Monterey Bay Aquarium Reviews

I bloody love an aquarium and Monterey bay had come highly recommended so we felt it was important to check it out! The place was absolutely rammed from start to finish and I honestly hated every second of it, it was hard to get anywhere near exhibits let alone enjoy them. My partner and I got fed up of forcing our way through and left.

Absolutely overrated! Apart from the sea otters, there is nothing worth seeing here. The entire aquarium is only designed for small children. Playgrounds in the middle of the aquarium, etc. It was very, very, very crowded so you couldn't look at anything in peace. The price is completely excessive. $240 for 4 people and you can't see anything. Some of the tanks and habitats of the animals are much too small.
Even zoos with additional aquariums have more to offer in Germany (e.g. Duisburg Zoo).
In Carmel and Monterey you can see the sea otters wonderfully in the wild (binoculars recommended) and not in a small tank.
Absolutely not recommended!! We were very disappointed!

I didn’t expect to be as wowed as I was when I went to the Monterey Aquarium in June, 2022. From CT, I planned my west coast Portland, OR to San Francisco trip carefully, tacking on a two day trip to Monterey with my sister. I read Steinbecks Cannery Row before leaving and before even walking into the Aquarium, I noticed references to that work…Docs Office with its steps on the outside of the building, the location of Lee Chong’s grocery are pointed out within several hundred yards of the entrance.
But the Aquarium! Being from CT, I’ve been to Mystic Aquarium and Boston Aquarium. By comparison, this place is HUGE! There is so much to see and learn. They integrate the shoreline of the Pacific with tidal pools and ability to see underwater sea habitats. Ecology, safety in eating for saving our endangered fish, every kind of little water creature is displayed happily swimming around. There is a simulated wave that can be viewed from inside or out. There is a children's area. There are places to eat. It’s very clean and airy indoors. I had a delightful day investigating this place. My opinion is it’s gotta be the best aquarium in the country. You must experience it!

We made this our first stop on our retirement travel bucket list. All the employees were extremely pleasant and helpful. There are plenty of exhibits so even when busy it didn’t seem crowded until trying to see one of the special feedings. Even then it was still worth the experience. Be there early and get tickets ahead. We had purchased membership ahead and got right in. When leaving though in early afternoon they had stopped letting in people without pre purchased tickets…get tics ahead!

It is a fabulous entertainment for children, adolescents as well as adults. It is a very complete aquarium, huge, with different attractions. For me, it is a blissful place, I have been there several times and it is always fantastic.

Very innovative and original aquarium in a great location. We spent there almost four hours and learnt a lot. But:
It was extremely crowded (we visited in Sommer on a Sunday) and the entrance fee (60 USD) is rather high.
Caution: It is a great adventure for Kids but keep an eye on yours otherwise the might get lost!
You can buy tickets just online. I recommend doing it on a normal screen size because the menu is a bit difficult to get through.

This was a great way to spend a half day in Monterey. Exhibits are very well done, and you need to make sure you go to the various feedings during the day. We’re from Chicago, so this is not as large as the Shedd Aquarium that we normally go to, but we still thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Get there early as the line to get in is long, and feedings start almost right away.

Really well presented aquarium. Fabulous exhibits. Very informative. Displays using wide range of medium kept the whole family interested. Daughters 16 and 20 enjoyed.

The Aquarium is the main reason we returned ot Monterey, and it did not disappoint. We loved the jellyfish exhibit, and cold hardly leave, the Sea Otters were very entertaining just ot sit and watch them ply. The Kelp forest and fish tanks were still impressive though kind of passive. The other tanks with open sea fish and especially the anchovy clusters were great to watch. then transitioning out the decks to look over the bay and spot otters and seals out there was fulfilling as well. People with families should be warned the admission is very expensive, as is parking, and food even more so. We did make an error by going on MLK day, our fault, and the number of kids made it pretty crowded and noisy, so we skipped parts at various times.

It was a nice aquarium. Very nice and helpful staff. I was expecting much more for the fanfare it gets. $60 a person, but if you go on craigslist you can find tickets for more than 50% off😮. Take lunch with you and enjoy while watching ocean outside patio areas. They allow you to leave then come back for free.

As an animal loving non seafood eater I was very skeptical about visiting here, but the boos (the wife) wanted to go, so you know.....
MBA is brilliantly laid out with some magnificent sights, that unless you scuba dive or go to the north Pole regularly you won't get to see, so it serves that purpose and then some!
The animals appear to be well looked after and loved by the team there.
The exhibition is technically advanced, interesting, exciting and does nothing but make you smile.
It was without doubt the best aquarium I have ever seen in my 50 plus years and would highly recommend it and learning about everything we do for these amazing creatures and of course the not so good things we as humans do to them in the wild.
Loved it.

Had a wonderful time at this extremely large aquarium. Very efficient and quick moving line to get in the facility. The exhibits were amazing and all the different species of sea life was quite impressive.

Buy your tickets ahead of time, otherwise you will be spending time outside the door trying to scan the bar code or going to a website to pay for the tickets on your phone. Neither worked for is. We ended up inside paying "the old fashioned way" in the end.
The staff was nice.
It's a bit pricey. I miss the aquarium not having sea horses and sea dragons. Used to be my favorite part.

Great experience, customer service was excellent. Some of us in our group had special needs and we were treated very well.

Spectacular experience! So much deep-sea marine life! The only downside was straining to see the animals during the feeding shows. There was no provision for short people or those with disabilities except to ASK people to step back from the display windows. Some very tall people seemed to insist on standing on the front row.

Amazing aquarium

The exhibits are incredible and they do a very good job of engaging quests with chats throughout the day. I think we went to at least three while we were there and saw 4 more happening. Several chats like the otter's happen several times a day in case you miss the first one.

There seafood watch program is awesome and they do a bunch more for conservation then what is readily apparent just walking around the place.

The food was also excellent. It was proper, sustainably sourced, meals. Not the barley passable overpriced burger and fries, you come to expect from places like these. They were charging $10 for a tiny fruit cup, of strawberries and blueberries, which is completely outrageous, but their actual meals were about the price you would expect from a touristy place with properly prepared food.

Conflicted. Lots of exhibits, solid educational effort, neat sea life to see up close. Great it’s on the water and a historical site. But oh boy, the crowds, the young children, the cumbersome admission process, the high cost of snacks and the huge cost of admission — makes us pause in recommending it. (Oh, and the difficulty and cost of parking — almost forgot.) We were first-time, unaware visitors to the area. Don’t think we’d go again, which is too bad.

Sooner or later an aquarium with children is worth seeing. The one in Genoa Italy is the best. This aquarium is certainly excellent for children with activities and games but it is extremely expensive. The tanks with jellyfish and the underwater forest are very beautiful. However, I don't like being able to touch animals...

This was probably my once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the aquarium, so we went. It was fine, it was interesting. I've been to other aquariums, and I don't think this was any better. It's hyped as the best in the world, so that set the bar really high! We enjoyed watching the feeding show. We didn't stay overly long because the sheer number of screaming children was off-putting.

The aquarium looks nice & kept up. Staff & volunteers were helpful. I didn’t see much though. It is so crammed packed full of people. Strollers everywhere, screaming kids, pushy adults. It wasn’t fun. The restroom had a 15 min wait. I don’t think I’ll go back but it would be nice on a “slow” day. Currently they are letting way too many people in. The experience was poor at best. Raise the price and let fewer people in.

What an experience! This aquarium tops all, by far. The exhibits are fascinating, serving up interesting facts and history in an interactive manner. Overall, very well-organized, clean with helpful guides throughout who were happy to tell you more. I particularly liked the ability to go out on expansive open decks to experience pacific coastal environments up close. The ticket cost was well worth it! Can’t wait to go back!!

