Is there no thread here that reviewed the recent cruises that saw the eclipse?

[OnTheJourney]

I'd be curious to read them as well as any forthcoming news about a 2026 eclipse cruise. Path goes through areas of Iceland, Greenland, and Spain, among others.

[PacnGoNow]

16 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'd be curious to read them as well as any forthcoming news about a 2026 eclipse cruise. Path goes through areas of Iceland, Greenland, and Spain, among others.

Here’s a review from cruise critic on the Solar eclipse cruise. Emerald Princess 4/8/24.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/what-s-it-like-to-go-on-a-solar-eclipse-cruise

Edited April 11 by PacnGoNow

[kitty2264]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2945935-april-3-13-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cruise-on-the-discovery…new-thread/page/104/#comment-67220189

 

This is Discovery Princess Roll Call that has some nice reviews, and pictures.

[phoebe2m]

We are on the Emerald now. Solar eclipse was amazing! The captain did an outstanding job getting us a perfect view. Passengers were respectful of others. Plenty of room even though thousands of us on the upper decks. Crew handed out wet cloths and water. We are very happy! Thanks Princess.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On Discovery, we are all having way too good a time to focus on a live from. But I did think about it!  
 

The Captain and crew made the eclipse the focus of our life on board with enrichment lectures, themed trivia, games, star gazing nightly and special events like the planetarium set up in the theater.  Our ship was so stable during the eclipse that our telescopes gave outstanding views. We set them all up on our balcony, not on the public spaces. 
 

Two nights ago we also had amazing clear skies and had excellent star gazing with our own telescopes. Service, food and entertainment has been outstanding.  
 

I would definitely choose Princess for another eclipse cruise.  I would be shocked if Princess did not continue to offer these. 

I’ll post some pictures if they will load. 
 

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

We received this great letter on nice cardstock when we embarked explaining where we’d be and how to best view the eclipse. And then we were given this lovely certificate afterwards. Princess delivered solar glasses to all cabins the day before. 

[EclipseChaser9]

I am on the Emerald Princess Eclipse cruise, and the reason is picked this cruise was to see the eclipse.  I traveled to Casper Wyoming to observe the 2017 eclipse.

 

Our captain did an excellent job of parking us in a perfect place to observe the eclipse.  I had gone up early on deck 16 to set up my tripod next to the railing, but there was plenty of space available for even those who came up at the last minute. 
 

After Totality the crew members walked around serving a special Eclipse alcoholic beverage which was delicious.

 

I would definitely book a Princess Eclipse cruise again for future eclipses.

[OnTheJourney]

So cool that all of you got to see it. Thanks for the links and pictures!

[OnTheJourney]

41 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

We received this great letter on nice cardstock

That's really nice of them to do that! What a great keepsake for the photo albums! Only thing I'm reading is that, for various reasons, the weather is especially unpredictable for both Iceland and Spain due to the locations and other factors. https://eclipsophile.com/tse2026/

Edited April 11 by OnTheJourney

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Captain Tony also delayed moving our clocks ahead. That’s why our eclipse was at 11:02 ships time instead of noon. 
He did not want the eclipse to conflict with lunch service. And he gave the crew the time on upper decks to also experience this amazing event. 
I LOVE Captain Tony! 

[OnTheJourney]

18 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

He did not want the eclipse to conflict with lunch service.

Love it!!!  Hey, what's more important on a cruise ship?  A celestial event, or food!!!!  😁

 

Do you have a link to the 2026 Cunard cruise? Can't find anything on their website.

Edited April 11 by OnTheJourney

[karatemom2]

We have friends onboard the Discovery and she has been posting on her social media. They seem to be having a truly amazing time. Seems like Princess went all out to make it special. She has nothing but great things to report. Makes me jealous!! I’m going to be eyeing the 2026 options! 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

32 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

Love it!!!  Hey, what's more important on a cruise ship?  A celestial event, or food!!!!  😁

 

Do you have a link to the 2026 Cunard cruise? Can't find anything on their website.

There’s a link in this thread to all the Cunard 2026 eclipse sailings 

 

[WisCruiser2]

2 hours ago, EclipseChaser9 said:

I am on the Emerald Princess Eclipse cruise, and the reason is picked this cruise was to see the eclipse.  I traveled to Casper Wyoming to observe the 2017 eclipse.

 

Our captain did an excellent job of parking us in a perfect place to observe the eclipse.  I had gone up early on deck 16 to set up my tripod next to the railing, but there was plenty of space available for even those who came up at the last minute. 
 

After Totality the crew members walked around serving a special Eclipse alcoholic beverage which was delicious.

 

I would definitely book a Princess Eclipse cruise again for future eclipses.

