TAMPA, Fla. — The north Atlantic Ocean comes to life in Tampa — and its April 15, 1912, all over again.
It’s unthinkable — the unsinkable Titanic is in distress.
Susan Rupe is on board with her social group from Brooksville. “It makes you realize you never want to be on a lifeboat,” said Rupe.
It’s all part of the exhibition “Titanic: An Immersive Voyage,” in Tampa through July 12.
And it all starts at a remake of the bow of the boat.
It’s where visitors relive that famous scene from the 1997 movie titanic.
Luxury abounded on the Queen of the Ocean.
“I think we enjoyed seeing the settings of the dining room areas. They were gorgeous,” said Rupe.
Of course there are photo ops on the grand staircase — and the illusion becomes more real thanks to the magic of virtual reality.
For Rupe and her group, learning that the crew didn’t fill the lifeboats to capacity and didn’t help those in the water was shocking.
“And the crew maybe were afraid to take more people on because they thought the boat was going to capsize,” said Rupe. “And if you can put yourself in their place, you’d be scared, but how would you feel by not helping?”
It’s a moral conundrum – and part of the reason Rupe gives the exhibition a thumbs up.
Return to April 15, 1912, but live to tell.