John Padgett announces 2026 Sky Princess solar eclipse cruise.

[bladerunner6]

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.

 

 

Edited May 4 by bladerunner6

[bladerunner6]

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.

Edited May 4 by bladerunner6

[Astro Flyer]

1 minute ago, bladerunner6 said:

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 great eclipse and a wonderful cruise.

Good to know…we never left our balcony & cabin but had read comments that people said it wasn’t crowded. 🙂

 

Indeed…it was a great eclipse & a wonderful cruise. 👍

 

[phabric]

I plan on booking this cruise, normally I would book when Elite opens up.
 

My agency has a  Princess 3 day usually Thursday-Saturday the first week of June with $$$ OBC. I was hoping to book at that time to the extra OBC but now with everyone says it might sell out before the agency’s sale in 10 days later.

 

 

[dreams_of_travel]

3 hours ago, bladerunner6 said:

They also gave us certificates and had eclipse cookies.
 

I was up on the top deck, and somehow missed the cookies. 😞  Probably b/c I was taking pics, and just enjoying the whole experience.  But still.....mmmm cookies.  😉 

[help32250]

4 hours ago, Kay S said:

When is the John Pagett eclipse?

Kay ---

With all due respect, there is no such thing as a "John Padgett" eclipse.  Padgett is President of Princess Cruises.  And he announced a couple days ago that The Sky Princess would do a cruise out of Southampton that would highlight the August 12th 2026 Total Solar Eclipse ... as shown in my posting just above yours as posting #4..

 

Trust that Padgett is no Halley's Comet.

--- Help32250

[mthomp5]

5 hours ago, bladerunner6 said:

They also gave us certificates and had eclipse cookies.

The eclipse cookies were so yummy too! We didn't catch the eclipse on deck since we could watch it from our balcony but we were lucky to have 4 eclipse cookies delivered to our cabin!

 

It was indeed a great cruise. Enjoyed the guest speakers and the astronomy trivia.

[Kay S]

2 hours ago, help32250 said:

Kay ---

With all due respect, there is no such thing as a "John Padgett" eclipse. 

I guess humor is dead on this board.

[Astro Flyer]

4 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I was up on the top deck, and somehow missed the cookies. 😞  Probably b/c I was taking pics, and just enjoying the whole experience.  But still.....mmmm cookies.  😉 

 

1 hour ago, mthomp5 said:

The eclipse cookies were so yummy too! We didn't catch the eclipse on deck since we could watch it from our balcony but we were lucky to have 4 eclipse cookies delivered to our cabin!

 

It was indeed a great cruise. Enjoyed the guest speakers and the astronomy trivia.

I found the eclipse cookies in the buffet’s pastry shop. 😋

 

 

Edited May 5 by Astro Flyer

[sandancer]

19 hours ago, Traderboy said:

The only problem with this is that it is school summer holiday time.

will the pricing structure be raised a bit for the uniqueness of the cruise?

If so it may put off some families with children.

The Sky Princess is a lovely ship but it can seem very crowded at full capacity.

 

I can’t find this on the Princess UK website. Any idea how to get the info other than using an agent based in the USA?

[phabric]

11 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

My travel friend, who is also a travel agent, will be putting a block on hold as soon as she is able.  

I am curious if your travel friend-travel agent was informed about this cruise by Princess with notification in advance of the May 23 selling?

 

or She/he was informed by you with this post?

 

I am going to email my agent to book when it opens for Elite on May 22.  I wonder if she will be informed in advance of the selling or will she not know and ask me what I am talking about?

[bladerunner6]

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.

[help32250]

8 hours ago, Kay S said:

I guess humor is dead on this board.

Kay ---

Possibly.  But as the person that spent much of the last 6 1/2 years of his life dealing (if not fighting) with Princess to make The Discovery's TSE sailing a reality ... let alone also getting them to change The Emerald's itinerary to witness it at Sea too ... my ability to sense humor has often diminished.  And if that offends you, I'm sorry.

 

Btw, with that statement you have received more apologies from me than I have from Princess. 

