Sometimes you find a bargain — a repositioning cruise, with a total eclipse thrown in.
I happened to be looking for a trans-Pacific repositioning cruise — long, with lots of sea days and few ports, which is exactly what my husband prefers — when I found the Celebrity Millennium sailing from Honolulu to Sydney. It was going to cross the eclipse path. We had never done a totality at sea before, and I got so excited — though I did wonder how you film or photograph anything with the ship rolling.
This was the one our son Jared joined for his very first total solar eclipse. Somewhere between Tahiti and Australia, maybe a third of the ship was captivated by totality; another third were trying to sunbathe; the rest, I suppose, were in their cabins. But the whole port side was lined with telescopes and deckchairs — wonderfully suited to lying back and watching an eclipse. Two American professional photographers, taking a slow boat to their next assignment, were blown away, shooting everything.
A repositioning cruise is usually good value — something like US$200 a day including lodging, all meals, and drinks at meals. To get a total solar eclipse on top of that was a real bargain. Much harder to find these days. A great trip, and a successful one — especially for Jared.