Cunard marketing email for 2026 eclipse

[Happydude100]

Hi. Watching a total eclipse is on my bucket list. Never been on a cruise before. Thinking the La Coruna cruise that takes in the eclipse. Do  people think this cruise plus the chance to see the eclipse is worth it? 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, Happydude100 said:

Hi. Watching a total eclipse is on my bucket list. Never been on a cruise before. Thinking the La Coruna cruise that takes in the eclipse. Do  people think this cruise plus the chance to see the eclipse is worth it? 

We will be monitoring all offerings by all lines for the best experience. I do plan on posting if a more dedicated eclipse experience sailing becomes available.  Right now Cunard seems to be treating the eclipse as an afterthought on this sailing. 

 

 I am on the Discovery Princess right now sailing into Mazatlan. We will be sailing on center line tomorrow for the total eclipse. I saw the 2017 eclipse in Madras Oregon and am excited to experience one at sea. 
 

Eclipses are hard to explain. Once you’ve seen it you’ll get why people get so thrilled by them. 
 

I’ll post and try to explain the experience at sea as best as I can after tomorrow.  

 

[luv2cruzuk]

I just booked this voyage last night. I'd been thinking about it for the past few weeks, but after seeing all the photo's/video's yesterday during the eclipse, I decided to go for it. Quite a special transatlantic and my first time to Iceland.

 

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Here off the coast in Mazatlan we had scattered clouds but none blocking the sun. The captain kept the ship steady and our telescopes worked great!  The 360 sunset effect was really spectacular at sea. Four minutes went by so incredibly fast. 
Comparing this to 2017 when we were on land and on a farm I did miss the silencing and then reawakening of the birds, roosters, cows and so on. But I loved not having to deal with traffic or crowds after the eclipse. This was so relaxing and comfortable.    I will definitely want to book cruises for my future eclipse viewing.  

Edited April 9 by HaveDogWillTravel

[safarigal]

Looking at the timing of the eclipse in August 2026, it seems like it will be quite late in the day - unlike yesterday's one which was great because the sun was overhead and everyone on the Emerald Princess got a great view. In August the sun will be closer to the horizon, so may not be as easy to see from all around the ship. Never the less we have booked the Queen Victoria cruise. There is a lot to be said for a Med cruise in August eclipse or no eclipse! Like HaveDog WillTravel we had a spectacular view. Our photos are on yesterday's entry for my blog at www.whereissafarigal.com which will give you an idea of the treat in store for you if you see the eclipse from a ship!

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@safarigalWe were wondering why the Emerald had the aft facing the sun. Our captain said your class of ship was best kept stable in that position.  I’m glad to hear everyone had a great view. 
I too am wondering about ease of viewing with an 8:30 of so totality. Sunset will be around 9:41 so the sun should be reasonably high but not as good at yesterday!

[OnTheJourney]

On 4/9/2024 at 12:02 PM, safarigal said:

it seems like it will be quite late in the day - unlike yesterday's one which was great because the sun was overhead and everyone on the Emerald Princess got a great view

Exactly. The issue for '26 is how low the sun will be. Sounds like neither location - Iceland (often cloudy in August from what I read), or Spain will be near as high a degree of certainty as this one over the US. We took the chance (without really wanting to go very far) but lost out on the direct viewing due to cloudy weather. Millions saw it, but also millions didn't. Missed it - weather-wise, by ONE day, since this past Sunday was not a cloud in the sky all day. Would have been spectacular.  

 

You are all so very fortunate to have had great viewing. If I never get another chance, I'll always remember the amazing change to relative darkness and the drop in temperature. Also, we were in one of our favorite travel spots, so that made it nice also. Sometimes you get what you get and have to be satisfied with it.

Edited April 11 by OnTheJourney

[foodsvcmgr]

Where I live in New Jersey there were passing clouds but I think they added some interest to the photos.

Maximum coverage here was 85%.
Looking forward to clear skies and totality in Iceland for 2026.

[Orsino]

I am also interested in this cruise.

The comments about the late hour had me concerned too so I looked up some numbers for 12 August 2026.

Sunset in A Coruna on 12 August 2026 is 9:41pm local time.

Total Eclipse begins in A Coruna on 12 August 2026 at 8:27pm positioned 12° in the sky.