Sounds like a wonderful event! Funnily, my daughter and her family went to friends in Carmel and had an awesome view of the eclipse there 🙂

[EclipseChaser9]

31 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said:

Sounds like a wonderful event! Funnily, my daughter and her family went to friends in Carmel and had an awesome view of the eclipse there 🙂

Yes, I actually live in the 100% totality area in Indiana.  But historically we had a 70% chance of overcast skies.  Indiana is a very cloudy state!  
 

My dog sitter watched the eclipse from my backyard!  It turned out to be a perfect day in central Indiana. 

 

My friends in northern Indiana saw nothing but clouds. 

[Mark_K]

4 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'd be curious to read them as well as any forthcoming news about a 2026 eclipse cruise. Path goes through areas of Iceland, Greenland, and Spain, among others.

Looks like Mallorca is the place to be. Not only do you get a full eclipse, you get to see a near total eclipse fade into the sunset.

 

Edited April 11 by Mark_K

[MacMadame]

5 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Our ship was so stable during the eclipse that our telescopes gave outstanding views. We set them all up on our balcony, not on the public spaces. 

How did you know which side to book on or was it just luck you could see it from your balcony? (Asking for 2026 planning.)

[conifercruiser]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

How did you know which side to book on or was it just luck you could see it from your balcony? (Asking for 2026 planning.)

It was just luck for us that our cabin on the Emerald is on the starboard side (odd-numbered staterooms) where we could see the eclipse from our balcony.

 

Since the ship has to hold her position with the bow into the wind, and the Mediterranean or North Atlantic are different than the Pacific, YMMV.

[Host CJSKIDS]

6 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Captain Tony also delayed moving our clocks ahead. That’s why our eclipse was at 11:02 ships time instead of noon. 
He did not want the eclipse to conflict with lunch service. And he gave the crew the time on upper decks to also experience this amazing event. 
I LOVE Captain Tony! 

 

I saw some of Jovie's pictures and she said it was incredible.  

 

How fantastic that you had such a great time. 

 

If you run into her, give her my love.

[dreams_of_travel]

2 hours ago, MacMadame said:

How did you know which side to book on or was it just luck you could see it from your balcony? (Asking for 2026 planning.)

They made an arbitrary choice of which side would be toward the eclipse.  That said, if you were above deck 11 you would not have a clear view from your balcony.  There was plenty of space up on the upper decks, space to sit to watch, and many people did have their tripods set up.  Due to the angle of the sun I did not need to be right up on the railing to get good pics.  Overall, great experience on Discovery Princess. 100% would do again!

[OnTheJourney]

5 hours ago, Mark_K said:

you get to see a near total eclipse fade into the sunset.

Well, again, weather permitting. Like I mentioned on another thread, millions got to see it, but also millions didn't.

 

 

Edited April 11 by OnTheJourney

[HaveDogWillTravel]

18 hours ago, MacMadame said:

How did you know which side to book on or was it just luck you could see it from your balcony? (Asking for 2026 planning.)

Just luck. We were on the port side and the captain had the ship positioned for starboard viewing. If you look on the deck plans for Discovery you’ll see those Sky Suites on Deck 18 have 270 degree balconies.  The sun was so high in the sky we were able to see totality from the forward and aft sections of our balcony. We were so fortunate because the port side section was entirely in shade providing great relief from the heat. 
I don’t think there’s any way to really know with any certainty how the captain will position the ship until you are either onboard or really close to sailing.  We just picked the cabin we wanted and figured we’d work out the rest. 

[Cruise Raider]

17 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 

I saw some of Jovie's pictures and she said it was incredible.  

 

How fantastic that you had such a great time. 

 

If you run into her, give her my love.

We have run into her daily and thank you for the reminder to say hi for you!  I’m sure we will be able to do that today.

The whole trip has been absolutely incredible!  It’s going to be ‘the one to beat’!  
when we are home, I will try to write up an entire review. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

2 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

We have run into her daily and thank you for the reminder to say hi for you!  I’m sure we will be able to do that today.

The whole trip has been absolutely incredible!  It’s going to be ‘the one to beat’!  
when we are home, I will try to write up an entire review. 

Thank you so much!  
 

So excited for you that you were on this trip. Can't wait to hear all about it! 

[TheMichael]

I’m also on the Emerald, and the eclipse viewing was everything you could want, short of having a stable land base for a telescope/time-lapse. We staked out a lounge chair at the Lotus pool as a base (one of us on it at all times, of course), and by eclipse time we had a completely uncrowded viewing spot. 
 

Ship-wise, it’s an older vessel and as such I’d probably be more in the demographic for the Discovery (which was already full in April 2023), but the staff all the way up to the Captain have been fantastic and the ship is certainly well-maintained for its age.