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.