If you�re a history buff with a particular love for maritime tragedies, you�re in luck. With the 100th anniversary of the catastrophic sinking of the Titanic coming up on April 15, a memorial cruise by the Balmoral will leave Southampton, England, on April 8 and follow the same course the Titanic did on its fateful maiden voyage .
But if you don�t already have tickets, you�re out of luck. As an NPR.com story�s headline puts it, �All Deck Chairs Are Full.� The cruise is completely sold out.
The Balmoral will meet up in the North Atlantic on that anniversary day with another ship, the Amazara Journey, which is sailing from New York and still has tickets available. When the two ships meet in the night, they’ll hold a memorial service at the very hour (2:20 a.m.) the already legendary Titanic became the stuff of lore (and Hollywood movies and high-tech deep-sea exploration).
In addition to the mid-ocean rendezvous and memorial, an auction of Titanic artifacts recovered from the vessel�s resting place will also take place on April 15. More than 5,500 items valued at $189 million will be sold in a single lot.
The Balmoral is owned by long-time Norwegian cruise line operator Fred. Olsen. �While more people perished (1,517) on the Titanic than will even fit on the Balmoral (1,350), the cruise line industry isn�t afraid of building ships today that can hold far greater numbers than the Titanic dared to transport.� For instance, Carnival Cruise Lines� (NYSE:CCL) Carnival Magic can carry 3,690 passengers versus Titanic�s 2,223. But that�s only slightly more than the half of Royal Caribbean�s (NYSE:RCL) top entry, Allure of the Seas and its 6,360 passenger capacity.
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