My Titanic Visit

I am going to visit Titanic Belfast. It is a big, exciting place with

lots to see and do. I may travel there by bus, car or walking.

The building is tall and shiny and reflects the sun.

The carpark I need is beyond the building on the right.

The drive takes me into the -2 car park. It will be darker as we

drive underground.

The -2 car park, I will hear lots of things and see lots of colour.

The yellow pillars tell us what section we are in and the green

strips on the floor are areas it is safe to walk in.

I will hear the fans in the background, the sound of other cars

driving into the car park, and the echo of people talking and

walking. I may smell car smells and the river if it has been

raining.

I enter through the sliding doors on -2, following the corridor to

the right will take me to the lift. Inside I can hear the

escalators and the sound of people walking around.

The lift takes me to the ground floor- 0. When I get out of the

lift I will see lots of things happening. There will be quite a few

people in this area talking and taking pictures. I may notice the

flash from the camera and the changing TV advertising

screens. There is a shop and two food outlets, a café and a

restaurant. I might hear the sounds of plates and smell food

smells.

Looking across the atrium I will see the visitor services desk.

This is where I go to collect my tickets.

At the Visitor Services desk I will speak to a member of staff.

They will give me my tickets and if I need them, a multimedia

guide to the galleries, a map and an activity trail. I can also

ask about the blue autism friendly wrist bands, ear defenders

and, just for children, a black-out tent.

To enter the galleries I must go up the escalator, showing my

ticket to the staff member waiting at the queue. Sometimes if

it is busy there may be a line of people waiting here and I must

wait my turn. I can get my photo taken at the green screen if I

wish to.

Going up the escalator I should hold the handrail and face

upwards until I get safely to the top.

The Gallery entrance is to my left. As I approach I will be

greeted by a member of staff. They will take my ticket, scan it,

and return it to me. Just past them I will find more maps and

pencils if I need them. The lights will be dimmer as I enter the

galleries and I will hear lots of sounds like birdsong and

industry noises and voices. Throughout the galleries there will

be lots of different sounds and a lot of information to read on

the walls. I will see many screens and interactive devices to

touch and explore. It can be very busy in the galleries so I will

stay close to my parents/friends/guardian.

The room after the Harland and Wolff gates has large

projections that cover the floor and walls and they move

regularly. This can be very stimulating and I am able to engage

with these activities or I can bypass this area if there is too

much going on.

The bottom of the Gantry

In order to get to the next part of the galleries I will need to go

up in the lift. It is a short lift ride to level 4. I may need to

share the elevator with other people. It is gentle and does not

take a long time.

There is a long drop down from this area, but I am safe behind

the safety rails. I can look over the edge if I am comfortable to

do so but I do not need to worry even if I am nervous.

The Shipyard Ride

The shipyard ride is a slow cable car ride. I will be safely in the

car for about 6 minutes with a lapbar on my knee to keep me

safe. I will hear the voices of men who worked on the ships and

a lot of industry noises like hammering and metal. I will feel a

gentle breeze on my face, as well as the heat from the iron

forge. I will see some bright video clips and shadows that look

like people having fun behind a door.

Staff will help me into the ride and off it again. Before boarding

I may need to wait in a queue behind other people and take

my turn. I will stand on the red footprints and wait to be

loaded into the car. I can be patient and wait before my turn to

enjoy the ride.

On the ride I should stay seated at all times and keep the bar

down on my knees. I will keep my hands and arms inside the

car for safety. Occasionally there are problems with the ride

and if this happens I may not be able to have a ride on it.

There is a big window in the next gallery and I can see outside

the building and far below. This gallery will be much brighter

than the previous areas. There are some benches here and if I

want so sit down for 5 minutes I can do so if there is free

space.

The next gallery will begin with a model of the Titanic and this

area will be quite dark. The 3D tour of Titanic is in the middle

of this gallery. I will see images of the ship rising around me on

three sides showing me the ship from top to bottom. If I get

carsick I may wish to stay outside the alcove of this movie or

to stand with my back against the glass wall and watch from a

distance. If I like it I am welcome to take a seat on the floor in

the middle of the alcove to watch more closely. There may be

other people sharing this space so I should select a space that

suits me and does not block others. This movie lasts a few

minutes and then repeats on a loop so I can come back to it

when it’s quieter.

The sinking gallery is very dark and I will hear the sound of

voices and Morse code. This gallery can be quite a sad place for

some other guests. I should respect this by being nice and

quiet going through this area because many people use it as an

area of reflection. This is a short gallery and at the other end I

can use the stairs or lift to get down to Level 3.

In the immersive theatre there is a movie playing on a very big

screen and there may be people sitting quietly watching it. I

should be quieter in this area. To get down to the next gallery I

can take the lift to level 2 or go down the stairs. It is quite dark

with moving rippled lights and the stairs are cut at an unusual

angle so I should go slowly, holding the rail and take great

care.

On the glass floor below I may feel strange standing over the

glass floor and watching the images pass beneath. I can sit or

kneel on the glass to get a closer look or stay around the edge

if I am more comfortable there.

When I exit the galleries I will be on level 1 on a balcony. I can

collect my photograph here. There may be a queue when

collecting my photograph. From here I can use the elevator or

escalator to return to the atrium where I can visit the shop or

the cafe.