Is this worth the 14 pounds entry fee? Most definitely! Not just a ship, there's a whole museum…read morething going on too, and they are currently expanding with the renovation of another building on the other side of the ship, which is going to be recreating Brunel's actual drawing office.
The ship is hermetically sealed in its dry dock, with a humidity-controlled environment keeping the remaining hull from rusting. This is where you start your tour, and it's nice and toasty down there on a chilly day. You can wander right around the hull down there, seeing the construction of the metal plates and wondering about the huge rip in the side and the crude patch they applied when the ship was brought back from the Falklands.
Next, there's the museum part, where the story of the ship is told by various exhibits. Several items of ship furnishings are there, including the main mast boom; and there are several interactive displays to keep the kids amused. It's also fascinating to peruse actual letters from passengers on the ship, which really give you an idea of what life was like on board.
Just through the room where you can dress up in Victorian fashion for a photo, there is an animated film that tells the story of how the ship was salvaged and brought back to Bristol. I found this very interesting, although it could have used a few inserts of documentary footage to liven up the animation sequences.
Then on to the actual ship itself, where eschewing the offer to climb the rigging, which costs a extra tenner and is done under supervision with a harness and hard hat of course - I was momentarily tempted I confess; we took our audio tour widget and descended into the interior. You get a choice of 4 audio guides, and with each one there are numbers throughout the ship that you dial into the handset to get the appropriate blurb, which was very cool as you can wander where you will and not have to do it in any particular sequence. The interior is fitted out as it was when she was carrying passengers, so you can really get a feel of what it was like, from the 'steerage' areas with stacked bunks right through to the promenade lounge with its faux-marble columns.
Definitely a must-see tour item in Bristol. A fascinating bit of history, and I like the way that you can wander around at your own pace and not feel that you are being harried in any way. Full marks.