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The love affair between the Titanic and the rest of the world shows no signs of waning.
Burning fervently, that love has been bridled, saddled up and ridden for all its worth to create a lasting tourist attraction of such power and relentless magnetism as to cause people to invest millions in a visitor centre, hotel, flats, new jobs and even to bestow a new name on this part of Belfast. It's no longer Queen's Island. It's Titanic Quarter.
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Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Yacht grounding prompts warning to ‘stay clear of the hard bits'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info North Wales readers have been responding to reports that a luxury yacht became stranded off Gwynedd, with a jet skier broadcasting the Titanic theme tune through a loudspeaker whilst the drama unfolded. Social media footage triggered widespread reaction, with readers discussing seamanship, safety, and the jet skier's actions. The mishap swiftly became a hot topic amongst mariners and residents. Dozens of vessels rushed to assist a luxury 50ft yacht after it struck rocks off the Gwynedd shoreline on Monday, August 11. A nearby jet ski blared the Titanic theme song via a loudspeaker whilst a crew member desperately held onto the tilting craft. The ketch, travelling from Aberystwyth to Pwllheli, met disaster on underwater rocks a quarter of a mile from St Tudwal's Island East near Abersoch on the Llŷn Peninsula. Island proprietor Carl Hollins arrived first at the scene and attempted unsuccessfully to free the yacht from its Carreg y Trai position, also called Half Tide Rocks. The craft was a Swedish-manufactured Hallberg-Rassy, considered the "Rolls Royce" of sailing yachts. Half Tide Rocks typically remain visible above water and serve as a preferred resting place for seals. This week they lay beneath a high Spring tide, though the rocks appear on charts and the twin-masted yacht ought to have received warning of the danger via its GPS equipment. Some discovered grim comedy in the incident. Peteryyz comments: "I hope the jet skier was aptly playing the social media, viral, out of tune recorder version of The Titanic theme." Another contributor, Md71 joked: "You can't park there." Farmernotpharma writes: "The skipper knew what he was doing 'obviously'." Pay1233 says: "Anybody who has not made a mistake in their life, hasn't learnt anything, At all, I've been skipper on Diving boat round there, and thanks to more season skippers give me advice what to do / look out for. I feel for this person, so don't anybody sling mud at this Skipper." Puffinisland12 replies: "No need to sling mud, it's more of s'ling me your hook'. A £500k boat without charts, GPS and radar makes you wonder what did it have to help that poor captain. In the dark and no lights, no wonder he made a mistake." Weneedpie joins in with: "Agree, the captain surely would have checked his charts before making the journey from Aberystwyth, Carreg y Trai is even shown on OS Maps. Anyway, seems no one was hurt other than their egos, and they live to sail another day." Daffyddthomas thinks: "Always interesting to see this sort of thing well done to the Jet-ski driver!" While over on our Facebook page - Aneurin Jones comments: "Luxury yacht? Just looks like an ordinary yacht to me! It does bother me that 'sailing' requires no training and marine charts show depths of water but sailors regular run aground. First rule of sailing, stay clear of the hard bits!" Katey Victoria Duncalf feels: "Easily done as that rock only sticks out at certain tides." Does the sailor of this yacht have your sympathy? Have your say by commenting below or HERE to join in the conversation.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Man on 274-day cruise left baffled over one etiquette rule 'no one talks about'
A man who was on board Royal Caribbean's Ultimate World Cruise shared a video about the things he learned during his time on the ship – including one particular etiquette 'rule' that 'no one speaks about' Everyone knows there are certain things you simply shouldn't say while travelling - for instance, joking about bombs on a plane or mentioning weapons near airport security is a definite no-go. These things are usually clear to both experienced and first-time travelers, but etiquette isn't always so straightforward. If you're not used to a particular setting, you might miss some of the unspoken norms. Sometimes, the only way to learn these things is through uncomfortable experiences. Like air travel, cruising also involves its own distinct rules and expectations that guests are expected to follow. On 10 December 2023, Royal Caribbean 's Serenade of the Seas took off on the Ultimate World Cruise - an epic 274-day voyage around the globe, docking in over 60 countries and featuring trips to 11 of the world's most iconic wonders. This once-in-a-lifetime journey covered the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Europe, with ticket prices ranging from a hefty $53,999 (£39,847) to a staggering $117,599 (£86,779) per person. Considering how unique and unforgettable the experience is, it's no surprise that Royal Caribbean