Looking for a place to take my boyfriend out for date night and ultimately decided to go to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay! We've heard from our friends that the place isn't worth what you're paying but we took a chance...and ended up loving it.
We bought tickets to the Sea Monsters Exhibit in addition to the general admission to the Shark Reef. So with our Nevada Resident discount, we only paid $22 per person! It might be a little pricey but keep in mind it's not cheap maintaining the Aquarium!
Walking through both the Sea Monsters Exhibit and the Shark Reef took us about 2 hours. We spent most of our time at the Exhibit because even though they only displayed fossils, it's different from what you would see at other Aquariums. The exhibit was definitely a nice touch. We also loved the aquarium staff! They're very knowledgeable and were ready to answer all of our questions (and we asked a lot). So kudos to the lady at the Piranha section and the man at the interactive Manta Ray station!
The Aquarium does seem a little small. We came on a day when it wasn't very busy so we had a pretty good amount of wiggle room and were able to have a good view of the animals. But I can't imagine how tough it would be to get a good look at them when it's crowded! Overall though, this place is definitely worth it! Plus, there are PLENTY of photo opportunities.