Bought our tickets online, very easy to do. Line seemed long but moved so quickly we were only in line for less than 10 minutes. As soon as we got inside, we got a map and looked at their feeding schedules online to see where we needed to be to see what shows we were interested in. It was a Saturday so of course it was really busy but it is less busy on weekdays. We took our time and looked at each exhibit, watching the animals and taking great pictures! (Please no flash!) The kelp Forest feeding is a must! Watch an experienced scuba diver in the large kelp forest hand feeding the fish, eels and tiger sharks! So awesome! She was so knowledgeable about each animal and shared something about them all. Great experience! My favorite is the deep sea and the jellyfish. Most beautiful creatures!! Just a really great experience all around! If you plan on going multiple times with your family then a membership is the way to go to save money! Totally worth it!!

We stopped into the Monterey Aquarium for a few hours while we were on a road trip in CA. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. We followed easy to read road signs to a public parking garage a few blocks from the aquarium. The aquarium had lots of interesting and educational exhibits - we particularly enjoyed the octopus, the penguins and the exhibit on the Deep. There were lots of hands on exhibits for children, a nice cafe/lunch area with many food options, plenty of restrooms and lots of windows to see the ocean. We highly recommend!

I honestly, am someone that is very much against going to aquariums or any type of museum that has animals in it. But I won’t go into much detail about that since this is a “review” of a location. I was very hesitant about going to this aquarium, just for the fact that it is an aquarium. But wow, when I got into some of the exhibitions, for example when I saw all the beautiful Jellifish and seeing the sea creatures in the “Into the Deep” and seeing another section that had the dea creatures that you don’t use flashlight for your camera because it’s a dark space they need and also seeing this long glass that is divided into 3 sections, and for each of these exhibitions they had music playing that was something that took me into another world. I fell in love with the sound of the music and seeing these sea creatures that are mesmerizing. I felt for a kid like a second and I wanted to stay at these specific exhibitions. And now finding that Monterey aquarium has their own YouTube with the relaxing music and jellyfish swimming makes me want to go back to that moment I had at the exhibition. These sections of the aquarium are the only reason I would go back to the aquarium. I hope to see more sea creatures that are deep in the water or more types of jellyfish in the future when I come back. I even want to come back by myself so I can take all the time in the world to be there. <3

Way too many people in the aquarium. Difficult to get a good look at the different aquariums.
The prices (entrance and cafe) are really ridiculous for what you get. I hope that this money is used well, to preserve the sea and its animals.

Very clean and beautiful aquarium, but for sixty-four dollars they weren’t offering enough, I love how they help make the world a better place by reducing plastic waste :)

This was not my first visit, but I found new things to enjoy. The aquarium is possible the best in the world, and the thousands of visitors there with me attest to that. The exhibits are well planned, highly educational, and cover the entire spectrum of life in the ocean, with the focus on the marine area of Monterey Bay. The exhibits displaying many species of jellyfish were particularly fascinating.

We drove from Chico California (216 miles, 4 1/2 hour one way) to Monterey Bay Aquarium to see a mantis shrimp (son with Autism was obsessed with the idea of seeing one). According to their website they had. When we asked an employee he said, he wasn’t sure where it would be located or if they had one. We looked for another staff member, but they were few and far in between. I would say staff members are only knowledgeable about the area locations and not about the creatures location. We could not find the Mantis Shrimp and for me to see the disappointment in my sons face, broke my heart. If you don’t have it, why is your website not updated? If you do have it, why was there no display sign for it like there was other creatures?  Overall, $60 was worth it to visit, but I would’ve liked to seen what was advertised on their website, if it had been true. Also, this is something probably to experience once every 10 years because of how pricey it is.

Highly recommended to visit, the children have a lot of fun. We plan to return again.
Nearby there are places to park if you go in a private vehicle.

This was a bucket list item and at $60 per adult, I gasped a bit, but it was totally worth it. We went on a Wednesday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all. Remember to purchase your tickets in advance. Don't forget to go outside and see the views from the patio. I really enjoyed seeing all the exhibits, especially Dory and friends.

After not being there for over 10 years, it was great to see how they continue to do such a great job from the help when you enter to all the staff around the place to help guide you to the exhibits you want to see. Amazing dislays and the otters as well as the Kelp Forest feeding are specila.

$10 dollar cookie and $10 can of coffee. While it was nice to see the sea life. They exploit the ability to charge families huge amounts for basic snacks. It’s quite sad. Especially because the quality of food is mediocre

The aquarium itself I can see being really neat but it was so overcrowded we did not even get to get close to any exhibits due to the amount of people pushing their way in front of you. Literally felt like a sardine. Unless the aquarium changes the structure of ticket sales to time slots or limits per day I would strongly recommend not wasting your time and money.

Absolutely loved it but was relieved our kids were older as it was crazy busy. The large tanks with massive fish were great but the jelly fish were simply awesome. At €220 it’s not cheap but we’ll worth a visit.

For anyone who has never been to the Haus des Meeres in Vienna, this is definitely a recommendation. If you have already been to Vienna, you expect a lot more for the Tripadvisor No. 3 in the USA.

This is a fabulous aquarium with an awesome display of sea creatures. Loved the jelly fish displays and the kelp forest. A bit expensive but it was a great experience.
Go first thing in the morning to get a parking spot.

I've been to the aquariums in Seattle and Chicago. Neither compares to this. The MBA is clean, and the exhibits are well-lit. The jellyfish exhibit is spectacular - don't miss it!
The upstairs has a bunch of toddler-friendly exhibits, including a "Nemo and Dori" tank and hands-on activities for busy little hands. The downstairs has a touch pool with many fascinating creatures and knowledgeable volunteers and naturalists.
This was my fourth visit in 20-ish years.

Experience the magic of the aquarium right in downtown of Monterey.

The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean.

Come to visit the precious blue ocean world including beautiful corals, anemones, deep sea fish, jellies, snails, squids, sharks, shrimps, giant octopus, African penguins.

Magical place!

Visited just after spring break, so not too busy.
Buy tickets before you go, to avoid having to stand outside and to scan a QR code to create an a account and hand over all your personal info to buy tickets. (No family tickets.) $165 for 2 adults & child. Not able to just pay at the door.
DON'T BUY FOOD or REFRESHMENTS. £££.
Eat before you go in.
Take and empty water container which you can refill inside. Some attractions were far to small. (I'm glad I'm not a puffin)
Had a "good time"
Would I visit again. No.

What an amazing place. There is just nothing like it. If you are interested in marine life or our oceans or just want to better understand the importance of the oceans to life on earth, look no further! In a word...WOW! This is the place to go. And as an added bonus, Monterey and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to visit, dine and just generally have a great time. Not our first visit nor will it be our last...

I really appreciated the level of emphasis the aquarium put on the researchers and projects behind the exhibits. Would definitely like to see even more focus on this.

I hadn't been to the aquarium for about 10 years and was really excited to take my daughter and visiting niece there. I remembered it being a magical experience. This time, it just didn't have the magic.

The exhibits are still amazing and the setting beautiful, but the aquarium was extremely overcrowded to the point where it was not even enjoyable. It felt like Six Flags. We even went in the afternoon as suggested to avoid the crowds, but no luck. On a Friday in the summer it was jammed. Looking over the heads of 10 other people to try to see the kelp forest is just not fun.

I wish they would consider making a bit less money and actually having the people who come be able to experience the wonder of it all.

One of the best aquariums ! Great place to bring the kids for a well rounded education on marine life and birds.

Unfortunately our experience was pretty bad.... The aquarium was muuuuuuuuito full and noisy.... People entering in front of each other and crashing to get some space to see the attractions.... The restaurant and cafe was a mess, there was a lack of drinks and the staff had no time or patience to serve people and clean the tables and the floor ....
We haven't seen even half of the attractions.... We even tried... But we gave up...
Very expensive for what they offer in all respects.... It was frustrating to pay expensive and not enjoy....

The aquarium is very spacious, with lots of free space on two floors, with the themed areas on the left and right. And there is an outdoor area where you can look out onto the open sea, and in the middle there is an auditorium and a restaurant.

The jellyfish section was the most impressive for me.

There were some really tiny ones that were only visible under special lighting. You could press a button, then the light went out and you had the original ambient lighting, so they were almost invisible. You only saw them if you knew they were there.

