Titanic Anniversary Cruise Sets Sail under Stormy Skies
On the 100th anniversary of the sailing and tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic, the MS Balmoral disembarked from Southampton, United Kingdom, will occur under stormy weather conditions.
"A storm system is bringing rain and wind near and to the west of the U.K. The rain will persist through early next week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Leister.
The Balmoral is embarking on a course that closely follows the original route of the Titanic. The cruise will be a tribute to the passengers of Titanic who lost their lives 100 years ago.
Aboard the luxury liner are 1,309 passengers, the same number of passengers who set sail on the Titanic, according to a press release from titanicmemorialcruise.co.uk/.
Many of the passengers of the Balmoral are relatives of passengers who were on the Titanic. Authors, historians and people who are fascinated by the Titanic story are also on board.
There will be 10 specialist lecturers discussing the voyage of the Titanic. A special memorial service will be held on April 14 at 11:40 p.m. and again on April 15 at 2:20 a.m. These dates and times correspond to the times when the Titanic first struck the iceberg and when the ship actually sank.
The MS Balmoral is operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and has been booked for this voyage by Miles Morgan Travels.
Miles Morgan, managing director of Miles Morgan Travel, said, "This cruise has been five years in the making and every step of the way we have sought to make it authentic to the era and a sympathetic memorial to the passengers and crew who lost their lives."
The effort to be authentic can be found from the food being served to the music being played. Grupetto, a five-piece ensemble from Belgium, will play music similar to that of the era of Titanic.
The weather will be rainy as the ship travels to the site of the sinking of the Titanic and then on to the port of New York, Manhattan Cruise Terminal.
"As the ship nears New York later next week, a cold front will bring rain and wind. The worst of the weather will be on Friday," Leister said.
Report a Typo
