Titanic II, Where do I start with this? I really don’t know!
Part of me thinks this is a nice idea and the vessel could also act as an educational tool, a working museum almost. The other side of me wonders though if it would forever remain tainted to an extent because of the fate of the original and this is what makes me want to say it should have been left alone.
Clive Palmer is the Australian businessman behind the project and is the CEO of Blue Star Line. He recently gave quite a lengthy speech regarding the build of Titanic II; this is a snippet of it.
Why build the Titanic? Why go to the moon? Why do the Yankees play the Red Sox? Why did Christopher Columbus discover the Americas? Because they could, and they can, and we can build the Titanic.
We can bring to life the vision of so many people. Artisans, artists, musicians, designers, seaman, stewards, men, women and children, who sailed on the Titanic. We can remember who we are and where we come from. Titanic comes from a time when the world was different. When there was a different culture, different ways of living, when people worked with each other more. And as James Cameron reminds us my heart will go on.
All of us have gone on in love, in the love we have for each other and the love that goes into our children. Our love goes out to the families of the Titanic. What we can do this time is to stand for what they once stood for. We will complete the journey. We will sail into New York. On the ship that they designed. That they envisaged.
Titanic represents the spirit of man. The spirit of love. The hope that all men have for 
peace on earth in our time and goodwill to all men. As a man of peace once said, we all know how to make war, but few of us know how to make peace. It’s hard, you have to be persistent. Progress comes slowly, inch by inch, we can bring together nations and goodwill, you know you have to stick at it; you have to stay with it.
The Titanic II will be a ship of peace; it will sail from China to Southampton, from Southampton to New York, from New York to Southampton. Linking three continents, carrying the hopes and dreams of people everywhere, it represents the reconciliation of man, the hopes of many for a better life, and for a better future. That’s what the original Titanic was all about.
By learning from the lessons of the past, the spirit of Rose and Jack, Romeo and Juliet, lives in all of us. The spirit of life, the spirit of love, to dream the impossible dream, all of us live in time, this is our moment, this is our turn to board Titanic II and set sail on a new sea, of our own making.
The Titanic was a ship of dreams; Titanic II is the ship where dreams will come true.
Is there a demand for this type of vessel? I don’t really think there is however if she did come along I know many people would be truly fascinated by her and it would certainly be something very different indeed for our modern times.
Could she sustain herself? Maybe, there are one or two cruise lines with just one vessel and they manage to survive however, they are modern vessels with all the modern luxuries we crave whilst at sea.
I think the subject of Titanic II will forever have a divide and my own feelings lean me towards the “not such a great idea” area.
For now we sit back and watch after all there is such hype over a vessel that up to now does not even have a signed contract in order to be built!!
So what do you think? I really would like to get your views and opinions on this one, the comment box is below.
There is a photo album on the CruiseMiss facebook of the ships design and interior rooms
Author: Danielle
CruiseMiss.com 
I really think it is a great idea. Bringing back to life a legend that has captivated the world for more than 100 years. Tell me who wouldnt want to go an see her? By all reports, there is 40,000 people that have signed up for tickets, and how many people are going to be lining the shores as she arrives and departs in each city? The value of Tourism this ship will bring to each city she visits will be massive, and I can only image that the team at Blue Star Line have been overwhelmed by ports and tourism authorities doing their utmost to ensure that Titanic II visits their city for this reason. I would think that there is a range of revenue generating ideas for this ship, after all, Palmer is a businessman and one who is very successful. I can think that the ship will be open to tours in various cities, and corporate functions, dinner parties and other events could be booked on board whilst the the ship is in port. For any corporate wanting to impress, there will be no better venue to do this in…whether it be a first class extraganza, or a wash party with irish stew, beer and dancing.
Titanic II was the largest news story in the world on 26th of february when Blue Star Line held its Global Launch in New York. The exposure hit every major network around the world and I can only estimate that this created a lot of value for the project. Who would not want to be a part of this journey when it becomes the biggest news story in the world when she finally sets sail. There is considerable value in being part of the this journey and I am very much looking forward to following what happens over the coming years.
Let the journey begin….
Read the article about this in the Sunday paper and it seems like a bit of a personal thrill for the Clive Palmer. he has a lot of punters who have expressed interest in going on the ship but it can only be a viable idea until the novelty has worn off. Judging by the way passengers on the modern ships complain about the smallest things, this Titanic II experience will not be one that people wish to repeat often unless they can afford the 1st class luxury.
