Memorial voyage on course for Titanic glamour without the tragedy

IT IS not the way most 15-year-olds would choose to spend the Easter holidays. But, by the time Daniel Free found himself at Southampton, in England, at the weekend wearing a cravat, tailcoat and a look of cheerful resignation, he had made his peace with the idea of spending half-term on a cruise ship with the world's biggest Titanic enthusiasts.

"The kids weren't keen when I booked it three years ago - we think they're three of only seven children on board - but they've come round," admitted his mother, Jaki, 41, dressed in a spectacular hat and floor-length striped skirt suit: a splendid replica of the dress worn by Kate Winslet when she stepped aboard James Cameron's Titanic in the 1997 film. The outfit, and most of the garb sported by Daniel, Jaki's two other children, her husband and his parents, were made especially for what all of the family were referring to as a "trip of a lifetime".

Daniel was happy to be among the 1309 embarking on the 12-night Titanic memorial cruise - and not just because it meant an extra week off school. "I'm interested in the history, the heritage," he said.

His father, 37-year-old telecoms engineer Graham, insisted there was nothing ghoulish about a cruise company charging passengers up to £7995 ($12,306) to commemorate a tragedy in which more than 1500 died. "We're not here to mock," he said. "We're here to remember those who suffered."

About 800 of those boarding MS Balmoral had a "personal connection" to the Titanic, according to the Reverend Canon Huw Mosford, the on-board chaplain. In the early hours of April 15, when the ship reaches the exact spot in the Atlantic where the Titanic hit the iceberg 100 years ago to the day, he will preside at a memorial service for those who drowned in the disaster.

People from 28 countries will be on board to retrace the liner's original route - up to the crucial point when it went wrong, at least. "We're hoping we'll get to New York! I keep telling people this is a memorial cruise, not a re-enactment," said Marie Shipley, a chipper 63-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia.

Some of her friends thought it "somewhat morbid", she admitted, but "nothing is morbid to us". Her husband, Mike, piped up to explain he had been in the "cemetery and funeral business" most of his life.

Heather Hutchinson, 25, an Australian cruising with her grandfather, 74, proudly discussed her 150-strong Titanic book collection. "We've watched the film 14 times if that helps," said Michelle Lines, from Queensland.