An informative and even inspiring experience, and 5 stars for customer service.
We and our 5 teen/young adult children toured this museum and were surprised by how much we enjoyed it.
Before going, I’ll admit I smirked at the idea of it being anything besides morbid. But I was wrong.
Yes, it’s a sobering glimpse into a great tragedy.
But it’s also filled with inspiring stories of everyday heroes.
The displays and self-guided tour recordings are tastefully done, and the interactive exhibits were pretty cool.
Most of all, I appreciated the friendly, informative guides. Ours was the last appointment of the day, yet we never felt rushed one bit. The guides were available but not pushy, friendly without being overly familiar.
My one piece of advice: purchase tickets well in advance to get the best discount. We found a great deal on Groupon, but after we paid Groupon said it would take 2+ hours to “process.” Long story short, it didn’t go thru. But the Groupon glitch was probably due to purchasing tickets less than 2 hours in advance. In hindsight, I’d advise purchasing discounted tickets at least 2 days ahead. Then if the voucher doesn’t materialize you can cancel & try a different discount provider (there are several).
At the beginning of this self-guided tour, each visitor is equipped with a personal audio device plus a “boarding pass” of one of the passengers. (At the end you’ll learn if you “survived” or not.) We were pretty much left to ourselves to go at our own pace. The first display is an “iceberg” breaking through the wall. It’s cold and wet, just like a real one.
As you enter each exhibit area, there are numbers on display that correspond to the recordings available. The numbers are color-coded as red or blue, for children or adults, making the tour suitable for all ages (bring the whole family).
The audio device is simple to operate and hangs on a lanyard, leaving your hands free to touch the interactive displays.
The tour gives glimpses into what the first, second, and third class passengers experienced. Berths and suites. Chamber pots. Menus and dishes. Deck chairs.
There’s a huge scale model of the boat. Lots of photos of the boat under construction. An impressive assortment of actual artifacts from the boat’s survivors. Many photos of actual passengers taken by a man who disembarked before the last leg of Titanic’s journey.
The displays on the upper level included a small grand piano and huge pictures of the 8-man band that courageously played “Nearer My God To Thee” as the boat was going down. In the same room, there's a display about the only known black passenger and his family.
The cutaway lifeboat replica has several benches available, each with a recording of what a specific passenger may have said. Sitting in the lifeboat was enlightening. So many perished that night because the boats were sent out unfilled, but the risk of being sucked under kept them from backtracking to rescue others.
Some of the stories are downright inspiring. The lady who rescued two orphaned boys and reunited them with their mother. The missionary who gave up her seat on a lifeboat for a mother and child. The preacher who begged those struggling in the icy seas around him to trust Jesus Christ until his dying breath.
Once we were upstairs and especially near the end of the tour, several guides were stationed to answer questions. Everyone was very friendly, and didn’t rush us one bit.
Masks are required everywhere in Branson.
As others have mentioned, no pictures or videos are allowed. That’s because pretty much everything on display is on loan from third parties, so the museum must comply with copyright holders’ contracts.
Visitors have the option to get a picture on the Grand Staircase, with options for a physical photo plus several downloadable reprints, or (cheaper) access to the downloadable reprints without the physical copy. They put zero pressure on me to purchase, and were gracious when I declined.
There's a nice gift shop at the end, from which I got a new kitchen magnet (family tradition for museums).
Gotta admit, I thought this would be a terribly morbid, depressing experience. So it was a real surprise to leave inspired by the people who left a legacy of selflessness, courage, and love. Reminds me of something Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
The museum is open year round, and has continued to see enough visitors to stay profitable even during the pandemic. Even so, we felt like we had the place to ourselves, it was so quiet. (Typical after New Year's in Branson.)