Cruise Lines Are Bringing Travelers Directly Into The Path Of Totality For The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse

The 2024 solar eclipse spoiled the umbraphiles (people who chase eclipses): Over 43 million people lived within the path of totality when it swept across North America, with another 4 million reportedly traveling to see it. The 2026 total eclipse, scheduled for August 12, won't be so accommodating. It will arc from the Arctic Ocean down through Greenland and western Iceland, then cut across the Atlantic before touching down again in Portugal and northern Spain. In other words, this one's happening mostly over water, and the best place to view it is none other than from the deck of a cruise ship.

Despite the eclipse itself lasting just minutes, cruise operators are treating those fleeting moments as the centerpiece of a curated experience. Entire voyages are planned around the phenomenon, planting passengers right beneath the moon's shadow when it crosses over the sun and the world goes briefly, eerily dark. It's an event spectacular enough to convert witnesses into umbraphiles and send them hunting for the next shadow. Be sure to check out the most affordable day of the week to book a cruise and how to book the most affordable room on a cruise for the best deals.

Pick your poison. Some travelers want their eclipse on the Mediterranean, while others prefer it along the fjords. Holland America, with three distinct routes lined up for the 2026 total solar eclipse, makes for an excellent starting point. The shortest option is a 13-day cruise that departs from Lisbon and ends in Athens, which will be joined by University of California San Diego Professor Adam Burgasser. There's a lengthier option at 28 days roundtrip from Dover (London) and looping through Greenland and Scotland with astronomer Tom Vassos, who founded Cosmologists Without Borders and has written extensively on celestial phenomena. Want to go all in? Choose the 35-day Voyage of the Vikings departing from Boston on the Zuiderdam, accompanied by Boston University professor Meers Oppenheim.

Those going on full expedition mode can opt for HX Expeditions' 17-day Solar Eclipse Expedition aboard the MS Spitsbergen, which begins in Svalbard and ends in Reykjavik. Experts from NASA, Space.com, and astronomie.de are onboard to explain everything from the mechanics of totality to astrophotography. Alternatively, there's this 9-day cruise from Iceland to Ireland with astronaut Jean-François Clervoy — especially excellent if you're strapped for time.

Excitement aside, remember to pack your eclipse glasses and wear sunscreen! As this is a total solar eclipse, there is a very brief moment (called totality — when the moon completely eclipses the sun) when you can remove your glasses and look directly, but you'll have to immediately put them back on at the faintest glimpse of the sun returning. And if you're thinking ahead, this list rounds up some new and exciting cruise ships joining the lineup starting 2026.