Legend of the Titanic

With five tickets on offer, even my “too cool for school” teenage grandson was thrilled to be invited. Bookings are made at 15 minute intervals, so there is plenty of room for participants to walk around without feeling squeezed.

As we stepped into Dockside Boarding, Southampton Harbor’s beautiful recreation area, we were ushered to the front not only to be given our Boarding Passes but also to have our photo taken and be greeted with a virtual welcome by Captain Smith.

If you wish, via an augmented reality application, you can be guided through the exhibition. It is available in five languages

The show starts in the traditional way – you walk along the pier, covered in posters detailing everything Giant history. The seagulls were singing and the steam engines were steaming, after finally boarding the ship we moved into a large room filled with beautiful glassware from other White Star Line ships of the time.

There are examples of clothing commonly worn by first class passengers, along with original exhibits from the 1997 film. There is also a replica of the statue of Diana from Versailles which was once seen in the first class lounge and has now been identified from the seabed.

And then we moved into the first room – after walking through all sorts of fake cabin doors that felt as if we had to peer inside – and arrived at a virtual reality room full of chairs, where we were shown to a group of five people and asked to put on our headsets.

Wow, oh wow! We were immediately transported to the ship Giant. The music played was a specially composed piece entitled ‘Until The Orchestra Fell Silent’ by Rene Merkelbach and performed by over 50 musicians from the Budapest Symphonic Orchestra and Audiocult Choir/ As we listened – not forgetting to turn around in our chairs and get the full 360 degree experience – we entered the iceberg room where we witnessed a towering block of ice next to a lifeboat replica.

As we exited the room, we paused to reflect on what we had just seen

Walking on, we entered a very large area with 360 degree floor to ceiling projections as we followed Giantprogress through keel laying. We sat down to feel the launch Giant into the waves and meet the fictional Callaghan family – a father with his young daughter as she plays hide and seek around the boat.

The room took us from the beginning to the iceberg. In fact, a little girl sitting next to us was so scared when the iceberg hit that she jumped up and ran across the room to where her mother was. The projections were so real that we were given a seasickness warning. As the ship sinks, and you face the stern, you can see it rising, the water coming in and hitting the Great Dome above the Grand Staircase. It was a great recreation.

You can actually watch this part of the show as many times as you like, enjoying the magic of it all.

Leaving the Immersive Room, we stopped at the Command Center. It features interactive table games where you can avoid icebergs as you pass by, an a la carte menu served on board, along with legends and detailed accounts from survivors – all verified by Exhibition historians.

Just for the record – only my cool grandson made it through the iceberg, while I didn’t even make it out of the harbor!

And then comes the interactive Metaverse journey that incorporates 5D sensory elements. We waited outside while listening to a conversation detailing what to expect. We were then taken in small groups to a large showing room Giant resting on the seabed as we slowly moved past the ship. My granddaughter Victoria and I were so disoriented that we held hands as we walked around.

We admired the Café Parisien, the Grand Staircase, and peeked into the first and third class cabins. At the end, we were greeted by Captain Smith, who said goodbye and showed us where to go through the door. Convinced that we had walked up and down the stairs and in and out of the cabin, we were amazed when, removing the headset, we realized that we had just been in one big room the whole time!

Past the second photo opportunity – where you can pretend to be Jack and Rose – there is a sketch area and pole where families are invited to do their own drawings. Giant pictures and take part in interactive quizzes.

And of course, no visit would be complete without a visit to Café Parisien, clearly inspired by the original, for tea and cakes, then a wander around the souvenir shop, where we snapped photos taken on our way up.

Valid until February 2026, adult tickets are £24.00, and children’s tickets are £16. Children under three years old can enter for free. It’s easy to get there – really easy to get to from Canada Water above ground.

I really can’t praise this immersive exhibition enough – it’s incredible, fantastic, and any other word you can think of. I actually think I’ll go and see it again.

You can find out more and book tickets on their website.

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