National Marine Aquarium Reviews

Not as good as it use to be but still great day out

Went into few sea aquariums in my life. So far one of the best I went to. If too crowded, more difficult to see details, especially the little ones will have the problems. But very nice. You can see Nemo and Dory there too, so my daughter was impressed. Well done to all at the National Marine Aquarium.

Watching the zebra sharks getting fed was incredible

Really enjoyable experience. You get free entry for a year included in the ticket price. It's great for the kid who never gets tired of it.

Some fantastic displays and amazing Aquariums showing local marine life to its best. Highly recommend especially as we got free annual membership on our visit!

Brilliant day out for all ages. Wheelchair friendly too

Always a good experience. Knowledgeable staff. At the moment quite a few exhibits were under construction (jellyfish one not there at the moment) I would guess they will be sorted when the holiday season starts. My only negative comments would be that there are quite a few exhibits where the information telling what is in them was severely lacking.

Not being from Around the area the sat nav gave me horrid directions only to find parking close by here is near impossible - nice venue - however a few unnecessary congested areas at times - and felt it didn t flow as well as it could.

Great aquarium, fun for all ages. Beautifully kept displays and enclosures.
Great walk through tanks and information for all the species.
Cafe has a nice selection of food, and choices for little ones to eat (make your own lunch bag).
There is a small soft play, at an extra charge.
There is a designated carpark for the aquarium, also at an extra charge (extremely busy in the school holidays).
The location is great and easy to walk into town and along the quay (even a swing bridge!)

All marine life cared for to a high standard, but signs and presentations were poor, staff giving them did not have good knowledge of marine science and were clearly just summer students doing a bit of work in the holidays.

Wow great day out with the family; drive 2hrs from Bristol and it was well worth it: only negative was the fish and chips was mediocre

Lovely attraction, good value for money and brings joy to any small shark enthusiasts!

Great aquarium with a range of different tanks including creatures from all over the world. Highlights are sharks, rays, jellyfish and Lotssee and plenty of organized talks to learn more about the exhibits. If you book on the advance the More

Staied in the rain, they did not rush on getting people in ( children toddlers and parents all got wet with or without umbrella) from 3 ticket points 2 of them were open with a turtle speed of service. FOR WHAT IS INSIDE IT IS EXTRA OVERPRICED 2 adults 40 pounds and in halph an hour we saw it all, nothing interesting or wow. If it would be Sea Life London for 40 pounds yes ok I agree because it is beautiful,but sorry to say this aquarium did not satisfy my expectations.

Really enjoy the aquarium. Went for my daughter's 4th birthday and can now go for an entire year with that family ticket. Amazing value! She absolutely loved it, so much so she asked to go back the next day! Staff and volunteers that are dotted about are brilliant too. One did a little quiz with her and told her (and me!) all about the creatures, was really informative. Their little soft play area (which costs extra) is also a nice little addition.

Definitely a great place to bring young children around the ages of 4-9. Though still an educational experience for older audiences there were many young children and a lot of the interactive experiences are aimed at a younger demographic. In my opinion it was too expensive but for those looking to entertain children for a day I would recommend it. The food is adequate but the menu is moderately expensive but tastes alright, however there isn't much seating.

Very interesting place in Plymouth. If you are a student you pay 13.5 pounds for 1 year ticket!

Quite expensive but worth the money, great day out for the family and you can learn lots!

Very friendly staff who are always on hand to welcome you and answer any questions. Lots of fish tanks, with a couple great walk-underneath shark/big fish tanks. Lots of information to learn from, making a great day out.

Best aquarium in the area, lots of local fish species and lots of variety

Fantastic informative day out for all ages and family

We have been on a number of occasions and there is always something new to see. They had an offer when we went that allowed return access which was good. It is good for all ages with good access for disabled. There is a cafe and gift shop. The cafe is a little underwhelming but does provide refreshment. We often have a coffee and then wonder around a second time to make the most whilst we are there.

Fantastic variety of wonderful sea life, we go at least 5 times a year

This is a really great aquarium! There is a great range of marine life to see, like sharks, rays and turtles, and it is a really interesting and fun visit.

Always an amazing experience. Staying overnight with your kids is highly recommended although they only do this a few times a year so book early.

Incredible time.happiest grandchildren on the planet xxx

Excellent aquarium with some impressive tanks. Cafe and picnic area with lots of seats. All marine setup with an easy path to take you around all the tanks.

Enjoyable and educational day out with the family, great value for money with a year of entry included in the price!

Brilliant for any age and we can return as many times as we like in the next year

It would be amazing if you could have a quiet moment while watching the fish.

I really great place , just a shame about the restaurant not a clean table in sight.

nice aquarium, doesn't take long to go around and see everything

As always a fascinating and educational day out with the juniors

Really good place to visit and spend an afternoon. Wonderful staff and great tanks

Excellent aquarium focusing on local marine life, but including a large section on the Great Barrier Reef. Some very large and impressive tanks

Fantastic once inside, the NMA has a genuinely bizarre idea to do with having everyone fill in forms when buying entry, so the queue moved at a glacial pace

Great way to while away 2-3 hrs and learn something.

