A plea for an April 2024 eclipse cruise

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, rheathslc said:

Wait! Isn't S310 one of the Sky Suites? 🤯 How fun! If you're not going into port that will be an incredible balcony to view the eclipse from. 

We won’t be going into port probably at all. We’ve done the Mexican riviera more times than we can count. While I do love the ports (especially Mazatlan) this sailing it’s all about that eclipse and that balcony. 
And the suite comes with so many things I’ve never done before , Enclave, Ultimate balcony breakfast and ultimate balcony dinner to name a few. 

 

 I heard from @CruiseRaiderthat they started a roll call for this sailing. There are so many of you I’d love to finally put a face to. This is really going to be so wonderful.  I’m looking forward to the meet and greet already. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

2 hours ago, 1emerald1 said:

Hope to meet you as I have enjoyed all of your reviews!

Thanks! I’m looking forward to meeting you at the meet and greet as well. 

[Thrak]

13 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

heard from @CruiseRaiderthat they started a roll call for this sailing.

 

Wow. I looked yesterday and didn't find one. Guess I'll have to look again. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Edit: Found it. Thanks again.

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by Thrak

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Can it be that Princess is the only major cruise line doing a total eclipse cruise?  I checked Cunard, Carnival, Royal, Norwegian and viking. I found a small company that specializes in eclipse cruise. They are almost sold out. The prices are astronomical!  
 

https://eclipsetours.com/2024-baja-california-total-solar-eclipse-cruise/

 

If anyone knows of another ship doing an eclipse run would you mind sharing?  I’m wondering how busy it’s going to be out there along centerline. 

[Shelly97060]

Booked and  excited to be doing this cruise! I agree this is going to be special! 

[john1970]

We booked a club class mini suite which I think are sold out now. I agreed to leave the upgrade option but now am worried you could get an 'upgrade' to a non balcony window suite. Is that something that could happen as I definitely want a balcony.

[caribill]

7 minutes ago, john1970 said:

We booked a club class mini suite which I think are sold out now. I agreed to leave the upgrade option but now am worried you could get an 'upgrade' to a non balcony window suite. Is that something that could happen as I definitely want a balcony.

 

In the past there have been no "upgrades" reported from a cabin with a balcony to a cabin without a balcony.

[jwattle]

10 hours ago, john1970 said:

We booked a club class mini suite which I think are sold out now. I agreed to leave the upgrade option but now am worried you could get an 'upgrade' to a non balcony window suite. Is that something that could happen as I definitely want a balcony.

It is considered an upgrade, as it is a mini suite to a suite but the odds of it are infinitesimal. 🙂

 

[1emerald1]

7 minutes ago, jwattle said:

It is considered an upgrade, as it is a mini suite to a suite but the odds of it are infinitesimal. 🙂

 

And most of the suites are already booked.

[Luvtennis6060]

Booked a mini suite on deck 12 Monday.  Looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

Cindy and Alan

[polmcs]

Despite my initial thoughts that the cruise was too expensive (balcony is currently 2x the price for a balcony on my 14 day Rome to FLL cruise in November for later this year) it is a once in a lifetime experience, so as it also met my golden rule of “if a suite is less than 2x the price of a balcony, then book the suite”, so I booked a premium suite for the eclipse cruise. It didn’t hurt that I was able to use the 3 day sale offer to get the deposit down from $1600 to $200 as all my FCDs timed out and were returned to me.

 

See you all there.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

@polmcsthose repositioning cruises such as yours from Rome to FLL have always been much cheaper than any other cruise I’ve priced out. I sail this route quite a bit and considering inflation & it’s still a year and 8 months out I’m actually quite pleased with how reasonably priced this is. The cabin I booked is the same price as it would be to sail it now based on a preliminary quote my CVP gave me (for a cruise this year) before the bookings opened up. 
 

Not to mention did you see those prices I posted above for the only other (so far) ship sailing the eclipse? I can’t believe people paid that! 
 

it’s going to be great experience.  We have a roll call going if you’re interested in joining. 

[scottsol]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

@polmcs
 

Not to mention did you see those prices I posted above for the only other (so far) ship sailing the eclipse? I can’t believe people paid that! 
 

 

There is no doubt that the Eclipse Tours cruise is too expensive for most people. On the other hand, the Atlas World Navigator has room for fewer than 200 passengers compared to over 3600 for the Discovery Princess , so ET doesn’t need to attract most people.

 

For me, the 2024 eclipse will likely be my only opportunity to see a totality. I booked on the World Navigator back in February because I didn’t want to take any chances. In particular, I wanted a cruise that didn’t  just happen to be in the path of the eclipse, but was truly centered on that event. In particular, it represented (outside of chartering a jet) the best chance of experiencing the event under clear skies as this is a chartered cruise run by eclipse aficionados who will “direct” the captain to navigate to a cloudless area if at all practical.

Edited August 16, 2022 by scottsol

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 minutes ago, scottsol said:

There is no doubt that the Eclipse Tours cruise is too expensive for most people. On the other hand, the Atlas Navigator has room for fewer than 200 passengers compared to over 3600 for the Princess Navigator, so ET doesn’t need to attract most people.

