give you a time.  Problem is, I can put in our location the night before to get an estimate but as we will be moving I'll have to check again in the morning.

[Gaynors]

12 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

The 20% average maximum for Hawaii is between 0627 & 0757 HST (0927 & 1057 PDT)

 

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/hawaii?iso=20240408

 

Maybe you could locate a map by searching online for approximately midway between LA & HI to find an estimated amount of obscuration…even a guess-timate is better than nothing. 😉

 

If you hope to see the small partial eclipse then get eye protection glasses from someplace such as Amazon. I’m on Discovery’s TSE at sea off of Mazatlan & Princess sent an email confirming that we’ll receive glasses on the ship.

 

That is one of the websites I've looked at.  I've used that and others to get my guesstimate for now and it looks like early morning.

 

Enjoy your viewing of the total eclipse!!

[startedwithamouse]

Just now, Gaynors said:

Yes, if I can't find out anything from the ship, and probably as a back up, that is my plan and I've found a website that you can put in your location and it will give you a time.  Problem is, I can put in our location the night before to get an estimate but as we will be moving I'll have to check again in the morning.

 

 

Just pinpoint the time and find the sun. Guessing between 8:00 am and 9:00 am.  

 

I wouldn't rely on the ship. At all  

[kamelia]

Here's another source of information for eclipse viewing:

 

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/

 

If you look at the chart using a zip code for LA, 90001, and then again using a zip code for Hilo, 96720, that might give you a better idea of what to expect being halfway between the two, more or less.  

Edited March 22 by kamelia
added another thought

[Gaynors]

6 minutes ago, kamelia said:

Here's another source of information for eclipse viewing:

 

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/

Thank you, that is one of the websites I've been looking at.

[Astro Flyer]

25 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

That is one of the websites I've looked at.  I've used that and others to get my guesstimate for now and it looks like early morning.

 

Enjoy your viewing of the total eclipse!!

Wishing you the best of luck…you’re certainly doing your homework. 😊

 

Thanks…to me your destination is much mo bettah than mine. ☺️

If you dock in Kahului Maui hope you have a great day. 😎

Edited March 22 by Astro Flyer

[startedwithamouse]

3 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Wishing you the best of luck…you’re certainly doing your homework. 😊

 

Thanks…to me your destination is much mo bettah than mine. ☺️

If you dock in Kahului Maui hope you have a great day. 😎

Can you walk from the port to anything? Isn't this replacing Lahaina?

[Gaynors]

5 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Wishing you the best of luck…you’re certainly doing your homework. 😊

 

Thanks…to me your destination is much mo bettah than mine. ☺️

If you dock in Kahului Maui hope you have a great day. 😎

Definitely looking forward to all our ports.

 

We do dock in Kahului Maui on April 12th.

[kamelia]

2 hours ago, Gaynors said:

Will Princess let us know when we can look for the eclipse, like posting it in the patter or on the announcements?  Will there maybe be an eclipse watching party?

I would definitely ask at Guest Services once you're onboard.  I don't know who will be at the helm by then, but I have cruised with both Captain McBain and Captain Ravera in Antarctica and was impressed by how passionate each of them was about sharing the experience of where we were with both passengers and crew, so it would not surprise me to find them equally as engaged regarding the eclipse, especially if they know there are interested passengers.

[Astro Flyer]

37 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Can you walk from the port to anything? Isn't this replacing Lahaina?

It does replace Lahaina which I expect the situation to be for at least 5 years.

 

There is no good places to visit within walking distance & only a few malls. There is a public bus system however think renting a car from the airport or Enterprise close to the port is a better option. If wanting to go to nice beaches would recommend going to Wailea (30 minutes) and if you have a rental car you can drive to the south end of the road to see the most recent flow from the late 1700s. Or to drive Upcountry to visit that area halfway up Haleakala (we go to the Maui Winery when guests visit us) or to continue to the top to see the cinder cones & where I’ve read the lunar astronauts trained there because it resembles the surface of the moon.
 

Edited March 22 by Astro Flyer

[Gaynors]

3 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

It does replace Lahaina which I expect the situation to be for at least 5 years.

