Titanic II blueprints unveiled
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E-mail Agencies/China Daily, February 27, 2013
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An undated artist's rendering of the interior of the proposed cruise ship Titanic II, provided by the Blue Star Line as Australian billionaire Clive Palmer unveiled plans for his dream ship during a news conference in New York Feb 26, 2013. [Photo: Agencies] |
He hoped construction would begin later this year, and that the maiden voyage, recreating the trans-Atlantic crossing of the original, would take place in 2016, he said.
"But if it takes longer, it takes longer," he said. "But we'll do it. We've got a big pile of money."
Jaime Katz, an analyst who tracks the cruise industry, said Titanic II may find it difficult to compete with established cruise lines, particularly the economies of scale of their larger fleets. She said the Titanic II could be marketed to wealthier passengers and could draw repeat business by varying its routes rather than focusing on trans-Atlantic crossings.
"People are going to be really cautious or superstitious regarding getting on a second version of the Titanic, or it could be a really compelling idea for history buffs who really want to live the story or the legend behind it," Katz said.
"There's an audience for all sorts of cruises," she said.
Titanic II will operate as a cruise ship, and passengers will find 1912-style clothing in their rooms should they wish to dress up and pretend they are living in an earlier era as they visit facsimiles of the original gilded first-class dining and smoking rooms, if they have the appropriate ticket.
Although the classes will be kept largely separate, Palmer said he was considering offering ticket packages that would allow passengers to experience all three classes during a typical six-day Atlantic crossing.
Prices for the tickets will be announced later.
Helen Benziger, a descendant of Titanic survivor Margaret Brown, better known as the Unsinkable Molly Brown, said at the press conference that the ship would be a chance to experience the sort of grace and civility she said was sometimes lacking in the modern world.
"I think it's a chance to go back in time," said Benziger, who has joined the project's advisory board.
Palmer said he plans to travel in third class on Titanic II's maiden voyage.
"I'll be looking forward to it as you bang the drum and play the fiddle, twirling around like Leonardo does," he said, meaning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, in one of the repeated references he made to the 1997 James Cameron film 'Titanic.'
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