Miami Seaquarium Reviews

If you want to visit an inhumane 1960s aquarium this is your spot. I don't know if I feel worse for the animals or for $100 we lost.
Either way i am doubly depressed after.

At least I can vent here and save someone else's vacation.

P.s. Worst reef experience in North america.

Awful fast food inside Seaquarium, especially frozen pizza with litres of oil for 30$, advice to prepare own food and take it inside. Parking 10$, 2 adults 105$ with taxes in Dec. Generally ok. There are only 4 kinds of shows and rest of things are like mini zoo, just to walk around and look. They should remove this unhealthy food and make good restaurant INCLUDED in ticmet price. Estimated time of beeing there to look at all shows is 3 hours. Not all trainers are interesting, they should less talk and more play and show with animals.

I loved that the Seaquarium rescue, rehabilitate and release. The dolphins and killer whale shows were my favorite.

I will never go to a place that puts it's most prized possession, Lolita the whale, in the smallest pool in North America for 45 years, and THEN abandons her in Hurricane Irma! They are lucky those metal stands did not fall on her and kill her during the hurricane. If you want to see dolphins and killer whales, see them in the WILD. It's much more beautiful and peaceful. Giving your money to this company, and teaching your kids the same, will continue the abuse and further trapping and killing of whales and dolphins for the entertainment of ignorant people. The less money they get, the more pressure to go out of business and transfer Lolita and the other dolphins back to the wild or into a bigger pen. So sad.

Is a very good seaquarium staff is very nice and the show was good too

It is beautiful to see dolphins and many more of diferent species.

expensive and the money does not go towards the care of the animals. The orca belongs in the sea with her family. for 40+yrs she's been in a tiny fishbowl tank, lonely, bored, and not fed a wide variety of food. how depressing. and all you will be doing is contributing to her saddening circumstance. "flipper" is a movie. u want to take your kids to see dolphins and whales and other sea creatures?? show them the value of life, and go see them in the wild.
Also Miami Seaquarium is a big supporter of dolphin slaughter industry. look it up. educate yourself. Do Not visit this place and support this.

Dreary, animals look very unhappy. Dirty. Tanks are super dirty, can barely see the fish and other sea life. Barely any sea life to begin with for an aquarium. Not worth the price.

Great place for the kids. Its a little dated but still fun

Supremely underwhelmed. Where do I begin? So, a good deal of the park is EXTREMELY dated. It reminds me of the early 80s, late 70s art deco that's been left to decay over the decades. For the money you pay, they should be able to renovate some of these exhibits. Many of the tanks are very dirty and the animals throughout the park look depressed. The animal shows are entertaining, so that's a positive. Food wise, typical park fare, but the staff looks unhappy to be working here. Had orders that were wrong twice in two different areas. It's a Miami staple/tourist trap. Enter at your own displeasure/risk.

It's kind of sad and old... especially Lola the Orca. There are always protesters in front too... I went once and didn't go back

It is pricey for a family ($50 for adults and $40 for kids). The day we went, there didn't seem to be a lot of shows. I would suggest calling in advance to check show times (we didn't think of it until we were there). We saw the Top Deck (included in admission), with the dolphins. It was amazing and that pretty much made the outing.

Loved it! Not overcrowded and the animals seemed well loved!

I gave a 5 coz i know its for animals
But for the money u pay alot of animlas are in thier plus as first timer not impres for it overall I'm thankful for the animals safely that's all

this Aquarium offers all the large animal appeals of sea world but keeps it in a small high quality atmosphere! Our family stopped in for a day and were immediately impressed with the staff/grounds! My family did the dolphin expirence, which gives your family a chance to interact with dolphins behind the scenes, what an expirence! We kissed, played catch, petted, and learned all about them!

Took my 2 year old to the Seaquarium as she loves anything sea related. Must admit that I sort of like the place but left disappointed. First, the cafeteria needs major improvements. The staff was friendly but I believe that more updated equipment is necessary for faster delivery. It literally took me 45 minutes to get food which made me miss a show.

Secondly, the shows. As each show is 20 minutes long, 15 minutes are dedicated as educational (this excludes the sea lions). For instance, the dolphins show. I m standing with my child, it s 2:10pm, and the trainers are teaching and asking questions about dolphins for more than 10 minutes. With a cranky child at hand cause of the heat, I almost left. Once the dolphins show started, she calmed down and was happy. Please don t take this that the educational part is not good...it is, but I think if they actually do this 10 minutes prior to the show, it would be better. I felt bad for the trainers as they tried to get the audience involved and no one responded. They did a good job!

