Titanic Belfast, N. Ireland (Travel)

Titanic Belfast: the Experience

TITANIC. The word conjures up vivid images from history, the media and imagination. The tragic – yet hauntingly glamorous – story of Titanic is familiar to most.

At the heart of Titanic’s story is the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. For the traveler and Titanic enthusiast, this is a destination that should be on one’s bucket list.

Titanic, the “unsinkable” ship, hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from the British Isles to New York City in 1912. A century later, Titanic inspires intrigue, mystery, and myriads of questions in us all.

Titanic Belfast

Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a port included on our NCL 2023 cruise around the British Isles. With rave recommendations from fellow travelers, an excursion to the Titanic Belfast was on our bucket list!

At Titanic Belfast we were immersed in the world-famous story about the world-famous ship through the eyes of those whose hard work and ambition built her.

Titanic was designed, built and launched in this place, located beside the Titanic Slipways (boat launch).

Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic. On this site is home of the Drawing Offices of shipbuilders Harland & Wolff and the Hamilton Graving Dock (dry dock). We learn her story beginning with her conception, through her construction and launch, to her tragic maiden voyage and her ultimate place in history.

Titanic Belfast, built in 2012, is the world’s largest Titanic exhibition and most authentic retelling of the iconic story. In the self-guided Titanic Experience, we uncovered the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the ship. We discovered the story of the people and city that made her. It is truly the pride of Belfast!

Titanic Belfast is a eight-story building which features nine interpretive and interactive galleries. In these galleries, we explored the sights, sounds, smells, and stories of Titanic. We explored the early city of Belfast and people which made her.

I have seen several Titanic exhibits over the past decades, but this one definitely gets to the heart of the story and tops them all!

Boom-town Belfast was our first gallery stop on the themed, one-way journey. We witnessed where the liners were built in the shipyard gallery. We explored the launch, fit-out and maiden voyage as we moved along. We discovered details about the sinking, the aftermath, the quest to find Titanic and her final resting place. Meanwhile, the hopes and dreams of those whose lives were impacted by the great ship were shared with us. Lastly, we saw the impressive collection of unique Titanic artifacts such as this replicated deck chair.

We learned why and how the ship was built. We examined what happened in its final hours. We studied the differences between fact and fable. We walked in the footsteps of the designers and shipbuilders who brought the dream to life a century ago – right in this spot.

Titanic: the Site & the Silent Century

Titanic Belfast is located on Queen’s Island, an area of land at the entrance of Belfast Lough (lake). Reclaimed from the water in the mid-19th century, the harbor was used for many years by the shipbuilders Harland and Wolff. They built huge slipways and graving docks to accommodate the simultaneous construction of the Titanic and its sister ship, Olympic.

Sadly, much of the area was sorely neglected with the decline of shipbuilding in Belfast. Disused structures on the island were demolished. Fortunately, a number of heritage features were given “listed status.” This included the slipways and graving docks of the Olympic and Titanic.

Samson & Goliath

The two, iconic H & W yellow cranes were also given “listed status” and put on the “save” list. At 300 feet tall, they rise like monuments high above the docks. Named “Samson and Goliath” after two biblical figures renowned for their immense strength, they can still be seen today as symbols of the city.

The Silent Century

During the decades across the 20th century, Belfast distanced itself from Titanic as a blemish on its reputation. Local shame made it a taboo subject. However, at the end of the century, two major events brought “Titanic Mania” to the world – and a change of heart to the city.

Titanic Mania

First was the 1985 discovery of the Titanic ship wreck by Dr. Robert Ballard, American retired naval officer. Second was the 1997 blockbuster movie, Titanic, by James Cameron, along with Celine Dion’s musical hit, “My Heart will Go On.” Belfast wisely decided to capitalize on its claim to fame and make its Titanic legacy a tourist draw. Its goal was successfully achieved with the creation of the Titanic Belfast complex.

In 2001, the derelict land was renamed the “Titanic Quarter” and slated for regeneration.

In 2005, plans were announced to build a museum dedicated to Titanic to attract tourists to the area.

2012 was set as a completion date to mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic‘s maiden voyage – and tragic sinking.

The Titanic Belfast: its Design

The architectural design of Titanic Belfast is significant and highly symbolic. First, it reflects Belfast’s ship-making history. Second, the architecture is a tribute to Titanic herself. The angular form represents the shape of the ship’s prows. Its main “prow” is angled down the middle of the slipways of the Titanic and Olympic toward the river. The enormous hull of the ship is represented in the external facades. 3,000 individual silver anodized aluminum shard-like reflective cladding, all from a local source, covers the side of the structure. It stands 126 feet high, the same height as the hull of the Titanic.

