gulf world marine park Reviews

We took our girls (ages 4 and 6 ) here primarily to interact with the dolphins. My 6 year old just made the 48" cutoff so she was able to do the dolphin swim. The dolphin trainers were PHENOMENAL! They gave special attention to my 6 year old and made sure that she was able to get a good ride on a dolphin. On the first attempt my daughter slipped off of the dolphin, but they let her try again and the second time was a success. My 4 year old did the meet and greet and absolutely had a blast!

Now I'll mention just a couple of things that people have left negative comments about and share my take on them.

Price: I am an Active Duty military member and even with the discount my family wound up paying about $400 (The photo disc which you have to buy if you want a photo memory of the dolphin interactions was $95 for two kids). Personally, I thought the money was well spent for a few reasons: First, Gulf World works to rescue and rehabilitate injured dolphins as well as other animals(and I can imagine that the overhead of the space, the salary of the expert staff, the medical treatment and upkeep of the animals are all pretty pricey). Second, they work hard to educate the public on the dolphins and tropical birds and other animals that they rescue. Third, this was a special vacation expense that we had saved up for and it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that we will always cherish. You get what you pay for.

The Heat: There is no air conditioning here. We went at the end of June and it was HOOOOOOT and humid. We had to leave earlier than desired because my kids were not handling the heat very well. Even in the indoor sections it was very warm -but this is necessary because they are featuring tropical animals. I do think that Gulf World could mitigate the heat by having misters and more fans throughout the area.

Hopefully this review will help you make an informed decision on Gulf World. As long as you have realistic expectations of an operation this size, you will have a blast!

After going to the Newport aquarium in Cincinnati, this was a little disappointing. It was overpriced, and had no aquariums of fish indoors, however, the dolphin and sea lion shows were very good!

This place is surprisingly very well done. It is very clean and laid out well. You can get very close to all of the animals. There are shows - Sea Lion, Pets, and of course the dolphin show. You can also touch and for a fee, feed the rays. After each show, you can get a photo with the animals for $10-15. There are also opportunities in the park for $10 photos with birds, snakes, etc. There are two snack/lunch counters with food that is higher than fast food, but surprisingly not ridiculously priced. They also sell a large souvenir cup with free refills for $6. It's a great deal, especially if you don't mind sharing with your family. There are several special experiences such as entering the ray tank to feed them, swimming with dolphins, etc. For regular tickets though, buy them online from the parking lot after making sure it's not packed! Buying online will save you $5 per ticket. They also have a military discount, 50% off for military members and 20% for military family members. However the $5 off for online tickets is a better deal for kids tickets. Definitely visit this place if you are in PCB.

Two great marine shows. The kids lived petting the stingrays.

Animals seem very happy and my children loved petting the sting Ray's and the Dolphin show.

Nice little mini SeaWorld, half price through February so that definitely made it worth the visit.

Had a WONDERFUL dolphin encounter! Would highly recommend this.

Me and my boyfriend spent the whole day at Gulf World this past Wednesday (8/30/17). We had purchased tickets to swim with the dolphins encounter. We really enjoyed all the shows they had. We loved getting to swim with a dolphin. Our instructor was Caroline and she was really sweet and informed us on dolphins and gave us some really cool facts. The dolphin we swam with was Turk. He was so sweet and an amazing creature. It was an amazing experience. We only got to spend 30 minutes with the dolphin. I wish we could have got more time. And instead of it just being you it was everybody who was doing the encounter together. But all in all it was an amazing experience and I would do it all over again . A really great place.

They hide secrets about scaring and hurting the animals to do their bidding to get them so be trained it s really rude to force something to do it because they didn t do anything wrong

Awesome staff, super friendly, dolphins were super intelligent and seemed to listen to the instructors very well. My 5 year old little girl had a blast getting to ride on its belly and all the hugs and kisses the dolphins give.

