On Aug. 12, 2026, the lure of totality will bring many of cruise ships to Iceland. Here’s our complete guide.
When Icelanders experience totality on Aug. 12, 2026 — its first since 1954 — they won’t be alone. As well as thousands of eclipse chasers on its west coast, the waters around Iceland look set to be busy with cruise and expedition ships hoping to maximize totality and make a last-minute readjustment to find clear skies. Some will depart from Reykjavik across the Denmark Strait to northeast Greenland. Others will take shelter in Iceland’s Westfjords. All will experience totality and Iceland. Here’s everything we know about all the cruise ships around Iceland before, during and after the 2026 total solar eclipse.
Ship: Le Lyrial
Dates: Aug. 1-14, 2026
Duration: 14 days, 13 nights
Cost: from £12,940
Totality position: Isafjörður, Iceland
Itinerary: Longyearbyen-Spitsbergen-Jan Mayen Island-Scoresby Sound-Isafjördur-Westfjords-Reykjavík
Ship: Queen Mary 2
Dates: Aug. 4-18, 2026
Duration: 13 days, 14 nights
Cost: from £2,349
Totality position: Reykjavik, Iceland
Itinerary: Southampton-Bruges-Norwegian fjords-Ísafjörður (Westfjords)-Reykjavík-New York
Ship: Le Lapérouse
Dates: Aug. 10-18, 2026
Duration: 9 days, 8 nights
Cost: from £6,380/$7549
Totality position: west of Heimaey, Iceland
Itinerary: Reykjavík-Surtsey Island-Heimaey-Vestmannaeyjar-Faroe Islands-Shetland Islands-Isle of Skye-Dublin
Ship: MS Spitsbergen
Dates: Aug. 3-19, 2026
Duration: 16 days, 15 nights
Cost: from £18,414
Totality position: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Itinerary: Svalbard-Northeast Greenland National Park-Scoresby Sund-Reykjavík
Ship: Sylvia Earle
Dates: Aug. 7-19, 2026
Duration: 13 days, 12 nights
Cost: from £14,595
Totality position: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Itinerary: Reykjavík-Golden Circle (Þingvellir National Park, Strokkur geyser, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geothermal Energy Exhibition and Ljósafossvirkjun Power Station)-Scoresby Sund-Kong Oscar and Kaiser Franz Josef fjords-Reykjavík.
Ship: MV Ocean Albatros
Dates: Aug. 10-22, 2026
Duration: 13 days, 12 nights
Cost: from $13,695
Totality position: Blosseville Coast, East Greenland
Itinerary: Reykjavik-Blosseville Coast, East Greenland-Nuuk-Kangerlussuaq
Ship: World Navigator
Dates: Aug. 11-20, 2026
Duration: 10 days, 9 nights
Cost: from $12,449
Totality position: At sea off Patreksfjörður, Iceland
Itinerary: Reykjavik-Patreksfjörður-Grímsey Island-Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland-Tasiilaq, Greenland-Grundarfjörður, Iceland-Reykjavik
Ship: National Geographic Explorer
Dates: Aug. 9-24, 2026
Duration: 16 days, 15 nights
Cost: $26,522
Totality position: Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland
Itinerary: Reykjavík-Flatey Island-Prins Christian Sund, Greenland-Southern Greenland Fjords-Labrador Coast, Canada-L’Anse aux Meadows-St. John’s, Newfoundland
Ship: National Geographic Endurance
Dates: Aug. 5-16, 2026
Duration: 12 days, 11 nights
Cost: $21,439
Totality position: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Itinerary: Reykjavík-Northeast Greenland National Park-Scoresbysund-Westfjords-Reykjavík (Blue Lagoon and Reykjanes Peninsula).
Ship: M/V Hondius
Dates: Aug. 2-15, 2026
Duration: 14 days, 13 nights
Cost: from $8550
Totality position: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Itinerary: Svalbard-Greenland-Akureyri, Iceland
Ship: Ultramarine
Dates: Aug. 6-18, 2026
Duration: 13 days, 12 nights
Cost: $16,095
Totality position: King Oscar Fjord, Greenland
Itinerary: Reykjavik-Westfjord-Kangerluk Kong Oscar, Greenland-Scoresby Sund-Reykjavik
Ship: Greg Mortimer
Dates: Aug. 2-16, 2026
Duration: 15 days, 14 nights
Cost: from $$28,495
Totality position: Scoresby Sund, Greenland
Itinerary: Longyearbyen, Svalbard-Jan Mayen-Ittoqqortoormiit and Scoresby Sund-Denmark Strait-Reykjavik
Ship: Sea Spirit
Dates: Aug. 2-15, 2026
Duration: 14 days, 13 nights
Cost: from $13,795
Totality position: East Greenland fjords
Itinerary: Longyearbyen, Svalbard-East Greenland-Westfjords, Iceland-Reykjavík
Jamie Carter is the world's foremost solar eclipse journalist. He edits WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and writes about eclipses, astro-tourism and astronomy for Forbes.com, Space.com, New Scientist, Live Science, Sky & Telescope and BBC Sky At Night. In August 2026, he will be lecturing on board a New Scientist polar cruise from Iceland on the Sylvia Earle.
