After living and experiencing the limited Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum in Halifax for decades, I was both surprised and pleased to discover the Titanic Exhibition at the Luxor. I’ll admit that my expectations going into the display were pretty low — and in the end I came out amazed.
As you progress through the exhibit you pass through reconstructions of the third, second and first class quarters; the deck of the Titanic as it moves through ice on a starry night; the Grand Staircase (where you can have your picture taken); and, see a myriad of relics from the wreckage site.
The pièce de résistance is a massive chunk of the hull (with original windows intact) salvaged from the wreckage site. The room had an eerie calm. No one seemed to want to speak when they entered the room.
Shivers went up my spine upon seeing the third class cabins. They were actually quite comfortable looking and beyond what I’d expect for 3rd class passengers. I could imagine a family with kids who were excited about their journey, being thrilled upon seeing their room — not knowing what was going to happen 4-days later. Realizing that their excitement changed to terror in such a short amount of time made me feel physically sick.
A tremendous amount of research was put into the exhibit. At one point I stumbled upon one of the curators giving a talk to an interested party. The unending amount of Titanic knowledge that came out of his mouth was jaw dropping. I learned more in the 15-minutes I spent listening to him than I have in all the movies, books and websites I’ve seen on the disaster.