Unless you are going for the dolphin attractions (ride/swim), totally not worth the admission prices. Very few exhibits. More birds than anything. Only nurse sharks. Couple penguins, couple flamingos, couple sea turtles. Even dolphin show was amateur. Would even recommend Gulfarium for the extras, at least it's in the ocean.

went there at the end of the season and it was 50% off, with few people everything went very well and no waiting for pretty much anything. only complaint was the size of the facility but even that wasn't terrible I could see it not being worth it sure peek season though

My family loves this place. Gulf world is a must do once a year

Shows were amazing employees were awesome my 2 yr old stayed entertained

Whole family loved this, getting splashed by dolphins, seeing turtles and sharks, and petting the stingrays (that don't sting, of course).

I visited this place in November. For the price, I d be expecting something more. The place is pretty small. A lot of animals weren t there and few parts of Gulf World were closed due to renovations. I really enjoyed the dolphins show!

Amazing experience every time! This is my daughter's favorite place. We have season passes.

If you re not there to spend a ton of money to get in with the seals or dolphins, the $30 seems a bit steep for the little that s there to see.
The staff were all super nice.

We took our daughter for her 6th birthday to swim with dolphins. Her sister and I both joined. I have wanted to swim with a dolphin my whole life and Gulf World Marine Park was the most amazing experience! My youngest struggled because of the depth of the water, she had trouble keeping her feet firm on the pool floor. The dolphin is a strong animal and it was hard for her to hold on the her fin when trying to ride but our trainer gave her extra attention to make up for it. This is an experience I would recommend to everyone. It's pricey but well worth it. The interactions with the animals is an unforgettable experience.

It's very small. Without shows we would be done in half hour. Touching stingrays was cool. The dolphins and seals shows were awesome. Otherwise not much to see.

The exhibits were great, the dolphin saw was entertaining. The staff was awesome.

I loved it the experience was absolutely amazing,we took our 11 year old granddaughter her and grandpa who she calls "King" did very well and the instructor's were great at explaining all of what to expect A big 10 must visit.

After a show sign up for some Dolphin hugs and kisses photos!

This place is great, and the dolphin show is amazing, but their attempt to gouge you on photos is reprehensible.

My wife and kids signed up to do a Dolphin Encounter, where the children would be able to touch a dolphin. This was wonderful and everyone had a great time. After it was over, we (naturally) wanted to get a photo or two as a keepsake. The only option given to us was to buy a CD of pictures for ~$160!!! After having paid almost $500 for admission, this soured the whole visit.

Our ten year old and two year old loved it. The ten year old really enjoyed feeding the rays.

Gulf world was an amazing experience. From dolphins to sea turtles to sea lions this place has a lot to offer. The reason for the four stars is the amount of stuff you have to pay to experience on top of the admission charge and a few areas need some updating, while others were closed due to construction. For admission you can watch a few shows but after about two hours you are ready to leave and do something else, does not have as much to offer as would a place like Sea World. With that being said, if you are in PCB and need a few hours to kill this is a great place to go and take the family.

Loved it. Kids had a great time. Animal acts and photos something they will never forget.

The show was awesome!! It's a nice place to take children

Took grandson, place is too small for animals and too crowded. Cost is way too expensive. Save money for somewhere else

The dolphin show was fantastic, kudos to the trainers! It is relatively small overall but worth the time with out a doubt!

It's not as big as you would expect, but you can tell the staff really care for these animals. If you're in PCB it should be on your list of things to do.

It was a huge let down for me. I was excited for this place. There was nothing really to see! Shows were cancelled, etc. I won't go back.

The place is good for family and kids. Enjoyed the dolphin and sea lion shows.

We had a rainy day and decided to take grandkids to Gulf World..what a disappointment!! The dolphin show was decent but the rest was just average...the bird area was smelly and that was disgusting..definitely Not a place I would recommend!!!

Awesome time with the family. An unforgettable experience for my children

One the best parts is Stingray Bay which is closed for renovations. Call before you come or you could be disappointed. $30 is a lot when a things are unavailable

It was so much fun getting to see all the animals & their trainers interacting with them. The price wasn't bad either, I will definitely be going back.

Always a must visit when in PC Beach. Dolphin show is great.

Full price $80 and 3 main exhibits were closed. Dolphins were awesome. But you should only pay for what you get to experience.

Used to love this place but it is getting old and tired

Great show the dolphin show was pretty cool plenty of sea life

Two of there dolphins died and is terrible it hasn t even been announced

A wild life facility that cares about the quality of life for so many of God's special creatures. We enjoyed every one of the presentations.

