SAN DIEGO — The cruise season in San Diego is wrapping up and it’s ending with a stellar experience for passengers.
Two Holland America ships left the port of San Diego this week and are headed for Mexico to be in the solar eclipse path of totality on Monday.
Passengers are eager to board one of two eclipse cruises leaving San Diego
“I just think the idea of seeing the eclipse. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a total eclipse in our area,” said Gary Lusk.
He and his wife Lis, traveled from Seattle to San Diego to board the ship and view their first total solar eclipse with 2,436 other passengers aboard the Koningsdam.
During the 22-day cruise, the ship will position itself in Mexico to be the first to view the eclipse in totality and then head to Hawaii and up to Vancouver.
“It’s really kind of eerie to see stars. You know, did you know stars were up there all the time?” said Lusk.
Physicist Albert Einstein was able to prove the theory of general relativity from the solar eclipse in 1919.
“Because when the sun was eclipsed, you could actually see the stars that were usually behind the sun, but we just can’t see it because of the glare. But that starlight is actually bent slightly by gravity,” said Adam Burgasser, PhD, UCSD professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
He and his family will be on board with his family to take in this unique experience but Burgasser will also be holding lectures and creating eclipse viewers for passengers.
“I’ve been getting emails over the last few months of folks who are bringing their own telescopes, who are excited to be witnesses, some of them actually have been on multiple eclipse tours,” said Burgasser.
He says Monday’s eclipse give scientists more insight into the elusive solar corona.
“Right now, we’re actually at the peak of the suns activity, it’s actually come a little earlier than we expected. So there may be some clues as to why the sun is so active right now, when we look at that corona,” said Burgasser.
Earlier this week, Holland America’s Zaandam set sail from San Diego for a 14-day eclipse viewing cruise in Mexico.
“WNEP’s meteorologist and NASA-partner eclipse ambassador Jeremy Lewan, from our sister station in northeast Pennsylvania is aboard the Zahndam with Rick Fienberg, PhD, from the American Astronomical Society.
“On April 8th of this year we are going to be very close to the maximum solar activity,” said Feinberg.
This once in a life-time experience has the Lusk’s thanking their lucky stars.
“Our family is jealous,” said Lusk.
The cost for the all-inclusive cruise on the Koningsdam started around $1,300, that doesn’t include port taxes and fees.
The Port of San Diego says each ship beginning and ending has a $2 million local impact.
“And that's people eating at restaurants, shopping, taking local transportation, staying at hotels, so it's supporting jobs, as well as seaside jobs,” said Adam Deaton, Port of San Diego Principal Cruise Business.
Remember not to stare at the sun with the naked eye and wear solar eclipse glasses, use a view box or watch a live stream.
The partial eclipse will be viewable in San Diego starting at 10:03am, peaking at 11:11 a.m. and end at 12:23 p.m.
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