Watch out for the icebergs... cruise recreating Titanic's fateful voyage is sold out
For some, it might sound too much like tempting fate – and for others, it smacks of "disaster voyeurism". But for more than 2,000 Titanic enthusiasts, the chance to mark the centenary of the maritime disaster by sailing on a large cruise ship to commemorate the sinking on the very spot of the tragedy is proving difficult to resist.
A British company has almost sold out two cruises for people to mark the anniversary on 15 April by following the route of the Titanic to where it struck an iceberg. The booming demand for Titanic-related travel has led to another travel company offering the chance to explore the wreckage of the ill-fated vessel in a Russian-built submarine next summer at a cost of $59,000 (£37,000) per person. Places for that voyage are already "very limited".
Wonder if there will be any tours in Hiroshima or Nagasaki on the 100th anniversary of the dropping of Fat Man and Little Boy? Perhaps a commemorative dirigible voyage to mark the Hindenberg disaster? Will Bhopal, India have tourists in 2086 for the Union Carbide spill? I don't agree with the "tempting fate" part - communication and transportation have improved dramatically in the intervening 100 years for there to be any significant danger - but you do have to wonder about the fascination with the Titanic's ill-fated voyage a century hence.
Don't get me wrong - this is pure, raw, naked capitalism in its purest form. Folks are willing to pay - quite handsomely it appears - for the recreation of the voyage. Cruise ships employ hundreds, and both the departure and destination cities will benefit from the influx of dollars. Now, it would be even more interesting if the ship that sets sail were a faithful recreation of the HMS Titanic, but it seems far-fetched that folks would forgo the creature comforts we've come to expect in our modern age.
The icebergs have been put on notice...
That is all.
3 comments:
Let me see . . . .
April 15 . . . .
Titanic cruise or Buy a Gun Day? I'll take the latter any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Oh . . Wait . . .4/15/2012 IS a Sunday. Guess I have to buy two guns this spring.
- Brad
Be a hell of a note if they hit an iceberg. Jack
As a friend of mine put it, "Some people tempt fate, others walk up and slap her in the face."
LittleRed1
Post a Comment