Monterey Bay Aquarium Reviews

Well worth the money for admission, and they also give you a break if you are a student! What a cool aquarium, I'd love to go back when I go through town again!

Awesome aquarium, my toddler is entertained for hours, and I'm enjoying the time as well. The only issue would be if you don't like strollers or kids because on the weekends there are a ton of them. Week days are much less crowded and more enjoyable if you can swing it.

A good collection of exotic sea animals and well managed. Cafe is quite pricy ($10+ for a small pizza), but good taste.

This aquarium is phenomenal! Of course we fell in love with all of the animals at first sight... they've got 9 or 10 different permanent exhibits, usually 1 or 2 changing specials, about 8 different behind the scene type tours you can take, daily shows and feedings... fish, jellies, turtles, octopus, penguins, sharks, our favorite adorable sea otters! that awesome kelp forest that shouldn't be overlooked, etc. MBA's conservation work is also extraordinary! So much to see and do and learn about here. We're from Texas but love it so much we're now members! Highly recommend you visit at least once if you can, and go check out their website if you can't (fun to watch all the animal live cams!)

One of my favorite aquariums! Love the sea otters and how you can really interact with them by having the upper and lower level windows!

I am old but i always want to go again and experience all the atractions.

Very nice place to visit with your kids and friends

Good aquarium but overpriced for the size and breadth of attractions.

It s a great place for all age group to see the sea creatures. Very well maintained. One great thing is the eco friendly cafe. Must visit place for every one.

Beautiful place to visit sharing ocean nature up front I try to make it a once of year, experience with my family

We were surprised to learn there's a discount for active duty military members so that made the visit more affordable. The otters were absolutely adorable as they played with and ate ice. We caught the penguin feeding and that was interesting to watch them dive together and learn about them. A lovely visit.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the world's great gems. The otters are adorable, of course, but the ever changing array of permanent and temporary exhibits are a world class educational experience. And the research they do is renowned as well. Among other things they administer the Seafood Watch list of ecologically sound seafood choices. We've been members for decades.

Quite underwhelming for the entry fee ($50). The Virginia Beach aquarium had more to see for half the price.

This was awesome! Well worth the price and trip. The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful, and the exhibits we're incredible! I would highly recommend.

Worth the money, one of best aquariums had chance to visit. Although seattle has better otter exhibit. Watch the feeding happen!

It's been years since I've been back to Monterey Bay aquarium. It's just as mesmerizing as the first. Better than the zoo for sure. There huge water tanks filled with so many types of fish is great for the kids. The otters were my favorite. Sadly I didn't get to see sea turtles, but it's all good. For a place with large foot traffic, it surprisingly stay cleaned. Maintenance crew is on top of their facility! The jellyfish area was a magical sight to see. Like your in an underwater sea rave HAHAHA

This is the best aquarium I've ever been to. It's clean, well laid out and the exhibits are awesome. They do a good job of developing the exhibits so that children can get something out of it, too. :-) Be sure to re-enact the scene from Star Trek 4 here.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is simply one of the best aquariums ever. It's expensive but it is without a doubt worth it, and I encourage others to continue to support them during COVID even though they are still closed!

Great place to take the kids. Lots of kid friendly interactive displays.

Amazing aquarium and very environmentally conscious. The jellyfish exhibits are definitely the coolest part!

Was an Engineering-to-Oceanography major in college ,66-70, but darn few jobs, just one at sjsc and for a polluter, "diving the sewer outfalls for LA County to clear obstructions."

So love this place, as a Frisco tour bus driver I get in free daily at "Group" breezeway entrance! Thank you, Julie!

Wish they had scores of remote cameras all over Monterey Bay, with a website online Link so anyone anywhere could care more 24-7.
And a facemask chest-height mock NorCal tidepool so folks could see through a facemask the psychedelic colors of the kelp and life in sun , without all the adaption hassle of skin/scuba diving in the real thing.
And a campaign to stop filters on cigarettes and all this cigarette butt litter. That would be nice.

A visit to another planet. Flowery corals in surprising colors. Creatures in amazing shapes and textures.
A not to be missed exploration of life below the waves so close outside but an onceanic world away.

Always an amazing experience! They can be a bit crowded on the weekend. The exhibits are all wonderful, and they make it easy to spend hours immersed in educational, visually entertaining, and environmentally conscious displays!

My wife and I absolutely loved it!
And we will definitely be back in the future!

Beautiful exhibits, but tons of little kids.... Not that I dislike families with small children, but after a while all the screaming and pounding on glass sort of takes away from being able to enjoy learning about the exhibits. Seems like a good activity if you have a 2-10 year old child.

It's awesome place to go. Always learning new things.

So many things but the price has gone up since the last 30 years. It s like 50 dollars for a person. Good to know the money is going back to the aquarium.

