Top 10 Morbid Cruise Destinations!

As Halloween is imminent I thought I would try and find the top 10 morbid cruise destinations. I honestly thought I would have trouble coming up with 5, so was surprised that my list just kept growing! In some ways I think it’s human nature to have a morbid fascination with death as it is a reminder of our own fragile mortality and I think this is why many of the destinations are where horrendous human tragedies have occurred whether by nature or at the hand of others.

In no particular order here we go………

1) Latitude 41° 43′ 57″ North, Longitude 49° 56′ 49″ West – Death Toll 1,514

Okay not an official place but still the scene of the worst ever maritime disaster at sea. This is the final resting place of the remains of the Titanic although this is the position of the bow section as the stern is approximately 720 metres away.

Personally I have always been fascinated with this tale of human tragedy and I think it brings home how life was unfair within the class system at the time. Last year was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and like all good marketing opportunities a Travel Agency set up a Titanic Memorial Cruise onboard one of the Fred Olsen ships. It sold out in days!!

 2) Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii – Death Toll 2,467

December 7, 1941 was the day that the Japanese attacked the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and forever changed the outcome of World War 2. A memorial called the USS Arizona Memorial stands above the remains of the former battleship and her lost sailors as a reminder of the losses incurred during the tides of war. A friend of mine was fortunate enough to be invited to visit Hawaii and her lasting memory was of the stillness surrounding this infamous naval battle site.

3) Nagasaki, Japan – Death Toll 60-80,000

The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War 2 in 1945. The two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date. Today Nagasaki’s Peace Park and Atomic Bomb museum are sobering reminders of the horror and inhumanity of war.

 4) Normandy Beaches, France – Death Toll 425,000

Many of us have seen the images in the Steven Spielberg film,”Saving Private Ryan”, when the amphibious craft land on the beach and the young soldiers are cut down one by one. Next year will be the 70th anniversary of the D -Day landings in Normandy and I believe there are several cruise lines who have already planned memorial cruises.

5) Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia – Buried within 400,000

I never thought I would visit a cemetery as a tourist destination for a day out but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised when my husband and I visited here in October 2001. The cemetery is beautifully kept and has graves dating as far back as the Civil War, as well as the eternal flame on John F Kennedy’s grave. There is a changing of the guard every day and I have to say even my husband was moved by the depth of emotion just being there. The cemetery holds 27-30 military funerals every week day and 7-8 on a Saturday.

6) Auschwitz, Poland – Death Toll 1,471,595 (no official figures)

If you ever find yourself on a Danube River Cruise then you may find yourself visiting here. In the past year my brother visited here and phoned me from the camp in tears! It was several minutes before he could speak as he was so overcome with emotion. He had just seen a short film where a young girl of perhaps 4 or 5 (the age of his daughter) had been made to stand naked in the snow at her dead mothers feet until she succumbed to hypothermia and died. To me this has to be the top destination due to the inhumane acts that were carried out here.

7) Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Death Toll 2,200,000

Otherwise known as the Killing Fields. This is where a large number were killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge  between 1970 – 1975. Today there is a Memorial Park at Choeung Ek and apparently even now bone fragments from former victims are still coming to the surface.

8) Vietnam – Death Toll 5,000,000

Vietnam is mainly visited due to it’s diverse past under the reign of its former leader, Ho Chi Minh, and the Vietnam War. Remnants of this war can still be seen on it’s streets as tanks lay abandoned. Many of the tourist attractions centre around the war such as the Cu Chi Tunnels which were a series of tunnels in the jungle that were used by the Viet Cong. it is possible to venture down these if you are brave enough.

9) Pompeii, Itay – Death Toll 2,000

Pompeii is accessed from any cruise calling at Naples and is one of the top tourist destinations on Mediterranean cruises. The scene of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79AD was one of the most devastating volcanic eruptions ever. As tragic as it was it has been instrumental for historians and archaeologists alike in piecing up the past.

10) Ground Zero, New York – Death Toll 3,000

Where were you on 11th September 2001? I think for my generation we will always know where we were and what we were doing at this precise moment in time. For me this is an iconic moment in time as just a few weeks later I flew out to New York and could still feel the dust in the air from this tragic event. Today the 911 Memorial incorporates two memorial pools in the footsteps of where the original Twin Towers stood. each pool is over an acre in size and around the edges on bronze plaques are the names of those who lost their lives on this day.

Have you visited any of these destinations? Do you feel it’s right to almost trivialise such huge losses of life or do you think that it is a fitting tribute to the victims?

Whatever you think, why not post a comment and share your views?