 

There is no good places to visit within walking distance & only a few malls. There is a public bus system however think renting a car from the airport or Enterprise close to the port is a better option. If wanting to go to nice beaches, would recommend going to Wailea and if you have a rental car, you can drive to the south end of the road to see the most recent flow from the late 1700s. Or to drive Upcountry to visit that area halfway up Haleakala (we go to the Maui Winery when guests visit us) or to continue to the top to see the cinder cones & where I’ve read the lunar astronauts trained there because it resembles the surface of the moon.
 

Thank you for the tips!  We are renting a car from the Enterprise close to the port and are planning on going to Haleakala and maybe something else if time allows .

[Astro Flyer]

44 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

Definitely looking forward to all our ports.

 

We do dock in Kahului Maui on April 12th.

Great…if you only walk to the nearby Maui Mall would highly recommend the long time family owned Tasaka Guri Guri…a frozen tasty treat (cash only) described as a combination between sherbert and soft ice cream which comes in either strawberry or pineapple or get both like we do…ono-licious! 😋

https://onolicioushawaii.com/tasaka-guri-guri/

 

Edited March 22 by Astro Flyer

[Gaynors]

3 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

Great…if you only walk to the nearby Maui Mall would highly recommend the long time family owned Tasaka Guri Guri…a frozen tasty treat (cash only) described as a combination between sherbert and soft ice cream which comes in either strawberry or pineapple…ono-licious! 😋

https://onolicioushawaii.com/tasaka-guri-guri/

 

Will do!

[Astro Flyer]

9 minutes ago, Gaynors said:

Thank you for the tips!  We are renting a car from the Enterprise close to the port and are planning on going to Haleakala and maybe something else if time allows .

If you want to sample local wines, Maui Winery is located in Upcountry’s Ulapalakua area. Across the street is a quaint old market & grill if hungry…Ulapalakua Ranch Store. 😋

 

https://ulupalakuaranch.com/ranch-store-grill/

 

The earlier you can get to Haleakala the better because the summit area can get socked in with clouds around midday.

 

Edited March 22 by Astro Flyer

[Gaynors]

5 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

If you want to sample local wines, Maui Winery is located in Upcountry’s Ulapalakua area. Across the street is a quaint old market & grill if hungry…Ulapalakua Ranch Store. 😋

 

https://ulupalakuaranch.com/ranch-store-grill/

 

The earlier you can get to Haleakala the better because the summit area can get socked in with clouds around midday.

 

The ship arrives at 8 and we are picking up our rental by 8:30 then heading straight to Haleakala, hopefully we'll beat the clouds

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, Astro Flyer said:

It does replace Lahaina which I expect the situation to be for at least 5 years.

 

There is no good places to visit within walking distance & only a few malls. There is a public bus system however think renting a car from the airport or Enterprise close to the port is a better option. If wanting to go to nice beaches would recommend going to Wailea (30 minutes) and if you have a rental car you can drive to the south end of the road to see the most recent flow from the late 1700s. Or to drive Upcountry to visit that area halfway up Haleakala (we go to the Maui Winery when guests visit us) or to continue to the top to see the cinder cones & where I’ve read the lunar astronauts trained there because it resembles the surface of the moon.
 

Thank you for the information.  Hopefully Lahaina will come back stronger than ever. 

[symui]

The Emerald is headed to Hawaii from LA right now.   Use a ship locator website to get the coordinates when the ship is 3 days out from LA. 

 

I would guesstimate that the ship will pass through a partial eclipse with about 25% of the sun obscured by the moon - so worth a look with eclipse glasses.  Duration with be about ~1.5 hours from first contact at 16:30 (UT), to max at 17:15 (UT) ending at 18:00 (UT). Double check the ship time on day 3 vs (UT).  I would use the website below to match up the coordinates and help with the time conversion.  There are many sites available but this is the one I use for eclipses. 

 

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=20.13909&Lng=-152.02051&Zoom=7&LC=1

 

Enjoy the partial eclipse and your time in Hawaii.