What I told parents at the door, every morning

Five years of school groups and drop-in families. These are the small habits, not a listicle.

Which weekday is emptier

Wednesday opening, then Thursday. Tuesday can surprise you with camps. Monday after a long weekend is not restful. Friday afternoon picks up. If you can take a morning off, take Wednesday.

A tunnel photo without a crowd

Do not stop on the belt. Step onto the ledge, wait for a gap, shoot looking forward not up (up is ceiling lights). The trick is arrival: first thirty minutes after opening, or the last hour on a weekday. Saturday at noon there is no trick.

The gift shop

It is a mark-up. Plush rays, plastic turtles, the same water bottle in three colours. If a child needs a closing ritual, pick one thing before you enter and stick to it. I am not above a postcard.

Strollers and wheelchairs

The galleries are step-free. The moving walkway has a bypass corridor — use it rather than fighting the belt. A double stroller fits, barely, if you are patient at the corners. Companion access is an operator question at the door, not something I can arrange from a P.O. Box.

Queues

A timed window still queues a little. It should not wrap the block. If it does, you are in the Saturday 12:00–14:00 crush I keep mentioning. Go eat, come back for a later window if the operator will move you — I cannot.