Opportunities abound for those keen to combine global events with a luxury cruise. Here’s a look at some highlights over the 2026 – 2027 season.
Monaco F1 Grand Prix
Since 1929, Monaco’s Grand Prix weekend has been a huge drawcard for racing fans, international celebrities and thrill-seekers, and the timing – Friday 5 to Sunday 7 June this year – is perfect for summer cruises in the Med.
Luxury line Explora Journeys is a premier partner of the glamorous event, and from 3 to 8 June, Explora I will be anchored in Monte Carlo’s picturesque Port Hercule, offering front row access to all the action.
The 922-guest ship will host an exclusive program of events throughout race weekend, and guests can ramp up their experience with three-day grandstand access tickets or F1 Paddock Club hospitality.
Explora I is offering a selection of itineraries designed around the Grand Prix, ranging from the five-night in-port experience in Monte Carlo (3 to 8 June) to a 19-night round-trip from Barcelona, departing 27 May 2026.
Other luxury ships that will be docked in Monte Carlo during Monaco’s Grand Prix weekend include Royal Clipper, Viking Sea, Wind Surf and Crystal Serenity.
Silversea’s Silver Ray departs Civitavecchia on May 29 for an 11-night sailing to Barcelona, spending two days in Port Hercule (6 -7 June).
Guests can take advantage of exclusive Silversea experiences at the event, such as Formula Silversea, two days of fully catered race-viewing from the Miramar Hotel’s new rooftop terrace.
FIFA World Cup 2026
Held every four years, the FIFA World Cup is the hotly anticipated football tournament that will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico this year.
From June 11 to July 19, the 2026 World Cup will be the first to take place with 48 teams, with matches being played in 16 venues throughout Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
FIFA fans heading to Canada for the Socceroos first FIFA World Cup game at BC Place in Vancouver city on 13 June 2026 can pair a pre-game Alaska Inside Passage sailing with Regent Seven Seas Cruises on board Seven Seas Explorer.
The seven-night Klondike Blooms cruise from Vancouver to Whittier departs on 3 June, allowing enough time to take the bus to Anchorage and fly back to Vancouver with three days to spare ahead of the game to explore the city.
For details about match fixtures, dates and venues, visit fifa.com
Total Solar Eclipse 2026
Some 30 ships are expected to be in the ‘path of totality’ of the total solar eclipse on 12 August, which passes over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean and Spain.
The path of totality is the arc across the Earth that experiences a total eclipse – places outside the arc experience only a partial eclipse, not nearly such a big deal.
Astronomy experts will know that the 2026 eclipse coincides with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a spectacular display of 50 to 100 meteors an hour raining out of the night sky caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle – even more bang for the astrotourist’s buck.
Astrotourism is a growing trend worldwide, as advisors are seeing in the increasing demand for Northern Lights voyages in the Arctic Circle and stargazing voyages in Dark Sky destinations around the world.
Crystal Serenity’s 11-night cruise from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands to Lisbon, Portugal, departing on 3 August 2026, is one of the total solar eclipse voyages offered by a handful of ultra-luxe lines.
The 740-guest ship will be sailing the Atlantic Ocean on 12 August, between leaving La Coruna, Spain at 7pm on 11 August and arriving at Oporto, Portugal at 7am on 13 August. Expert speakers including NASA Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, physician-scientist Michael Atalay and eclipse-chaser Lori Bremner will be onboard to offer insights into this incredible natural spectacle.
Other luxury lines offering total solar eclipse voyages in 2026 include Atlas Ocean Voyages, HX Expeditions, Oceania, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea and Seabourn.
And if you can’t make it this year, there are two more historic total solar eclipses coming in 2027 (visible in southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East) and 2028 (visible in Australia, with the focus on Sydney for the first time since 1857).
Rio Carnival
Brazil’s capital Rio de Janeiro hosts the dazzling Carnival every year before Lent – the eight-day festival is billed as the ‘greatest show on Earth’.
Highlights include performers displaying elaborate costumes, street parties, parades through the Sambadrome and the inimitable vibe of millions of people celebrating throughout the city.
Several cruise ships will be in Rio for Carnival 2027, which runs from Friday, 5 February through Wednesday, 10 February. The main, high-profile parades at the Sambadrome are generally held on the Sunday and Monday nights, which are scheduled for 7 and 8 February 2027.
Silversea’s Silver Nova is sailing a 10-day voyage from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires (part of her South America Grand Voyage), showcasing the Carnival and departing 7 Feb, 2027. Azamara Journey’s 23-night voyage from Bridgetown, Barbados to Buenos Aires, departing 25 January 2027, will spend three days and two overnights in Rio from 7 to 9 February 2027.
More world sporting events for your cruise calendar
Wimbledon Championships 2026: the world’s oldest tennis tournament will take place from Monday 29 June to Sunday 12 July. Held every year, it is chronologically the third of the four Grand Slam tennis events each year, held after the Australian Open and the French Open and before the US Open. It is the only tennis major still played on grass, the traditional surface.
Wimbledon Championships 2027: 28 June to 11 July 2027.
Tour de France 2026: The 113th edition of the Tour de France will take place from July 4 to July 26, 2026, starting with the Grand Départ in Barcelona, Spain, and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. The 21-stage route covers seven flat, four hilly, eight mountain, and two time trials, featuring early Pyrenean climbs, the Massif Central, and a final week in the Alps.
Tour de France 2027: Starts in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with the opening stage finishing in Carlisle the same day, before stage two travels from Keswick on Saturday 3 July 2027, through the Lake District and Lancashire to finish on The Strand in Liverpool the same day,
Commonwealth Games 2026: Glasgow is hosting the Commonwealth Games from 23 July to 2 August 2026, bringing world-class sport, international visitors and a festival atmosphere to Scotland’s largest city.
Some 3,000 athletes from Commonwealth nations and territories will compete across 10 sports, including six fully integrated Para sports. All competition venues are within a short distance of Glasgow’s centre, making it easy for visitors to attend multiple events while enjoying the city.
For more information, visit Atlas Ocean Voyages, Azamara, Crystal, Explora Journeys, HX Expeditions, Oceania Cruises, Ponant, RSSC, Seabourn, Silversea.
