Titanic II breaks the ice

 As long as a zest for long baths in ice cold Atlantic water is not a boarding requirement, Titanic II is a genius idea that should be given a chance by possible investors and passengers alike.

There are a couple of things that come to mind when the average person thinks of Titanic. Young Leonardo DiCaprio, a piece of wood that could have fit him if he dared to try and the real sinking of the RMS Titanic that killed 1,500 people on a freezing April night in 1912.

Now it is sitting two miles down at the bottom of the ocean with bacteria eating and disintegrating it rapidly, and billionaire Clive Palmer is dishing out a hefty $500 million to do it again, this time with the help of navigation, radars, plenty of lifeboats, and a brand new diesel engine. The bridge of the ship will be one of the only rooms that will be completely different than the original.

The replica will include many of the original’s selling points; the lavish staircase, luxurious restaurants, a heated pool and even a gym with state of the art workout equipment- by 1912 standards anyway. Each of the dining and living rooms will be replicated, and guests will reportedly be treated to era clothing pieces to further the early 1900’s experience. Best case scenario, the complementary iceberg collision and eventual sinking of the ship will not be an inclusion. 

With luxury comes expense, and Titanic II is no exception. Complete with the option of first, second, and third-class guest rooms, passengers are looking at a pretty penny for the do-over. In today’s standards, a third-class ticket on the original Titanic could cost anywhere from $350 to $900, and if you were a wealthy or influential figure, a first-class ticket could do the damage of $1,700 to $50,000. One can only imagine what the tickets for the improved trip will cost. 

Titanic II is set to sail as early as 2022, with her maiden voyage venturing from Southampton to New York; a trip on which her predecessor sunk after a collision with an iceberg over a century ago. The original ship had intense pressure to be built quickly and break records at the time. With the lack of rush and much better materials available to complete the voyage safely, anyone with the means and interest to should consider sailing on this iconic, upgraded ship when the time comes.