Lastly, places to eat or drink. With this heat, we wanted ice cream but the shop was closed. I had to go around and get something to drink while my wife was in line for the killer whale show( mind you, the ice cream shop was literally next it). Most of the shops were closed in the park. It kinda sucked.

Overall, I think this place would be great as it has a lot of potential. The staff was friendly and the limited shows where awesome. I d take an annual pass if improvements were done. I would definitely spend my money again here if there s some improvements. My daughter loved it.

I really hope this review helps.

Great seaquarium with a strong focus on conservation and importance of protecting our oceans and seas. Our family swam with dolphins, touched sharks and rays, but most importantly my 7 year old son asked me about what sustainable seafood meant and it was a great teaching and learning opportunity for me to explain to him what it meant for his future. Lots of great activities for the kiddos like a pirate ship wreck themed splash pad, inflatable slides and of course all the other sea life exhibits. If you are looking for a break from the beach head over to the Miami Seaquarium, totally worth it!

Way overpriced. All outdoors. And poor exhibits. Don't waste your time and money.

Very nice place to enjoy the day. The shows are a lot of fun and educational. Was a little upset when I wanted to sign up for the picture with the sea lion and the girl said I couldn't other than that beautiful day spent

They didn't seem to treat the animals very well and it was generally a bit of a lame entertainment experience. Seeing the animals was cool but I'd rather spare the animals and watch a documentary where I learn more than a few flashy stats and feel stimulated watching animals bop around in an enclosure.

Kind of a bit run down and expensive at $50 per adult. Would've been nice to have cold water fountains for humans.

overall decent place if you like killer whales and aquatic animals this is the place for you the only problem is that the lines long and there too little to see but the shoes are great

Terrible experience. Almost no animals, the few fishes they have are maintained in terrible conditions. The main attractions are 3 shows that they cancel with no refund possibility, if the weather is not good, it is important to mention that summer is rain season in miami, so expect to lose your money

We love this place for artistic parrots and majestic manatee.

Had a terrible experience. Started shutting the park down 1 1/2 before they closed.

Made for great family memories. The park is nothing impressive but the shows, especially the sea lion one melted my heart lol. We paid to have him kiss us.

This place is way overpriced. There is not much here to do, we were bored within an hour. If you have little kids it would keep them entertained for a bit, but as an adult I was dissapointed.

Nice family environment! Great for field trips too!

Undersized pools, having to perform for food, orcas dolphins just don't belong in these bath tubs.
There is so many wrongs hear dont be fooled this is education it is not.
If you believe that animals evolved into the beautiful intelligent creatures they are today or God miraculously made them that way.
If you buy a Ticket your a fool.

i went to the Miami seaquearium like 6 years ago and it was a nice experience, but they get more and more expensive by the years.. and their seaquarium gets worse and worse. for that i rather save like 50 more dollars and drive to orlando!

Very old. Not 2 many animals. Only good 4 the show's

It rained when my husband and I visited. Couldn't get to see much because some of the exhibits were closed due to the rain, etc. We are from several states away. We were in the area for our honeymoon. It just happened to rain the last day were were in FL.

It's a must if you visit Miami, we do take care of or sea mammals.

It's a great place to learn about sea life and have a good time. The shows are amazing.

Great place for kids and even adults. The shows are very amusing and professional.

They have the smallest orca tank in North America and have been keeping Lolita there, alone, for 40 years. Please don't support this awful place.

Fun time and lots to learn about. The location needs a remodel, very worn out. Friendly staff and a fun first time in Miami.

Very pricey but worth it if you spend all day and get to see all the shows.

Cool place! They should curate better (more exhaustively) the information about the species found in the aquariums

Entertainment for adults and children very rare place

It was much better than I expected based on reviews. The whale tank is way too small and kind of heart breaking, but other than that we loved it and had a great time!

Place should be shut down. I feel bad for the animals

Awful place don't care about the welfare of there prisoners lolita the orca was stolen from the wild and is now being held as prisoner in a tiny tank.

A must see! They have awesome adventures like scuba diving and holding exotic animals! Not very expensive for what it is.

We went for my girlfriends birthday and we really believe that the staff at this place is planning a mass suicide because they all look absolutely miserable...the park is basically empty and i can understand why....i felt like i needed a metaphorical shower after i left because i needed to wash the memory away. Half of the exhibits were closed because of Hurricane Irma which I understand but that was never mentioned to me during purchase....Extremely disappointing experience. We were in Mexico a couple months ago and the aquariums and experiences were breathtaking....this makes me sad to be an American. Thanks Miami Seaquarium, for robbing me of those few hours of my life i will never get back. The only good part was the one skinny tall dolphin trainer, he was cool, but even the other dolphin trainers were rude to some of the foreign guests.

