Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

I really like the Planetarium but have been disappointed the last two times I have been there. Each time I buy tickets for myself and my children I am told at the time of purchase that my children must be quiet for the duration of the show. I totally agree with this and understand why they have this rule in place. It needs to be quiet in the shows so that everyone can hear the shows and not be distracted. Three years ago when I took my 4 year old to see one of the Planetarium shows there was a toddler that kept crying and screaming throughout the entire show. I did see a staff member speak to the parent twice about this however nothing changed or happened. My son sat there quietly and didn’t say a word however it wasn’t a nice show for him with all the crying and screaming, despite me being told upon purchasing the tickets that children must be quiet. After this experience I didn’t bother going to the Planetarium again until recently. I took my now 7 year old son and 4 year old daughter. Upon buying the tickets the lady asked me how old my youngest child was and I said 4. She then told me about the rule of kids having to be quiet for the whole show, etc. I thought this was great and I really wanted to get to hear the show this time so I was glad that the lady mentioned this. We walk in and sit down and then 2 ladies sit down with two babies right in front of us. One looked a few weeks old, the other one a few months old. We got up and moved to the other side of the seating area and I’m so glad that we did as both babies cried on and off very regularly throughout the entire show. One baby kept banging the seat in front and was crying into the ears of the person in front of them. It was very distracting and ruined the peaceful vibe of the show and prevented anyone from being able to immerse themselves into the show. I don’t know why the staff keep saying that children must be quiet during the show when clearly they can be as loud and disruptive as they like. It is a turn off for me and my family and I would rather take my quiet children who can follow rules elsewhere. It is a shame because years ago the Planetarium was always a really enjoyable place to be but not the last two times I have been. Maybe they should do multiple screenings of the shows; one for noisy people and one for quiet people who want to hear the show so that it can meet the needs of both?