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| - My husband, son (age 19 months), and I went to the aquarium on Labor Day. We arrived soon after it opened and had to wait maybe 10 minutes to get in.
Inside the aquarium, it is mostly cement floors,
ceilings, and walls. There isn't much in the way of decor in the aquarium. It does feel a bit like fish prison. If you have been to a Sealife aquarium they have a lot of themed decor and background music that make it feel like you are on a magical adventure underneath the sea. Odysea is much more bare bones right now.
Odysea has a lot more creatures to see though then you get at Sealife. There are penguins, otters, seals, sea lions, and river turtles. They also have a whole tank full of clownfish if you have a Nemo fan. They also have sea turtles, crabs, shrimp, and nautilus. The giant pacific octopus is not on display yet, but otherwise I didn't see any empty tanks.
I did not get to see the 3D movie as my son was a little cranky, but we did do the living carousel. Basically it is a movie theater type setting that turns slowly and stops at various exhibits. This is how you get to see most of the sea turtles and all the seals and sea lions. You also make a stop at the shark tank you can see from the restroom. Pretty cool!
I felt every single staff member we encountered was overwhelmingly friendly, like Disneyland friendly. It made us feel very welcome. Also many of the large tanks have a ledge/step convenient for little kids to stand on if you keep a hand on them. My son liked being able to stand and peer into the tank against the glass. Other little kids were doing the same thing and the staff seemed cool with this.
There is a cafeteria near the end of the 2nd floor about half way through the aquarium journey in case you and your family get hungry. We did not eat there this time. At the exit they also have a large gift shop similar in size to the one at the exit of the Phoenix Zoo.
When construction is finished this is going to be a large outdoor mall type area with shopping and some restaurants. There is lots of shade outside which is so important for anything outside in AZ. I saw a Humble Pie restaurant was going in on the second floor.
I have a feeling when everything is done this will be a 5 star experience and a great tourist attraction for AZ. If you are coming on the weekend, I suggest arriving within the first 30 minutes of opening for decent parking and to avoid the crowds. Budget at least 2 -3 hours. When we left the line to get in was about 3 times as long compared to when we arrived. The line does move quickly though.
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