In February, 1998, I did a 7-day eastern Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises, aboard the then-new ship Dawn Princess. The cruise was structured around a 3-minute solar eclipse scheduled to take place off the coast of Aruba during the week. As such, a lot of "eclipse chasers" amd astronomers, both amateur and professional, were to be found on the cruise. There were peiodic astronomy lectures aboard the ship, some of them to inform us of proper safety in observing the eclipse.
Despite the astronomic focus, there was plenty of regular sightseeing to be had, similar to any Caribbean cruise. Ports of call included Caracas (Venezuela), Grenada, Dominica, Oranjestad (Aruba), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Generally, each of these locations took up one day of visit, and then the ship cruised at night. There was one full day of cruising across the Caribbean going from Aruba back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the cruise had originated.
Picture of our approximately 78,000-gross ton cruise ship docked in Roseau, Dominica. This was a hilltop view. Cruise ships have only gotten bigger in the years since this trip.
Roseau, Dominica, taken from the cruise ship while docked.
Harbor in St. George's, Grenada. Grenada is known as a spice-producing island, and upon disembarking from the cruise ship, all manner of spices were for sale by street vendors lining the disembarkation path. The spices are amazing; the problem is that the vendors are not shy about selling and promoting their goods (to put it mildly).
Downtown Caracas, Venezuela. The ship docked in the port city of La Guiara and then a bus took us up a steep carretera (freeway), ascending through the coastal mountains to Caracas, elevation about 3000 ft.
Rugged landscape of Dominica taken from a bus ride during an onshore excursion.
Oranjestad, Aruba.
La Guiara, Venezuela, the port city where the ship docked for the excursion to Caracas.
Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. The scenery was beautiful, but I got a horrible sunburn here, the result of not being sufficiently careful with the tropical sun. The sunburn affected me off-and-on for the rest of the trip.
Extensive hillside barrios in Caracas Venezuela, ringing the urban core of the city.
Totality during the solar eclipse, taken with a 300mm zoom lens. Note the corona, which is ordinarily not visible except during a solar eclipse.
Moment when totality ends, the moon "slides" off the sun, and the first glimmers of sunlight emerge forth. This is actually a dreaded moment for dedicated eclipse chasers, who want the eclipse to last as long as possible. Again, this was taken with a tripod and 300mm zoom lens.
Observers aboard the ship, off the coast of Aruba, many with telescopes and tripods set up, waiting for the total eclipse to begin. It's not readily apparent in the photograph, but sunlight is growing noticeably dimmer by this point.
Images of the partially-eclipsed sun, reflected through binocular lenses onto the ground.
Despite the astronomic focus, there was plenty of regular sightseeing to be had, similar to any Caribbean cruise. Ports of call included Caracas (Venezuela), Grenada, Dominica, Oranjestad (Aruba), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Generally, each of these locations took up one day of visit, and then the ship cruised at night. There was one full day of cruising across the Caribbean going from Aruba back to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the cruise had originated.
Downtown Caracas, Venezuela. The ship docked in the port city of La Guiara and then a bus took us up a steep carretera (freeway), ascending through the coastal mountains to Caracas, elevation about 3000 ft.
Rugged landscape of Dominica taken from a bus ride during an onshore excursion.
Oranjestad, Aruba.
La Guiara, Venezuela, the port city where the ship docked for the excursion to Caracas.
Totality during the solar eclipse, taken with a 300mm zoom lens. Note the corona, which is ordinarily not visible except during a solar eclipse.
Moment when totality ends, the moon "slides" off the sun, and the first glimmers of sunlight emerge forth. This is actually a dreaded moment for dedicated eclipse chasers, who want the eclipse to last as long as possible. Again, this was taken with a tripod and 300mm zoom lens.
Observers aboard the ship, off the coast of Aruba, many with telescopes and tripods set up, waiting for the total eclipse to begin. It's not readily apparent in the photograph, but sunlight is growing noticeably dimmer by this point.
Images of the partially-eclipsed sun, reflected through binocular lenses onto the ground.
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