This seriously happened.
I count 3 different ships in that photoshop (Epic bow, Pride of America stern, and Freedom class forward top decks.)
Yahoo! blog Outdoor (via GrindTv) ran a post about this phony ship pictured above. Somehow they think this is a real ship that sailed:
The cruise got underway Thursday in Barbados aboard a custom-built ship that boasts a tall slope and lift at its stern (see image at right), a rental chalet, an apres-ski bar, saunas and hot tubs.
Purists may cringe at the notion. The snow is not real and there is no tree skiing, obviously, because there are no trees; and there is no wintry crispness to the air.
My best guess is that Yahoo! was tipped off to this April fools site from a British travel agency. But they failed. They subsequently, and embarrassingly, pulled the story. But its still up as of this posting on UnofficialNetworks.com. I’m still in shock that this was an actual story that people believed. I’m curious at your reactions?
I cached the entire story after the break:
Most unusual ski trip of the season is on a Caribbean cruise
By: Pete Thomas
The most unusual ski adventure of the season will occur beginning this week in the unlikeliest ofdestinations: the Caribbean Sea, where dressing in layers will not be required and sunscreen will be at a premium.
The cruise got underway Thursday in Barbados aboard a custom-built ship that boasts a tall slope and lift at its stern (see image at right), a rental chalet, an apres-ski bar, saunas and hot tubs.
Purists may cringe at the notion. The snow is not real and there is no tree skiing, obviously, because there are no trees; and there is no wintry crispness to the air.
But consider the bright side: Bluebird skies and balmy temperatures every day. A vast and placid sea with islands on on the horizon.
The company offering this first-ever Caribbean ski excursion is Iglucruise, a British travel business whose inaugural eight-day voyage includes stops at Tobago,Isla Margarita, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent.
The ski slope is almost 500 feet long, built atop the upper deck to afford fantastic views of the blue water. The slope is covered with a Perma-Snow carpet, which is said to almost feel like real snow. The lift is operated with the touch of a button.
Iglucruise states on its website that it’s "proud to announce the launch of their first cruise ship, a ground-breaking new ship to combine the passions of their loyal customers; skiing and cruising."It figures to be crowded on the hill, though, as the ship can carry 1,129 passengers.
News of this crazy adventure spread among the ski community earlier this fall, when the voyage was announced, and the ski community wasn’t quite sure how to react. Reads a post on the Unofficial Networks website:
"I think it’s a stretch to actually call it skiing, then again, speaking to the uniqueness of this idea, what a trip it’s going to be for people to be linking turns on a cruise ship sailing across the famed waters of the Caribbean Sea. This is not a ski trip most of us would ever consider, then again name another time you’ve heard of such a trip being offered."
Prices for this ski cruise were as low as 799 British pounds, or about $1,240.