Had an amazing time. The Dolphin Odyssey is incredible - well worth the money - an experience I ll never forget.

Check Groupon first, then check and see if all exhibits are open. Lots of fun for the whole family.

Over 200 animals have died here. Lolita s tank is illegally sized!

I had a great experience there! Loved the Killer Whale and the Sea Lion show! My kid had an awesome time!

Enjoyed the dolphin shows and food festival. Miami is hot so take an umbrella incase you cannot find a covered space during the show. The flipper show was fun.

We had a great day here. Lots to see and lots to do. My 3 year old and 1 year old both loved all the animals and sea life they got to see. Only drawbacks were that it is slightly overpriced in my opinion. And that the saltwater aquarium (our favorite part) was super cloudy when we were there. Might have been due to the visitors that were driving in the tank at the time. It was just slightly disappointing that we could not see the fish better.

Got 5here at 10 seemed like a lot of the places didn't open til 1130 to 12

The best part? The view of everything outside of the park. I wish I was kidding. Majority of the animals were lethargic and the shows very, very short compared to other parks and hardly educational. It was really weird to see the killer whale in a pool not much bigger than she was and no gates leading to backstage areas which means that's probably where she's kept all the time. If that's the case, that is awful. Especially given that there were dolphins in the pool with her doing the show too. The water also looked pretty murky in most of the enclosures making it hard to see anything.

Most of the staff was polite and helpful but not very informative about the animals themselves. And when things like the water quality and the killer whale pool were brought up those individuals got quite snippy and rude. It's obviously a sore spot for them so I'm not surprised there are apparently gatherings of protestors periodically if that's their attitude.

For the price it's not worth it. You get a much better deal clicking on an HD ocean documentary on Netflix.

FREE LOLITA! OVER 40 YEARS OF CAPTIVITY AND NO ONE HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT! ANIMAL CRUELTY AT ITS FINEST!

Nice place. Great shows. Family friendly. Nice staff. Military discount

You && your childern need to watch the documentary BLACKFISH about what really happens at these places! Its disgusting.

Miami Seaquarium has kept an orca, Lolita, in the smallest tank in America since 1970 under the muse that it's for educational purposes when the only motive is profit. In 1980, her former companion, Hugo, rammed his head into the side of the tank repeatedly until the point of death. Lolita has not seen another orca since. The Orca Network has a seaside sanctuary ready should the Seaquarium release her. She would be in her native waters and would get to live out her years with the space she needs to swim, dive and breech. 122 dolphins have died here.

GOING TO THE MIAMI SEAQUARIUM DIRECTLY SUPPORTS ANIMAL CRUELTY. DON'T BUY A TICKET.

This place needs to be renovated. The top deck dolphin show is horrible. Some dolphins in the corner are not fed and looked sick. The dolphins that ate fed get about 10 pieces of fish dropped in the mouth then swim for a second or two and back for more fish. The area with a couple of crocodiles and iguanas is a joke. Looking at the ocean was more entertaining. I was two kids and they wanted to feed the little rays that swim around so we got there early. Had to sit through a long speech about not touching the young rays or you'll be kicked out. Then finally the food to feed is being sold and they run out in 2 minutes. Big waste if time. The only decent show was watching lolita.

Very expensive even with military discount. And half the park was closed...

It s a sad place to be in. By far the worst experience I ve had. Sharks and barracudas are gone, killer whale jumped 2-3 times during show, top deck show should be changed to top deck TALK. Nowhere near what this place used to be 10 years ago.

It's a really nice place. There are some interesting and smart animals and the staff is very knowledgeable about what they do.

Miami #1 Top Tourist Trap!

I am local and after reading some good reviews about the seaquarium I decided to take my family visiting from abroad to check it out while on their vacation time in Miami. We spent approximately $50 per person ($150) along with a rip off $10 parking fee (for an empty unattended lot). It was a waste of money and felt like a rip off catering to foreign tourists. I have been to several others in the USA and the value for money here fell well below my already low expectations. Half the shows were over by the time we arrived at 2pm and I specifically asked before paying for the tickets. The talks/lectures were environmental related and they would be better off donating ALL proceeds to a local animal shelter. The place is quite old and in disrepair. For the price and what you actually see I would not recommend. They were kind enough to refund $50 (while reminding us that our annual pass will be voided) but it required us waiting 20 minutes (multiply by 3 adults time = 1 hour) to talk to a manager. Spend your time enjoying the nearby beaches instead. They should sell this facility and put it into private ownership of someone who actually cares for the guest experience. A couple million dollars would go along way in improving the overall facility and entertainment options available. There wasn't even any open food courts available when we were there.

