total eclipse cruise

I have been traveling on points and miles for over 20 years. I am amazed at how creative thinking with this hobby can make dreams I never imagined possible come true. The cruise I booked this morning fits the woah! I cannot believe we are going to pull this off!

My husband loves all things science. In 2017 we traveled from our then-home in Alabama to Tennessee to see a total eclipse (we had no idea in less than a year we would be living here!). He had been planning on this for years and I used points and miles to make it happen. I booked different hotels on points all around the area and when we got closer to the Eclipse, we picked the one with the best prospect for us having the best Eclipse experience.

Last year, I did the same thing. I booked rooms from Indiana to Arkansas and we picked one with the best possibilities the week of the Eclipse. You can read more about that one here.

If you have never seen a total eclipse of the sun, it’s crazy! One of the coolest things I have ever seen. We have been lucky to see two. Driving home from Arkansas we joked we should try to do the one in 2026. We laughed because we knew it was in Europe.

Yet this morning thanks to a Casino Cruise deal I am going to try for 3 total Eclipses. Since it is over a year away I only have the cruise booked. I had looked for this a few months ago but the 7-day was not included in the casino promotions for me. One thing I have is tenacity so I just kept checking and a few days ago it popped up.

We priced this out as an ocean view. For $1,132 we booked the Sun Princess from Barcelona to Rome. We will get $400 back in onboard credit. When I priced this out without my Casino discount it would have been $5,716.00 for us! That is a massive savings. I started getting free casino cruises back in 2023. Usually, I get a free interior room and some free play. I can then pay extra for upgrades. If you want to see how I started this journey you can read about it here.

I will start my airfare searches when we get past the year mark for this cruise. We will be flying into Barcelona and home from Rome. We have visited both places before, but I am anxious to go back to Barcelona. We took our kids there on their first trip to Europe. Hopefully, the Sagrada de Familia will be finished by then. We will stay a night or two in Barcelona and I will most likely fly us home directly after the cruise from Rome.

My husband and boys in the Sagrada de Familia

I am so thankful for the points and miles that help make our love of adventure and travel so affordable!

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