And then there were reflective, glowing ones in iridescent rainbow colors, and when you turned the light on here, they were bright red.

From tiny to huge, the whole section was just for jellyfish. You could stand in front of them for hours. Very meditative, when they just float through the water.

Brilliant, perfect lighting and good descriptions everywhere.

There was also a hands-on section where they exhibited different species that you could touch. Rays and algae. Some were rock-hard and some that felt like plastic. And there were also these special ones that looked like ropes that were lying around everywhere on the beach and were as hard as a garden hose.

The Kelp Forest is a huge tank that goes over both floors, with sharks, incredibly large, totally relaxed fish and typical Californian kelp forests.

At one point, two glass hemispheres that were bulging inwards were set into the tank. If you bend down into them, you feel as if you were right in the tank and there were no reflections when you took photos.

In the middle of the building is a large area with a coffee shop and restaurant.

There are clean restrooms everywhere.

We were there for about 4 hours. With children you will definitely need a little longer, because one section is just for children, with games, touching and learning programs.

It was really worth it, even though it cost $60 per person to get in.

A relatively small aquarium, but very rich in information.
A visit worth making.
For all ages .
In addition to the city of Monterey being very charming.

We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in October on a Saturday morning so we knew it would be very busy. We parked a few blocks away at a meter on Foam Street which was cheaper than the area garages. This also allowed us to walk up and down the Cannery Row area. There was a line outside to get in but it moved fairly quick. We also bought our tickets online ahead of time which made for a quick entrance once inside.

The displays were amazing and although it was crowded we just took our time. The otters were a definite highlight as was the large windows into the kelp forest. The location right on the ocean is great and there is a large outdoor area in addition to all the displays. We stayed about 3 hours and absolutely loved the experience.

We visited here on recommendation from someone we met on the plane. So pleased we did visit this place as it was amazing. The knowledge of the volunteers was great. If you are in the area I would recommend visiting.

Not cheap, but absolutely worth it. Remarkable displays, very informative, very beautiful.
Would definitely go back.

The aquarium itself is fantastic, lots of exhibits, lots of interesting animals, all well signposted, there really isn't much more to say.
What wasn't so good, is that I went on a Sunday and I guess that's why it was extremely full inside, which made it difficult to get into some rooms. It was also very difficult to find parking and where we found Availability (in covers) was ridiculously expensive (like 40 dlrs).

The Jellyfish exhibit was the highlight. I had really high expectations but found the exhibits and lack of sea life disappointing. The open ocean fish lacked color which I guess is the result of captivity.

We were really looking forward to visiting here after hearing so many good things. This was the only disappointment of our 2 weeks in the USA.

First of all, it’s far too busy. From what the website tells you, you have to have a ticket in advance to visit, if that is the case then the amount of tickets that are being sold is ridiculous. It states when you book visit later in the day as it will be quieter. We visited around 3.30pm and we still ended up queueing round the corner to gain entry.

Once you are in through the usual security checks (completely acceptable), there’s a couple of different floors with various attractions. If you’re lucky you might get close to one of them, the sheer volume of people makes it very difficult to see a lot of the exhibits. The only thing I can say was really impressive was the large tank that they have with many different species of fish/shark/rays etc.

For what you pay to enter here, it’s a complete and utter rip off. Save your money, go on a whale watching trip, we did that the next day and saw so much Marine life in their natural habitat.

Also don’t go in the cafe/restaurant unless you absolutely have to, another complete rip off.

If anyone is from the uk, go to the deep in Hull, it’s so much better.

Excellent all round. We went during a busy time so the place was pretty packed out - that was the only downside. The exhibits, however, were beautiful and the staff & volunteers were informative and friendly. Super places to sit outside too to see the local wildlife. Would come back again.

A luxury aquarium!!!
Well assembled and cared for… beautiful!!
Yesterday I went with 3 of my children, ages 25, 27 and 33...
We enjoy!!!
Really cute !!!
All kinds of fish, impressive jellyfish, otters, sharks….
Worth a visit !!
Minimum 3 hours to see it well…

Wonderful visit!! Loved all the exhibits - particularly enjoyed the jellies and the auditorium presentations. So many sea creatures to see besides the abundance of fish. Very helpful volunteers. Next time we are in Monterey we will return!

The displays are lovely but it is not as big as I thought it would be and is very crowded. There is no way that many people can get near to watch the otter feeding. I thought it was very expensive for what it was.

Highlights are the jellyfish and the enormous tanks with the multitude of fish including sharks.

The aquarium was clean and well maintained. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and informed on their subject matter. My wife particularly loves sea otters so we attended a feeding show that talked about the otters and a film about their surrogate mother program.
We especially enjoyed the viewing platforms in the outside of the aquarium so we were able to see not only animals in the aquarium but also wild animals on the outside (sea otters, seals, birds, etc). They even allow reentry so if you leave to get lunch or change parking you can stamp your wrist to return to the aquarium without buying another ticket.

Overall a great experience with lots of information readily available.

Place was amazing- totally worth the relatively high cost of the tickets. I went with my 13 yo daughter. We got there early and saw the otter feeding. It got much busier towards noon so I would recommend getting there at opening. The place was clean, the exhibits were amazing and the staff were very friendly. 100% recommend.

I’d give this 6 stars if I could!

I took my family there as my daughter is a budding marine biologist. Also part of a celebration trip for my wife who is recovering from cancer.

She has booked the tickets and a private tour for our daughter. Unfortunately, when we showed up we realized my wife had confused days (which happens a lot with chemo) and the tickets were for the day before. We were leaving CA the next day.

My wife felt terrible and burst into tears. I told her not to worry and I spoke w a supervisor there (Alexandra). She was a jewel — changed the tickets to that day, found us another tour — and also arranged a completely private tour for us.

A wonderful kindness and just what we all needed after months of the cancer treatment.

And needless to say the actual aquarium is one of the world’s best.

The aquarium that started a trend. Converted from a defunct sardine cannery. I have visited at least 6 times and never get tired of it. Normal hours are 10 to 5. Not cheap! General admission is $60 and $50 for seniors. Plan on staying all day. Nice cafe but very expensive. Tip: Fountain drinks ($6) can be refilled all day unlimited if you have your cafe receipt. Tip #2: Park free on Ocean View in the area around 3rd St past the meters.

We were met by Kairi, who was a great introduction to the aquarium. A very helpful and informative representative.
So friendly, kind to us senior
citizens, who were a bit
confused. Later we met again,
and a explanation of baby
moon jellyfish was explained.
It was great to meet again.

The BEST Aquarium you could imagine. HUGE tanks with tons of kelp beds and loads of free-swimming fish; sharks, rays, tuna, giant see bass, mahi mahi, turtles, penguins, puffins, sea otters, everything from the sea is there. Smaller tanks with nudibranchs, corals, starfish, jellyfish, eels, crabs, lobsters, there's no end to their inventory. Many rooms that are interactive for kids. many scheduled "performances" throughout the day. Outdoor diving area that kids can also dive under supervision. Marine bird section. Auditorium, cafes, retail stores, beer & coffee for sale. Big discount for Seniors, parking nearby. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

While visiting the area my husband and I decided to do the aquarium. A little expensive to get in, but it is a very nice aquarium. Besides fish there were sea birds which was great to see. Also very nice that they use the same water that is in the ocean. Lots of touch tanks. Talked to several employees and they were all very nice and knowledgeable. Gift shop was more expensive then normal.

There are so many fabulous things to do here, you can easily spend an entire day. There is a ray petting pond that is my granddaughter’s favorite. There are also two educational areas where they can touch kelp and hold hermit crabs. There are otters and you can watch a feeding.
There is a child’s play space and penguins. Get a schedule when you enter so you can watch the various feedings.
My favorite is the jellyfish exhibit.

The Aquarium is located directly on the Monterey Bay, giving everyone great proximity to the sea life. You will view fish, otters, penguins and other sea creatures close up. There are many interactive exhibits and the aquarium is great for all ages. It's a must visit when in Monterey.