Its a nice idea but I think a near full size landbase mock up would have been just as interesting for the history lovers, of who there are thousands without any desire to actually go to sea.
Count me out, as I prefer a cruise holiday, rather than a holiday on a reconstruction of where so many peole died.
How many more ways of attempting to make money from the tragedy are there??
In some ways it would be better if he called the ship Olympic II, because then everyone would be happy (appart from the marketing dept!!). It is important to remember that this ship will NOT be a replica, I notice in the stats that it will be 55000 tons, 20% larger than the original Titanic. The ship will have diesel engines, stabilisers, aircon, vac toilets, a welded hull, desalination plant, radar, GPS, phones, bow and stern thrusters, etc etc, everything that all other modern ships have (Oh I forgot LIFEBOATS!!). What it will also have is a different appearance both inside and out, which, if its done well, could offer an alternative to the relentless line of anonymous clones that the American cruise industry churns out (eg Quantum of the Seas!!!).
Get past the name and emrace change!
I cant help but agree with some of the other posts is this the real deal or just some publicity stunt will it be a viable buisness i dont think so, the history of the ship should be left to rest interesting as it is and yes i have done Titanic trail in Cobh and the Artefacts exibition in London the Titanic will allways have a mystique and Romance about it thats how it should be left.
Our views on this are already well known, and we will be borderline astonished if it even gets built, despite all the publicity bluster. Today’s ship-building techniques are completely different from 1912 and an exact replica of Titanic would be impossible, especially by a “Chinese shipyard’ with absolutely no track record of cruise ships. And are people really going to want to travel in Third Class, sharing bathroom facilities with everyone on their corridor and being stuck in the smallest part of the ship? I don’t think so! It is cloud cuckooland, I’m afraid.
Hmmm….. can’t help but feel this is nothing more than a personal whim. The guy talks a good talk, but I can’t see any longevity in it as a viable “cruise” ship. I’d visit it as a museum if it was tied up in Southampton. I’d even camp out to get pictures of it from Mayflower Park as it leaves. I would definitely NOT want to sail on it. As fascinating a story as Titanic is, it is part of history and should stay that way. Bring it to life through films, books, museums etc., but making a replica seems a step too far. I thought it was weird enough when Fred Olsen did the Titanic memorial cruise with Balmoral, although I could at least see the point of that. Personally, I am more interested in going on a proper modern ship of a modern design with modern facilities. Titanic II or Quantum of the Seas?! FlowRider me up!!! 😉
I can’t help thinking this guy is a whole bag of crazy! Even if I had the money I wouldn’t sail on it, but I think the idea of turning it into some sort of floating hotel/museum is a great one.
I thought of this as an awful idea from the time I heard the rumors about this idea. First of all, I believe that it is such a horrible event why build the exact replica. Let the Titanic be and the memory live on as it is. Second, the interest in cruising the Titanic II. I don’t see, after a couple years, the interest staying up there. Yes; you will have the first wave but after the enthusiast all take that one cruise, how many will really want to pay that money to sail again. I guess it all come down to, it’s his money he can spend it how he wants, as long as they don’t ask the ports to spend money to make some changes in order to accomodate her.
However the more I think about it, the more the idea doesn’t sound as bad. This would be as a floating hotel/museum, not as a cruise ship. I think it would make more sense to have this as destination as upposed to a way of travel. What people would pay for a night on her would be far less than what they would pay for a cruise. The costs would be lower for him to operate. He could set up a museum onboard as another source of revenue. Also the restaurant could be marketed to anyone, not just guests, as a fine dinning like none other. There would be three options on where to locate it, Southampton, New York, or Newfoundland. I think the last option makes the most sense since it is closest to where the original went down and the town already experiences some popularity from that tragedy.
Would I pay to cruise on her for a week, NO! Would I pay to spend a night or two on her and look through a museum and have a great dinner, MOST DEFINITELY.
The whole concept is akin to blasphemy in my opinion, and in very poor taste. The same promoter announced a $60 billion deal with China Power that never happened. Perhaps that is a guide. The shipyard he is proposing is building four 64,000-ton nickel ore carriers for his Queensland Nickel operation, however, but the only passenger ships they ever built were two 7-passenger 30,000-ton multi-purpose cargo ships.
On the face of it, this has to be a bad idea, but, as a ship lover, there is no other ship I am more eager to see. I will also travel on her, given the opportunity, and if the drawings are anything to go by, will love the ship and want to return.
I suspect that it is this mentality that Mr Palmer is hoping for – perhaps he is a genius after all!!