A plea for an April 2024 eclipse cruise

[marne-c]

A plea...

 

My wife and I missed our last attempt at seeing a total solar eclipse from a cruise ship. (Covid intervened...)

 

But coming up on April 8, 2024 there'll be a great eclipse traversing most of the US.  And for cruising purposes, the eclipse totality starts in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Cabo San Lucas, then heads northeast to Mazatlán.

 

There are beaucoup cruises that sail from California ports to Mexico's Pacific coast, including several wonderful Princess ships.   Do you know anyone who has the ear of someone at Princess to persuade itinerary planners to schedule a cruise that would hang out in the Pacific south of Baja California at noon on 8 April 24?   Pleeeeeze!!!!

 

 

--Marne

Edited February 28, 2022 by marne-c

[skynight]

Would this be a wise move knowing that special eye protection is required. Would it be an insurance risk placing the ship inside the umbra?

[danceswithphones]

I had to check that my spring cruise wasn't that week! All is well, we return to Dallas April 5th. Now if I can just  get the weather to cooperate. 

[Calnev1]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

Would this be a wise move knowing that special eye protection is required. Would it be an insurance risk placing the ship inside the umbra?

People all the time travel to see these eclipses, including eclipse dedicated cruises on some luxury cruise lines.  Are you questioning the general intelligence of Princess cruisers??  🙂

[sandyoftheseas]

In Nov 2012 we took an Australian cruise on Princess that was a total solar eclipse cruise.  The eclipse was one of the highlights much better than the Great Barrier Reef tour!  I was surprised that the ship did not have souvenir glasses to buy.  I purchased 100 pair on amazon and gave them out at the CC meet and greet ( I had told them on the roll call I would have them) We got notification from a crew member that the people on land in  Port Douglas were unable to see the eclipse due to cloud cover but the captain was able to position the ship where we could see it clearly.  I highly recommend an eclipse cruise, it was a little more expensive but well worth it.  

Edited February 28, 2022 by sandyoftheseas

[marne-c]

2 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

(snip)

Are you questioning the general intelligence of Princess cruisers??  🙂

(snip)

 

@Calnev1 Certainly not!  I was questioning the celestial awareness of PCL's itinerary planners.

 

--Marne

[marne-c]

2 hours ago, sandyoftheseas said:

(snip)

people on land in Port Douglas were unable to see the eclipse due to cloud cover but the captain was able to position the ship where we could see it clearly.  I highly recommend an eclipse cruise, it was a little more expensive but well worth it.  

 

@sandyoftheseas  Precisely!!!

 

I don't know what the weather will be in early April across the USA.  Mazatlán and Durango historically have good weather then.  But a ship can FIND clear skies.

 

--Marne

[MJC]

2 hours ago, sandyoftheseas said:

In Nov 2012 we took an Australian cruise on Princess that was a total solar eclipse cruise.  The eclipse was one of the highlights much better than the Great Barrier Reef tour!  I was surprised that the ship did not have souvenir glasses to buy.   

We were on that cruise too! It was fabulous. We brought our own glasses and some spares. 

 

Our second Princess cruise back in the day stopped in Honfleur, FR for an eclipse and they gave us glasses. 

 

The eclipse travel websites we follow are saying the best conditions will be in Mexico. If Princess does the cruise that OP suggests, we will be on it!

Edited February 28, 2022 by MJC

[voljeep]

6 hours ago, marne-c said:

A plea...

 

My wife and I missed our last attempt at seeing a total solar eclipse from a cruise ship. (Covid intervened...)

 

But coming up on April 8, 2024 there'll be a great eclipse traversing most of the US.  And for cruising purposes, the eclipse totality starts in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Cabo San Lucas, then heads northeast to Mazatlán.

 

There are beaucoup cruises that sail from California ports to Mexico's Pacific coast, including several wonderful Princess ships.   Do you know anyone who has the ear of someone at Princess to persuade itinerary planners to schedule a cruise that would hang out in the Pacific south of Baja California at noon on 8 April 24?   Pleeeeeze!!!!

 

 

--Marne

with apologies to Carly...

 

You're so vain (you're so vain)
I bet you think this cruise is about you
Don't you don't you?

Then you took your cruise ship up to south of Baja
To see the total eclipse of the sun

😎

Good Luck!

