Totality on April 20, 2023 as seen from P&O Australia’s “Pacific Explorer,” a cruise ship carrying … [+] 2,000 eclipse-chasers.
Are you ready for the sequel to the “Great American Eclipse?” If so, you’ll have a question: when is the next eclipse? Exactly two years from today, on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the next total solar eclipse will take place in western Europe.
To see it, you’ll need to be within a 183-190-mile-wide path of totality that will stretch from remote Siberia across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, the North Atlantic and northern and Spain.
Iceland and Spain are perfect for visits on land to witness the two-minutes-or-so totality (here are 18 fabulous places to see the 2026 eclipse), but with so much at-sea viewing possible, myriad expedition cruises are being readied to position eclipse-chasers inside the moon’s central shadow in the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
Here are a selection of just a few of the very special eclipse cruises already confirmed:
Voyage of the Vikings: Solar Eclipse
Cruise line: Holland America Line (hollandamerica.com)
Departing: July 18, 2026 (35 days)
Totality: off the west coast of Iceland
The 1,964-guest Zuiderdam will take a roundtrip from Boston, Massachusetts, calling at: Portland, Maine; Sydney, Corner Brook, Red Bay, St. Anthony, St John’s, and Halifax, Canada; Paamiut (Frederikshåb), Nanortalik and Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) Greenland; Reykjavik (overnight), Seydisfjördur, Húsavík and Grundarfjørdur, Iceland; Eidfjord, Norway; Rotterdam, Netherlands (overnight); Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland; and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Two very large icebergs are aligned through an archway in the foreground iceberg and a colorful sky … [+] in the background. The waters of Greenland’s Scoresby Sound are in the foreground.
New Scientist Total Solar Eclipse Cruise: Iceland to Greenland
Cruise line: New Scientist in partnership with AE Expeditions and Polar Routes.
Departing: Aug. 7, 2026 (13 days)
Totality: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
The state-of-the-art polar expedition vessel, the 132-passenger Sylvia Earle, will take a 13-day journey to Greenland that begins on land, with guests exploring Iceland’s Golden Circle, including Þingvellir National Park and the Geyser geothermal area. The ultimate destination, however, is Scoresby Sund, whose expansive network of waterways will be explored as guests search for barnacle geese, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, Atlantic puffins and walruses. Expect zodiac cruises and many lectures on the natural world, astronomy and solar eclipses.
Total Eclipse Sky Princess Voyage
Cruise line: Princess
Departing: Aug. 8, 2026 (14 days)
Totality: off the coast of northern Spain
With 3,660 guests on board, this cruise is less intimate than those mentioned so far. A round trip from Southampton, England, this Mediterranean cruise will call at seven ports: Cherbourg, France; Bilbao, Malaga and Cartagena, Spain; Gibraltar; Lisbon, Portugal; and La Coruña, Spain. Expect lectures from astronomy experts, themed treats and drinks, stargazing at night and solar system trivia.
A Coruña famous ancient roman Hercules Tower – Torre de Hércules (Tower of Hercules) Coastal … [+] Lighthouse Aerial Drone View from the Atlantic Ocean. A Coruna, Galicia, Northern Spain, Spain, Europe.
Scandinavian Solar Eclipse with Greenland and Scotland
Cruise line: Holland America Line (hollandamerica.com)
Departing: July 25, 2026 (28 days)
Totality: off the northwest coast of Iceland
The 2,666-guest Nieuw Statendam will take a roundtrip from Dover, England or Rotterdam, calling at: Kristiansand, Eidfjord and Stavanger, Norway; Seydisfjördur, Djúpivogur, Akureyri, Isafjördur, Grundarfjørdur, Heimaey and Reykjavik, Iceland; Paamiut (Frederikshåb), Nuuk (Godthåb), Nanortalik and Qaqortoq (Julianehåb), Greenland; Runavík, Faroe Islands; Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Invergordon (Inverness) and South Queensferry (Edinburgh), Scotland (overnight).
Greenland & Iceland Total Solar Eclipse Cruise
Cruise line: TravelQuestTours.com
Departing: Aug. 5, 2026 (12 days)
Totality: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
National Geographic Endurance, the world’s most advanced ice-class expedition ship, will host 138 eclipse-chasers for a 12-day sailing from Iceland’s Westfjords to the fjord-lined coast of Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest national park in the world. Totality will be experienced—weather permitting—in Greenland’s Scoresbys Sund, where there’s an unusually sunny microclimate, and thus an increased chance of clear skies. Guests will take part in backcountry hiking, wildlife viewing and sea kayaking in Iceland’s protected fjords. Expect to see seals, whales and polar bears.
Parc Guell, Barcelona, Spain. Main entrance to Gaudi’s Parc Guell and skyline of Barcelona.
Mediterranean Solar Eclipse with Barcelona Overnight
Cruise line: Holland America Line (hollandamerica.com)
Departing: Aug. 9, 2026 (13 days)
Totality: off the coast of Spain between Alicante and Barcelona
The 1,964-guest Oosterdam will depart from Lisbon, with ports of call including Alicante and Barcelona (overnight), Spain; Ajaccio and Corsica, France; Civitavecchia (Rome) and Bari (Puglia), Italy; and Kotor, Montenegro.
Disclaimer: I will be lecturing aboard the Sylvia Earle in Greenland in August 2026.
Pick up my books Stargazing in 2024, A Stargazing Program For Beginners and When Is The Next Eclipse?
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