Great experience for those interested in aquariums. Not really a huge fan of aquariums but this one kept me engaged. The facility is impressive, clean well organized. A great educational experience on aquatic life, preservation & our environmental responsibilities.

Great exhibits in a beautiful setting. After reading reviews we opted to go at the end of the day, and I’m so happy we did. We did not run into the crowds many complained about. We got up close to every exhibit, saw feedings and had the ability to talk with employees in several areas. The jellyfish area was definitely the star on the aquarium. I don’t know that it’s worth the price as I’ve been to many others that are $20+ less.

It's nice that they are doing good things with animals but wow it's expensive. Really the otters are the best part. The rest is smallish fish and a small penguin area. Parking is a joke. $20-$30 for "all day" we were done in less than. 2hrs. Food and drinks are so expensive it's a joke. They are betting your small children are going crazy and you just want a beer and a hotdog to get 10min of peace. It is overcrowded and hard to see most things unless you want to push your way through like a subway station.
You're better off going to Morro Bay and seeing the wild Otters for free.

We had a great day here! The exhibits all looked clean and well maintained. The touch pool were supervised by really enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. We really enjoyed the talk given by Becky at sea otter feeding time!

Astronomical entrance fees of $65.00 dollars per adult with Senior discount started at 70 years. No staged or allocated time entrance to ease viewings or safety. $18 for two coffees. Very very dissapointing visit. Working way beyond safe occupation limits, most exhibits are very dark interiors so you can barely see the specimens. Unsafe viewing conditions. Walk along the beach 1/2 a mile for free, yes free marine life.

Magical experience that we still talk about as a family years later. From the the view of the bay and the layout of the space, to the animals and their exhibits, the entire aquarium is engaging and memorable.

Excellent aquarium that is easy to navigate and has many interesting exhibits. This place was really well laid out and made it a very nice visit.

The line was super long but we decided to hop in it anyway. I was impressed how quickly it moved and it didn't seem overly crowded inside. Unlike some aquariums you don't end up going the exact same direction as everyone else. The entire staff was helpful and friendly. The outside areas are so amazing and a great way to enjoy the bay and get some fresh air.
We hadn't planned on getting food but did and were pleasantly surprised. Great food and crazy about of choices. It is pricey but at least it's quality food.

We really enjoyed the aquarium and all it had to offer. If I was going again I would avoid holidays and the weekend as there was a lot of children when we visited. Not a problem but made it very busy and tricky to see things at some points. Very much worth a visit but pick your moment.

I read several reviews warning people about how miserable this place is when it's crowded, so I chose the Tuesday of our trip to book our tickets. If the crowd we experienced is what a weekday in the summer is like, then I don't even want to know what a Saturday could be. We could barely see any of the actual sea life exhibits. There was 1 otter floating around in the habitat and the wait to see it was 8 people deep at the glass.

Also, for parents hoping to disconnect their kids from screens and help them connect with sea life, you're going to be standing around watching your child engage with more screens than fish as the aquarium has apparently departed from having live exhibits or at the very least tech free exhibits in favor of lots and lots and lots of technology fillers. Most of the aquarium is now just screens playing videos of sea creatures. Way to maximize profits.

Speaking of profit, holy bleep the price to get in rivals a theme park. We had 2 adults and a child under 7 and tickets were $175. The food was bananas. Parking nearby is $50. We shared 1 lunch entree and a sweet from the treat bar. No drinks. It was over $30. We skipped the souvenir shops, but I did note that souvenirs also occupy a significant amount of square footage on every floor.

If we don't all end up with 10 kinds of flu or noro I'll be shocked. There are minimal bathrooms, hand sanitizer stations, and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces.

When I was a kid visiting the Monterey Aquarium 30 years ago, it was a wonderful and inspiring experience that made me care about sea life and the oceans for my whole life. I couldn't wait to share that with my child. What a huge disappointment to see what the aquarium has become. Packed with technology instead of marine life and looking for anyway possible to separate people from their money.

The 2 stars I gave are 100% for the people working there who are absolutely delightful in most positions. The cafeteria workers deserve a medal and a raise for what they're putting up with on busy days.

Get it together Monterey Bay Aquarium

This is the crown jewel of the city/bay! It’s a must see/do if you have kids. Best aquarium we have been to. It is absolutely amazing. There isn’t much more I can say that others haven’t already…….. so I’ll focus on the negatives/concerns so that you can be better aware/prepared.

1. Purchase your tickets in advance and online, not when you get there.
2. With an advance ticket purchase, there is no specific time from which you are supposed to enter. In other words, there can be a long line to enter – even with those tickets.
3. If you go on a weekend, it can be very busy/crowded. With people layers-deep at some points, it can make it hard to enjoy some of the exhibits.
4. With some sections, the lighting is very dark. Keep a close eye on your kid, he/she can easily get lost/separated.
5. If one didn’t know, the aquarium is set up specifically for kids, but those of all ages can enjoy.
6. Parking can difficult on weekends. We ended up parking four blocks away. Not the end of the work though.
7. Only one “theatre” where they showed videos. Would be nice if there was a second for variety’s sake.
8. Also, not a lot of live presentations – at least when we were there.
9. Not as many bathrooms as I would expect. For example, the whole northern wing, there were no bathrooms – had to go upstairs or go to the cafeteria in the south wing.

But regardless of the negatives, this place is amazing and is a must….. especially if you have kids. We highly highly recommend it.

Adding to the chorus here, but this is truly a special aquarium. The exhibits are wonderful and the volunteers are so friendly and informative. $65 for an adult ticket is pretty steep but after seeing all the amazing conservation work they do here, you’ll agree it’s worth it. Be prepared for crowds!

It's not cheap (nothing is these days?!) but it's definitely up there as one of the best aquaria I've visited. Almost worth it for the jellyfish exhibit on its own, the sea otters and the deep sea tank with hammerhead sharks, tuna and turtles make it super exciting. Loads more too - worth a good 3 hours here

The admission price is $60 for adults I feel is to high for what you see. I have been other other aquariums that where better for less. The day I went there was a very long line but it did move fast. Several interesting things for kids. All in all overrated.

Amazing day at this aquarium.

It’s got lots of different areas and zones, so you can choose your own route and revisit areas as you want.

Loved the into the deep zone, was really great to see the huge tanks with the species not normally seen in aquariums.

The cafe is expensive but nice food. You can take your own and there is a nice outdoor area to eat your own in.

We spent all day here and could have stayed longer. It was crowded in some areas but overall didn’t feel too busy and didn’t spoil our enjoyment.

There are so many exhibits to look at , and the kids loved the touch tanks

Such a nice place and well situated if you are spending the day in Monterey!
Very nice interior and exterior - lots to see - especially if you have children - lots of room to roam around and see the different exhibits.
Staff is super friendly and more than willing to answer questions!
Very informative - highly recommend !

This is a vacation destination you don't want to miss. Really well done, with a number of interactive areas for kids to actually get their hands wet and touch sea life, like the sting rays! We particularly loved seeing the jellyfish in their stunning colors all backlit - amazing blues and golds. Plan to spend an entire day here as there is lots to see.

Go later in day to avoid the children. The sea otters were really cool but I didn’t like all the children running around unsupervised

I was very underwhelmed with the aquarium. I had been told by several people how great it was but I've been to better.
The price to get in is outrageous but we paid as we felt we might regret it if we didn't, it definitely wasn't worth $65 each.
If you can get tickets online beforehand I'd recommend it as I think it might be cheaper.

Wonderful experience a must see when in Monterey. Note all tickets are on line, no tickets at the door

$130 (two adults) is far too expensive for this place! It’s a nice enough aquarium but it took us 45 mins to finish the whole place. Wish we would have spent our money elsewhere. The best part was the otters swimming around however if I could go back, I wouldn’t bother going in….

Love this place! Sure there's enough to complain about but we're lucky to have such a great experience available.

Get the complaints out of the way. Yeah, it's kinda expensive. Can be really crowded. The constant game of bumper-strollers is annoying. Some of the stuff is once in a lifetime to see yet the kids complain of being bored after a couple hours... but it is what it is.

