Titanic Exhibit - review

The Titanic Exhibit was something I'd wanted to see for quite a while, and I'm glad I finally had the opportunity. Moved from The Tropicana Hotel across the Strip, the exhibit has been housed in the Luxor Hotel (on the Atrium Level) for almost a year now.

I loved the way everything in this exhibit is laid out; you receive a "boarding pass" with a real Titanic passenger's name and information when you enter the exhibit, and you find out if your passenger survived or perished at the end. It made the tour a little more personal for me.

You enter the exhibit and first see how and where the ship was built. There are photos, actual recovered pieces from the ship sitting two miles down on the ocean floor, and recorded sound and video playing all around you.

Next, you feel as if you're boarding the ship; ship artifacts - as well as some of the passengers' personal effects - are displayed in temperature-controlled display cases throughout the exhibit. The walls are adorned with quotes from passengers and photos and videos of the ship leaving England on its maiden voyage.

One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was next: a scale model of part of the Grand Staircase from the first class dining area. Here's where I wished photography was allowed! I would've loved to have a photo of it, but not with me on the staircase. They do have a photographer available to take your photo on the staircase, and I declined. I don't know how much the photos are since I didn't purchase one, but I'd guess you're probably paying $15-$20 each for them. No, thanks.

You get to see how the staterooms and cabins for first and second class were decorated, and just how small the third class cabins were for four people to share. There is definitely a sense of class separation throughout, but it also makes you understand exactly how separated the passengers themselves were, and why so many third class passengers perished in the sinking.

Next comes the ice warnings and the somberness of April 14, 1912. You see when the ice warnings came through to the ship, and what the crew experienced along the ranks. I started to feel a little sad, and when I opened the next door, I certainly felt alone; I was standing "on" the Promenade Deck, looking out at a moonless, black sky lit only by the stars. The air was cold and still, but the mood had definitely changed.

A huge piece of ice is also on display that you are allowed to touch and get a sense of exactly how cold the water was on the night of the Titanic's sinking. The water is colder because of the salt content (think of how rock salt makes ice cream freeze faster when you make it at home), and I can't imagine how anyone survived for even a few minutes in near-freezing water.

After that, there were more displays of pieces of the wreckage, as well as some of the passengers' personal effects, all of which were recovered from the ship during some of the recovery missions. I was amazed at how well preserved things were after spending more than 70 years at the bottom of the ocean before their recovery in the 80's and 90's. Still, they almost made me feel as though I were intruding in a way.

There is a 22-foot long section of the Titanic's hull also preserved and on display, and the sketch of the Titanic's starboard side shows exactly how small that huge piece of metal and broken windows was when it was still a part of the huge ship.

After that, you see the wall of names: there's a separate listing for first class, second class, third class, and even the crew members who survived or perished in the sinking. I found that my second-class passenger, 7-year-old Eva Miriam Hart, survived along with her mother. Her father, though, perished in the sinking.

There is a small gift shop attached to the exhibit where you can purchase souvenirs and view your Grand Staircase photos, but I left with just my boarding pass and memories.

The cost of the exhibit was $30, but I purchased a half price ticket from one of the Tix4Tonite outlets on the Strip before heading to the Luxor. In addition, a friend of mine advised me of another $2 off coupon that was being offered for a limited time, so my total cost was $13.75 for the experience. The hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. daily.

As a Titanic buff, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit. While I was originally put out that I could not take photos throughout the exhibit, I can understand the reasons for not allowing them to be taken. The items need to be preserved, AND I would feel as though I were invading someone's private history if I took photos of things that they were unable to enjoy because they never made it off the ship.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this exhibit a 9 because of the discount available for all visitors. Without a discount, I'd have to say it would be a 8. Either way, if you're a history buff or have an interesting in the Titanic and all its secrets, you should definitely check it out.