By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall
Titanic Artifact Exhibition presents an almost authentic-to-a-fault non-Disney alternative in the heart of Orlando
Would-be visitors to Orlando, Florida, probably figure it’s nearly impossible to find stuff to do that doesn’t involve mouse ears, Disney princesses – and lots of charges on your credit card.
Those were certainly our impressions once upon a time, but the fairytale nightmare myth of being trapped with no escape in central Florida was shattered on our recent trip to the region.
After having spent the previous two days crisscrossing across a good portion of the Sunshine State, we decided to accept a tip from a Florida resident to check out several potential alternative activities, one being called the “Titanic Artifact Exhibition”. Perusing the place’s website, we discovered that it was much more than just a rehashing of the 1997 multi-Oscar winning film featuring Jack Dawson, Rose (DeWitt Bukater) and hundreds of extras, a good many of whom didn’t make it out alive.
Neat? Or scary? Or touristy and lame?
Thankfully, the exhibition belonged mostly in the former category. The “neat” part. A smidge touristy, but definitely not lame.
Its website described it: “Encounter hundreds of authentic artifacts recovered from the ocean floor. Take a Guided Tour or immerse yourself in a First-Class Dinner Gala.”
Upon further investigation we learned that the Exhibition had little or nothing to do with the “Titanic” Hollywood production itself, though fans of the film will certainly find plenty of allusions to the legendary James Cameron masterpiece. Walk through the door and you’re immediately greeted with a mock-up of the famous ship’s bow railing, the one where Leonardo DiCaprio shouted, “I’m the king of the world” and later on shared a kiss with every man’s favorite movie heroine, 17-year-old (in the movie) Rose (Kate Winslet), the poor guy wooing the rich girl into falling in love.
The ultimate story of an underdog who used with and charm to win her heart. We won’t tell you how it all turns out, though.
Not really knowing what to expect from the tour, we purchased an admission ticket and added a $10 per person guided tour to the itinerary. The total for three of us came to $136 (plus $21 later on for a souvenir photo of our trio on the famous Titanic staircase). So, it was about $45 a person, plus $7 per person souvenir). Not bad, 
which probably is less than one ticket to Disney World. (Note: We went on a Tuesday and there was a special discount for tickets bought in advance on that day.)
Similar to other museum-type sites, you can rent a headset for a self-tour. I’d imagine a live tour guide would be better. We were satisfied.
We had reserved our tour time when pre-purchasing the tickets from the website. Make sure to get there on time if you follow suit, the tour starts promptly at the appointed hour and like the famous ocean liner itself, it won’t wait for
you if you miss the departure time… though a threesome did join about ten minutes into the tour.
Our extremely dedicated-to-the-truth and mostly no-nonsense tour guide introduced herself and told us a little bit about what we’d be seeing on the journey, which was to last about an hour and a half. She began by dismissing several myths associated with the Titanic sinking in 1912, a chunk of them perpetuated by miscalculations in the movie, which I assume most attendees were familiar with.
Myths? What, the gates weren’t actually locked down below? The people below decks were trapped because the signs were only in English and they couldn’t read in that language? The Titanic’s officers had been pre-warned by another ship that there was a lot of ice in the area? The “Unsinkable Molly Brown” was never known as “Molly” at all?
The elderly couple during the “Nearer My God To Thee” scene didn’t actually die in bed (they were on a bench)?
Hollywood purists might be disappointed with the exposes. Being thoroughly familiar with the movie, I recall how James Cameron extensively researched the sinking and wrote the screenplay to reflect the knowledge of the time regarding what happened that night. But the film was shot about 30 years ago, and a lot has been learned about the Titanic’s final hours since that time.
As mentioned, our tour guide (I don’t recall her name) was very, very, detail-oriented. She talked a bit fast and at times was hard to hear, but no tidbit was overlooked in her presentation. The Exhibition included mock-ups of several rooms from the above sea level Titanic itself so as to provide a life-sized view of the experience for visitors. There was a recreated Titanic propeller, an authentic deckchair, and the recreation of the captain’s bridge was complete with working lights and a view of what it looked like on that dark, dark night over a century ago. The actual 1912 atmosphere was a lot darker than what was portrayed in the movie.
