Tag Archives: Titanic

No ghost story: New, improved Titanic will set sail in 2016

Posted on by alanwhitt

You won’t need a Jules Verne time machine to cruise on Titanic.

Alan Whitt

Not unless it takes you into the future. If you’re patient, you can buy passage on the Titanic in 2016.

Huh?

No, not that Titanic. It’ll remain on the bottom of the north Atlantic – the final resting place for hundreds who sailed on the ill-fated maiden voyage 100 years ago.

We’re talking about Titanic II, a replica to be built at a Chinese shipyard by an Australian billionaire as “a tribute to the spirit of the men and women who worked on the original Titanic.”

I’m sure its going to be a bit eery when Titanic sets sail on its maiden voyage from England to New York … just like the original.

The new Titanic will be nearly an exact replica, with modern shipbuilding technology and obviously improved safety systems the primary enhancements.

This Titanic – one of five luxury cruise ships commissioned by billionaire Clive Palmer – will be welded together while the original was riveted. It will also be fuel efficient, and have an enlarged rudder for greater maneuverability.

The ship’s interior will honor the original with design work underway, assisted by a historical research team to maintain authenticity.

Titanic II will hold similar number of passengers – less than 1,700 – but will be considerably smaller than today’s biggest cruises. The world two biggest ships – Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas – each holds 6,000 with all berths filled.

Check out Allure Quest Travel Experience on the web for all your travel needs – including analysis of destinations, videos and the latest travel news.

Honor Titanic for how disaster changed cruising’s view on safety

Posted on by alanwhitt

You’ve seen the commercials for the re-release of the movie “Titanic” – this time in 3D – just in time to memorialize the most infamous sea disaster in history … except maybe one or two ships that dropped off the face of the earth back when the world was flat.

Alan Whitt

As we draw closer to the 100th anniversary date of April 15, 1912, you can expect to see Titanic references, memorials, acknowledgments and even celebrations.

Two ships – Azamara’s Journey and Fred Olsen Cruises’ Balmoral – have charter cruises that will anchor at the exact spot and exact time the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank off Nova Scotia that fateful night – at approximately 2:20 a.m.

The Balmoral cruise sold out one year in advance, necessitating the addition of Azamara Journey.

Why someone would want to recreate similar circumstances and follow a doomed ship’s path  is beyond me … but (no pun intended) whatever floats your boat.

Other cruises lines have chosen to quietly let the occasion pass and that makes more sense to me, especially in light of the Costa Concordia tragedy. Why remind your customers what could happen – no matter how remote the possibility?

Since “Titanic’ debuted I’ve had a fascination with the ship that at the time was the largest man-made vessel ever built.

I’ve loved cruising for more than 15 years, and to be able to actually see that history and authenticity of the ship on the big screen was captivating. I even purchased two versions – widescreen and letterbox – because each half of the movie is better in one more than the other.

I guess the romance of Jack and Rose also helps make it one of my all-time favorites.

But never for a moment have I considered abandoning cruising since seeing the chilling re-enactment. I know that with my limited swimming abilities, a disaster could spell the end for me. But I’m also aware that a cruising remains one of the safest modes of travel on the planet.

And that’s why avid cruisers like me need to pay a moment of tribute to those who perished onboard Titanic. That disaster helped make cruising what is is today, thanks to changes in safety protocol still in affect today.

Check out Allure Quest Travel Experience on the web for all your travel needs – including analysis of destinations, videos and the latest travel news.

Time to put Costa Concordia tragedy in perspective

Posted on by alanwhitt

I understand why some folks are a bit apprehensive about cruising because of the Costa Concordia tragedy.

I don’t understand why they’re allowing it to linger for so long.

Alan Whitt

In church today a woman expressed that she’s now fearful of cruising because of the magnitude of the accident and the loss of life.

I said … “but that was one ship.” Her response: “I know.”

Yes, one needs to feel safe and secure on a vacation – land or sea.

However, to overcome fear you must first confront it. To let it rule you is to give up completely. The sooner you get back on that bicycle after falling down, the sooner you realize that everything is OK.

And if rational thought goes into it you’ll realize that cruising is indeed safe. The odds of being in a car accident are a much greater possibility, yet no one stops driving because of it. There are more plane crashes than cruise ship accidents, and people still fly to their destinations.

The situation reminds me of September 11, 2001, but on a much smaller scale.

At that time it was a fear of flying. We all imagined ourselves totally helpless on those doomed flights, and many swore never to fly again.

I was scheduled to fly to San Juan for a cruise on Oct. 14, 2001, just more than a month after the World Trade Center towers came down.

Should I go or should I cancel?

I wrestled with that question for all of … two minutes.

I knew that the longer you hold back after a tragedy, the more that fear can overwhelm you. And I figured that airline safety would be extra tight in the months after the attack … and it was.

The same goes for cruising.

Yes, Costa Concordia was a horrible tragedy and both Costa and the ship’s captain will pay a hefty price for their shortcomings. But as it was with the Titantic nearly 100 years ago, the Costa Concordia tragedy is already spawning a better awareness that will make cruising even safer than it is now.

And for me, it was already the safest form of travel anywhere. Even safer than crossing a street.