Amid the solar eclipse craze sweeping Europe, heritage British cruise operator Cunard has announced where its ships will be positioned during the next totality, and the itineraries will not disappoint fans of the celestial event. Demonstrating the potential value of the eclipse chaser’s dollar, three of the cruise lines fleet of four will be dedicated to eclipse viewing at various sites.
See the eclipse from the sea
The moon will cast its shadow across the Icelandic seas and onward south along Europe’s Atlantic coast on 12 August, 2026. The event will happen close to sunset amid possible coastal cloud formations, with the sun just 26 degrees above the horizon, making clear views a challenge. But Cunard says its liners will trace a course that maximises the opportunity to witness the eclipse from the water.
“Watching a total solar eclipse from sea is an utterly unique and very rare experience,” said Katie McAlister, president of Cunard. “Cunard is therefore thrilled to offer three remarkable voyages positioned along the path of the 2026 eclipse – two in the Mediterranean and one in Iceland – which will give guests the chance to witness this extraordinary phenomenon from the water, an unforgettable moment observed from the luxurious vantage point of our Queens.”
The sailings
The Queen Mary 2 will be in the middle of a 14-night Norway and Iceland cruise taking in Zeebrugge, Belgium; Olden and Skjolden, Norway; and Isafjordur, Iceland, before setting sail for the final destination – New York. The cruise not only offers scenic fjords, cascades, and ocean vistas, but when the eclipse occurs, it will be right in the path of totality on an overnighter in Reykjavik.
Meanwhile, the Queen Anne will sail out of Southampton, UK, bound for the Spanish ports of Santander, La Coruña, and Gijon, before a stop in Pauillac, France, on the Bay of Biscay, and home to Southampton. The seven-night itinerary puts the boat in La Coruña’s Old Town port on the evening of the eclipse, just lifting anchor and leaving the harbour as the total eclipse happens.
And the Queen Victoria will be two nights into its week-long cruise around the western Mediterranean. Having headed out from Civitavecchia, Italy, the liner will be in historic UNESCO treasure Tarragona, where its guests will have spent the day exploring. The eclipse will be viewable from multiple sundowner cocktail spots on the ship’s decks and open-air bars.
According to the Cunard website, the line’s fourth ship, the Queen Elizabeth, will be serving routes in the Americas and the Caribbean in 2026.