Nothing compared to other city aquariums, but does have a dolphin show and other shows during the day.
The tanks are not very clean and need some updates. ESPECIALLY that shark channel.

Had an awesome time!!! Everyone is very friendly, and you can be adults and enjoy yourself here!!! And get kissed by seals!!!!

it was a nice experience, the place is very small you can check everything in 3 hrs! Not a lot to do over there! Not very clean! The shows are more educational so don t expect to much fun!

The shows were nice, but short because of the animals. Not as much animals as I thought but good food and friendly atmosphere. I would go back here

I when there 2 weeks ago and raining I was the stands I ended up slipping down stairs almost broke my leg and cracked my phone that was in my pocket I was holding my 18 month old son lucky he was ok the lady that was working the show offered me a band aid the rest trip was ruined because they don't have.
( Anti slip paint on the steps)

So this place is ok. It s def no sea world it s extremely small and you can literally look at everything in an hour or less unless you watch a show (which we didn t). We did do the dolphin encounter which was amazingly cool but FYI they don t allow you to take your own photos or videos at all and packages start at $55.
When we went a lot of exhibits were closed and everything seemed very dirty and grimy. We would not go back. It gave us something to do when our boat tour was cancelled due to weather.

Absolutely loved coming here. The trainers are all so kind and you can see the love they have for the animals on their facial expressions. I really liked how one trainer even mentioned that they do not force the animals to do anything they don't want to do. The animals are trained with positive reinforcement. Looooved all the educational shows.

The only damper was that it was raining the entire time I was there

Very cool, but the bad thing that they want to sell you the packages of photos in more than $ 75 and if you want to buy one they sell it to you for $ 35. I mean it is too expensive for what you spend to see-touch and swim with the dolphins !!

So much fun!!!! Loved all the animals & the shows!!!!

My boyfriend and I purchased the Swim journey experience and it did to disappoint. This is something we've been wanting to do for years and it exceeded our expectations! Our trainers, Hallie and Carolyn, were so sweet and full of knowledge - it was great to talk with them! Ivan, one of their most popular jagged tooth dolphins, was our favorite expietence. I would recommend for anyone who is thinking about it, worth every penny!

Great place to take kids! The shows were really entertaining. Staff is extremely nice.

Great atmosphere when you walk in but when you get to the park there is no aquarium, the shows were okay very limited on aquatic creatures. Didn't feel like it was worth the price of admission

Great experience- dolphin swim was fun, all of the shows were amazing!
Highly recommend the experience!

Love this place this is our second trip to gulf world! We love rehab non-profit organizations. The park is clean and very entertaining! A must visit when in PCB!

This place is so much fun! We got to see 3 shows and learned so much about dolphins and seals. They have sea turtles, variety of birds, and a exhibit to pet sting rays! I recommend this place for families with children. Gulf World offers so much more than I have mentioned.

My two kids went to Dolphin Day Camp and they really enjoyed it. My eldest wants to be a dolphin trainer now. They went on and on about how they met all the animals, picture package WAS included, they got lunch, a certificate of completion, they got to touch a dolphin, and they got life changing memories. They were so happy and it was money well spent. I d do it again in a heartbeat.

Great for the kids great environment just a great place

Went for daughter's 16th birthday it was amazing we all love everything about it

Great place to take the family. The show's were amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful.

The best family attraction in Panama City Beach! Do not miss it and it is priced great!!

My wife and I did the dolphin Swim Adventure and it was awesome. The staff made the whole thing fun and easy. I want to be sure to mention Rachel the dolphin trainer, and Mako the dolphin, by name, because both were great. Also, Gulf World as a whole is doing great work taking care of marine animals that, for one reason or another, could not make it in the wild, while also raising awareness as to how to help protect their wild cousins.

I'll start by saying that my family really enjoyed the dolphin show. What I did not enjoy was seeing all the poor birds look sedated and over all unhappy. I left feeling sad for the penguins and birds. With the cost of entry it would seem to me that their habitats could be improved greatly.

Had the most amazing time here. The staff is great, the animals are beautiful. The meet and greet with the bottlenose dolphins is so worth It! Great photographer to capture the experience as well.