PS: Food and Beverage sales could easily boost the potential revenue. It could then be reinvested to make the place a real seaquarium that Miami residents would be proud to bring their guest to visit. I would be glad to offer advice on how to improve the bottom line, if my ideas would actually get implemented.

I decided to take my toddler. I read the reviews and thought that I was making a bad decision. Despite this I still took him and I am so glad I did! It is like a mini Sea World without the cool rides. The staff were pleasant. The dolphins seemed happy not sick and miserable. The staff seemed to be in love with the animals. The park was informative and educational but not overbearing and preachy neither boring. Most of what I read here were balant lies. I was happy to purchase the picture when I left the park. The food was not better or worst than expected. The shows were on time and actually entertaining and worth the price. We didn't get to see everything because my was so overwhelmed with everything we did see.

The only negative experience I had was in the dolphin ship area. Be warned: There aren't any seats. I had to hold my son and boy was it hot. It was so crowded. The guest were standing where the trainers are to enter and exit the pool. I believe this made the trainers frustrated but they were still nice about it. I was frustrated watching the staff tell them over and over to move.

Overall, I had a great time. If my son was old enough to actually appreciate it I would have got the seasonal tkts. When he is older I will always buy season tickets.

Forget the negative review and go!

WILL NOT RETURN!
This place is run down and dirty! Half of the attractions were closed but I paid full price. The kids area(salty pirate?) was closed at 1pm so we never got to go. The water I all the tanks is so dirty you can't see anything unless it swims right up against the glass. Even The ray feeding tank you can't see the rays u til it's on your hand because The water is so gross.

The signs directing you around the park old, as we found out after missing the dolphin show. We asked an attendant after finally finding one and they confirmed that the hanging signs aren't accurate anymore and the map isn't either!

The shows are boring. educational but not entertaining. you watch a lady feed a whale or a dolphin. 2-3 tricks and it's over. The whale only splashes one section each show and no one will tell you which one. we went to 2 shows, sat in 2 different splash sections and didn't get wet once! My kids were devastated!

The shops starting closing at 430 even thought the park closed at 6! Guess they don't need the money with the outrageous ticket prices, but my daughter really wanted her face painted!

The Splash spectacular was a bust, 4 old dirty slides with the rudest attendants. A nasty woman was waiting the 4 and under slide actually grabbed a child harshly by the arm as she came down the slide and screamed in her face "how old you is?" (she was 4) I called a park employee over to report it because if it had been my child she touched and left a mark on I would have probably been arrested. The mom and I explained what happened and the park employee said the attendants worked for the slide company not the park so there was nothing they could do! Shameful!!

The food was what you expect, gross and overpriced. And that's if you get any! the shops close way before the park does and when they are open the attendants are rude and unhelpful. I stood at a counter and Waited 13 minutes before a cook looked up and said"u gonna get food or just stand There?" no one had asked to take my order, the cooks never once looked up to see if they could help, I said I would like to order if this is were we did so, but he just looked at me with brows raised so I just walked away.

This place is not worth half of what they are charging! Stay away!

Wide variety of exhibits and shows, though a tad overpriced.

The whale is kept in a really small pool barely 3 times her high. It's like keeping a human in a 15ft jail cell. Please free this poor whale

I had fun with the family but they over price u with the photos.. dolphins were amazing

Wish there were more attractions but love going here with my son.

Didnt get to visit cuz of hurricane... n didnt get refunded for our tockets

Very nice to go with kids a lot of animal encounters great to learn, beautiful shows!

Good experience! Food is mediocre with an expensive price.

Ugh, I love seeing the animals but the staff act like they'd rather be anywhere else. Also overpriced.

pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. In this day and age. Manatee's swimming in a concrete, circular pool with hunks of lettuce and apples floating on top. An overpriced amusement park with hotdogs and blow up slides. save your money. Needs to be shut down.

Worst place ever, loltia is said to be the most neglected killer whale in the eniter USA! She was kidnapped from her family in the Puget sound on August 8th 1970. Then put her in a tiny tank that is under the government standards?!? She had a tank mat named hugo but he passed away in 1980 leaving her all alone. She has lived over 40 years a slave and its time to bring her back home and reunite her with her family you don't care about lotia! You just care about the fact that she brings you lots of money.