My initial reaction to being told we were going on the SS Great Britain was "Oh great another boat!" I'm not a big history fan and my idea past-time is not wandering round an age old cruise liner that has been docked for years.
But I was pleasantly suprised. Apart from the fact that it wasn't really practical to push the buggy around the boat, even though they claim to accomodate for the disabled, it was interesting. You could browse at your own pleasure with commentry of what you were seeing if you wanted it through the headphones, and the occasional member of staff dressed as a crew member or passanger to give an insight into life on the boat.
Nothing was too complicated for my 7 year old brother to understand and it was interesting enough to keep my 1 year old son amused.
Great price as well considering you can go back when you want within a year once you've paid once.

My 82yr old engineer dad suggested we visited this historical boat and it turned out to be a fascinating and enjoyable afternoon. A lovely ride from the floating harbour on the Bristol Ferry to us to the SS and then a rightly timed half hour talk and tour took us around the various floors and rooms of the ship. Set out in the style of the day it was sea bound the ship gives an experiential opportunity to feel the life of its travellers.

I really enjoyed my afternoon looking around the SS Great Britain, my 2 kids did as well (13, & 3) as there are activities around the museum for the children to be involved in (ie, trying on different hats of people who were likely to be on the ship in that era, turning wheels to see the ship turn, ringing the ships bell, etc. etc) the ship itself was also good for the children as it is set up inside as if life were still being lived on the ship, cows that moo, rooms that smell (my 13 year old thought it was great that the ship's doctors room smellt of sick!) these are just some examples. In all it took about 2 hours to go round the ship and the museum - we didnt listen to the information handsets but got plenty of information from boards and there are also guides dotted about the ship who volunteered information and payed particular attention to the children.

There are toilets but nowhere to buy a drink.

Definately recommend it and the entrance fee is well worth the money as you can go back as many times as you like for free for the next 12 months. I have already taken the 3 year old back again and she loved it just as much the second time.

The SS Great Britain is a steam powered ocean ship that was designed by Brunel (you've got to love the man!), and built in 1843. It has great access for those who need wheelchairs, and perfect for all the family. Personally I found the museum a bit boring (which I think anyone would who doesn't have a particular interest in the history of boats), so I only looked at the kiddie sections, which I found much more interesting and easier to take in. However, there are some wonderful old accounts and diaries of people who had been on the ship which were definitely worth seeing.

Although the ship looks as though it's afloat, it's actually held up by huge railings, with a sheet of glass covered in an inch of water (pretending to be the river) halfway up. You can walk under this glass and have a look at the hull etc. Make sure to pick up your headset; they have one for each class of passenger that sailed, to give you a feel of what it was like, including some personal accounts.

The wonderful thing about the SS Great Britain is that you can walk around at your leisure. The headsets automatically start telling you about the section that you're in (the lower class quarters and the kitchen are especially interesting, because they've been made up to look as if they've only just been left a few minutes ago by the occupants).

Tip: get a boat there from the fountains (the ones next to the hippodrome) for a nice introduction and the start to a perfect day out.