--- Help

[mthomp5]

8 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

 

I found the eclipse cookies in the buffet’s pastry shop. 😋

 

 

Great find! 

[dreams_of_travel]

6 hours ago, sandancer said:

I can’t find this on the Princess UK website. Any idea how to get the info other than using an agent based in the USA?

 

It won't be listed quite yet, that's why you can't find it. It is not even listed on the US site.

 

6 hours ago, phabric said:

I am curious if your travel friend-travel agent was informed about this cruise by Princess with notification in advance of the May 23 selling?

 

or She/he was informed by you with this post?

 

I am going to email my agent to book when it opens for Elite on May 22.  I wonder if she will be informed in advance of the selling or will she not know and ask me what I am talking about?

 

I messaged her about this cruise, mainly to let her know to keep an eye out for any communication from Princess.  She is not just a Princess cruise specialist but for all cruiselines, and other travel types, so it could get missed in the amount of mail she gets every day.  I think travel agents may have a small window before the elite access is released, but I can double check that data point, and report back.  

[MJC]

3 hours ago, bladerunner6 said:

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.

This is true. It's good to like the itinerary in general so you don't feel like it's a wasted trip if the weather doesn't cooperate. 

 

We are already booked on the Queen Anne, but we will try to switch to Sky since the itinerary is so much better. 🤞

[ssawjo]

9 hours ago, bladerunner6 said:

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.

 

 

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.

[ssawjo]

21 hours ago, phabric said:

I plan on booking this cruise, normally I would book when Elite opens up.
 

My agency has a  Princess 3 day usually Thursday-Saturday the first week of June with $$$ OBC. I was hoping to book at that time to the extra OBC but now with everyone says it might sell out before the agency’s sale in 10 days later.

 

 

Sorry, I forgot to add Punta Arenas in Costa Rica as a port stop.

[bladerunner6]

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.

 

[ssawjo]

8 minutes ago, bladerunner6 said:

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.

 

We were in Iceland two years ago in August and I was never so cold.  Did not see the sun the entire time we were there!  Hopefully, August 12 is a sea day with Princess.  The exact itinerary hasn't been released yet as far as I know.  Thanks for your response.

[CPs4591]

On 5/4/2024 at 7:02 AM, phabric said:

Carmen Roig, VP Princess posted this on Facebook.  On sale May 23, 2024. 14 day Spain, France, and Portugal with a not to be missed Total Solar Eclipse departing Aug 8, 2026 on the Sky Princess.

 

I know you can’t predict what the weather will be.  I was told, Europe is very hot and humid in the summer months.  I have been on Mediterranean cruises in November, Britain in August and Norwegian Fjords in September with comfortable weather.

 

What are your opinions of cruising in August to Europe?

OP, thank you so much for posting this!  Our TA is going to put a deposit down for us.  We wouldn’t have known about this in time if you had not posted, so thank you!

[phabric]

29 minutes ago, CPs4591 said:

OP, thank you so much for posting this!  Our TA is going to put a deposit down for us.  We wouldn’t have known about this in time if you had not posted, so thank you!

On opening day for Elite to book the new itineraries, you don’t know the price until you log in.  I like to pick my cabin so it takes awhile to decide on the cabin.

[CPs4591]

10 minutes ago, phabric said:

On opening day for Elite to book the new itineraries, you don’t know the price until you log in.  I like to pick my cabin so it takes awhile to decide on the cabin.

Lol.  I’ll take whatever balcony or mini suite I can get.  We’re just lowly newbies.  But this sounds like a great cruise.  

[phabric]

13 minutes ago, CPs4591 said:

Lol.  I’ll take whatever balcony or mini suite I can get.  We’re just lowly newbies.  But this sounds like a great cruise.  

Check out the Sky deck plan and find some cabins you like.  You can then give your agent some cabin numbers and the area you want.

 

I give my agent, a few cabin numbers to see if available when she books.

[Ken the cruiser]

For those interested, here’s a map showing the solar eclipse path on Aug 12, 2026.