 

 

[aimee0715]

We were supposed to be on the Coral Princess South American solar eclipse cruise as well.  When it cancelled, I was looking around for cruises for the next solar eclipse and found that there was going to be an eclipse in Antarctica in December of 2021.  We took an expedition cruise to see that.  I can confirm that a ship cannot always find clear sky.  We did not see the eclipse at all.  The weather was just really bad that day.  We just knew that it was happening because it got super dark for a few minutes. The trip was wonderful though and we have no regrets.  A lecturer on board gave a presentation on the upcoming solar eclipses. I thought the one off the coast of Mexico seemed perfect for a cruise.  I really hope that Princess will do that. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 minutes ago, aimee0715 said:

We did not see the eclipse at all.  The weather was just really bad that day. 

If you knew how close we came to booking that cruise a couple of weeks in advance…. It was only because I’m having some knee issues that we didn’t but DH was already rounding up his waterproof pants and gloves. I’m sorry you missed out on the view of the eclipse that you (and everyone else) wanted, but have to admit that your report has softened the blow in our house. 

[marne-c]

23 minutes ago, voljeep said:

with apologies to Carly...

 

You're so vain (you're so vain)
I bet you think this cruise is about you
Don't you don't you?

Then you took your cruise ship up to south of Baja
To see the total eclipse of the sun

😎

Good Luck!

Yes!  And don’t forget the very first line of the song;  “You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht‘.  EXACTLY my plan!!!

 

Seriously, the 8April2024 eclipse will be really cool.  Totality will cross a huge swath of North America, from Mazatlán, through Texas and northeast to Maine and into the Canadian Maritime provinces.  If you’ve never seen an eclipse, for heaven’s sake BE VAIN and plan to go.

 

More details at this link.

 

—Marne 

 

Edited February 28, 2022 by marne-c

[aimee0715]

1 minute ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

If you knew how close we came to booking that cruise a couple of weeks in advance…. It was only because I’m having some knee issues that we didn’t but DH was already rounding up his waterproof pants and gloves. I’m sorry you missed out on the view of the eclipse that you (and everyone else) wanted, but have to admit that your report has softened the blow in our house. 

I can soften the blow even more for you:  The solar eclipse was at 5:04 AM!!  The wind was whipping around from all directions and there was a fine mist/sometimes actual rain falling. I think that was the only day of our trip that the temperature was below zero. I was wearing 4 layers of clothing, 3 hats, and 3 layers of gloves and absolutely freezing my buns off.  My husband wanted to go out and stake our prime viewing spot, so we sat out there for an hour and a half waiting on the eclipse.  I just sat down on the deck using the glass railing as a wind shield and covered my face with my mittened hands (lord, those giant expedition grade mittens made my hands feel like walrus flippers.  This was the only day I wore them).  I was already impressed with Ernest Shackleton and his men before that but absolutely amazed by them now.  

[Coolmama_1]

We had the eclipse of 2017 pass through our neck of the woods. A cruise view would be awesome!

[Ken the cruiser]

10 hours ago, marne-c said:

A plea...

 

My wife and I missed our last attempt at seeing a total solar eclipse from a cruise ship. (Covid intervened...)

 

But coming up on April 8, 2024 there'll be a great eclipse traversing most of the US.  And for cruising purposes, the eclipse totality starts in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Cabo San Lucas, then heads northeast to Mazatlán.

 

There are beaucoup cruises that sail from California ports to Mexico's Pacific coast, including several wonderful Princess ships.   Do you know anyone who has the ear of someone at Princess to persuade itinerary planners to schedule a cruise that would hang out in the Pacific south of Baja California at noon on 8 April 24?   Pleeeeeze!!!!

 

 

--Marne

What a great idea! If they offer it, we will definitely book it!! 😎

[marne-c]

15 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

What a great idea! If they offer it, we will definitely book it!! 😎

Seems like a no-brainer to me.  Princess even could charge a premium for an otherwise standard cruise to the Mexican Riviera.  I'd certainly give up a port-stop to see the eclipse from the ship.

 

--Marne

[MJC]

I just mailed this letter, minus some personal details... feel free to copy and send. Let's get Princess onboard for an eclipse cruise!

 

Dear Princess Cruises,

 

I am writing to request that you schedule a west coast cruise that includes viewing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Its path will pass roughly 190 miles South of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at Lat. 20° 19.2′ N, Lon. 108° 45.8′ W.  