Needs some information updating (r.e. green energy and recycling) seems huge but isnt so large as you think. Good information friendly staff. Pay once get a whole years entry which is worth it. Plenty of fish to see and other creatures. Good amount of seating too. Very accesible.

Well laid out. Very informative as well as interesting.

Second time we have visited, the first being many years ago. Some of the display information areas are in need of a refresh, some of the detail can't be read due to letters having been worn away. The large display tanks are wonderful giving you the ability to see the fish and other creatures close up. The cafe was very good value for money. Next time we will go on an adults only evening (which we were unaware of til we visited today). Overall I think the entrance price is a bit on the steep side.

It is a good family day out. Wonderfull. All around the aquarium it stank of baby sick and cheese

Nothing to do with the Genoa aquarium, exaggerated price, disappointing shows

Expensive rather tired try the one in ellesmere port

Friendly and knowledgeable volunteers offered to answer any questions. They are amazing with children and make the place come alive. There are talks throughout the day. Sea life does not have to be brightly coloured to be fascinating.

Thought it was rather expensive entry until I found out that the ticket is valid for a whole year. Absolutely loved it, the guides are exceptional and everyone is really helpful and informative. Huge tanks and a massive selection of fish.

Lots of varied tanks and exhibits but it only really comes into its own if you're prepared to do a lot of reading on the way round.

Obviously this is brilliant for adults who are actually interested but it struggles to hold the attention of children, particularly younger ones. I'm aware they are not necessarily the target audience but some more tactile, interactive activities would go a long way for the smaller ones.

Obviously the place does very important work and it's wonderful for that, but without reading you can easily see what there is in less than an hour so it's a bit of a tricky one to recommend for the price.

I'd definitely say see it once as you get a annual pass for the price of standard admission and you can also get a discount at Paignton Zoo which is a nice bonus.

In summary, worth a visit but, largely, you get out what you out in.

Absolutely Brilliant day out for any family I could of stayed there all day

Amazing ! 2nd time I gave been with my little one . We come every year . Near her birthday . She loves it . Really nice staff . Best to make the most of it out of season

A lovely day out rain or shine... magnificent things to see.
Initially expensive, but with subsequent free year long access... actually works out very competitive.

Brilliant aquarium. Plenty of different marine animals to see. Lots of information and facts around, great place for family visits. The staff are really helpful and knowledgeable, they really show their passion for what they do. Would definitely recommend

Enjoyed it here , been to a few similar but this was the best .

Really great, my baby loved it. Facilities are very dirty though.

Amazing place with some wonderful looking tanks and very friendly helpful staff

This is the best aquarium in the UK! Biggest tanks with sharks and string Ray's! Great for a family day out and parking near by at the harbour multi story.

The biggest aquarium in the UK , beautiful large tanks ,loads of variety to look at ,very educational, free entry for a year pass, places to sit and eat your lunch ,also the cafe is good , pushchair friendly

Highly recommend to visit if you haven't yet, lot of learning for young kids. You can see life under water up close. You can plan whole day here. There is ample space for open door picnic as well.

Always an interesting place to visit. We go as a family once or twice a year and none of us get bored... and we have a son with A.D.D

Fantastic children loved seeing all the different marine animals easy to park

The glass floors and wall view of the sea life is amazing

Such a beautiful place to visit. I can go there multiple times
There are no of different sea creatures.
They feed sharks on Monday.. go have a look at it.
Well maintained. Have cafeteria inside it. One can buy family ticket as well.
You can take a look at harbour at the entrance and peaceful seafood restaurant outside.

Very good Aquariam, lots of great fish and exhibits

Quite an impressive aquarium with some very large fish. However, the whole experience was spoilt by the attitude of the young girl at the till.
Her attitude was so bad that my wife decided that she didn't want to go in at all. However, I talked her into it as we had travelled a long way for our grandson to see the fish, but even when selling us the tickets she was rude and abrupt.

Other members of staff within the aquarium were helpful and polite, even the cleaner stopped and smiled and the young man who did a talk at one of the tanks near the end, was very friendly, polite and charming.
Such a shame that one persons attitude should spoil an otherwise good visit.
Watch out for the young girl with short hair and glasses if you don't want your day spoilt, this review would have been 5 stars should he have that day off!

Every time I go i tell myslef not to go back as its all over so quick. Children can never get a turn in the play area as its so small and busy. FOOD is very over priced. The only good thing is once u have paid once it's free for a year.

Fantastic place, with walk through tunnel's, great day out.

Having visited Bournemouth aquarium just 3 weeks earlier I feel that Plymouth was a bit of a let down in comparison, it looks a big building but contains only a modest amount of tanks and pools although the crabs and octopuses are very More

Great place. Fab one way lay out. Not over crowded. Well organised

A bit smaller than I expected but the giant tanks were quite impressive.

Great day out. Lots to see and talk was really good.

Awesome aquarium.

I last went w few years ago, and it seems a bit smaller than last time. It could be coronavirus that has caused this.

A little pricey on the tickets but it's a very interesting place to visit.

It was amazing to see all those sea life. Friendly staff and enjoyed the short presentations. Would definitely recommend