The Passenger Experience

Although the accommodations for each class varied dramatically, all passengers aboard the Titanic experienced much better accommodations than other ships of the time. The White Star Line of course offered the best of the best to first class, but were even looking to capitalize off of immigration patterns by proving to be a better ship for 3rd class passengers than competitors.

Ticket Prices

*Note that the range in cost was mostly for children vs. adult tickets, as well as differences in rooms

The second class mostly consisted of musicians (including the ship’s own band), academics, clergy members, and other middle-class from England, Scotland, America, and France. The second-class passengers enjoyed accommodations almost as nice as first-class on other ships.

Some examples of second-class passengers are Lawrence Beesley, a public school teacher traveling to America for vacation, 7-year-old Eva Hart who would later say her mother had a premonition and was terrified on the boat, Juozas Montvila and Thomas Byles both Roman Catholic priests who conducted services for second class passengers, Michel Navratil who had kidnapped his two children who would survive as the “Titanic Orphans” until their mother was located, and Joseph Laroche the only black passenger on the ship returning home to Haiti for his engineering work with his French wife and their two daughters (while Joseph would die in the disaster, his family would survive).

Many first-class passengers were traveling for pure amusement or to go live lavishly in America, aboard with them usually came multiple trunks, sometimes full wardrobes, as well as maids, governesses, chauffeurs, cooks, and more. The first class consisted of some of the most famous figures around the world in 1912. Many were British aristocracy or American social elites, especially those building industry in the states.

Some examples are John Jacob Astor IV and his pregnant wife Madeleine who were returning to the U.S. to start their family abroad, an easy task for the first multi-millionaire in North America. Others include industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim, Macy’s department store owner and former U.S. House of Representatives Isidor Straus and his wife Ida, John B. Thayer Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad and his wife Marian, William Ernest Carter and his wife American socialite Lucile Polk Carter, millionaire philanthropist and women’s rights activist Margaret Brown, and many more.

Third-class passengers or “Steerage” passengers were primarily immigrants moving from their country, many for economic or religious freedom in search of the American dream. Many took no more than a bag or two as they moved their entire life and families across the ocean. A large amount of these passengers were immigrants from England, Ireland, and Scandinavia and there were also immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Ottoman Empire and China. While not grand with women in two to six-berth cabins and men in up to ten-berth cabins, the third class did have much better accommodations than rival shipping companies of the time.

Learn more about the White Star Line and immigration here

Lodging

Dining

See breakdowns of the dining locations for each class by clicking through here and view some menus below. If you would like a more detailed resource on food aboard click here

Food For All Classes

Facilities

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