Positives, it's just a really special place to see. I appreciate their focus on sustainability; the Seafood Watch cards are educational and convenient. The tanks are amazing. I could sit and stare at the deep water tank all day long. The docents are all very helpful and eager to answer any questions. The folks doing the presentations at feedings are very enthusiastic and engaging for the kids.

For the cost you want to get in all you can see before the kids get whiney. Plan ahead. Arrive at opening and then move around with the Daily Schedule. We caught the otter feeding at 10:30. Kids loved how the otters come right up to the glass. Made our way over to the Deep Sea feeding at 11:00 and that was my favorite. It's amazing to watch the giant swarm of sardines swimming around and feeding as a group. Highly recommend. The kelp feeding was pretty cool, but the kids were more interested in the touch pools on the 2nd floor.

Overall a must-do experience. It didn't look like much of a cost-premium to upgrade from a single day ticket to a season pass but I don't know if its a trip we'd do more than once every year or so.

Justifies its excellent reputation. In addition to the usual fish and ocean mammals it has numerous exhibits/displays the importance of protecting the ecology of the ocean and estuaries. Don't miss the sea otters, kelp forest, jellyfish, deep ocean, and aviary, or going outside to view Monterey Bay and its wildlife.

Fabulous Aquarium! The sealions outside seem to get all the attention but inside is really cool. The tunnels will have you mesmerized, watching the fish and sharks swimming above you. Such a cool experience.

After 20 prior visits to the Aquarium over a decade, it keeps getting better. The staff and volunteers share so much information and always welcome questions. One of our favorite places to go in Monterey. Special thanks to Zachary for a great back area tour and the Aquariasts during the feedings and films who keep expanding our knowledge of all depths of the sea!! The knowledge and exhibits about the deeps keeps evolving. Even the otters in the bay made special outpourings along with an army of cormorants, harbor seals spreading along the pilings and one raccoon strutting her stuff on the beach. We never get enough. We're proud to be members.

Along the entire coast you can see sea lions, pelicans, seagulls and some cetaceans for free while walking along the ocean. The aquarium is disappointing; he is only as good as Kelp Forrest.
Definitely very poor value for money at $59 entry for adults

We went to Monterey aquarium while on vacation in Carmel by the Sea. The aquarium is laid out nicely, and the exhibits are easy to see. However, I was very disappointed in the ticket process. Upon arrival, we were told to scan the QR code to buy tickets online. After several minutes trying to do this, I heard the young lady tell a family that they can go in and buy tickets at the counter. I questioned her and she said oh yes, you can go inside. I told her how frustrating that was as she saw me standing there trying to check in and saying this was ridiculous. Too much time spent trying to buy tickets online so if you're going to do it, do it in advance. I also want to say that I do not think that this aquarium is worth $119 for two tickets. I was disappointed and could've spent the money elsewhere, like a boat tour or whale watching. Sadly, I don't recommend the aquarium; although it seemed the families were enjoying. They had good children's exhibits and areas.

Quite possibly one of the biggest and best aquariums I've been too. We really enjoyed our day here!
We parked just around the corner as we got there early but there is a park and ride option if you can't park on a near car park.
There was a queue to get in but I get the impression there always is and it's always busy and rightly so.
There is just so much to see, so many exhibits and wonderful creatures to meet, the staff are great all over and very knowledgeable! I'll include photos of this trip on my review because there is just too much to mention on a review.
Well worth a visit and well worth a walk around the town it's based in
(The restaurant in the cafe opposite is delicious!)

Is fun nice live and my family I have to have more time to see all shows and not have to eat inside so to many people order the big fish is so big acuario

We had an enjoyable time watching the otters and looking at all the sea creatures and displays. I found the jellyfish particularly interesting. There is a display about plastic in the ocean that I hope people look at and do something in their daily lives to lessen or eliminate the problem. Expensive. Parking nearby.

The Monterey Aquarium is simply incredible. It has countless attractions and activities, as well as accessibility for all ages. It has great food options, rest areas, and souvenir shops. Animals such as otters, giant jellies, and many other marine animals will make you go crazy. The aquarium has a beautiful view of the Monterey Bay. It is an incredible place and I highly recommend a visit.

I love aquariums and have visited many. This is the best so far! Very educational, family friendly with interactive exhibits for the young and old like. Highly recommended.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is worth the price! We spent almost three hours walking around the exhibits.. so well done, took some beautiful photos of jellyfish, penguins, otters, and exhibits. We hadn’t been here in many years and the additions to what we remembered were just amazing! A world class aquarium not to be missed.

Great aquarium but unfortunately it was far too crowded on weekday mornings.
We were in the aquarium from 11am for two hours with two children under 6 years old. Unfortunately it was very crowded. The children couldn't see anything, it was terribly busy. We had bought the tickets online days before. We would have liked limited admission.
Other than that, the aquarium is really worth seeing

Fascinating place, so much to see and do especially loved the otters, jellyfish and outside areas overlooking the water.
The inside map was kinda confusing in parts and it didn’t match what the lifts were telling you inside so I never did find the octopus I was looking for!
Cool place tho just a pity the shop prices were rather extortionate for most wallets, $32 for a pair of socks wth?

It's a nice aquarium and in-particular the sea otters are amazing. However, when we went it felt like far too many people had been admitted so it felt like you're shoulder-to-shoulder with people the entire time. It made using the cafe difficult and it was quite tiresome queuing to look into every single exhibit.

A cautionary note is that there's no dedicated parking so you'll need to park at the nearby multi-story which is $20.

We had a great time at Monterey aquarium. It is one of the best aquariums we have been too.

Great day out for adults and also lots to do for children.

This aquarium was a wonderful experience for the whole family. Our youngest loved playing on the kids play equipment and exhibits upstairs. Our middle son loved the shark exhibit. I was captivated by the jellyfish. My husband loved the open sea exhibit. I’m so glad we took the time to go!

I honestly think this was the best aquarium I've even been too. There is so much to see, you can honestly spend hours.
The highlight was feeding time in the kelp forest. The diver was hooked up to a microphone, speaking to the crowd the while time while he fed the various types of fish, even the shark. Very informative and well maintained. Admission is pricey but it was worth it!

A must do if in Monterey. It was busy at opening time so you may want to go later in the day (our schedule didn't permit) but the queues moved quickly. The auditorium was particularly good to have a sitdown and to experience an informed talk.

My husband and I brought our two grandkids, 8 and 9. We take them on "adventures" instead of buying toys at Christmas. They loved everything about the Aquarium itself. The feeding by the diver was amazing. There are plenty of interactive exhibits that excited them. Watching the penguins was really fun. We also purchased the "All About Animals" special tour to make it more special. I would not recommend this for kids, in fact it was a little too much "inside baseball" for my husband and myself. We got to go behind exhibits, but there really wasn't much interaction with animals that we couldn't get out front. There was a lot of information by our very knowledgeable guide. She was friendly and attempted to make the kids feel special. But I mistakenly expected more "special access" for the price of $40 each on top of the admission. The aquarium itself it amazing and I would highly recommend it, but skip the special tour.

Amazing aquarium - a must do in Monterey. We went late in the afternoon and towards the end or our visit essentially had tank exhibits to ourselves. Really, really impressive. Friendly volunteer staff! Worth the steep ticket price.

What an amazing experience. There is so many wonderful exhibits to explore 😍 .Very well laid out and enjoying learning and watching the different feeding times

The aquarium and exhibits/talks etc are excellent but it is way too busy. We went on a Friday in July and it was very crowded and it meant the experience wasn't as good as it could be. It may not make commercial sense for them but timed tickets/capacities would make for a better visitor experience.

Our two kids did the Diving Experience which was fantastic, definitely book in advance. They had a great time and it was a really different experience and would strongly recommend, it's for kids aged 8-13.

My husband and I visited here 20 years ago and loved it, so we wanted to bring our teenagers. It did not disappoint. The whole place was clean, friendly and beautiful to walk through. I loved the art, information and exhibits. Let alone the amazing wildlife on show. We all really enjoyed and learnt a lot from the experience. We would recommend to families of all ages.