Titanic Belfast: The Grounds

The grounds surrounding the Titanic Belfast building also cover a huge area. This model on display gives perspective. The white building on the left in the photo below represents the museum. The area on the right represents Titanic in the area of slipways where it was constructed. Massive is a good description.

Traveler Tip: Be sure to allow enough time during your visit to explore the grounds as well as the museum.

Titanic Belfast: Interior

The entrance to the building opens to a spacious and informative atrium. All visitors are welcome in this space. It is where one can purchase tickets to enter the museum, visit the gift shop, and grab a bit to eat at a variety of dining options.

The interior architecture intentionally draws one to various aspects of Titanic. The white star – for “White Star Line“- is seen throughout. Tons of steel work run through the inside of the building, all installed by local men and women.

Noteworthy, but not a part of most tours is the Titanic Suite on the top floor. It houses Belfast’s largest conference and reception space seating 750 people. Located in this center is a reproduction of the original staircase on the Titanic, made famous by the 1997 James Cameron film. The 4-ton staircase was brought in as a focal point, a stage and a VIP route.

Tickets & Admission

Replicas of the original tickets issued to Titanic passengers were our entrance tickets and designed to became great souvenirs. Informative and well-done audio guides served us for the well-organized, semi-self-guided tour as we moved from gallery to gallery. The audio guides were easy to use and easy to follow.

Traveler Tip: It is highly recommended to book and prepay your tickets ahead of time to make sure you get in when it works best for you and your travel schedule.

Memorabilia from the White Star Line took us back in time and provided a colorful introduction to the exhibition.

Titanic Belfast: the Galleries

A series of galleries led us through the experience. We quickly realized that this was much more than a museum – it was a Titanic Experience – as the package stated! Cutting edge computer generated imagery (CGI) was utilized throughout the building. Thanks to James Cameron, film director who brought the Titanic back to life, the exhibit fully utilizes the latest incarnation of technology.

Gallery 1: Boomtown Belfast

Boomtown Belfast is the 1st gallery. The journey begins with a glimpse of Belfast in the early 1900s. Sights and sounds of the period engulf us on all sides. (Unfortunately it was difficult to photograph.) Silhouettes of period-dressed characters stroll through the recreated Belfast streets. Scenes of the city illustrate its major industries during the time of Titanic‘s construction (1909–11). A highlight of this gallery is an original set of gates from the Harland and Wolff shipyard. They provide a visual entrance into an interactive floor presenting Titanic‘s construction plans, original drawings and scale models of the ship.

Gallery 2: The Shipyard

The Shipyard is the 2nd gallery. The ‘shipyard ride’ in this interactive journey made it my favorite part of the experience. it gave us a realistic sense of what life in the shipyard may have been like.

A multi-story lift (elevator) carried us to the top of the gantry. Audio and visual images displayed scenes of shipbuilding along the way up. We climbed into a six-seater car which took us on a rail ride through a recreation of a shipyard. We moved along the rails through a scale replica of Titanic‘s enormous rudder.

A 66 feet tall steel scaffold dominates this gallery. It alludes to the Arrol Gantry (special crane) built to aid the construction of Titanic and Olympic. It is difficult to comprehend that the actual gantry was four times the height of the gallery’s representation.

As we moved along the tracks in our cart, we could feel the heat from the welding irons. All around us, the sights, sounds and smells of a turn-of-the-20th-Century dry dock filled the air.

This hands-on, experiential ride, was the highlight of the Titanic Belfast Experience. It provided us with a real sense of the effort and skill that went into constructing Titanic – from design and technology to the sheer manpower and the skill of the workers.

Gallery 3: The Fit Out

The Fit-Out is presented in the 3rd gallery. A large-scale model of Titanic illustrates the fitting-out of the ship in preparation for her launch. A model of the ship illustrates how she appeared to her passengers and crew, depicting all three classes of cabins.

Models of the Titanic and cut outs of various parts of the ship are on display. Each reveal fascinating stages of her construction.

A central feature is a 360-degree computer-generated tour around Titanic. Included are all the levels of the vessel from the engine room to the dining saloons and the bridge.

1st Class Cabin

A replica of a Titanic 1st-class cabin, decorated with replicas of a real life cabin, was a popular exhibition. Using holograms, Titanic ghosts ‘came to life.’ We experienced a realistic sneak-peak of the interaction between a well-to-do female passenger and a cabin steward.

Gallery 4: The Launch

The Launch – The 4th gallery highlights the process and location of how Titanic was launched. We viewed historical scenes from the warm, spring day when Titanic was launched into Belfast Lough (lake), witnessed by 100,00 people.

A gallery window in the museum overlooks the slipway from which Titanic was launched. It provided us with a great view of the slipways and docks as they appear today.

