The Titanic memorial cruise ship, MS Balmoral, which set out from Southampton in England Sunday, is on its way to the North Atlantic location where the unsinkable RMS Titanic sank 100 years ago, killing about 1,500 passengers and crew.
The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner that hit an iceberg and sank April 15, 1912 and recreating the whole experience once again.
The 12-night cruise journey will hold two special memorial services- the first around April 14 midnight when the Titanic hit the iceberg and another in the early hours of April 15 when the ill-fated ship sank a century ago.
MS Balmoral is carrying 1,309 passengers. Most of them are the relatives of the survivors and of those who died in the Titanic disaster.
The 2012 cruise will be a great tribute to the Titanic and not one to be missed, a passenger traveling in The Titanic Memorial Cruise had told its website just before the journey began.
Interestingly, the organizers have tried to recreate the entire 19th century Titanic experience aboard the cruise... with people dancing to the same music of that era, band playing the period music, passengers relishing food from the same menu that was on Titanic, crew and stewards dressed in same kind of costume.
Passengers aboard MS Balmoral are delighted to be a part of this historic occasion. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, a traveler told its website. Fascinated by all things Titanic, I could not pass up the ships hundredth anniversary.
My great grandfather was a Glory Hole steward onboard and survived rowing lifeboat No 13 to safety, said a relative of a survivor, who is aboard the Titanic Memorial Cruise.
According to the recent reports, the cruise liner has to hold its itinerary, make a huge U-Turn in the ocean to head back to the Irish coast, within the reach of the helicopter due to a medical emergency onboard.
However, it is likely to resume its journey to Halifax, Canada, before it reaches its final destination, USA Today has reported.
Also, the ship was reportedly stopped near Cobh, Ireland, due to 20-30 ft high waves, Monday as the sea was little rough, CNN has reported.
A guest wearing formal attire arriving for a cocktail party, rubs her hands with sanitising lotion as she passes members of the ship's crew, on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland April 10, 2012. Captain Robert Bamberg wrote to guests invited to greet him and the crew at a cocktail party that they would refrain from shaking hands "in order to provide the most effective sanitary measures". ReutersMerri Mack of Sydney, Australia climbs out of the top deck pool on the Titanic Memorial Cruise as it moves through high winds off Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. Force eight winds have delayed the arrival in Cobh by several hours, the captain of the Balmoral cruise ship said on Monday. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersSylvia Chester of Houston, a passenger from the Titanic Memorial Cruise, poses with a local man outside a pub while touring the town of Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersPassengers from the Titanic Memorial Cruise pass a discount shop while on a tour of Cobh April 9, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersCarmel Bradbury and Andrew Storic of Adelaide and Helena Beaumont-Jones (L-R) of Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia pose after arriving on the Titanic Memorial Cruise for a stop in Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912.ReutersTormod Gaasbakk (L) and Anne Isabel Udbye of Trondheim, Norway sit in a hot tub on the Titanic Memorial Cruise as it moves through high winds off Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. Force eight winds have delayed the arrival in Cobh by several hours, the captain of the MS Balmoral cruise ship said on Monday. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersJohn and Michele Williams of Newcastle, Australia stand on the top desk to view the weather after the Titanic Memorial Cruise ship MS Balmoral changed course to return towards Ireland for a helicopter medical evacuation, in the Atlantic Ocean April 10, 2012. Tour operator Miles Morgan said the ship would head back 20 nautical miles in order to be in range for a helicopter tasked with evacuating a man with a non life threatening heart condition.ReutersPianist Ronan Magill of London practises his composition "The Titanic Waltz" before a performance on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean April 11, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersGuests in formal dress queue to have their pictures taken on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean April 10, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. Picture taken April 10, 2012. ReutersAnais Verbraeken of Zolder, Belgium, poses in a replica of the same size, of a dress worn by actress Kate Winslet in the film "Titanic", on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean April 11, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersPassengers on the Titanic Memorial Cruise dance to a Belgian string band after departure from Cobh April 9, 2012. The ship's authorities have decided to cancel scheduled ballroom dancing on April 10 due to rough seas. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. Picture taken April 9, 2012. ReutersThe band The Full Irish perform outside the Rob Roy Bar after the Titanic Memorial Cruise arrived for a stop in Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersAmateur model builder Adam England of Huntington Beach, California admires a model of the Titanic built by youth at Abbey Dingle Boatyard in Wales, on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean April 11, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. ReutersRick Noble of Austin, Texas poses with photographs of his grandmother and her first cousin (R), who lost his life on the Titanic, on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise in the mid-Atlantic Ocean April 11, 2012. Dan Marvin, Noble's third cousin, was a passenger on the Titanic with his pregnant newlywed wife Mary (Farquarson). Family legend says that he returned from the lifeboat to fetch Mary a coat for the frigid night, and was unable to return. ReutersPassengers on the Titanic Memorial Cruise dance to a Belgian string band after departure from Cobh April 9, 2012. The ship's authorities have decided to cancel scheduled ballroom dancing on April 10 due to rough seas. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. Picture taken April 9, 2012. ReutersMS BalmoralReutersNewlyweds Mary Beth Crocker Dearing (L) and Tom Dearing of Newport, Kentucky arrive from the Titanic Memorial Cruise for a stop in Cobh, Ireland April 9, 2012. The cruise is retracing the voyage of the ill-fated Titanic liner, which hit an iceberg and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. Reuters