Beautiful place. Lots of activities for the kids and family. But tickets online. Took lots of pictures enjoyed my time there

I do like this aquarium and how they are very persistent in helping sea animals and ocean life. Conservation. At first I was like where are the dolphins in the sea lions but they do not have them here because they would rather have them be in the ocean. I do admire that! The sea otters they did have they rescued and return them as soon as they are well enough. The sea otters were so cute! The view outside is spectacular and they have several movies going on throughout the day, very informational. The jellyfish section is amazing. They also have this huge crab! They have a section where you can touch some of the sea animals, and learn about the kelp, And lots of areas for children to play as well as places throughout where you can grab a snack if you need one.

Where do I start?

My husband and our 19-month-old son visited the aquarium while staying in Monterey.

The Monterey Bay aquarium is amazing interactive space that showcases Marine Life in a thoughtful way that caters for all ages.

Not only did my son thoroughly enjoy himself my husband and I had an awesome experience. That we will not forget.

If we return to Monterey from NZ, we will definitely make the time to visit the Aquarium again.

Highly recommend you make a visit to the aquarium no matter your age.

We left after 15 minutes. This is not a place for adults who are gentle lovers of the ocean. It was more like a crazy theme park full of stressed out parents and lots of children.

This Aquarium is a love letter to California's coastal regions. Everyone who works or volunteers here (and they have a LOT of dedicated volunteers) is enthusiastic about preserving the Monterey Bay and incredibly knowledgeable about the local environment.

When you go, try to sign up for the "Behind the Scenes Tour" - our group was led by a knowledgeable and very engaging volunteer.

Enjoy!

Wonderful aquarium with lots of exhibits and educational information. Check out the Kelp Forest (impressive both visually and technologically) and Into the Deep exhibits. Definitely try to check out one of the sea otter feeding interactions - too cute!!

It is just Amazing to go to the sea aquarium in Monterey.
For young and old people.
And special on a Rainy day or stormy day and can go to the Beach with the kids.
Staff very Friendly and easy to get the tickets for it.

I spent about 5 hours here with the family taking in all the beauty the ocean has to offer. Very well maintained aquarium and lovely exhibits.

The aquarium is amazing. It’s way bigger than I expected and so many different sea life to see and explore. Only downfall was the cost, for 2 adults and 2 juniors and a 4yr old it was $400Aud. But we are so glad we went!

Well done aquarium with an emphasize on the bay area and the local environment. Fun for both kids and adults. Decent sized cafe with nice offerings. Knowledgeable staff throughout the building.

So much to see and discover here; give yourself a few hours to really take it all in! My only recommendation would be to plan a meal before or after your visit; the food in the cafeteria was super expensive and not very good. Besides that, we enjoyed our visit and loved learning about the local aquatic life; the exhibits were very nicely done!

There are many things to see, but we went on a Friday and spring break. So many people, we could not get close to any of the exhibits. We paid 220 dollars, and did not feel it was worth it 😔

We spent about 3.5 hours here, including a break for lunch, and we saw it all. Our young boys (ages 3 and 5) really enjoyed the exhibits here. Definitely worth the time and money.

This is a wonderful aquarium. We spent 2 hours walking through each exhibit. The jellyfish exhibits are extensive and beautiful. There are even penguins! The volunteers are numerous and helpful. The volunteers wait near exhibits for visitors to ask questions. The aquarium is right next to many of eateries and tourist shops and also, right next to the Pacific Ocean. When you walk straight through the aquarium, you walk out to a large, open are that overlooks the ocean, 10 feet above the water. It is gorgeous. There is a 3-story public parking structure about three short blocks away. (Not New York City blocks.) $15 for the day.
It can be chilly outside so bring layers.

I've been lucky enough to visit many aquariums and Monterey is up there with the best!

We spent 4 wonderful hours in the aquarium. Highlights included the kelp forest, the giant Pacific octopus and feeding time with the sea otters. Going outside, the chance to see seals and sea otters in the wild from the deck and through the tower viewers is amazing. The history of the canning factory display is also worth a read.

Every section is a joy and I can't recommend it enough!

We have not been in years so we enjoyed seeing the exhibits. Since it’s summer it was very crowded as to be expected however if you are traveling with anyone that has mobility issues this is not the time of year to attend.

Went there with my 3 year old. He was amazed about everything. Otters and penguins were fun, quite active and cute of course. Place was packed on sunday morning so could not see everything. Also it was a suprise that no selling of tickets onsite, fortunately there was free wifi so we could do it online.

Initially was hesitant with the $60 price tag, but having a deep interest in everything sea related, felt I owed it to myself to check it out while here in Monterey from the UK.
In short its defiantly worth it, spent over 2 hours walking round and watching the fantastic areas in this clean well organised aquarium. Fortunately I dropped on a Monday morning, still busy, but guess on a weekend/rainy day its a bit too busy. The only area I didn’t like is the ‘touching area’ I don’t think the creatures should be touched, they are in captivity. Overall very impressed

This is extremely over priced. It is not worth the $100 for one adult and one child. It was worth about $40. Most of the items were for small children.

It is one of the largest salt water aquariums in the world. The place is beautiful and really impresses and excites.

We bought the tickets on time and paid $65 per adult and $45 per child (under 4 years do not pay), we were worried about staying long in the queue, but we arrived early and the process was pretty quick.

When the Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984, its vision was magnificent, the experience sublime. They set a new, high bar for educational, enlightening public experience. There was a comprehensive oversight to the original plan that got lost at some point. The focus used to be on education, enlightenment and awe. What you've got now is an aquarium that is trying to compete with Disneyland. You can see jellyfish, octopus and sea otters at any number of facilities now. It's still a lovely setting (Monterey), but when it first opened, and for the first twenty years of it's operation, the feeling you came away from was one of a greater sense of respect, appreciation, caring and responsibility for our oceans. Now it's a lot of people racing from exhibit to exhibit thinking because kids can climb on things and touch some kept that there is an educational, rather than just purely sensational, take away. You used to feel as though the aquarium was helping/taking part in important marine sciences work and that, by visiting and engaging, you were a part of it. That part of the experience is long gone.

When the aquarium first opened, it had a motivated, educated group of volunteers - almost all of the retired - who were present at almost every exhibit and did a lot of the work of bringing depth and meaning to the experience. If there were any of these volunteers around, I didn't see them. Lots of youthful workers/volunteers wandering around trying to look purposeful, but not engaging with anyone.

There were lots and lot of strollers and babes in arms so I'm thinking it may be one of the only places where families can take all of the kids and it's not a disaster. I think most of the visitors yesterday were families on vacation who just happy to be somewhere else other than at home. I suspect that if you can go at a time that it will not be swamped with vacationing families, you'll probably enjoy yourself a lot. It seems there aren't many options for families with small children so it might be a good choice as an activity for that reason, but I won't go again during summer ever.

One positive: I thought the cafeteria food was pretty good - burgers and fries for people who want that and shrimp pole nachos or edamame salad, etc..., for people who want that. Some healthy, vegetarian options. A cup of coffee costs $7.

This Aquarium is a must see if you go to Monterey. Make sure you buy your tickets on line before you go.
We spent about 5 hours there and we managed to see everything that was available on display.
The short films in the auditorium were very good and I recommend you see as many as you can,
The volunteers and staff were delightful and very helpful.
The food served in the cafeteria was great and reasonably priced.
Really enjoyed our visit.

Been to aquariums in many cities and this rivals Boston’s Aquarium. It was immaculate, friendly guides, amazing exhibits, and very handicapped friendly. We got to see all the special attractions by quickly looking at their brochure for the day. Their attractions were every 30 minutes allowing you plenty of time to make it to the next one. I would recommend getting there at opening time. We arrived at 10 AM and had plenty of time to see all attractions and then go to each large room with other large aquarium “windows “ . So many different species of everything imaginable. Highly recommend seeing if near Monterey.

