The 100th anniversary of the Titanic's tragic sinking on its maiden voyage will be retraced next year by a unique new cruise, one hundred years to the day it originally happened. 

It's a voyage that could be considered morbid, but in fact all 1,309 places on the Titanic memorial cruise sold out a year ago, with the top tickets selling for as much as $9.300.

According to the trip's planners the most poignant part of the new journey (which will sail  with the same number of passengers as on the original voyage) will come seven days into the trip.

On April 14, 2012 - one hundred years to the very day in 1912 that the ship's lookouts shouted: 'Iceberg, right ahead!' - the passengers on this remarkable new voyage will experience a chilling echo of history.

When an iceberg hit the Titanic's starboard side disaster struck and the ship sank at 2.20 A.M. on April 15. 2,224 passengers and crew had come aboard for the maiden voyage and 1,514 died.

______________________
Read More:

US Titanic exhibit to mark centenary in Connecticut

Titanic centenary: 35,000 sign up for Belfast centre tickets

Titanic concert to be broadcast around the world
_______________________

The 2012 12-night cruise will be aboard the liner Balmoral, chartered by Titanic Memorial Cruises.

Passengers are scheduled to participate in a memorial service at the sinking site and will also eat the same 11-course meal served to the Titanic’s first-class diners, including oysters, roast pigeon and sautéed chicken Lyonnaise.

Conscious of the controversy the memorial trip is generation in some circles, Miles Morgan of Titanic Memorial Cruises told the Daily Mail the voyage was not 'disaster voyeurism' and he claimed the passenger list includes relatives of both victims and survivors.

'We’ve heard stories from guests who are having dresses created by top designers especially for the event and requests from musicians who want to audition to be part of the famous string quartet (which played on as it sank),' he told the Mail.

Getting in on the commemoration drive another company is offering 80 well heeled tourists the opportunity to travel two-and-a-half miles down into the Atlantic to visit the Titanic wreckage site in a Russian-built submarine. The company plans four trips in the better weather of July and August, 2012 with the eye-popping price of $60,000 per person.

Rob McCallum, expedition leader of Deep Ocean Expeditions, the company running the trips told the Telegraph it would be the only time the firm took tourists to the spot. 'We never set out to be a retail travel company. Next year will be a poignant year to make the trip. It's a good time for us to sign off.'