FUN, dull, noisy, quiet, imaginative, boring, cold, hot, exhilarating, tiring and very big.
They are just some of the reactions I overheard when visiting the Millennium Dome.
Some of the 14 zones need a couple of hours, some you can whizz through in minutes and some you may want to skip altogether.
But whatever you do, make sure you take along some stamina and a warm hat, it is cold.
The entrance to the big top is awesome. An enormous library greets you and subconsciously gets you in a learning frame of mind.
And that is what the Dome is all about – learning.
If you want rollercoasters, log flumes and haunted houses go to Alton Towers. But if you want a challenge and the chance to see into the future take the trek to Greenwich.
There are opportunities to check your head in Mind, communicate better in Talk, find your religion in Faith, see the world in Home Planet and see how we work in Body.
Death-defying acrobats entertain and scare you in the show, and all around the Dome performers keep you amused.
The only trouble is there is so much to see and do.
Pick a few zones and give them well deserved attention. It is impossible to do everything in a day. Most zones cater for children with a whole host of interactive games and tests.
You can post messages to friends in Talk, tax your brain in Mind and shoot each other with balls in Play to keep the Earth’s clock ticking.
If it all gets too much, check out the fabulous quiet area in Faith or snooze in Rest. Or get your sense of humour back with Blackadder and Baldrick in Skyscape.
All said, there is something for everyone and no-one will like every zone and attraction. It is brash, some designs are ghastly and some zones fail to get their point across.
But there is nothing like it, except maybe the Epcot Center in Florida, and if you can forget the cost and sore feet, it will make a great day out.
Highlights: BA/BAA Home Planet, it is the only ride in the Dome and lets you relax; the sheer energy of the Timekeepers in Play; the quiet room in Faith; getting into cyberspace in Talk; the spectacular show.
Lowlights: queues; a building site feel in places; the size, which leaves you feeling exhausted; unnecessary corporate trumpet blowing; and fast-food outlets.
Verdict: easy to moan about, but everyone I spoke to said they would go back.
Underground: Jubilee Line to North Greenwich, 15mins from central London. Special one-day Millennium London Ticket ticket available at £3.50 for unlimited travel on the tube, buses and Docklands Light Railway on the day of a Dome visit.
Train: Charlton and Greenwich stations are the closest and have links to the Dome on the M1 and M2 buses.
Riverboat: City Cruises runs boats from Waterloo and Blackfriars piers to the Dome every 30mins. White Horse Fast Ferries runs from Greenwich Pier to the Dome every 15mins.
Coach: the site has room for 300 coaches. National Express will terminate coaches at Victoria to transfer passengers to tube and trains.
Bus: the M1, M2, 108, 161, 188, 422 and 472 go to the Dome.
Road: the Dome is in a no car zone and restrictions apply for two miles around. There are five park and ride car parks around London at Wembley Station, Stratford, Woolwich, Swanley and Sandown Park.
Adult: £20.
Child: (5-15): £16.50.
Under fives: free.
Family: (two adult/three child or one adult/four child): £57.
Adult group of 15 plus: £17.50 each.
Tickets are NOT on sale at the Dome. Dome admission and travel packages available from operators through agents. Ticket Line – 0870 606 2000. Tickets available from 25,000 National Lottery retailers. Or – www.dome2000.co.uk
“The key question is ‘do I want to go back?’ – and I do. I thought it was great, but maybe I am a bit of a lone voice. It was cold though.”
Richard Tobias,chief executive, British Incoming Tour Operators’ Association
“I was absolutely amazed by how it felt when it opened up to the public. The Living island is good and after all the controversy with Faith, it also looks very good.”
David Quarmby, director New Millennium Experience Company.
1. Skyscape, hosted by Sky TV
Watch Blackadder as history’s most cunning player makes a journey through time. A concert venue by night.
2. Learning, sponsored by Tesco
Experience school smells and sounds, and see the 21st Century Domesday book. Work, sponsored by Manpower. See how our all of our jobs will be done in the future and play on the world’s biggest table football.
3. Body, sponsored by Boots
See our emotions in action as you travel around a human body.
4. Play
This section is great for the children. You can fire balls from machine guns at each other and try and find crystals in order to power the Earth’s Great Time Clock.
5. Journey, sponsored by Ford
Check out travel through the years and see what we are preparing for our future journeys in planes, trains and automobiles.
6. Shared Ground, co-sponsored by Camelot
See how we stamp our personality on our private personal space.
7. Living Island
Take a trip to the British seaside and experience the sights and sounds of a traditional break. Stroll the pier and play in arcades.
8. Home Planet, sponsored by British Airways and BAA
Get aboard the Dome’s only ride. See what makes up the Earth.
9. Self-Portrait, sponsored by Marks and Spencer
Celebrate the UK through tastes, people, attitudes and see thousands of faces that make up across-section of our country’s inhabitants.
10. Talk, sponsored by BT
Interact with ET, speak on a live TV show and learn about how we communicate.
11. Faith
Test your beliefs by seeing how the world’s religions look at the year 2000. Experience the range of faiths followed in the UK and rest in the contemplation area.
12. Mind, sponsored by British Aerospace and Marconi
Play mind games with each other and explore our senses and perceptions of everyday life. Even change your sex and race.
13. Rest
Turn off, tune out and relax in the Dome’s ownmental flotation tank with sounds, lights and shapes.
14. Our Town Stage, sponsored by McDonald’s
Watch local groups perform their hopes and histories on stage. Or see international visitors perform on a world stage.
15. Money, sponsored by the City of London
The place where everyone can be a millionaire. Discover what the banks really do with yourwell earned cash.
16. Main entrance
17. Learning Experience Centre,sponsored by McDonald’s
18. The Millennium Show
Marvel at acrobats, dancers and performers five times a day. Music composed by Peter Gabriel.
19. Greenwich Pavilion
The story of time.
20. Meridian Line