This aquarium is breathtaking. There are some exhibits that are so incredible and all of the exhibits are delightful. We are absolutely going to come back every year. If you can, book a tour. It's worth it if you're interested in the behinds the scenes of how it all works.

It doesn’t matter your level of interest, there will be something you’ll be awed by. There are fascinating films, hands on exhibits, towering kelp forests and spectacular jellies. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a regionally focused aquarium, but what a fabulous oceanic region. Check out their web site for details. We’ve gone three times so far and there is always something more to take in. There is also a cafe and, of course, a gift shop.

We did the behind the scenes tour ($19 extra - get reservations). It was interesting although not great. But for $19/person seeing the shark take from above was worth it.

The only downside for us is that it is August and their are children everywhere. I might recommend coming when the kids are back in school.

My wife was keen to revisit this having been 20 years ago. The otters were still utterly enchanting and the other displays/shows informative and well designed. Definitely a great way to spend 3 hours in Monterey.

Wow what a place, we were just amazed at how much was there, it was a beautiful day, staff were able to help you and explain about some of the animals, lovely little gift shops, you could watch some otters being feed, duvers in the tanks, definitely would recommend this place, we spent 3 hours here and that was with no kids lol

Could not get in the door. No credit cards accepted at door. People standing outside trying to buy tickets online. What a scene. Tried the online thing and had to create an account, email, full name, address etc. why do they need all this info??? Ok I can pay cash. Great. Hand cashier a couple of hundreds and she SAYS we don’t give change. So the $120 fee for 3 people is now $200. Then she asks between you and your wife don’t you have $20. None of her business. (Maybe trying to be nice???). But that was last straw. We left.

AVOID THIS TOURIST TRAP AT ALL COSTS.

The aquarium was an absolute circus!
Way too many people inside, layers deep people crowded in front of each display, noisy, claustrophobic. It was impossible to enjoy the displays even if by miracle you managed to get a good location to observe the fish.
Management should really try to control the crowd by restricting the number of people allowed in the facility during busy days. But they seem more willing to perpetuate the exploitation of resources well ingrained in this area, then it was the sardines now it’s the tourists, rather than giving a good experience to those who visit the facility.
I so looked forward to seeing this place and to learn about the ocean, the life in there and the research that I know the MAM is conducting.
Unfortunately that goal was utterly impossible to achieve due to overcrowding. I left with a headache and upset stomach within less than 30 minutes. The only positive thing is that they refunded our tickets after a bit of pushing.

This aquarium celebrates the wonders of the ocean and marine life. There’s a ton to see and do here - touch pool, splash zone, open ocean (my fav), penguins, octopus, jellyfish, coral reef sections. I’m absolutely enamored with the flatfish!

Staff were very helpful getting us our tickets and pointing out highlights, while making us feel very welcome. Throughout our visit we were helped by several staff and they were all delightful.

I squawked at the $60 per but so glad we went. The jellyfish exhibits were my favorite but the 2 story high aquariums of local waters and of ‘the deep’ were right up there. Head out to the viewing decks & look for shiny round heads to spot harbor seals.

We’ll be back!

Access only allowed by telephone ADD. NO clar information about that. No tickets on place.
I loved Monterey but I would have liked to visit the Aquarium. Many times, attractions believe everybody lives in USA

One of my favorite aquariums in California! Definitely can get very busy so highly recommend getting your tickets beforehand. Also recommend seeing in the off-season if possible to minimize crowds.

I've been to this aquarium several times in my life. It is always slightly different and has something new to see or do. The exhibits are extensive. I had time to taken in several of the auditorium shows this time as well and I would recommend making time for any shows of interest. It is a good rest from viewing the exhibits that can be crowded at times and provides more details about habitats, animals, etc.

I spent more time this visit on the outside observation areas tracking sea otters and had a whale spotting while there. The weather was fantastic and allowed for being outdoors and just relaxing while watching tide pools.

Don’t believe for a second Monterey Aquarium cares about conservation and education. It only cares about $money$.
They cram an unlimited amount of people in there and you can’t have a good experience. People piling up behind you while you try to look at an animal for a few seconds let alone read and learn about them. It’s a rat race of people to take a photo to update their social media and on to the next. Also any place that sells a croissant for $9.49 has no shame.
Time to double up the price of admission and only allow limited amounts of people in there.

We've been to the Monterey Aquarium before. We always love coming back. This time, we managed to do ALMOST everything we wanted to. We saw the otters being fed (stand on tiptoe! It gets crowded); we saw the jellyfish in the deep-sea exhibit; and we got to pet the rays. (Cute little guys!) It's a beautiful building at a beautiful site. We love this place! If you have kids, it's a no-brainer, take them there. It's fun.

We received complimentary tickets from our Airbnb host, so didn't have to pay the rather expensive entry fee.
We enjoyed about 3 hours there, the exhibits are interesting & well done.
However, something just doesn't sit comfortably with me seeing such wonderful creatures in a relatively small area.

Brilliant day out! We arrived at opening and left at closing and just a fantastic all round experience. So much to see and do and you can see why it’s rated as the best aquarium in the world.
Only negative is the cost to get in, food and drink prices and the extortionate costs in the gift shop.

Good range of things to see, just a little smaller than expected.
Large aquarium was good, plenty of different sea life to see!

This aquarium is in a perfect position on the Pacific Ocean. There's loads to see from the Kelp Forest, the sea otters to penguins. There are also touch pools and an aviary. Visitors can also view feeding programmes throughout the day.
Admission is pretty pricey for a family with adults charged $65 and seniors and children $50 so far from a cheap day out. But it is still a must visit and you can also re-enter through a hand stamp.

2 adults, 1 youth and you pay 170 bucks! Yes, 170 ! Not included are overpriced coffees and cookies.

One time experience, and never again! It is not even worth visiting if it was 50 bucks for a family of 3. Sorry, MBA you have talented and engaged staff members. But this price is not worth all of it. One nice lecture, but all in al after 3 hours it gets boring.

As a tourist visiting California and Monterey, there are better things to spend 170$ on. Go to the beach, to a park or whatever you like.

This aquarium has done much to try and involve you with the extraordinary sea life just outside in the bay, and they have succeeded in capturing most people's imagination. The exhibits are well conceived, informative, and generally interactive. The animals are quite active and feedings occur on a pre-announced schedule that include commentary by aquarium staff. There is also a theater where staff give talks on various topics.

There are many toilets around the facility plus a cafe serving good food (I got a very good beef stew there!), so you can - and should - plan to spend most of a day here. A perfect place for kids and the young at heart.

Some strange policies and procedures.
1. Senior discount starts at age 70 (first ever for this)
2. Tickets are on line only

Capped off by the high price $50 each senior and $20 to park at the city lot this was an expensive day
It was not readily disclosed that one of the major exhibits was closed (otters)

Great aquarium but with issues

This place is no good I wouldn’t recommend it all these captive sea creatures, it is so sad to see ! They have no freedom at all and I wonder if they really know what and how to feed them properly? I wonder where and what they feed the sea creatures they have ? In this day and age to have them captive just makes me feel bad

Very impressive aquarium. Thought we would only be there for about an hour but we ended up being there a little over 2 hours. Not too crowded for a Thursday in October. You had to wait a minute or two to look at an exhibit. Didn't eat or drink anything so can't comment on that. Our favorite were the otters. They were really playful. Parked in the ramp and had no issues (it did cost $15)

We got to the Aquarium shortly after it opened, hoping to be the crowds. No luck. When we got there, parking was almost impossible to find and the Aquarium was very crowded. IMPORTANT PARKING NOTE. If you have a valid Handicapped Placard/Sticker, you can park in any metered parking spot in Monterey for free. There is a shortage of set-aside spots, so this appears to be how the City makes up for it.

The layout of the Aquarium helped direct traffic through it effectively. There were a lot of people, but traffic kept moving through. The exhibits were too many to list. The views of the Bay from outside were breathtaking. I would recommend a solid 90 minutes – 2 hours to make it through and see all the exhibits. Make some time out on the patio to enjoy the views of the Bay.