Excellent place for exploring sea life. Very educational for kids and adults too. This aquarium is attached to the Pacific Ocean direction.

This was hands down the best aquarium I've been to. I liked this better than Seattle's and San Francisco's. The exhibits were amazing, with lots of animals that all seemed well taken care of. This aquarium definitely focused on conservation efforts and education of the public. Great for any and all ages, from little kids up to your grandma. I can't say enough good things about this place and will definitely be back in the future.

Good place for students and other visitors.informative.

The history behind the building was very interesting, and the way they get their salt water directly from the ocean in cool. They have some pretty spectacular exhibits.

Wonderful place to bring the kids.
The numerous amount of Sea creatures and also the presentations by them makes this place a must visit.

We take a road trip here EVERY year and it's amazing. I really enjoy how they blend the history of Cannery Row into the opening exhibits and customer service here is terrific. The Open Sea exhibit is the main attraction and it's especially worth the trip when they have giant bluefin tuna on display. Bummed they didn't have any this time around but they have their reasons. The prices help a great cause and make sure to ask your hotel for the 2 days for 1 discount.

A wonderfully run facility and an amazing experience. The Docents were fantastic. Friendly, charming and informative. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Great exhibit of a variety of displays containing 2 to 3 story exhibit tanks of fishes. I took a video of a tank showing the small school of fish swimming in floor 1 area while the big predator fishes swam in the 3rd floor area on the pool. This is " floor reversal " after the predator fishes are fed, the seek the lower level and the small bait fish rises to the top.

Monterey Bay Aquarium feels more upscale than it is. The property and facility was clean and the employees nice and helpful. The problem is that there are entirely too many people. I've been here a few times over the past 25 or more years and this always seems to be the biggest frustration. The Aquarium has scheduled programs for feeding and education... which is great, BUT, every program we attended was significantly over crowded - standing room only. There are 3 main attractions: penguins, otters and deep sea/open sea fish. Each attraction has scheduled programs, each attraction has large TV monitors in various places so that when the room/area comes to 'standing room only' you can watch the monitors to see what's going on. I can remember my 3 most recent visits (over 20+years) and the biggest problem was the over crowding. It's great for business! Not great for customer experience. The Aquarium is a tourist hot spot and that greatly contributes to the over crowding issue.

This place is so cool. My son loved it. We will definitely come back.

I wouldn't have any idea what the aquarium looked like. We got in and they let so many people in (yes it was the 3rd of July) but my husband and I couldn't move. I had a stroller for my baby and my husband in a wheelchair. We never could even get Close to approaching a window or an exhibit. After about 30 minutes of fighting to even turn around or BREATHE we decided to bag the money and left. Don't ever ever go on a holiday or anywhere near a holiday

I cant say enough good things about the aquarium. Im fortunate enough to live within 3 minutes of the aquarium and I go here bi weekly. If you go more than twice a year definitely get a membership . By doing so we were able to get guest passes and hand them out to our friends that come into town.

Very overpriced and not as big as I thought it would be. The Vancouver aquarium was a lot nicer. It took us a couple of hours to see absolutely everything. It's a good place to visit if you've never seen jelly fish or been to other aquariums. All the staff are very friendly however and very helpful. The place is generally very clean as well. I guess it just comes down to preference in the end.

Incredible displays of fish and other aquatic creatures in a very natural habitat. Beautiful ocean views also.

The aquarium is lots of fun! This was our first visit. We purchased the two day ticket you can buy through the hotel--great deal! Two days for the price of one. Our first day was on a Friday--it was perfect, not very many people at all. Saturday was a whole different story! Total madhouse!! Seriously, I don't know if it was because it was raining out, everyone decided to go to the acquarium or what?! But we still enjoyed seeing some of the exhibits we did not get to see on Friday. We especially loved seeing the little movie they did on Luna- a rescued sea otter. Also, please note- food is very expensive so either bring your own or go outside and eat somewhere on Cannary Row for half the price. Parking was $15 for the day and trying to park on Saturday took at least a half hour. Next time we will try to do both days during the week, for sure.

It was awesome, first time and got two day tickets for the price of one day tickets from the hotel (day's Inn) it was breathtaking totally worth the trip never seen anything like that it was mesmerizing my personal favorite is the one they call wide open ocean going to go back, I also liked cannery row, didn't get a chance to see Fisherman's wharf or hang out much at the beach but next time for sure. I saw ppl from all over the world down in Monterey *

It is loaded with wonderful and beautiful things to see. It is also very dark inside so put something that glows on your children.

Awesome place to spend with family and learn about creatures created by our grand creator.

That was my first time at the aquarium and it was beautiful I was like a kid

One of the best aquariums you can visit. Great supporters of sustainability, and wonderful exhibits and programs. Pretty expensive, but worth it.