Space on deck does seem like a valid concern. Over an hour before sunset, the sun may be high enough in the sky that people won't be blocking each other. Also many balconies would have good views as they don't need to look 'up' just outward.

 

I have not sailed on Cunard before. The website is quoting some amount for "Today's Deposit" but then has the balance listed as due 11 April, which is today. Is Cunard collecting 100% of the fare over 2 years before the sailing?

[exlondoner]

11 minutes ago, Orsino said:

I am also interested in this cruise.

The comments about the late hour had me concerned too so I looked up some numbers for 12 August 2026.

Sunset in A Coruna on 12 August 2026 is 9:41pm local time.

Total Eclipse begins in A Coruna on 12 August 2026 at 8:27pm positioned 12° in the sky.

Space on deck does seem like a valid concern. Over an hour before sunset, the sun may be high enough in the sky that people won't be blocking each other. Also many balconies would have good views as they don't need to look 'up' just outward.

 

I have not sailed on Cunard before. The website is quoting some amount for "Today's Deposit" but then has the balance listed as due 11 April, which is today. Is Cunard collecting 100% of the fare over 2 years before the sailing?

Did they actually state the year? Perhaps it is 2026?

[bluemarble]

27 minutes ago, Orsino said:

I have not sailed on Cunard before. The website is quoting some amount for "Today's Deposit" but then has the balance listed as due 11 April, which is today. Is Cunard collecting 100% of the fare over 2 years before the sailing?

 

Even though all it says on the Cunard US website is "(Remainder ... due on April 11)", that must mean April 11, 2026. The standard final payment date for US bookings is 120 days prior to the departure date. For the QA cruise to La Coruña departing Southampton on August 9, 2026, subtracting 120 days to calculate the final payment date yields April 11, 2026. I think you'll find if you look again tomorrow, it will still say "(Remainder ... due on April 11)".

[Orsino]

Wow, what a coincidence that I happened to look at it today. Including the year would be clearer, especially since there is also 11 April 2025 to confuse things too. Thank you.

[jolinda]

We booked Queen Anne one on Wednesday. I think a lot of people were inspired to do the same after Monday's eclipse, because prices have gone up considerably since we booked. This will be my third total eclipse and fourth cruise, first time with Cunard.

[Tjccjt]

I've booked this trip. Now I'm starting to wonder quite what I've let myself in for. I've always wanted to see a total eclipse and I'll be 60 in 2026. It's also our 30th wedding anniversary so it seemed like a good idea to level up our usual holiday spend.

 

Looks like I'm going to be rinsed on board for drinks and internet. Do people think the drinks packages are worth the cost? My wife doesn't drink a great amount and from the website it appears that both of us have to book the same drinks package. I'd have to put quite a bit away to make that add up.

 

We're not people who dress up either. Are formal nights limited to the main dining room? I'm quite happy to put on a shirt and jacket and go to one of the restaurants but black tie is a bit over the top for me. 

 

Anything else I should know before we travel?

 

Thanks.

[carlmm]

8 minutes ago, Tjccjt said:

I've booked this trip. Now I'm starting to wonder quite what I've let myself in for. I've always wanted to see a total eclipse and I'll be 60 in 2026. It's also our 30th wedding anniversary so it seemed like a good idea to level up our usual holiday spend.

 

Looks like I'm going to be rinsed on board for drinks and internet. Do people think the drinks packages are worth the cost? My wife doesn't drink a great amount and from the website it appears that both of us have to book the same drinks package. I'd have to put quite a bit away to make that add up.

 

We're not people who dress up either. Are formal nights limited to the main dining room? I'm quite happy to put on a shirt and jacket and go to one of the restaurants but black tie is a bit over the top for me. 

 

Anything else I should know before we travel?

 

Thanks.

Looks like in your situation the drinks package might not be the best option. If you search you will find a number of posts. Some people enjyo the package, many more are better off eg ordering bottles of wine for dinner and other drinks individually.

Prices are lower than on some US based lines.

 

The formal dress code does apply not only to the dining room but also the theatre, the ball room and many other rooms, basically to all public spaces that are not specifically exempted. Shirt and jacket will not suffice. Dark suit and tie is minimum. The majority wears black tie.

 

Anything else? It is different than US style lines. Great lectures. Good music. Mostly people with good manners. A lot awaits you to enjoy!

