Titanic anniversary cruise 2012
While we're aware that there are plenty of Titanic fanatics out there possibly willing to drop £2,595 ($3,776) and up for a berth on the cruise, we hope they realize this will be no vacation; it is more akin to a funeral procession. Carrying the same number of passengers as the Titanic—1,309—and playing the music of and serving meals from the menus of that tragic voyage, The Balmoral cruise is destined to be a mellow affair...or so we'd hope.
Let us creep you out further: the itinerary will begin in Southampton, England and sail to Cobh, Ireland, where the Titanic made its last port call. Next stop is of course the ice fields of the North Atlantic, where the ship will stop at the approximate coordinates of the Titanic's sinking in order to conduct a service at the approximate time when some 1,500 people lost their lives.
As if dancing on their watery grave wasn't fun enough, The Balmoral , will dock next at Halifax, Nova Scotia with the intent of visiting what else but a graveyard, in which Titanic victims are buried. The cruise will then end in New York City, at which point we like to imagine the whole of the ship's passengers sullenly offloading directly into a matinee of The Little Mermaid on Broadway.
Titanic fan or not, would you go so far as to trust a boat full of sunken ship enthusiasts in the middle of a cold, dark Atlantic ocean? All ashore, we say, all ashore! In any case, April 2012 is sure to be a month full of Titanic documentaries on the History Channel, and that's good enough for us.
Books of Interest:
If you’re interested in learning more about the Sinking of the Titanic in April of 1912, read Walter Lord’s A Night To Remember, which includes a list of passengers that survived as well as gripping interviews from over 60 of those surviving passengers describing the events leading up to the disastrous sinking.
As reported here in October, there will be a memorial cruise to mark the anniversary. This cruise will follow the same course the Titanic took from the UK to the approximate place she sank. However, this cruise is scheduled to make stops in Nova Scotia to visit Titanic memorial and grave sites. The final leg of this cruise is New York City.
Included on the cruise will be several lectures, not all of which have been announced. Check below for lectures scheduled so far.
On the April 14 anniversary, guests on Azamara Journey will join the 1,309 aboard another Titanic Memorial Cruise, Balmoral , at the site of the original ship’s sinking for a memorial service. Balmoral , which will sail from Southampton, England, sold out last October, and has an extensive waiting list.
Azamara Journey will call at Halifax, Nova Scotia, which has one of the most moving and intimate connections with the Titanic disaster, becoming the final resting place of many of her unclaimed victims. Here, among a number of excursion options, guests will have the opportunity to visit Fairview Lawn Cemetery where victims of the sinking are buried.
“Our original Titanic anniversary cruise aboard Balmoral sold out last fall to over 1,300 people from 24 countries, including 350 from the U.S.,” said Miles Morgan, managing director of the Titanic Memorial Cruise. “Many passengers either had relatives on the Titanic, or have a lifelong fascination with the story. We are expecting that Azamara Journey, with only half the Balmoral’s capacity, will sell quickly.”
Guests of Azamara Journey also will enjoy the cruise line’s extraordinary signature service and more inclusive onboard amenities, such as included gratuities for housekeeping, dining and bar staff; complimentary bottled water, sodas, specialty coffee, and teas, as well as complimentary boutique red and white wines to accompany lunch and dinner.
The exclusive charter aboard Azamara Journey offers guests a European-boutique hotel ambience with fine cuisine, wines from around the world, and wellness and vitality programs.
Prices start at $4,725 per person, double occupancy, while suites, which start at $6,750 per person, offer additional luxury amenities such as English butler service and a private portrait sitting.
Recreating a monumental accident can be either fascinating or creepy. Personally, I find it a tad disturbing. Your own mileage may vary.
The Balmoral, a 218-meter ship will carry 1,309 passengers and repeat the Titanic's voyage, beginning with its departure from South Hampton. It will make its way to the Irish port of Cobh, where the Titanic made its final call, before going back to sea.
Not creepy enough? There's more. You'll join the other 1,308 passengers in the spot where the vessel met its fate on April 14, with memorial services held right on the ship at 11:40pm (the time it hit the iceberg) and at 2:20am of the next day Ghosts aren't guaranteed, but won't being there just send shivers down your spine? After that, the ship will proceed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a scheduled visit to the cemetery where 121 of the victims are buried, before finally dropping anchor in New York.
More than 100 cabins have been booked so far, with at least 600 more available. The cruise lasts for 12 nights and will cost £2,595, inclusive of the whole trip along with a plane ticket back to London. Reservations only started last Wednesday and it's not likely that empty slots will last long.