Interesting news, Carnival Cruise Line Fans: You will have more options for boat trips in Europe.
The Miami-based cruise giant announced Tuesday that it will bring one of its 27 ships, the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend, to the region for nearly six months in 2026.
The deployment will include Carnival’s first eclipse cruise — an 11-night voyage from Dover, England, beginning August 9, 2026. The voyage will include a day at sea to view the relatively rare total solar eclipse, which is mostly visible from a small portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
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The eclipse will occur on August 12, 2026, over a narrow arc of ocean between the coasts of Spain and Iceland.
Carnival Legend’s eclipse cruise will also stop in Le Havre and Le Verdon (ports of Bordeaux) in France; St. Peter Port, Guernsey; Vigo, Spain; Lisbon and Leixoes (ports of Porto) in Portugal; and Zeebrugge (port of Brussels) in Belgium.
In addition to the eclipse cruise, Carnival Legend will operate eight more Northern European cruises from Dover, with itineraries ranging from nine to 12 nights. It will also operate six Mediterranean cruises from Civitavecchia (the port of Rome) in Italy.
Mediterranean cruises can last nine or 12 nights.
Known for its cruises departing from North American ports, Carnival offers relatively few cruises in Europe, making these itineraries quite rare.
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Carnival also sent the Carnival Legend to Europe this summer and plans to send a single ship (the 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle) to Europe for an extended summer season in 2025.
Two other Carnival ships — Carnival Valor and Mardi Gras — will make transatlantic cruises to and from Europe in 2025 as they travel to and from shipyards for overhauls.
In an announcement Tuesday, Carnival said Carnival Legend will kick off its 2026 European season on May 24, 2026, with a 14-night transatlantic voyage from Miami to Dover.
In addition to days at sea, the transatlantic voyage will visit Liverpool, England; Holyhead, Wales; and Dun Laoghaire (Dublin’s port) in Ireland.
Related: The Complete Guide to Carnival Cruise Line Ships and Itineraries
Sailings from Dover will call at Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Some sailings will also include stops in the British Isles, and one sailing will focus on Iceland with four stops in the country.
Cruises to Scandinavia and the Baltics, part of the deployment, will visit Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium.
Six sailings from Civitavecchia will stop in Italy, several Greek islands, Türkiye and Croatia.
Highlights of the Mediterranean cruise will include visits to Istanbul and Kusadasi in Türkiye. The latter port is the gateway to the famous ancient ruins of Ephesus.
The itinerary includes stops at Piraeus (the port of Athens) and Mykonos in Greece, as well as visits to Naples, Italy, Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia.
Carnival Legend will conclude its European cruising in 2026 with a 14-night round-trip cruise across the Atlantic beginning November 1, 2026. The cruise will depart from Civitavecchia and end in Tampa with stops in Cartagena and Malaga, Spain, along with Gibraltar and Bermuda.
Carnival is just the latest major cruise line to announce a 2026 eclipse cruise. In recent weeks, Holland America has Three eclipse cruises announced in 2026. Windstar Cruises, Princess Cruises and Atlas Ocean Cruises have also announced plans for eclipse cruises.
Related: Best Eclipse Cruises of 2026
Carnival Legend is one of the Carnival four Spirit-class shipsThis shipping line usually uses four ships for longer journeys.
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