This Aquarium is really amazing. Complete info about Sea life one can understand in few hours. Friendly staff and nice canteen is a plus. I recommend for students to visit- really they will enjoy.

You must have pretty fun with your kids. But I think it's suitable for children or family. You can learn some knowledge here and experience interactive installment.
There are tons of places to eat here, especially seafood.

Terribly crowded and very expensive, but the aquarium displays are still spectacular and worth seeing.

One of the best aquariums I've ever visited. Their otters and penguins display are worth visiting.

Amazing exhibits and interactive displays. A bit confusing layout, but everything is so visually stimulating that you won't notice the awkward walk around much.

I really like this place awesome staff and overall a great experience. I do think it is very unfair for the sting rays and other animals in the touch pool. Also the animals have really tiny spaces.

Can be pricey, but has a lot of great animals. If you have kids and go a couple times a month, I would look into the annual family pass (if you have visitors get the one with the 2 guest passes).

My only complaint is the price. My daughter loved it. She had an amazing time. We saw everything more than 2 times and we will definitely be back.

Always cool to see my son having a great time learning. They need more sharks my son loves them.

One of the best aquariums out there ( and I have been to many).

Great learning experience for the whole family; however, do NOT buy your meal in their cafe, it is overly priced ($60 for a family of 3!).

Fascinating place. It leaves you amazed and filled with questions. Plan on spending all day, then come back later after you have had a little time to think about it.

tons of fun! great place to go on a date or with the fam or on a field trip

The aquarium is great, but it's ridiculously overcrowded on weekends, making it difficult to enjoy/see the exhibits. Expect slow moving, long lines if you want to buy your ticket when you get there. Also, the parking situation is a joke. $40 for the closest parking garage (street parking is nonexistent on a Saturday).

What a great place! Our friends gave us their guest passes to go see this place and we had a great time. We spent about 4 hours there and managed to see all the animals and a couple of feedings, although the "Open Sea" feeding is supposed to be quite interesting and we got there too late to see it. The exhibits are very informative and there are many interactive exhibits for kids and adults alike. Great way to spend a day.

Amazing aquarium. I have been coming here since I was a kid, and it's always an incredible experience.

In particular I recommend the Bat Ray petting area, though you may have to wait a while for them to float your way.

Well presented displays of native sealife. Great hands on for children as well as adults.

Lots of fun. Great set up and flow for viewing, learning and pictures.

This aquarium is absolutely beautiful, lines are fast and employees are kind. Touch pools, otters, sharks, and penguins are just some of the highlights. I ll admit, for older kids 10+ it isn t as entertaining; I recommend going to the feedings and auditorium shows for those who aren t as interested in the kiddie activities. I personally enjoyed everything even though I m older. Inexpensive as well! If your local I think it s worth it!

Its a wonderful variety of sea life to learn about. They have lots of helpers to answer all your questions. Great place for all ages!

Amazing place. Go and early as possible in the morning and leave before it gets super crowded if you have more than one day to visit. We visit for 1-2 hours in the morning then get lunch or late breakfast and do other activities around town, then go back the next morning again. Much more relaxing way to visit when it's crowded .

Perfect day trip. Great for all ages, plan to come many times, because it is huge. Great restaurants, especially Riva. World class experience, even just walking through, but take a tour, because you get the inside scoop and behind the scenes information. Family friendly.

Really good aquarium. They have a lot of variety but focus on the Otters.

Extremely pricey - admissions and food. It's decent as an aquarium, but the price doesn't justify driving a couple hours to go here.

Love to drive to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. It's about 2.5 hours from SF. The scenery is just wonderful. And so is the destination ( bring snack and movies to keep the young ones happy!) The aquarium is just breathtaking. Tall windows that just make you wonder how they are still up with all that water pushing back. Food is great too. Different areas for kids and young adults. It's worth the trip so plan to stay there at least 2 days for full enjoyment of the place. Lots of hotels nearby .

Best aquarium in California. If you are going to Monterey you have to visit it! For the best experience go during a weekday.

One of the very best aquariums and they have the most fascinating exhibition of Jellies around.

We could have spent an entire day here. Absolutely amazing. All of the exhibits are well organized.

It's always a wonderful experience to go the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had a blast seeing all the fishes. It is equally fun for adults and children. It is worth a visit if you re in the area.

Loved it. The best time observing the playful otters, I could stay ALL day :)

Great place to visit for young to old. Never disappointed.

This place is awesome! You have to go at least once and expierence the awesomeness inside!

Great aquarium but so overcrowded. It was almost not fun because of how many people they crammed inside. I would like to see more from the outdoor section of the aquarium.

The animals seemed happy!