[NE John]

2 hours ago, Tjccjt said:

I've booked this trip. Now I'm starting to wonder quite what I've let myself in for. I've always wanted to see a total eclipse and I'll be 60 in 2026. It's also our 30th wedding anniversary so it seemed like a good idea to level up our usual holiday spend.

 

Looks like I'm going to be rinsed on board for drinks and internet. Do people think the drinks packages are worth the cost? My wife doesn't drink a great amount and from the website it appears that both of us have to book the same drinks package. I'd have to put quite a bit away to make that add up.

 

We're not people who dress up either. Are formal nights limited to the main dining room? I'm quite happy to put on a shirt and jacket and go to one of the restaurants but black tie is a bit over the top for me. 

 

Anything else I should know before we travel?

 

Thanks.

The formal dress is for Gala Nights, usually 2x for a 7-10 night cruise. As long as you wear a dark matching suit/jacket/trousers combo with tie, you’ll be ok. Collared shirt and nice trousers with/without jacket is fine for the other nights. You may see some others flaunt the dress code and they’ll stand out from the majority of others who make an effort. Cunard is more dressy but don’t fear participating the best you can. My thought is that Cunard has beautiful ships and you want to dress to match the environment onboard. It’s not snobby either, just relaxed and calm. Congrats on your 30th; we celebrated our 30th last year on a QM2 Crossing coming back from 10 days in the UK. 

Add-on. The quality of cocktails and beer/ale variety is outstanding so you really get what you pay for. But Drinks Package not worth it for only one drinker. Go a la carte for that. 
 

 

Edited April 13 by NE John

[OnTheJourney]

4 hours ago, carlmm said:

Dark suit and tie is minimum.

Oh my. With all due respect, I'll stick to sailing with Viking, RCL, and X. Not into any sort of formal dressing for cruises anymore.

[NE John]

I’ve said this to many, Cunard is not for everyone hope each line keeps its identity and brand mission to meet the needs of each passenger.  Cunard shouldn’t ditch their dress code to please  less formal pax and a line like Viking shouldn’t become more formal dress-wise to please others. 

[GeezerCouple]

 A few comments about this exciting possibility.

 

First, and less encouraging, it seems that the ships will be docked at Totality?

That means they can't move around if there are clouds "here" and fewer clouds "there"...

And are they all going to be in totality?

Totality vs 99.99% is like, literally, Night and Day.  Different things entirely.

Yes, seeing a solar eclipse with "a lot of coverage" is special, no question.

But it is NOT "almost as good" as being IN Totality!

 

There were some ships off Mazatlan last Monday, and apparently they moved a bit to get better views (not sure if it was specifically cloud-related??).

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3001696-eclipse-april-8-which-ships-will-be-watching-off-the-coast-of-mexico/#comment-67217270

 

We flew to Nashville for the August, 2017 solar ecliplse, for Totality.  There was a nice crowd gathered in a downtown "square".  Lots of open space.  Clear sky!

... until "that cloud over there" started heading... our way! 😞 

The eclipse started... and then... that cloud!

The crowd groaned.

At least we had planned other activities in Nashville, so it wasn't a complete bust, but we wouldn't have gone (or not then, anyway) except for the total solar eclipse.

 

A week ago today, we flew to Montreal to give it another chance on Monday.

SUCCESS! 😁

 

It was awesome.  No... it was a complete and true sense of AWE with TOTALITY.

There is no way we can find the words to describe what we saw, with the "black sun", the GLOWING corona (it was SO bright... just stunning!), the darkness, the drop in temperature.

Everyone in the park where we were (just a block from our hotel - convenient!) gasped; some screamed words like, "OH WOW!!!!!"  Or the obvious, "Look at THAT!" 😉 

 

If you can get to totality, do it!

Montreal was on the edge of totality, but it was still TOTALITY.  That just meant that we had 1.5 minutes of totality instead of 2 or 3.5 minutes.

Sure, we'd rather have had more time, but we *experienced" totality and we will NEVER forget it.

DH reported that he almost cried (that's apparently a somewhat common report).  Usually *I* am the "emotional one".

 

If we knew we'd actually see a total eclipse in the future and not have clouds interfere, we'd go again, and almost regardless of price (within vague reason).

It was that special!

 

GC

[bladerunner6]

We just got off the Discovery Princess and they did the eclipse right.  The people at Cunard should contact their associates at HAL and Princess to understand what they need to do.