Gallery 5: The Maiden Voyage

The Maiden Voyage – The 5th gallery outlines the journey from Belfast (Ireland) to Southampton (England). From there she sailed to Cherbourg (France), Cobh (Ireland) and finally, westwards across the Atlantic Ocean towards her destination: New York City (USA) .

This gallery depicts the ship’s disastrous maiden voyage with a replica of the ship’s deck. We imagined ourselves as Titanic passengers, anticipating our upcoming grand adventure as we walked across her wooden deck, sat on authentic replicas of her benches and gazed out across the docks and harbor.

We felt a kinship to the Titanic’s journey as our ship, the Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Dawn, retraced a few of these Titanic’s ports: Belfast, Southampton, and Queenstown (now Cobh).

Gallery 6: The Sinking

The Sinking – The 6th gallery is an emotionally charged gallery as it portrays the disaster of April 14-15, 1912. We viewed a computerized visualization of the sinking of Titanic – while listening to the background sounds of Morse code SOS messages being sent to other ships.

Images of the sinking ship, audio voices of survivors telling their stories, along with illustrations of the confused press reports of the disaster, immersed us in the event.

The focal point of the room is the illusion of the fateful iceberg, evoked by a wall of 400 replica life-jackets, on which is projected an image of the sinking ship.

Gallery 7: The Aftermath

The Aftermath – The 7th gallery documents the legacy of the disaster and aftermath of the sinking. The room is dominated by a life-size replica of one of the lifeboats used to evacuate passengers from the ship. Videos and informational panels documenting American and British inquiries into the disaster are portrayed on either side of the lifeboat. Visitors may search the passenger and crew lists on interactive screens to investigate if one of their relatives was aboard the ship.

Gallery 8: Titanic Beneath

Titanic Beneath in Gallery 8 is about the discovery of the wreck of Titanic. It presents Titanic as she is now, 12,000 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean. Presented in conjunction with Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the wreck of Titanic, this gallery illustrates his expeditions to the ship through footage, audio and images. Under a glass floor is a view of the ship wreck as if it is a ‘glass bottom boat’ experience!

Gallery 9: Myths & Legends

Myths & Legends in Gallery 9 provides insight into the facts behind some of the numerous stories about Titanic. Countless legends and myths rose from the infamous disaster, perpetuated through films, plays, books and poems.

As Celine Dion’s famous song “My Heart Will Go On” plays in the background, we explored aspects of the popular culture inspired by Titanic.

Titanic – whether in fact, myth or legend – continues to fascinate us through its haunting glamor and tragic mystique. Titanic Belfast has done a terrific job to remember and honor all who were involved with her legacy: her designers, builders, passengers, and crew – and keep their memory alive.

Post Script…

Sadly, Titanic tragedy continues… More recently, on June 18, 2023, a group of Titanic explorers on their trek to the original shipwreck site at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. met a tragic fate when their submersible imploded, killing all 7 people onboard.

Visit

• The Titanic Belfast visitor center was opened almost 100 years to the day from when Titanic sunk on its ill-fated maiden voyage out of Belfast.
• Located in the heart of Titanic Quarter, Titanic Belfast is just a short walk from Belfast’s city center. It has easy access to public transport and car parking available.
• When asked why people should visit the center, Noel Molloy (Titanic Belfast lead project manager) told BBC News at the time of its opening: “We’ve built a truly iconic building, put in the world’s largest Titanic exhibit and we’re dealing with one of the greatest stories the world has ever known.” He assures us that the story of the Titanic is not entirely one of tragedy, but is also “one of the greatest stories of human endeavor. . . Here in Belfast 100 years ago, 3,000 men took three years to build the largest vessel the world had ever seen.”

Traveler Tip: Our tickets were part of an NCL excursion package. I found that for one booking it on their own, the Titanic Belfast website provides very helpful information on tickets to various visitor options, tours, and what is included with each. titanicbelfast.com/explore/. Also, the website by Jessica Norah (see Sources below) is packed with useful and pertinent tips on Titanic-related sites all over Belfast.

Sources

• Belfast Tour Local Guide provided through NCL Belfast excursion (29 May 2023)
• Titanic Belfast Experience self-guided tour with on-site information and Audio Guide provided with tickets (29 May 2023)
• DK Eyewitness Ireland (p 276. 2019 ed)
• gotobelfast.com – Belfast City Council website
• titanicbelfast.com – Titanic Belfast official website
• bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland – “Titanic Belfast: A first look inside” (30 March 2012)
• independenttravelcats.com/titanic-belfast-museum-titanic-sites-in-belfast – “Titanic Belfast and Other Titanic Sites in Belfast” by Jessica Norah. (09 July 2023)

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