 

For me, the 2024 eclipse will likely be my only opportunity to see a totality. I booked on the Navigator back in February because I didn’t want to take any chances. In particular, I wanted a cruise that didn’t  just happen to be in the path of the eclipse, but was truly centered on that event. In particular, it represented (outside of chartering a jet) the best chance of experiencing the event under clear skies as this is a chartered cruise run by eclipse aficionados who will “direct” the captain to navigate to a cloudless area if at all practical.

I’m excited for you and all that are lucky enough to be on that sailing. I am sure you will have a really fulfilling experience.  
I know what you mean about not wanting to take any chances on getting a great spot to see the eclipse. Things routinely sell out 2 plus years in advance. 

As others have posted about their previous experiences on a Princess eclipse cruise I feel more and more confident that Princess will make this more than just being in the path of totality. Princess is pretty good at getting great guest lecturers and providing elevated experiences.  Notably Panama Canal and Alaska were impressive when I did those sailings. I’ve also traveled Queen Mary 2 which is a whole other level. I wrote begging Cunard to sail the eclipse but to date they have not put out that itinerary. 
 

If we see your ship we will wave!  Congratulations on getting your spot secured!  

[beg3yrs]

IIRC, totality also crosses through the United States. One of the major cities it crosses is Dallas. If the cruise is too expensive, there are less expensive alternatives. Yes, I understand the ship has the option to reposition for clearer skies but ...

[scottsol]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:15 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Okay. I put a hold on m108 (my second choice) as I wasn’t sure if my CVP would be able to get my first choice, S310 or if the price for it would be within the range of what we considered reasonable.  My CVP did get S310 and the price did fall in the range we’d pay so M108 is going to get released in the next couple of days.  My CVP will call me either Thursday or Friday to finalize all my bookings and at that time the M108 will be released. 
Boy yesterday was a crazy day. 

Did you specifically request S310 over S309 for the likely eastern exposure when docked at Mazatlan?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

2 hours ago, scottsol said:

Did you specifically request S310 over S309 for the likely eastern exposure when docked at Mazatlan?

Actually I requested it because when I sailed the Discovery in April this year I used the sanctuary each day and the entrance to sanctuary is starboard. Coming and going every day we noticed a lot of traffic and the hot tub on that side was always being used.  I saw a man looking over the wall to the S309  sky suite balcony as he walked from the sanctuary to the doors to the elevators.  The eclipse is around noon so the sun will be high. I think the view will be great port and starboard on the upper decks. 

I did look at my photos from when the discovery was docked in Mazatlan last April and thought S310 was the better choice for viewing the eclipse. 

[mike&elena]

Here's an interesting animation of the eclipse in Mazatlan.  With the totality at noon, I think port or starboard are equally good cabin choices.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-cities/city/3373.html

[cruisetilidrop]

On 2/28/2022 at 9:12 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?

Does anyone who has been on a ship for an eclipse know if the ship supplies the eye protection or should we bring our own?

Thank you

[Sea Hag]

17 minutes ago, cruisetilidrop said:

Does anyone who has been on a ship for an eclipse know if the ship supplies the eye protection or should we bring our own?

Thank you

Somebody said that Princess has supplied eye protection in the past, but we'll be bringing our own anyway just in case.

[Sea Hag]

On 8/15/2022 at 8:54 PM, beg3yrs said:

IIRC, totality also crosses through the United States. One of the major cities it crosses is Dallas. If the cruise is too expensive, there are less expensive alternatives. Yes, I understand the ship has the option to reposition for clearer skies but ...

An RV trip to Texas was our alternate plan B if we couldn't find a cruise that didn't cost an arm and a leg. So happy that Princess stepped up with one.

[MJC]

Since the eclipse passes through a large part of the US, eclipse glasses should be readily available in those areas, and there's always Amazon.

 

 

Article about watching through your phone, selfies, eye protection etc.

 

https://www.elitedaily.com/life/can-you-watch-the-solar-eclipse-on-your-phone-camera/2049862

 

Article about photography with real cameras:

 

https://photographylife.com/landscapes/how-to-photograph-a-solar-eclipse

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by MJC

[dreams_of_travel]

8 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

Somebody said that Princess has supplied eye protection in the past, but we'll be bringing our own anyway just in case.

Same.  I ordered eye protection for the 2017 eclipse but of course I have no idea where they are now.  LOL!  I just ordered another set to have on hand, and before pricing/shipping time gets crazy like last time.  

[Sea Hag]

12 minutes ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Same.  I ordered eye protection for the 2017 eclipse but of course I have no idea where they are now.  LOL!  I just ordered another set to have on hand, and before pricing/shipping time gets crazy like last time.  

I just went and looked in the place that I thought ours should be, and they were actually there. Surprise, surprise. 

[dreams_of_travel]

1 minute ago, Sea Hag said:

I just went and looked in the place that I thought ours should be, and they were actually there. Surprise, surprise. 

That's great!  There were several people handling the envelope ours came in, so no telling who put it "away" or where.  I just figured I should be prepared over a year in advance of the 2023 eclipse, and 19 months before 2024.  LOL!