My husband and I took our son to the aquarium the first weekend it opened, I was very excited for this place to open because my son LOVES aquariums and we had been driving by the building while it was under construction, seeing it from the freeway it looks massive and impressive. So sad to say I was let down. The place is very nice but too many cons. The ticket prices are steep for what you see. They could be a little cheaper or a small discount for az residents. Due to the cost of tickets I will continue to take my son to sea life inside az mills mall which is small but get to see the same fish, same experience for a cheaper price.
When we got inside the place the lobby is ok the bubble tanks from the ceiling are cool but hard to see the fish inside 1) being they are pretty high up and 2) maybe over the years the fish will be easier to see once they grow right now they are so small it's hard to see. You are shuffled in for a photo at the very beginning, don't like that you should be able to bypass )but every attraction has this so understandable). We did not stop into the restroom to see the shark tank but heard that was 1 of the more impressive/cool concepts. Up stairs you start out with freshwater fish and then zigzag through downstairs to all the saltwater fish. Again since we went the first weekend the place was no where near done, there was no signs next to the tanks so you had no idea when fish you were looking at or facts about them. The TV screens with the facts on them I did not like because you don't know what tank is what and to have to look at the TV screen across the room and figure out what fish are in what tanks just makes you keep on walking. Too complicated!Penguin exhibit is WAY to small there is so much wall space in this place they should of given the penguins a ton of space. The escalator that takes you through the shark tank was broken so they had us use the emergency stair case so we didn't even get to see that. The 3D movie is a joke, you sit on backyard lawn chairs or a bench. I would have just done without the theatre that is just very cheap looking for how nice the place actually is there should be regular theatre seating of you want to have a theatre.
Carousel- I get the concept but I am NOT a fan of it. You sit in a small theatre room and your forced to sit and listen to the speech of each exhibit. That's cool and all but what if I wanted to sit and watch the sea lions/seals or turtles for a longer time? You can't because this is the only place you can see them and in order to see them you have to keep riding the carousel? I don't like that at all! They should have another viewing point for the people that do not want to ride the carousel or else you don't get to see them at all.
Like another reviewer said the cafe and gift shop are massive which could of been taken down in size for more tanks.
Now this dolphinaries- I am shocked to find out that it's a totally separate thing from the aquarium. When you look this place up it's RIDICULOUSLY priced for 30 mins of out of the water experience! 59$ for 30 mins? That's insane, If you purchase a ticket to the aquarium that 30 mins "out of water" should be included! If you want a more up close and personal experience with the dolphins then you pay the more. But to have to pay a whole separate admission fee just to see them? You can go to seaworld for 70$ why would anyone pay the 59$ plus the 35 for the aquarium. Come on az owners/investors all that says is "we need the money back for this extravagant shopping center that was built" I haven't even gone and will not go if I have to pay an additional fee I go 5 hours west to seaworld and spend an entire day with sea animals for cheaper then a 3 hour visit to the aquarium/dolphins. Re-eval that whole concept! Az is way better then that.... it will be a long time before I return to the aquarium sad to say I had alot of hope for this place and was so excited for it to be just ok when I left. :-(