Princess Cruises Deploys Third Ship for Solar Eclipse Viewing
Princess Cruises is expanding its 2026 roster of solar eclipse-focused voyages with the addition of a third sailing that will celebrate the celestial event off the coast of Spain.
The 3,660-guest Enchanted Princess will join the line’s Sky Princess and Sun Princess in offering a bucket-list experience — watching a total solar eclipse from the sea — in early August 2026.
The ship’s 14-day “Mediterranean & Adriatic with Total Solar Eclipse” cruise departs on August 4, 2026 from Rome, calling at destinations along the Adriatic and the Western Mediterranean before concluding in Barcelona.
Enchanted Princess will be positioned off southeastern Spain for the two-minute and 18-second total eclipse on August 12, 2026.
As with the other two Princess ships, Enchanted Princess will invite guests to gather topside and provide eclipse viewing glasses so that all passengers can enjoy the cosmic experience.
The voyage will feature lectures by astronomy professionals, eclipse-themed foods and beverages, night programs focused on stargazing, and even trivia games based on the solar system.
Stargazing enthusiasts also can set up their own telescopes on the ship’s decks, and delight in the night skies at sea, with little or no light pollution interference.
“Adding Enchanted Princess to our 2026 solar eclipse lineup allows more guests to be part of this extraordinary moment at sea while exploring breathtaking Mediterranean and Adriatic destinations,” said Terry Thornton, Chief Commercial Officer at Princess Cruises.
“With limited availability on Sky Princess and Sun Princess, we’re excited to give our guests a new opportunity to be part of this rare astronomical event aboard another of our spectacular ships,” Thornton added.
Enchanted Princess’s itinerary includes port calls at Naples, Italy; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Corfu, Greece; Messina and Palermo, Sicily; Gibraltar; and Alicante, Spain. From the waters off Alicante, on Spain’s southeastern coast, cruisers will be ideally positioned to witness the total solar eclipse.
Two More Princess Cruises Ships Plan Eclipse Voyages
Princess Cruises began planning for its 2026 eclipse voyages in 2024, when it announced that Sky Princess would sail a themed voyage roundtrip from Southampton on August 8, 2026.
Her 14-day “Spain, France & Portugal with Total Solar Eclipse” sailing will call at Cherbourg, France, before visiting four ports in Spain — Bilbao, Malaga, Cartagena, and La Coruna; Gibraltar; and Lisbon.
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Sky Princess, with a capacity for 3,660 guests, will call at Bilbao on August 11, 2026, one day before the eclipse, and remain in the waters off Spain for the big event.
The 4,300-guest Sun Princess, the cruise line’s newest ship, offers the 14-night Mediterranean with Total Solar Eclipse cruise from Athens to Rome, departing on August 1, 2026.
The ship calls at destinations in Greece, Montenegro, and Sicily before visiting Barcelona and Gibraltar. As Eclipse Day approaches, the ship will call at Cartagena, Spain, on August 11, 2026, and offer viewing of the event the next day. A 7-night segment of this voyage is also available.
Princess Cruises is one of several lines planning 2026 solar eclipse voyages. Anticipating keen interest from travelers, Carnival Cruise Line will deploy its 2,100-guest Carnival Legend to the Western Mediterranean on a sailing that departs from Dover, England, on August 9, 2026.
Virgin Voyages will send two ships, Valiant Lady and Scarlet Lady, into the path of totality in August 2026. However, since the eclipse will also be seen in northern areas, Valiant Lady, for instance, is taking a northerly route on her 15-night “Eclipse in the Land of Fire and Ice.”
The ship will be positioned off Akureyri, Iceland, when the eclipse happens on August 12, 2026.
Princess Cruises Deploys Third Ship for Solar Eclipse Viewing