Never Have I Felt So bad for Spending 23.95

• June 30, 2008
• Rated 1 of 5 by SaveOurOceans from Surfside, Florida

First of all it is the dirtiest park that I have ever been to, and I've been all over the United States.

When I walked in I looked at my boyfriend and asked him "Are they serious?" it Is that bad. From that moment on things continued to get worse. Once you stroll around the paths coming off the entrance you get to the whale "stadium" it's more like a whale bathtub. I could not believe how small this tank was, it blew my mind. I found an employee walking around the tank and asked her "why is the tank so small?" and she responded "because it was built for when she was a baby." Then I asked her if they had plans to build another tank and she replied "no we don't have the funds, and she's been in this tank a long time she's fine." I later saw her during the whale show and she was Lolita's trainer. I could not believe my ears.I later learned that the whale tank is the oldest in the world and illegal by government standards for housing an orca. To make matters even worse Lolita the orca shared that tank with a pacific white sided dolphin as well.

Her show was tear jerking and left me infuriated that I had actually contributed my money to this horrible establishment. Her tank was only a little over twice as long as her and when she did her jumps she often hit herself off the bottom because it was so shallow.

Other than that the coral reef tank had salt water leaks coming from the viewing windows that formed algae on the glass where you looked in so you could hardly see anything on the inside. It was really scary when we were walking out of that building and you get wet because of a big leak squirting on you from the top of the tank by the exit. I actually thought it was a sprinkler to cool us off before we went outside, until I asked another employee about it and he said it was a leak.

The sea lions had a small tank and 2 out of the 4 we saw had absinthes on their face and we're really cut up on their face. It looked like it was from rubbing their faces on the side of their concrete enclosure. The dolphins had a normal style stadium that actually was in the best shape out of anything there, but they had so many dolphins jammed into it.

The food was expensive,nasty, and reheated. We ate at the Seaquarium Cafe and spent about $30 on 2 mini pizzas and 2 waters. Trash was floating all over the grounds because the trash cans were over flowing and the wind was blowing it out. They sold beer to me when I was only 20 without asking for ID.

You would be way better off driving an extra 40 minutes to Key Largo and going on a wild dolphin watching tour or driving to Marathon and visiting the dolphin research center where they actually take care of their animals and grounds.

YOU WILL LEAVE THE SEAQUARIUM DISAPPOINTED AND UPSET.

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Miami Seaquarium

• December 6, 2006
• Rated 5 of 5 by vampirefan from Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina

Since John and I had a later flight, we took the Miami Sea Aquarium excursion instead of sitting around the airport. There are a number of optional shore excursions offered to guests who have later flights.

When we first arrived I was impressed with how clean the place was, and I enjoyed all of the lovely plants throughout the park. We checked our brochure to see if there were any shows or demonstrations starting soon. Sure enough, they would have a feeding demonstration at one of the tanks. We quickly took off, getting there just in time to see a diver start his program. He had an underwater microphone so he was able to explain what was going on. We watched as he fed the fish in the tank all while explaining what kind of fish we were seeing and telling us about their diets and how they try to closely mimic the creatures natural habit so they will have a long and healthy life here at the aquarium.

At noon they would have the whale and dolphin show. Instead of Shamu, this venue features Lolita and 4 of her dolphin buddies. We got there in time to get a secure seat... not close enough to get drenched, but close enough to get a great look at these magnificent mammals. Lolita was already there getting warmed up and you could come close enough to see her, but no touching! The show was about 30 minutes long and I never tire of seeing these large beauties flipping and bounding in their air so graceful and effortlessly. What a show and it didn’t seem like we sat there 30 minutes.

The last show we could catch would be the Sea lion show at 2pm. We still had a while before the show so we walked around the park to see what else we could find. In addition to fish they have a manatee pool and have a place where you can see manatees that are being rehabilitated. They also have birds, crocs, deer, and much more.

As 2 o’clock was drawing near we headed over to the stage where the sea lion show would be. There were 4 very cute sea lions who balanced balls on their cute noses, jumped through the air, slide down slides, and a few other adorable tricks. The show was very sweet and entertaining for all family members. Afterwards you can have your picture taken with the star of the show, Lucky.

The aquarium offers group discounts and is a great place to hold any kind of meeting or large gathering. They do have gift shops and restaurants on the premises. They do accept credit cards and have ATM’s. They are handicapped accessible. They are open year round, though hours change seasonally. They do offer a swim with the dolphins program. For more information please visit them at www.miamiseaquarium.com  

From journal Cruising to fun in the Bahamas.

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Miami Seaquarium

• October 21, 2005
• Rated 4 of 5 by eecgrovefla from Coconut Grove, Florida

From journal Miami Seaquarium

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Miami Seaquarium

• March 23, 2005
• Rated 4 of 5 by samer_k from plano, Texas

From journal Miami, South Beach, and Surrounding Areas

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Miami Seaquarium

• January 12, 2004
• Rated 1 of 5 by PattiOfNYC from Rego Park, New York

From journal Miami Heat

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