In his Hollywood-style press conference, Palmer didn’t say just how much the construction of the replica Titanic, called the Titanic II (so original) would cost, but it has been estimated at over $200 million.
“Titanic was a ship of dreams,” Palmer told reporters at Manhattan’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.”TItanic II is the ship where dreams will come true.”
The ship will be built in China (as all good Australian owned products are) and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016. Palmer is expecting ticket demand to outstrip supply and said that he had already been approached by people willing to spend $1 million for a chance to be on the replica’s maiden voyage from Southampton in the United Kingdom to New York City in America.
Much like in the film Titanic (and presumably in real life too) passengers will be able to buy First, Second or Third class tickets. Palmer, presumably styling himself as something of a slightly huskier version of Leo DiCaprio’s character Jack from the film joked that he would be hobknobbing it with the plebs in third class.
“I’ll be in third class,” Palmer said. “I’ll be looking forward to banging the drum and playing the fiddle and all of those sort of things and twirling around like Leonardo did in the movie.”
Yeah, right! If Palmer’s gut continues to expand at the rate it has the last five or ten years the only thing he’ll be twirling around come 2016 will be the actual buffet cart.
In another twee touch, passengers will be able to dress up in 1912-style clothing which seems totally bizarre, bordering on the macabre and creepy.
There will also be no television, internet or emails on the ship, as that isn’t authentic 1912-y enough for Clive apparently.
“I’m against having internet on the ship,” he said.”If you go for six days and want to go back to 1912, you shouldn’t have internet.”
Is he insane! Has he ever read a book? Did he even make it to the end of that god awful 1997 movie or ever switched on a TV during the month of April? National Geographic channel play practically nothing but Titanic documentaries all month.
1,502 of the 2,224 passengers on board died. The ship hit an iceberg, Clive! It was one of the worst maritime disasters of all time!
Let’s hope that the only thing that sinks to the bottom of the freezing waters of the Atlantic this time around is Palmer himself… Or failing that his profit margins.
Image: Getty