Groupon Offers Titanic Expedition Vacation

                                           Bow of the sunken RMS Titanic (Image credit: Business Wire)

Groupon's latest deal is being billed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a 13-day excursion that includes exploration of the Titanic shipwreck aboard a deep-ocean submersible. Your ship departs from St. John's, Newfoundland, on July 26 and returns Aug. 8.

Only of these deals is available for purchase, and Groupon's keeping mum on what time the deal will actually go live. But it will be sometime today. The vacation, valued on Groupon at nearly $60,000, can be purchased for $12,500 - a 79 percent savings.  The price is steep but includes nearly everything - even, oddly, a DVD of the movie "Titanic" signed by a Leonardo DiCaprio impersonator.

Features of the deal:

  • Round-trip airfare from anywhere in the lower 48 states
  • Round-trip transportation aboard a professional ship from St. John's to the site of the Titanic
  • One day of shipwreck exploration aboard a deep-ocean vessel
  • A scientific tour of the wreck's most significant areas, with photo opportunities
  • Admission to themed events such as professional lectures, film screenings, post-dive celebrations and an end-of-voyage barbecue
  • Commemorative gifts including a DVD of the movie "Titanic" signed by Leonardo DiCaprio impersonator Frank Lloyd Roberts

Accommodations include:

  • One night in a Sheraton Hotel in St. John's
  • Complimentary transportation to the voyage's support ship
  • Up to 11 nights in a large ocean-going vessel
  • Three five-star meals per day while at sea

This is a big year for Titanic enthusiasts - April 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking, and the movie "Titanic" will be re-released in 3-D on April 6.