How did the passengers spend their time?
Titanic offered first-class passengers the widest number of diversions imaginable in 1912. Amateur athletes were offered the use of the Ship’s swimming pool, gymnasium, squash racquet court, massage parlors, and Turkish Baths. Deck games such as shuffleboard and ring toss were available if the weather permitted, and if not, a fully stocked library with hundreds of books were available free for use by the passengers. Board games like chess and backgammon were also kept on hand for the asking. Many passengers kept diaries of the voyage. Photography was also a popular hobby and at least one passenger (Father Browne) made a photographic record of his short trip from Southampton to Queenstown, Ireland. The Titanic carried a Ship’s orchestra, which provided background music and played in various public rooms during the day. Meals were an important social event and frequently went on for hours. During the day, cigars, cigarettes, candy, light meals, and drinks were available in many of the lo