enlisted several influencers to help promote it. Well-known TikToker Marc Sebastian joined the cruise and shared highlights of his journey along the way. One of his videos has racked up an impressive 9.9 million views, featuring the American influencer giving his insights from his first few weeks aboard the ship. The key revelation was a certain word that's off-limits. At the start of the TikTok video, Marc revealed: "So, here is a list of things I've learned about cruising since I have spent 18 nights on this floating retirement home with a Cheesecake Factory attached. "First: number one, you're not supposed to talk about the Titanic. Who knew that? I didn't." The social media star recalled telling a group of passengers dining nearby that the ship's length exceeded the Titanic's by only 100 feet. After he said this, "utensils dropped," waiters "gasped," and the room fell "dead silent." WARNING: The video below contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised. Marc was surprised by their response, and his friend on the cruise quietly told him that you're "not allowed to talk about the Titanic." He reflected that this rule "wasn't in the handbook," admitting he "clearly" hadn't read it. It's understandable that passengers on a cruise wouldn't appreciate being reminded of the tragic true story of a luxury liner sinking, which resulted in the loss of about 1,500 lives. Seasoned cruisers headed to the comments section, mentioning that they were already familiar with this unspoken rule of conduct. One said: "It is considered extremely bad luck to mention a sunken vessel on another one out at sea." Another added: "When I went on a cruise my mom told me saying titanic was equivalent to screaming a bomb at an airport." A third chimed in: "Yeaa.. saying anything about the Titanic is like saying Macbeth in a theatre." A fourth commented: "I'm sorry you're telling me you had a Harry Potter like experience saying Voldemort at Hogwarts but it was the Titanic on a modern day cruise I'm cryingggg." Later in the video, where Marc discusses lesser-known cruise facts, he expresses surprise at learning that cruise ships have godmothers and that their pools are actually filled with seawater. I In an update from June 2024, the content creator disclosed that he only spent 18 nights on the cruise. He hadn't intended to stay for the entire trip and, in hindsight, felt quite relieved about his decision. Marc humorously claimed he was asked to leave the ship after rescuing a penguin that had wandered onboard, but in reality, he admitted feeling glad to disembark early. The TikToker described the experience as overwhelming and stressful, confessing: "I walked off that ship not a happy man."
BBC News
03-08-2025
- BBC News
Glimpse into lives of doomed Titanic passengers
The sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate people more than a century later and a new exhibition in Manchester is allowing visitors to experience first-hand the story of its ill-fated will be given a "boarding pass" of a real person who embarked on the infamous ship's maiden voyage from Southampton in April in Liverpool, what was then the world's largest ocean liner also carried many crew members from the port city when it set sail for New were accommodated according to class, with the elite enjoying luxuries and stylish surroundings, as featured in the 1997 Oscar-winning film starring Kate Winslet. One of her outfits from the movie is on display along with an ornately-carved section of the impressive staircase that was a focal point for first-class manager Joe Levy said: "It's believed to be the largest surviving fragment of the grand staircase."It was retrieved from the surface of the sea just after the sinking of the Titanic and so that's why it's so well preserved." Explorer Dik Barton, who has been to the wreck site 22 times and is giving talks at the exhibition, described the underwater location as "so deep"."It's dark and you can only see what you can light up."Three days into the Titanic's voyage on 14 April, it struck an iceberg in the Atlantic resulting in its sinking and the loss of more than 1,500 lives, while 706 deckchairs were used to help people survivors desperately try to stay afloat and a surviving chair is also among artefacts on display. Among other retrieved items is a sheet of music from bandleader Wallace Hartley, from Colne in Lancashire, who led his fellow performers as they famously continued to play as the ship Levy said: "This sheet music was kept inside his violin case and it was very tragically retrieved from his body."One of the fantastic things about being in Manchester is there are so many connections between the Titanic and north-west England." Visitors will find out about the fate of the real passengers who held their allocated boarding pass at the end of the woman said: "I feel so detached from it when I see it on TV and you come here and it makes it more real."Another visitor said the display taught her about the "cutbacks that they did that might have saved people", adding: "I didn't realise it was that big with swimming pools."The exhibition, which requires booking, runs at Manchester Central's Exchange Hall until 24 August. Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.
