Royal Caribbean Dropped Lisbon From This Sailing to Chase a Total Solar Eclipse
Royal Caribbean updated Liberty of the Seas' August 2026 itinerary — dropping Lisbon and adding new ports — to move passengers from 94% totality to a full 100% eclipse experience at sea.
Royal Caribbean has revised the Liberty of the Seas’ nine-night August 2026 sailing to reposition the ship from a path offering 94–98% totality all the way to 100%, placing guests directly under the moon’s full shadow during the August 12 total solar eclipse, as reported by Cruise Hive.
That’s not a small tweak. It’s a deliberate, guest-first decision that reshuffles the entire itinerary — and cancels one of Europe’s most beloved port calls in the process.
What Changed and Why
The original sailing had Liberty of the Seas routing through Lisbon, Portugal — a world-class destination that any traveler would be thrilled to visit. But here’s the thing about a total solar eclipse: 94% totality and 100% totality are not the same experience. Not even close. In the 6% gap between “almost total” and “total,” you lose the diamond ring effect, the sudden eerie darkness, and the moment the solar corona blazes into view around the fully covered sun. Partial and near-total eclipses are impressive. Totality is life-changing.
Royal Caribbean clearly did the math and decided Lisbon wasn’t worth the trade-off.
The New Itinerary
The revised nine-night sailing departs Southampton on August 7, 2026, and follows this updated route:
- August 7 — Depart Southampton
- August 9 — Bilbao, Spain (8am–6pm)
- August 10 — Gijon, Spain (9am–6pm)
- August 11 — Vigo, Spain (10am–7pm)
- August 12 — At sea (eclipse day — 100% totality)
- August 13 — La Coruna, Spain (7am–6pm)
- August 14 — At sea
- August 15 — Le Havre, France (8am–9pm)
- August 16 — Arrive Southampton
Lisbon is out. Le Havre is in. And on August 12, Liberty of the Seas will be precisely positioned in the path of totality, with an unobstructed ocean horizon on all sides — arguably the best possible vantage point on Earth for watching the sky go dark in the middle of the day.
What Happens to Your Shore Excursions
Royal Caribbean isn’t leaving passengers to sort out the fallout on their own. Any shore excursions pre-booked for Lisbon will be automatically cancelled and refunded to the original form of payment. Tours in Vigo and La Coruna that were booked under the previous schedule have been shifted to align with the new port dates and times.
This kind of proactive passenger communication matters. Itinerary changes are never fun for guests who planned their trip around specific stops, but handling it cleanly — automatic refunds, no hoops to jump through — goes a long way toward maintaining goodwill.
Why This Eclipse Is Worth the Detour
The August 12, 2026 eclipse tracks across parts of the Arctic, Iceland, Greenland, and northern Spain before heading out over the Atlantic. The Spanish coast sits near the southern edge of the path, which explains why the revised itinerary leans so heavily into that region — Bilbao, Gijon, Vigo, and La Coruna all fall within or very near the totality corridor.
Cruise lines have repeatedly discovered that astronomical events and ships make a natural pairing. The ship becomes your mobile viewing platform, your hotel, and your eclipse party venue all at once. But the fatal flaw with most eclipse cruises is ambiguity — lines often promise “eclipse viewing at sea” without committing to totality.
Royal Caribbean has done the opposite here. The line started with a sailing that would have delivered a very good eclipse experience — 94–98% totality is nothing to dismiss — and then decided that very good wasn’t good enough. They moved the ship, rerouted the itinerary, and took on the administrative burden of cancelling Lisbon excursions and rebooking tours, all to close that final gap.
For passengers already booked on this sailing, the message is simple: pack your eclipse glasses and clear your calendar for August 12. You’re going to be in exactly the right place.