The next solar eclipse will occur soon on August 12, 2026, and I've already booked a trip to Iceland for a family to be within its path of totality - a unique opportunity to see the Sun's corona during the eclipse's temporary darkness. The path of totality will also cross Greenland, northern Spain, a part of Portugal, and over the Atlantic Ocean, and several cruise lines are offering sailings specifically designed to be in the right place at the right time to see the solar eclipse.

When you reserve with Nine Muses Travel, I can usually secure additional perks and on-board credits for you too. These historic sailings have been selling well, so don't let the sun set on your chance for an unforgettable eclipse experience!

Virtuoso article below by David Swanson rom 5/9/2025 can be found here.

We’ve rounded up 16 sailings that will be in prime position for one of nature’s most awe-inspiring phenomena.

Where will you be on August 12, 2026? The lucky among us might find ourselves aboard a cruise ship sailing within the narrow path the moon’s shadow will trace across Earth during the 2026 total solar eclipse. While landlubbers can view the celestial pas de deux in four places: Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and a small part of Portugal – accessibility, weather conditions, and spectator demand make a sighting from sea ideal. 

David Baron, author and former science correspondent for NPR, advises eclipse chasers to settle for nothing less than totality. “The moon will completely cover the face of the sun, turning day into a weird and alien twilight,” he says. “You’ll feel yourself transported to another planet or perhaps another plane of reality – it’s the most awe-inspiring sight in nature.” 

Here are four places where ships will fall in line, plus 16 ways to get on board in 2026. 

King Oscar Fjord  

Baron joins Quark Expeditions’ Ultramarine as a lecturer on a 12-night, round-trip-from-Reykjavík voyage to East Greenland, where the 199 passengers will experience up to 2 minutes, 17 seconds of totality. Excursions include hiking, sea kayaking, and helicopter flightseeing, and the Ultramarine will maneuver into the solar spectacle’s path in King Oscar Fjord, one of many inlets reaching into Greenland’s interior. Canadian meteorologist and eclipse authority Jay Anderson reviewed 21 years of area data for August 12 and found that 80 percent of the days were clear, or with only thin clouds. Departure: August 6. 

Aurora Expeditions’ Greg Mortimer will sail with 130 passengers from Norway’s remote Svalbard archipelago past Beerenberg, the world’s northernmost active volcano, to Scoresby Sund in East Greenland; the 15-night expedition finishes in Reykjavík. Departure: August 2. 

Cruising from Svalbard to Reykjavík, HX offers a 16-night expedition aboard the 220-passenger Spitsbergen to Scoresby Sund to view the solar eclipse amid a seascape of blue and white icebergs. Departure: August 3.  

On a 15-night transatlantic crossing from Reykjavík to Saint John’s, Newfoundland, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions’ 148-passenger National Geographic Explorer is set to catch the eclipse at sea, before stopping to visit the communities and fjords of southern Greenland. Departure: August 9. 

Northwest Iceland 

From Greenland, the moon’s shadow will race southeast across the Atlantic Ocean to Iceland during the eclipse. The waters off Iceland’s northwest coast offer some of the most favorable weather odds, and as many as a dozen cruise ships are slated to line up in the area for up to 90 seconds of totality. Sailing round-trip out of Rotterdam, Holland America Line’s 2,666-passenger Nieuw Statendam calls on ports in Norway, Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland, among others, during a 28-night itinerary. Atlantic Ocean weather can be iffy, even in August, but ships can often adjust their position, moving to cloudless seas for unimpeded viewing. If the skies don’t cooperate, the Nordic itinerary promises ample waterfalls, waffles, and whisky tasting for a suitably memorable adventure. Departure: July 25. 

Oceania Cruises’ 14-night journey aboard the Marina ferries 1,250 passengers from Copenhagen to Reykjavík, via popular Scandinavian and Scottish ports. Noted astronomer Dennis Mammana will narrate the show amid the waterfalls of scenic Grundarfjördur, Iceland. Departure: July 30. 

Ponant’s chic, 264-passenger Lyrial will sail a 13-night itinerary from Longyearbyen in Svalbard to Reykjavík via East Greenland, sighting the eclipse in Ísafjördur, Iceland; astronauts Claudie and Jean-Pierre Haigneré will be onboard guest lecturers. Departure: August 1.  

The 2,691-passenger Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line’s flagship ocean liner, transits from Southampton, England, to New York City over 14 nights, viewing the solar eclipse during an overnight stay in Reykjavík. Departure: August 4.  

Bay of Biscay 

On a seven-night round-trip cruise from Southampton, England, through the Bay of Biscay bordering France and Spain, Cunard’s newest vessel, the 2,996-passenger Queen Anne, will dally in the Spanish ports of Santander and Gijón, along with the French city of Pauillac, gateway to Bordeaux. The sailing crosses paths with the eclipse in La Coruña, where Pablo Picasso spent his formative years. Travelers can step ashore for a plate of Galician paella brimming with zamburiñas, small scallops sourced from the bay, and 1 minute, 17 seconds of totality. Departure: August 9.  

On a 14-night near-full circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula round-trip from Southampton, Celebrity Cruises’ 2,910-passenger Celebrity Apex calls on Spain and Portugal’s top ports, with eclipse viewing taking place between ACoruña and Bilbao. Departure: August 1.  

On an itinerary flanked by choice French and Spanish ports, cruisers watch the eclipse in style aboard Crystal’s 740-passenger Crystal Serenity. The 18-night voyage from Amsterdam to Barcelona takes in the show on a sea day en route to Porto, Portugal. Departure: August 3.  

Sailing round-trip from Southampton, Royal Caribbean International’s 4,960-passenger Liberty of the Seas navigates a nine-night passage across Spain’s north coast to Lisbon, Portugal, pausing for the eclipse off the shores of A Coruña. Departure: August 7.  

Balearic Sea 

After coursing the breadth of Spain, the eclipse shadow lands in its most favorable weather corridor, the Balearic Sea, just before sunset. Conditions should prove ideal for Ponant’s 264-passenger expedition ship, Le Boréal. Journeying round-trip from Nice, the eight-night Mediterranean sojourn reserves two days for Corsica’s peaks and beaches, then stops by Marseille and Barcelona. A late-afternoon departure from Mallorca allows Le Boréal to reposition for up to 1 minute, 36 seconds of totality. Presentations by a meteorologist and a science journalist enliven at-sea time, and eclipse-themed activities entertain the 4-to-13 set. Departure: August 6.  

Roving across the Mediterranean, Windstar Cruises’ 148-passenger sailing ship Wind Spirit embarks on a seven-night trip from Rome to Barcelona, observing totality following a day on the isle of Menorca. Departure: August 6.  

Princess Cruises’ latest, the 4,300-passenger Sun Princess, will follow a six-night itinerary from Barcelona to Rome, viewing the eclipse midway between Cartagena and La Spezia. Departure: August 8. 

On a 12-night voyage from Barcelona to Rome, Virgin Voyages’ 2,762-passenger Scarlet Lady (and its suite of restaurants) sashays into the late-afternoon shadow during a leisurely sea day traveling between Mallorca and Ibiza. Departure: August 10. 

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