 

Cunard currently has two of the three ships at port for the eclipse.  The whole point of an eclipse cruise is to have mobility to avoid clouds.  That is why since they started doing eclipse cruise on a regular basis over 50 years ago, they have all been at sea.

 

https://www.eclipse-chasers.com/article/history/tseByShip.shtml

 

They also suggest you can watch the eclipse with sunglasses!  That is a way to suffer permanent eye damage.

 

As I said, they the people at Cunard need to talk to their opposite numbers at HAL  and Princess.

 

Assuming Cunard does it right you are in for the experience of a lifetime!

 

Clear skies to you all!

[bladerunner6]

On 3/28/2024 at 1:36 PM, D&N said:

We'll settle for 95%. 90 minutes before sunset. On our balcony, no travel required.

The difference between 95% and 100% is all the difference in the world.  It is like driving to Disneyworld and staying in the parking lot.

 

Edited April 13 by bladerunner6

[D&N]

5 minutes ago, bladerunner6 said:

The difference between 95% and 100% is all the din the world.  It is like driving to Disneyworld and staying in the parking lot.

 

And the difference between sitting on OUR HOUSE BALCONY and anywhere else is all the din in the world. (whatever that means),

We were totally underwhelmed by 100% in a German supermarket car park in 1999.

The food and wine is much more important!

 

Sorry, forgot to say; if I found myself at Disneyworld or Eurodisney I would make a swift U turn!

Edited April 13 by D&N

[bladerunner6]

4 minutes ago, D&N said:

And the difference between sitting on OUR HOUSE BALCONY and anywhere else is all the din in the world. (whatever that means),

We were totally underwhelmed by 100% in a German supermarket car park in 1999.

The food and wine is much more important!

Difference in the world. I corrected the typo-this middle seat isn’t the most user friendly space for typing.

[Orsino]

7 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

First, and less encouraging, it seems that the ships will be docked at Totality?

Thank you for pointing this out. We are on the verge of booking this cruise, but you are right. This is a strange choice on Cunard’s part. All the other ports have departure at 5pm but on eclipse day they are scheduled to depart at 9pm just after totality. Why!? One wouldn’t even be able to see it on land if they wanted to. Everyone will have to be onboard before the eclipse anyway. 

 

for me, the whole point would be to be at sea during the total eclipse. 
in addition to chasing clear skies the ship could move closer to the center line for a few more seconds of totality. More importantly I would like to see what the ocean looks like with a total eclipse. 
 

now I’m rethinking this. It is still a good way to be in the right spot but another cruise might be better. I will probably book then cancel if I find something better. Other cruise lines don’t have August 2026 schedules out yet. 

[GeezerCouple]

59 minutes ago, Orsino said:

Thank you for pointing this out. We are on the verge of booking this cruise, but you are right. This is a strange choice on Cunard’s part. All the other ports have departure at 5pm but on eclipse day they are scheduled to depart at 9pm just after totality. Why!? One wouldn’t even be able to see it on land if they wanted to. Everyone will have to be onboard before the eclipse anyway. 

 

for me, the whole point would be to be at sea during the total eclipse. 
in addition to chasing clear skies the ship could move closer to the center line for a few more seconds of totality. More importantly I would like to see what the ocean looks like with a total eclipse. 
 

now I’m rethinking this. It is still a good way to be in the right spot but another cruise might be better. I will probably book then cancel if I find something better. Other cruise lines don’t have August 2026 schedules out yet. 

 

Yes, if you can book this with a refundable deposit, you might as well.

Maybe (?) Cunard will come to their senses and change the schedule at least a bit.

 

Or if not, you could find some other place/way to see it?

 

Are there any ships that day/time off the coast of ... Spain?  Or ??

I'd think being at sea, for the sense there, would also be amazing.  NOTHING in the way to interfere with the view.

 

Where we were, in a park, there were a few trees, with bare branches from winter, and during the changes before totality, it was a bit annoying, but still didn't interefer with what we were watching.

But at totality, that amazing GLOWING CORONA was *so* bright, that we weren't aware of anything at all in the way if viewing.  We didn't realize it at the time, but shortly after, we both agreed that at totality, it was as if all of the thin branches just vanished.  We didn't even think about them untl after totality.

 

Enjoy, no matter where!

 

GC