Each guest was provided with a “Boarding Pass” which included the story of an actual passenger. Towards the end of the tour, we were able to check 
what happened to the person listed on the card. My “passenger”, Mr. Bertram Frank Dean, was a third-class passenger who ended up on Titanic because of a coal strike. He perished due to a fateful change of ships, though his wife and young children survived.
It wasn’t all bad news… some of the passengers on the “Boarding Pass(es)” lived. But the part about not having enough life boats depicted in the movie – that was definitely true.
There was also a mock-up of the communications room where the desperate CQD signal was sent. Kind of chilling, actually.
Speaking of chilling, near the end of the tour there was a “real” iceberg we were instructed to place our hand on and keep it there for fifteen seconds to offer a sample of how cold the water was when the Titanic sank.
Dang, you’ve got to feel it to believe it. Most of the passenger fatalities weren’t due to drowning. Quite literally, they froze to death. One of the officers (2nd Officer Charles Lightoller, the highest-ranking officer to live)) described the water as “Being hit by a thousand knives stabbing all at once.”
Visitors were additionally permitted to touch an actual salvaged hunk of the wreck, and there was a larger 2-ton actual piece as well. The Exhibition’s hundreds of artifacts included real currency and an unopened wine bottle taken from the ocean floor. There apparently are thousands of artifacts still “down there” and could be brought to the surface in time. The wreck itself is considered a grave site, and shouldn’t be disturbed (but apparently some “pirates” have done so).
Recall how five men died when their submersible (ironically named Titan) imploded a few years ago.
Not many expeditions disturb the Titanic site these days, but the area between the stern and bow sections (two large pieces) has been mapped to document the 
locations of each find. Fascinating!
When the tour was over, you couldn’t help but feel exhausted from the enormity of the tragedy, but also from information overload. There is a LOT to take in. But the museum portrays what probably occurred and concluded with what happened “after” the ship sank, including recovery and identification of victims (if possible). Many, many who were killed were never recovered.
Our tour guide deserves commendation for her amazing tour, but she wouldn’t answer a curiosity about the Titanic movie itself… namely, whether Rose “sleeps” at the end of the story, or does she die?
“’Rose DeWitt Bukater’ never existed. We only deal with what was authentic here. Everything in this exhibition is based on documented evidence. The movie was all fiction.”
I guess it will remain a mystery for us. For what it’s worth, I think Rose was sleeping and dreaming. The theme song goes… “Every night in my DREAMS, I see you, I feel you. That is how I know you go on….” Here’s a YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StDF_-ZrhnE
True. The story is indeed fictitious. But many of the 21st century people who were curious enough to want to see the exhibition were motivated to go there by the movie itself. As a history and part-time movie buff, I’ve always been fascinated by the tale of the “Unsinkable” ship that went down on its maiden voyage.
The Exhibition itself was worth the price of admission, as was the tour we received. A greater understanding of the Titanic tragedy is what we took away, and we got a decent representation of photos from the dimly lit displays. No video was allowed. But the famous “scenes” from the movie provided opportunities to remember the time there.
I would highly recommend the Titanic Artifact Exhibition as a solid alternative to touring Disney. I said to the gentleman who sold us our staircase photo, “I’ve gotta admit, this place is way cooler than I thought it would be.”
The museum is appropriate for all ages, though it might not be as thrilling or stimulating for kids and younger teens. If the youngster is old and mature enough to see the movie, the attraction would probably work for them.
I think the Titanic museum deserves another visit at some point. If for nothing else, to plan more time to try and absorb everything you see there. It might make for another screening of the famous movie, too.
Next: Get (really) close to nature at Wild Florida Adventure Park
More phots from the Titanic Artifact Museum:
