During a visit to Las Vegas, we decided to tour the Titanic Artifact Exhibition located
inside the Luxor Hotel & Casino. This is a permanent exhibit, as opposed to those
that move from city to city, due to the fact that a 15-ton piece of the ship’s actual hull
recovered from the ocean floor is included in the display.
Upon entering, you will be issued a Boarding Pass for passage on the Steamship
R.M.S. Titanic. Each pass contains the name of a passenger and information about
where they were from, their destination, the reason for traveling and family members
accompanying them. This immediately gives you a personal connection to them.
Along the tour you will pass through a re-creation of a hallway outside the staterooms,
giving you the same experience as the passengers on the ill-fated ship. There is also a
replica of a stateroom on the ocean-liner, complete with furniture and luggage. Posted
throughout the exhibit are photos of passengers and crew, with biographical information
about each individual.
If you are a true Titanic fan, you can hold your wedding with limited guests at the foot of
the Grand Staircase, recreated accurately with the gold clock on the wall above it.
The more than 350 artifacts on display are amazing. They include an intact, unopened
bottle of 1900-vintage champagne, assorted unbroken dinnerware and serving dishes
which you can just picture being used in the formal dining room, and pots and pans from
the galley. Some personal items of the passengers were eyeglasses and luggage. It will
cause you to reflect as you realize the personal objects were recovered from the ocean
floor where they had resided for more than thirty years and were more than likely
treasured possessions of the passengers.
As you continue the tour, you are invited to proceed “outside” the ship to the
Promenade Deck where you can gaze at the many stars in the clear night sky and
experience the colder air temperature, the same as the Titanic passengers did on that
fateful night.
Your tour, of course, concludes with a visit to the gift shop where we purchased a
commemorative magnet to add to our collection. There are numerous Titanic
memorabilia available, including reproductions of some of the dinnerware found intact
when the Titanic was discovered on the ocean floor.
Whether you are a history buff or a movie fan, the Titanic exhibit is thought-provoking
and entertaining. For more information about Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,
or to purchase advance tickets, see the website www.vegas.com/titanic/exhibition.