 

We have done two prior eclipse cruises on Princess, one in the Baltic and one from Australia, and we heartily endorse being on the water, and especially on a cruise ship, as THE best place for viewing an eclipse. The mobility of location a ship at sea provides can vastly increases the odds for a successful viewing by skirting bad weather to find clear skies. Our prior Princess eclipse experiences bore this out, and hearing the cheers of the thousands of passengers as the eclipse happened was an unforgettable experience.

 

Our Princess eclipse cruises featured a large number of tour companies, scientists, and hobbyists who spent significant money to seek out the best viewing location, which ended up being on your ships. The eclipse viewing community in the United States alone is quite large and would be a big draw for a Princess eclipse cruise. We met people from all over the world who came to Australia in 2012 to sail on the Dawn Princess for the eclipse.

 

Thank you for considering my request.

Sincerely,

Me

[Sea Hag]

On 2/28/2022 at 6:12 AM, skynight said:

Would this be a wise move knowing that special eye protection is required. Would it be an insurance risk placing the ship inside the umbra?

We saw a total eclipse from a ship in 1991 and nobody seemed to be oblivious enough to damage their eyes on that one. People watch eclipses from ships pretty much every year. No worries.

[marne-c]

1 hour ago, MJC said:

I just mailed this letter, minus some personal details... feel free to copy and send.  (Snip...)

 

 

@MJC  Many thanks for this!

 

--Marne

[californiagirl]

I agree that a solar eclipse cruise would be amazing!  We experienced solar eclipse totality in Arco, Idaho in 2017.  We had planned on going to Sun Valley, Idaho but there was rumored to be smoke from a wildfire in that area.  We shifted our plans and were thrilled.  We didn’t realize how remarkable totality would be.  When the eclipse was at its peak, it was darker than either my husband or I expected.  The street lights came on and the crickets began chirping.  The there was a universal Ahhh! from all the spectators when the diamond ring appeared at the end.  Truly a bucket list event.  

[Aus Traveller]

On 3/1/2022 at 1:36 AM, sandyoftheseas said:

In Nov 2012 we took an Australian cruise on Princess that was a total solar eclipse cruise.  The eclipse was one of the highlights much better than the Great Barrier Reef tour!  I was surprised that the ship did not have souvenir glasses to buy.  I purchased 100 pair on amazon and gave them out at the CC meet and greet ( I had told them on the roll call I would have them) We got notification from a crew member that the people on land in  Port Douglas were unable to see the eclipse due to cloud cover but the captain was able to position the ship where we could see it clearly.  I highly recommend an eclipse cruise, it was a little more expensive but well worth it.  

The track of the 2012 solar eclipse went across Cape York Penisula. At the cost it covered an area from north of Port Douglas to around Cairns. We were on the P&O Pacific Dawn anchored off Port Douglas and saw the eclipse. Family members were ashore in Port Douglas (their child was too young to go on a cruise). They also saw the eclipse. We heard of some other people ashore who weren't so lucky because of cloud.

 

There will be an eclipse on 20th April 2023 that touches Western Australia. P&O Australia have a cruise out of Fremantle that is marketed as an eclipse cruise. My husband tried to interest Princess in the eclipse - one of their cruises could easily be in the correct location to view it. No go. ☹️

[donaldsc]

On 2/28/2022 at 6:12 AM, skynight said:

Would this be a wise move knowing that special eye protection is required. Would it be an insurance risk placing the ship inside the umbra?

 

Millions of people live in the path of partial or total solar eclipses.  Very few of them are dumb enough to stare directly at the sun w/o eye protection.  

 

DON

[cruisetilidrop]

Would love to be on a cruise like this!

 

[rheathslc]

On 2/28/2022 at 3:41 PM, Coolmama_1 said:

We had the eclipse of 2017 pass through our neck of the woods. A cruise view would be awesome!

I traveled to my favorite lakeside forest service campground that just happened to be in the path of totality. It's usually only half full even on holiday weekends and I got there 4 days early but it was already packed. I had to find a spot outside the campground and thought the dispersed area was full at that point but over the next few days more and more people poured in. Normally I would have been really annoyed by someone camping RIGHT next to me but figured this was a once in a lifetime thing. By the day of the eclipse this remote, normally nearly empty place was packed. And it was the absolute most awe inspiring thing I've even seen. And sharing it with all those strangers actually made it even better. Coolest experience of my life. I would LOVE to do an eclipse cruise.

Edited August 7, 2022 by rheathslc

[Thrak]

On August 9th (elite booking day) I will be booking this cruise:

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April 3, 2024
10 Day Mexico with Full Eclipse
Discovery Princess