Tag Archives: Blue Star Line

Titanic, Titanic II

Sunday Titanic News

Clive Palmer and his plans for Titanic II still fill the news. At the press conference where the actual plans and pictures were revealed, he was asked if it was a hoax. His actual response cannot be printed here (this is a family-friendly forum) but it was a resounding no. Many are skeptical and rightly so. Building a Titanic replica will be very expensive but Palmer insists he will do it. Certainly the pictures of the proposed ship and its interiors are remarkable. He really does want to recreate Titanic by making it look like it was in 1912.

There will, of course, be some modern additions like a casino but normal luxuries like spas (there will be Turkish spas as on the original), televisions, outdoor pools, and Internet connections will be absent . As to what entertainment will be on Titanic II, Palmer is unclear. However one does not need to be clairvoyant they will likely try to sign some major stars (calling Celine Dion for one!) to do shows. I think a lot of well known comedy and musical performers will line up to perform on Titanic II.

Passengers can expect to find period clothing in their rooms and Palmer intends to sell packages that allow you to rotate through first, second, and third class. Titanic II will have less passengers than the original. Titanic and ships like her made money from cramming every nook and cranny to make money in the transatlantic trade. Today passengers are coming aboard for a holiday and ships are built differently. While large cruise ships can carry 2,800 passengers and up, smaller tonnage ships may just have 450.

Palmer likes to say sailing on Titanic II will be a chance to spend time with family. And he insists people are already lining up to buy tickets. Even better he expects people to line up to come aboard in port to have pictures taken on the bow to recreate a scene from the famous movie (you know that one, right?)

So is this for real? Many are skeptical but if anyone could pull this off, Palmer just might. As for Titanic II being in bad taste, he disputes that and says it will pay tribute to those who sailed on Titanic. The papers with the shipyard are scheduled to be signed in the next few weeks. Come 2016, the big news might very well the launch of Titanic II and possibly another Titanic replica down the road.

Some Recent Titanic II News Articles

1. Titanic II Is No Hoax, Insists Billionaire Mining Magnate(2 Mar 2013, Metro)
2. Titanic II ‘Not In Bad Taste’, Insists Maker(2 Mar 2013, Sky News)
3. The Titanic time warp: We knew it was being rebuilt, but as these amazing new designs show, it really WILL be 1912 all over again (Daily Mail, 2 Mar 2013)
4. New Titanic II liner Will Be So Successful A THIRD Titanic May Be Built Says Magnat(2 Mar 2013, Daily Echo
5. Australian To Build ’21st Century Titanic'(2 Mar 2013,Irish Times)*

*We no longer provide links to Republic of Ireland newspapers due to policy demanding payment for news links.

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Titanic II

Titanic II:Things To Ponder

Some things to ponder about Titanic II:

1) Actual construction has not started. All that we have thus far is a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese shipyard. An actual contract to build has not been signed yet.

2) Palmer has spent lots of time and money to publicize Titanic II, which will be a replica but built to modern day shipbuilding and safety standards. This publicity tour is a couple of things. First to convince investors and perhaps more importantly the Chinese government,that he is serious about this. After all, there have many who wanted to do the same in the past and it never got beyond the planning stages. Second, to drum up interest in such a vessel. He needs to show people are willing to put down serious money to sail on Titanic II. He needs to get the rich and wealthy to sign up first because they have the big money to spend.

3 )Why a Chinese shipyard? You usually choose a shipbuilder with experience in constructing these ships. Cost is likely a factor but the original Titanic was built in Belfast. The ship will be called the China Titanic informally by a lot of people.

4) What flag will the ship be flying? The original ship was flagged in Britain but today many ship owners skirt tough maritime standards by flagging ships in countries with lax laws about such things. The U.S., for instance, is so strict that few want to flag a ship there and go elsewhere. The U.K. would be the obvious choice but they are pretty strict as well. Palmer may decide the extra cost and hassle is worth it.

5) If I read the press material, they will be offering a first, second and third class on Titanic II. Hopefully third class passengers on this ship will not be sleeping in bunk beds and sharing bathrooms down the hall.

6) I doubt there will be any drinks served on Titanic II with an iceberg in it. Nor one of those Titanic slides for the kids.

7) And finally, will Celine Dion sail on the maiden voyage and entertain crowds with that now famous song?


Titanic II

Titanic II Updates

1. Billionaire Launches Plans For Titanic Replica(26 Feb 2013, Associated Press)
Clive Palmer unveiled blueprints for the famously doomed ship’s namesake Tuesday at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York. He said construction is scheduled to start soon in China. Palmer said 40,000 people have expressed interest in tickets for the maiden voyage, taking the original course from Southampton, England, to New York. He said people are inspired by his quest to replicate one of the most famous vessels in history.

2. Titanic Fans Get Cabin Fever As Liner’s Replica To Retrace Voyage(26 Feb 2013, Belfast Telegraph)
Though ticket prices haven’t been set, several customers have said they’d be willing to pay as much as $1m (£665,000) for a seat on the maiden voyage, claimed James McDonald of Blue Star Line, the company behind the initiative. The ship will carry 900 crew and 2,400 passengers and those behind the ambitious project have insisted that the liner will be equipped with advanced technologies – as well as more than enough lifeboats.


Titanic II

Titanic II Updates

1. Titanic II ‘Will Stop In Cobh’ In 2016 (22 Feb 2013, Cork News)*
A planned replica of the Titanic will stop off in Cobh before sailing to New York – just as the original liner did on its doomed maiden voyage over 100 years ago. Australian tycoon Clive Palmer, who is behind the project to build ‘Titanic II’, has indicated the vessel will be completed by Chinese shipbuilders in just over three years. He said that as soon as 2016 the new ship will follow the same route as the Titanic did in April 1912, when the vessel set sail from Southampton before docking in the Co. Cork port, known as Queenstown at the time, to pick up 123 Irish passengers.

*We no longer provide links to Republic of Ireland newspapers in protest to demanding payments for links.

2. First Images Of The Planned Titanic II Revealed (21 Feb 2013, Daily Echo)
These are the first, exclusive glimpses of how Titanic II will look when she arrives in Southampton for her maiden voyage in 2016. More than a century after the original Titanic left the city on her ill-fated voyage a full-scale replica is due to make her international debut in Southampton. According to the new computer generated images, Titanic II, which will be built in one of China’s biggest shipyards, is expected to be as lavish as the former White Star Liner back in 1912. If successfully completed Titanic II will defy sceptics who said the ship would never be built. Like her predecessor, Titanic II will have four funnels, a highly unusual feature for 21st century vessels, and mirror the look and outline of the first ship the wreck of which now lies on the bottom of the Atlantic. The interiors of the new ship are being designed to echo many of the features which caused such a sensation when the former Titanic arrived in the docks more than 100 years ago.


Titanic II

Updates On Titanic II 2013 Presentations

More dates are being announced for the upcoming Titanic II presentations. All of them were cancelled in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy but Palmer is creating his own whirlwind.

Here are the dates thus far:

16 Feb: Macau
25 Feb: Boston
26 Feb: New York
1 Mar: Halifax, Nova Scotia
5 Mar: London & Southampton

The New York event is going to be a gala with major celebrities and politicians in attendance. So you can expect the entertainment press to be all over it. But the real question everyone will ask is–will the actors that played Rose and Jack attend?

Source: etravelblackboardasia.com, New Date For Titanic II Macau Event, 9 Jan 13