Solar Eclipse Travel by Ship Cartoons

Eclipse Cruz'n: Kicking back on a cruise ship is not for everyone, but it is hard to imagine why not. They take good care of you, the food is good if not great, and when the ship is chartered to see the eclipse they are generally successful. It really is a favored way to see a total solar eclipse by many and since a large portion of the Earth is covered with water there is a good chance it can result in the best place to see the eclipse overall (weather and duration).

Captain Medal: Between the tropics, a popular cruising location, clouds can be scattered here and there. It only takes one in the wrong place at the wrong time to ruin the eclipse for everyone. At times great effort is expended to locate a hole in the clouds to view the eclipse and I think captains who perform well under such circumstances are deserving of a medal if not a congratulatory drink or two.

Good news and bad news: For all the eclipse chasers being stuck on a reef under clear sky for eclipse day isn't too bad. That is, until it is time to head to port or if the ship starts to sink.

Close is not success: I heard stories of cruise ships that "tried" to get to the central path but didn't make it because of one reason or another (mostly adverse weather slowing the progress). Eclipse chasers who board such vessels in hopes of seeing an eclipse are taking a gamble as there are many things that can slow down a vessel. Chartered eclipse chasing ships are different as they allocate extra time to counter any adverse sailing conditions and to find clear sky.

Mobile but not Mobile: Cruise ship based charters to see an eclipse need to be specific about the eclipse day. Some will move to a position and just stay there, with no regard to the weather. Others will make use of the high tech tools on board to steer clear of clouds.

It is best to be on a ship that has a captain that is keen on seeing the eclipse.

Drama at Sea: On a cruise some time back an "expert" said that clouds add drama to an eclipse. I think clouds can be interesting but are more likely to be a problem.

During a different cruise our on board expert redirected the ship at the last second without making an announcement and ran us into a cloud edge at 2nd contact. It did indeed make for some drama, R rated based on language.