Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition now open in Toronto!

I've seen Titanic exhibitions before, but Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is far more impressive than anything I've experienced previously. The most stunning part for me was the recreation of The Grand Staircase, just as it was in real life -- and in the movie. There's also a professional photographer on hand to take photos of visitors posing on the staircase.

Other recreations include a beautiful first-class hallway that you can walk along to the first-class rooms, with a sample of what part of a first-class room would look like. These rooms had private bathrooms, and on Deck B, there were several spacious suites (at a cost equivalent to over $100,000 today) for first-class passengers. You can also walk down a much plainer third-class hallway, which features a sample of a small room that barely fits two bunk beds.

The 200 artifacts on display were procured by a submersible operated by people on land. It had a camera that captured images of the Titanic, and according to Tomasina Ray, President of RMS Titanic Inc. and Director of Collections, the artifacts were mostly retrieved from the seabed, as many items sank to the ocean floor when the ship broke in two. In fact, even more artifacts remain down there. The two-foot-tall bronze statue of Diana of Versailles, which was the centerpiece of the first-class lounge, has since moved to the debris field. Tomasina hopes to recover the statue during an upcoming dive. She noted that when they spotted it last year, "She looked almost exactly like she did in 1986, when she was last seen."

The exhibition displays sets of china, each designed differently for the various classes. Steerage (third-class) passengers ate from plain white sets, while second-class passengers had beautiful Delft Blue china, and first-class dined on sets that were white with a Titanic logo. I found the Delft Blue to be the most attractive and they also held up best, looking almost new, while the other plates had dark marks on them from exposure to seawater.

Tomasina stated that the artifacts, unlike the ship, are not showing signs of deterioration. "It's because the way the currents move under there, they're not building up sediment in any particular place and the things that are there are static, just pretty much embedded in the sea floor."

This means that for future exhibitions, there will be plenty of new things to see. Different exhibits are currently shown in exhibitions in other cities. Some of the heavier objects are on view at the Las Vegas exhibition, which stays in place.

One of the larger items taken from the ocean that you can see in Toronto is a davit -- a large metal arm that lowered the lifeboats to the water. According to Tomasina, this is the only davit ever recovered from the Titanic. Also on display are a Docking Bridge Telephone Stand, binoculars, items of clothing, leather bags, benches, pots and pans from the galleys, and much more.

One exhibit features a fragment from the starboard side of the ship, located between C and D Decks. There are holes where the rivets attached the piece to the ship, that now allows visitors to touch the actual ship. Additionally, there's a recreation of the iceberg, actually made of ice, that visitors can touch. For fans of the movie Titanic, there's a photo opportunity featuring a replica of the front railings of the ship where Jack famously cried out, "I'm the king of the world!"

Interspersed throughout the exhibition are quotes from survivors detailing their experiences, as well as lists of passengers in each section, including the crew, with numbers indicating how many survived -- and how many did not.

Once you've completed the exhibition, you can enjoy the VR experience. After putting on the headset, you'll find yourself in a submersible heading down to the ocean floor to view the remains of the Titanic. You'll be guided through the experience as you walk through corridors, and it's amusing to see what your friends look like through the headset. Apparently, I was wearing a green dress and a hat with a big bow, while my friend was wearing a top hat and suit. If at any time, you feel the submersible is moving too fast or if you just want to see where you actually are, you can lift the headset.

It's amazing to realize how much went into creating this exhibition. There are so many things to see and experience that you'll want to ensure you have plenty of time to take it all in -- 60 to 75 minutes is recommended. There's also a gift shop at the end with a wide range of fantastic merchandise, including replica dishes, maps of the Titanic, clothing with logos, and much more.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is now open in Toronto, near Yorkdale shopping mall at YZD, 30 Hanover Road. For more information and to buy tickets, click here. To read the true story of the Titanic, click here. ~Alexandra Heilbron