Fred Olsen Cruise to Mark Titanic’s 100th Anniversary

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will operate a cruise in April 2012 marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The Balmoral will follow the Titanic’s original route in 1912 and hold a memorial service in the early hours of the morning of April 15, 2012, above the original Titanic vessel that lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, exactly 100 years after the ship sank that horrific day.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines –whose parent company, Harland and Wolff, built the Titanic- will leave Southampton, England, on April 8, 2012, and begin its journey to Cobh, Ireland, where the Titanic made its final call on April 11, 1912. A Titanic heritage shore excursion will be offered in Cobh.

The cruise will arrive over the spot where the Titanic sank on April 14. A memorial ceremony will be held between 11:40 p.m. when the ship hit the iceberg and 2:20 a.m. April 15. After the service, the cruise continues to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where passengers can visit Fairview Lawn Cemetery where 121 Titanic victims are buried, along with Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery and Hirsch Jewish Cemetery, which also have graves of Titanic victims.

The cruise’s final destination –as was planned for the original voyage- is New York City. The 12-night journey is priced from $3,900 per person for an inside cabin and includes all taxes.