Like shuffleboard, belly flop contests, and midnight chocolate buffets, “blacking out” is a daily requirement for many cruise-goers. Lucky passengers aboard one specialty cruise in 2021 will enjoy an entirely different type of blackout, however. For a brief moment, they’ll witness a total solar eclipse from one of the most remote places on Earth.
(It’s like a total eclipse of the heart, but better.)
The solar event is more than two years away, but Poseidon Expeditions knows curious, space-loving travelers are already planning where they’re going to be to witness it. The company’s exclusive Solar Eclipse in Antarctica (clearly, the marketing needs a little work) starts at the southern tip of South America where just 114 passengers will board the M/v Sea Spirit in Ushuaia, Argentina. The 23-day voyage will visit South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, and the Antarctic peninsula before looping back to South America by way of the Aitcho Islands.
But, of course, this is no ordinary Antarctic cruise. Two weeks into the trip, the captain will pilot the ship into the eclipse’s narrow path of totality. For less than two minutes, passengers will watch day turn to night as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, effectively blacking out the sky. From seeing penguins to witnessing this total solar eclipse to trekking one of the last truly wild places on Earth, this cruise promises to tick a lot of boxes on most travelers’ bucket lists.
As with many of Poseidon Expeditions’ cruises, the twelve-person crew aboard the Sea Spirit consists of hardcore wildlife and earth science experts. Special guest Paul Sutter — an astrophysicist, author, and speaker on all things physics-related — will join the team to answer passenger questions and share his thoughts on the experience from an expert perspective.
The Solar Eclipse in Antarctica cruise joins a growing list of specialty cruises to the White Continent. Travelers looking to dip their toe on the continent “just to say they did it” can now “bag” the elusive destination on a day trip courtesy of Natural World Safaris. Hardcore adventure seekers can trek to the South Pole on the fully-guided Ski Last Degree polar expedition. Well-heeled travelers for whom time and money are no object can even visit both the North and South Pole on a single, 88-day luxury cruise.
This once-in-a-lifetime cruise won’t come cheap. With an early booking discount, a triple occupancy suite (which usually requires bunking with two strangers) costs $16,556 per person, while upgrading to a double occupancy berth is priced at $21,866. Plus, passengers will need to find their own way to and from Ushuaia. Sure, you could buy a new car with that sum, but this cruise sounds a whole lot more fun.
