Mission Planet Earth Experience at National Museum Cardiff
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Over half term we were invited to National Museum Cardiff to check out their Mission Planet Earth Experience. We were also offered the chance to try out their AR sets for a tour of the museum afterwards! Read on to find out more…
Mission Planet Earth Experience at National Museum Cardiff
Mission Planet Earth is a virtual reality experience, focused on the history of the earth over time. You will travel back to see the dinosaurs, meet large centipedes, watch woolly mammoths in the snow and more! The experience lasts about 20 minutes in total, and it’s not only fun but super educational…
We were greeted by two lovely members of staff, who helped us with our headsets and explained how it all works, as well as offering to take photographs of us during the experience. I was quite nervous (and out of my comfort zone), but they were just so sweet and put my mind at ease. We all sat down in the (very) comfortable seating, and we were directed to our headsets beside us. These are adjustable, so you can make sure they fit you properly before you begin. The seats are not only comfortable, but also come with some rumbling and vibrating effects throughout the experience, so you feel fully immersed!
We weren’t sure what to expect when it came to the experience, whether it would be fun, interactive, or educational. Well, I have to say, it was all three! The experience offered lots of opportunities to get involved in the mission, and the graphics were awesome. I loved feeling like I was floating in space, and we all loved using our hands to interact with the various challenges along the way…
When it came to an end we were all sad it was over. George and Molly absolutely loved it, and their gloomy moods from the rainy morning had been swept away! They were so animated talking about their adventure, and it was amazing to see them so passionate about it.
At the moment, the price is £10 per person. I think it would be great if there was a discount for children, or a sibling discount. However, most of the museum is completely free to access, with tonnes of interactive elements, galleries, displays and more. This has to be funded, so £10 for a one-off experience really doesn’t feel too steep in our opinion. If we’d have been paying visitors, we said we’d probably pay for the children and sit and wait, but in hindsight it was amazing to be part of it and be able to talk to them about it afterwards! So for £40 I think we’d do it as a family for sure, now we know what to expect, because it’s not like you’d be doing it on a weekly or monthly basis – it’s more of a special treat.
Want to know more? Here’s a little video to show you what to expect…
After we’d completed the mission, we were invited to try out ExplorAR (Augmented Reality). The devices cost £10 per hour to hire, and you can use them in three parts of the museum; underwater, dinosaurs and modern art. This was super interesting, and it was mesmerising to see the creatures and paintings come to life…
We had the best time discovering the different AR areas, and George and Molly loved seeing all the different creatures come to life!
I really think you could easily spend a day (maybe two!) at National Museum Cardiff, exploring the various exhibitions and use the VR and AR services. There’s so much to see and do, and there’s a little cafe and a coffee shop within the building so you can fuel up in between looking at the gorgeous art gallery and learning about volcanoes!
Check out their website for full details of upcoming events, and don’t forget to try out the Mission Space Experience, you won’t regret it!
Have you been to National Museum Cardiff yet? What are your thoughts?
