Writer of Pop Culture

It’s sort of ironic that just a few blocks from where cruise travelers board their modern-day cruise lines, Titanic: The Exhibition has been set up across the street in Seattle. Inside the building, over 200 artifacts are on display in addition to some life-sized recreations of the famous “unsinkable ship.” Many of us are fascinated by the tragic story. Some for the sheer beauty of the RMS Titanic, others for its tragic end and for a lot of us, a little bit of both.

On its maiden voyage from Southampton in England to New York City in the United States, the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, just 400 miles from its destination. From the initial striking of an iceberg, the ship went down within two hours and forty minutes. Of the estimated 2,224 people on board only 706 of them survived. Titanic: The Exhibition will give you a better idea of what it must have been like from the excitement in the beginning of the journey to the terror of the end.

The 80-minute-ish long experience is as fascinating as it is sobering. It pretty much highlights the many things Titanic enthusiasts are interested in: the ships construction, the interior of ship, the variations of the first class; second class; and third-class accommodations, stories from those who were aboard the ship, how the ship actually sank and even more stories about how 706 people who were aboard the ship survived. Some of those stories entail the real story which inspired the 1997 Titanic movie and the very real woman who inspired the Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Others are heart-breaking tales from people you’ve never heard of, but their stories are just as real.

The exhibition is more than your average history museum exhibit. Upon arriving, you’ll be given an audio guide with headphones that narrate the entire production one section at a time. You can stop and start or even jump ahead or go back anytime you wish. Some scenes include interviews with family members of those on ship as well as some sound effects and theme music.

The exhibit features life-size recreations showing the differences between those who booked third class verses first class. Even the table settings and dining rooms were drastically different. You’ll also see a recreation of the navigation cabin known as the Marconi Room plus many furniture pieces, tableware, windows, cabinets, etc. Perhaps oddly, the most impressive is a recreation of a first-class hallway which gives you a real “you-were-there” moment.

So much of the Titanic literally went down with the ship, so a number of items in the exhibit are either recreations or taken from similar ships from that time era. They don’t take away anything from the experience. In fact, a few items have never been seen before. The exhibit is rounded out with letters and postcards written by actual guests to their loved ones back home, advertising samples, a number of photos, personal items from some of the crew members and a couple of models of the ship that detail what each floor of the Titanic looked like. There is a short section that details the actual hitting of the iceberg and how the ship went down along with some underwater footage of the sunken ship. Finally, there is memorial room that lists the names of all who perished.

All in all, this exhibition is very impressive, but it does lack some in a few ways. The narrator on the tour is clear and easy to understand, but I wished that they would have incorporated some other voices to tell some of the stories to give some variety. The pacing is also a little slow, but there might have been a setting on the audio guide that could have sped it up a bit, I just didn’t even think to look. I also wished for a few more photos and/or rooms to explore. I would have also enjoyed a short section on how the Titanic has been portrayed in modern media including movies, documentaries, etc. Unless children are really fascinated by the Titanic, they will probably be bored.

Of course, you’ll exit through the gift shop that sells a number of unique items like t-shirts featuring original advertising artwork to a humorous tea infuser shaped like the ship that sinks to the bottom of your teacup.

Presented by Fever, Titanic: The Exhibition is expected to be open from now until January 5, 2025, at the Maritime Building located at 906 Alaskan Way in Seattle, 98104. Tickets start at $29 for adults Monday through Thursday, $34 on Fridays and Sundays and $39 on Saturdays.

All images by the author