Definitely an experience…Titanic: The Experience
Written: Jan 28 '08 (Updated Jan 28 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: interactive, a lot of information, fun to learn
Cons: some rooms are dark
The Bottom Line: An interactive look back into history.
|
|
|
| kld718's Full Review: Titanic - The Experience, Orlando, Florida |
A few months ago some members of my family and I were wandering around Orlando one weekend when we noticed some coupon booklets and picked one up. There was an advertisement and coupon for Titanic: The Experience and we thought it would be interesting. It was in 1912 that the huge ocean liner set sail from Southampton and ran straight into an iceberg four days later.
Titanic: The Experience is now located at the Orlando Science Center for approximately 1-year, from December 07-January 09. We visited before this and it was previously located off of International Drive, but they seemed to have moved it since we visited. While it might be a great alternative to the busy International drive location, I cannot see how the location has enough room to house the exhibit.
I don’t think there is anyone in the world that doesn’t know the story behind this famous ocean liner. The whole experience is just great. I’m sure that they continue to update it as new information is obtained. Titanic: The Experience allows the ship and it’s long gone passengers to come alive. It wasn’t crowded the day that we went so we actually didn’t wait very long before being allowed in. Throughout the experience you are guided through by actors, in period costumes, that are supposed to be the passengers and crew members. Each tour is different from the one before because the guide is not always the same. You, yourself actually get a small card at the beginning that tells you what role you play as you walk through. I was one of the first class passengers, the Countess of Rothes. My dad was actually Captain Smith, which was pretty exciting. The whole experience is interactive and not just certain parts.
To begin, you go through the construction of the ship and then the shipyard. You go through the loading dock to board and are treated to a very large vessel, it just extended all the way up and was a huge black mass that was an amazing treat to be able to stand next to. You are then taken through different parts of the ship inside, including the living quarters, sitting rooms, boiler rooms and grand staircase. Also, another treat is the room displaying an 8-foot replica of the vessel as it looks today under the water. You learn about the different types of passengers aboard and how the first class passengers were treated a lot better than the second and third class passengers. Throughout the whole tour, you just become involved with everything because there is so much to see. There are about 200 different artifacts throughout the exhibit in each room and each one contains a small card telling you what it is and some other little information. There is also a lot of memorabilia from the movie Music also plays softly throughout the whole tour as you go from room to room. I loved each and every room, especially the grand staircase and it’s domed ceiling. It really is a grand reproduction. But it’s not all rosy.
The guides then lead you into the night, on the Promenade Deck, in the dark, chilly (literally) Atlantic weather. But that’s not the only chilling thing. We learn a lot about the survivors, but we also learn a lot about those that were less fortunate. One of the little kids in our group was actually a character that was mentioned at this point because she happened to be the child of our tour guide that passed. You are also treated to a room that resembles the deck. If you’re brave, you can place your hands on the replication of an iceberg that’s pretty cold. Another aspect of the tour that I really liked was the list of passengers. It posted on the walls and is divided by class. This is another point where you can reference your little card to see if your particular person survived the voyage. I managed to make it.
Titanic: The Experience was brought to the Science Center by the president of the whole exhibit, G. Michael Harris who completed his own expedition of the ship site and who is the son of D. Michael Harris. Mr. Harris is a documentary filmmaker who put together three expeditions in search of the vessel. As you walk around you there is a section about the different expeditions and the things that have been found since that fateful night in 1912. A lot of photography about the expeditions is also present.
I loved the fact that you get to be a crewmember or passenger. It made the experience so much more worthwhile because you could slip into that person’s role and find out all about them. There seemed to be more of a purpose to the whole thing because I felt the need to know about that person instead of just walking through the exhibit. It was especially rewarding for the kids in our group because they found the whole concept of role-playing fun. Another thing that I liked is that there is just so much to look at and so much information but the guides give you plenty of time to look around in each room. The guides that we have were excellent, full of information, and more than happy to answer any questions. The only other complaint that I have is some of the layouts and lighting in the rooms. It can be hard to read some of the information because of the lighting.
You can call ahead to have your wedding there, a birthday party, a reception and any other special occasion. We paid $20 a ticket for the adults but I’m not sure if the prices have changed at all with the new location. You can always stop at one of the restaurants on the way and pick up those little coupon booklets to get some monies off if you’re worried about it. Your tour will run roughly an hour and there is a small gift shop at the exit.
~ Happy
Kim
777 East Princeton Street
Orlando, FL 32803
407-895-2610
www.titanictheexperience.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
kld718
|
 in Wellness & Beauty, Books |
 - Top 200 |
|
Location: Central Florida
Reviews written: 606
Trusted by: 315 members
About Me:
Preparing for a return to writing!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.