The Traveller's Magazine
It was no joke when we announced a few months ago that a very rich man was planning to rebuild the Titanic. The latest designs have been released and it looks like passengers onboard the ship will experience 1912 all over again. Costing £400million, we introduce Titanic II.
It’s all thanks to Professor Clive Palmer that the Titanic will set sail again. He’s a well down businessman Down Under but still relatively low-profile in the UK, for now. He unveiled his plans for the modern-day replica of the historic cruise liner, set to sail in 2016.
Titanic II: totally same but different
Palmer is dedicated to recreating the ship according to the original ship’s designs despite the high costs. Social rooms like the intricately decorated “Cafe de Parisien” will be the spitting image of the original Titanic that sank on the fifth day of its ill-fated maiden voyage in April of 1912. More than 1,500 people died, passengers and crew.
The interiors will be like a time-warp. Think the same grand staircase, smoking room, onboard gymnasium outfitted with Edwardian exercise equipment, reading and writing rooms and even Turkish baths.
To complete the “dress-up” feel, passengers will each find period costumes in their cabins so they can truly experience the romance of the Titanic’s first voyage, hopefully with a happy ending this time. Modern luxuries have been left out in the designs. That means no televisions, no modern music systems, no internet, no mobile phones. The ship has undergone a few modifications however. There are, for example, a lot more life boats on the safety deck than there was on the original. The engine is totally high-tech, there will be service lifts and air conditioning.
“Tickets please!”
The Titanic II is not about taking a cruise ship across the ocean from England to New York. The six-day journey is so much more than that which is why the ship has a very unique ticketing scheme. There will be three cabin classes on the ship, First, Second and Third class. Passengers can either choose to travel the entire journey in a single class or purchase a more flexible fare and spend two days in each class to get the full experience. As for Palmer, he says he’d like to travel in Third for the maiden voyage and then watch from the Bridge as the ship approaches New York.
It’s been sixteen years since Kate and Leo wooed audiences around the world with their Oscar-winning performance. We just couldn’t help it, for old times sake. Interesting fact, Titanic II will be exactly 3″ longer than the original, just to make a bit more space at the bow so that everyone can have their own Jack and Rose experience!
Given the chance, would you get a ticket for a trip across the Atlantic onboard the Titanic II? Which cabin class would you choose to travel in?