Really exciting and well structured. We were surrounded by families with children and their amazement was contagious. Definitely recommended!

Very crowded, quite expensive, but a top quality aquarium. The expensive door fee supports research and conservation, a worthy cause. Many region specific exhibits can’t be seen in other aquariums, but don’t expect dolphin or sea lion shows or exhibits.

This is the best aquarium in the US in my opinion. Beautiful animals, lots of facts and good information. Everyone looked well cared for in the exhibits and looked happy.

AVOID the café. Not just expensive. Extortionate! Get a stamp for re entry and eat elsewhere.
The aquarium is wonderful.

This is one of the best aquariums we have visited. Was here several years ago and had to come back! Set on Monterey Bay with beautiful views. If you are a sea and nature this is the place for you. It was very crowded the day we were there, but we were still able to enjoy all the displays. Definitely put this on your list if visiting the are…you’ll be glad up dfidf!

We really enjoyed our visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We spend around 3 hours there and we could have easily spent a couple more. It had a lot of educational displays about the marine animals they were housing. There was even an interactive touch station which was very interesting. We also managed to squeeze in one one of the very informative live talks. It can get busy in the areas when there is a feeding session but other than that it was a great experience. You can even leave the aquarium and return later on the same day by stamping your hand before leaving.

The aquarium is nice. The jellyfish were awesome to see. The puffins were great. The penguins exhibit seemed small. It was a nice place to spend a few hours, but for the price I was expecting more.

You could spend hours at this Aquarium, it is very big with all sorts of fish and sea creatures to see and learn about.
Spread over two levels it is really well set up, the best I have been too.
We arrived at opening time 10am. and bought tickets at the door.
The websites leads you to think you have to buy entry tickets online, when we tried that it would not work , it should say tickets are available at the door.
First thing we went to see was the Otter feeding at 10.30am, lasts about 15 minutes so get there early as it is worth seeing, after that we just took out time looking at all the wonderful creatures that live in our oceans .
A great place, good for children , they can learn soo much there. Gets very busy.
A must place to visit when in Monterey

Luckily I was able to get a refund, as we bolted for the doors after less than 30 minutes. The noise and crowd were simply unbearable. I came to learn about the ocean ecosystem in this part of the world but left discussed and literally feeling sick to my stomach.

The best I can say about MBA is I was able to get a refund but that does not begin to cleanse the sour taste from my mouth.

I’m sure that on a calmer day MBA provides a great learning opportunity but being packed in like sardines only suggests that they continue to exploit the current resource, tourists, just like the hay days exploited the ocean I now wish to see more protect.

For a great aquarium experience my I suggest Exmouth in Western Australia where even the Mexican food tasted better.

Visiting the aquarium was the focal part of our four-night stay in Monterey, so we allocated nearly a full day to the experience. It did not disappoint. We especially enjoyed the 25' tall kelp bed tank and the mesmerizing schools of mackerel and other fish swimming about and the massive Open Ocean display. We had a light lunch in the well-appointed cafeteria, spent some time watching the penguin feeding, listened to an otter talk, and spent more time than most reading the displays next to each tank learning about the animals on display.

If you love nature, zoos, and wildlife, this place is as good as it gets.

This renowned aquarium has got it all.
We all tend to focus on the birds and the animals we can see but i am super impressed this aquarium brings the deep sea creatures we can't see to the table excuse me to the tank. The creatures who live well below 6,000 feet.

A large aquarium but not well laid out. I had high expectations about this aquarium and was a bit let down. The exhibits are good and the aviary was a nice surprise. I had wanted to see the penguin feeding but so many people just stand in front of the glass so you can’t see a thing, and there is no staff moving people back or having them sit down. It was also quite expensive for what you see. We had been to Ripley’s in Toronto which was far superior. One good thing is that you can leave the aquarium and come back later if you get your hand stamped at the exit.

We made a day trip to Monterey, from San Francisco, for the sole purpose to visit this aquarium. I’ve read so many articles claiming it to be one of the best in the USA that we had to go, and we weren’t disappointed.

First note, parking isn’t easy. Street parking does have various time limits and they fill up quickly, so the next choice is the public parking for $20/day.

Due to traffic, we got to the aquarium about 3pm so that gave us 2 hours to visit. At a fast pace we were able to cover everything including the gift shop, but could have easy slowed down and spent another hour. It’s a fantastic aquarium. Most aquariums I’ve been to have one “highlight” exhibit, but I think the Monterey Aquarium has several awe inspiring exhibits that really impressed me.

The only downside is that it is very expensive, but it’s also the cost to maintain a healthy aquarium. Highly recommended.

Our 3 generational family spent the day here exploring familiar marine life and some new ones. My grandson and I loved the ray touch tank, the colorful tropical fish, and the huge fish tanks with scuba divers and leopard sharks. A real treat was seeing an employee feed kelp to a monkey-faced pickle fish. We watched otters being fed and spent a long time with the penguins. Several of the exhibits are in low light areas
Signage is great and paper maps are readable as is app
They offer several additional experiences for a charge like the group of 9 to 14 year olds who donned dry suits to surface level scuba in the secluded bay enclosure.
The café often a variety of options
Accessible venue and entry
Nursing area in women's restrooms and a separate nursing area. Accessible mens and women's restrooms with dedicated stalls that have adequate space and 2 grab bars
Paid van accessible parking in parking garage

Amazing!!! the size of the fish tanks, the shoals (those of sardines that look like aliens!!)
There are many, many people, but with patience you can enjoy this aquarium.
It was not at all easy to buy the ticket, from the outside you can not, in cash only with the exact value, they do not survive by selling tickets. Ah, there is also no parking on site, in the surroundings there are paid parking and a few blocks away it is already possible to park without time limit
It is to enjoy it, each and every sector, worth the visit

This is an amazing, one of a kind place. The exhibits are incredible. We attended several programs in the auditorium and all were excellent. Just love that they have a very strong environmental protection message in all the signage and programs.

We have been to many aquariums and this one rates in the middle. Many animals to see and watch. We did watch a sea otter feeding and that was cute. We spent about 2 hours here

This place is amazing! You get to see so much! And experience of touching a stingray, some see algae and starfish. The staff we so helpfull that she told me the best to see everything and enjoy all of it! A lot of thing the kids can do!

We haven't been here in many many years when our son was a little tike and now he is 33 years old so it has been awhile since we have been awhile. Now it was time to come since we were here to celebrate our anniversary. And now seeing it with clarity, this place is a gem and you learn so much about wildlife and trying to keep the environment safe for all.

We walked from our hotel and there is a free trolley you can take to and from the Monterey Plaza Hotel. Hubby bought the tickets online. We entered around 12:30 pm and explored the museum with new eyes. I especially enjoyed the sea otter feeding and African penguin feeding. The sea otters are fed 3 times a day and the penguins are fed once daily so check with times with the aquarium as the website was not up to date.

There are also showings in the auditorium and we sat down to see the story of Luna, A Sea Otter's Story (twice daily) and Behind the Glass (5 times daily). There are places to shop for children and adults as well as a place for refreshment, the cafe and we ordered the chicken salad sandwich and tomato basil soup to tide us over before our dinner.

It was an educational and interesting experience, some place to take out of town friends/family.

I enjoyed my visit with friends here! I loved that we got to see Otters and the various exhibits of fishes. One thing I definitely recommend is taking your time and pacing yourself, I didn’t realize how much there was to see. Will have to return!

I had visited Monterey Bay Aquarium several times. It is a good place for summer holidays. Bistro Moulin is nice cafe close Monterey Bay Aquarium and you also can shop at Kristonio's.

During previous visits to the Acquarium we have always felt like there is room to view and walk about the exhibits. This time it was just a mess - people and tired kids everywhere. The feeling was more of an amusement park than an Acquarium.
This place is simply starting to get too crowded to make for a good experience. The limit on the number of admitted visitors on a busy Saturday needs to be lower than what was set during our visit. The amount of people wanting to view feedings etc was way too high for this to be a pleasurable experience to anyone.

My husband (his first time) enjoyed the whole experience. Staffs were very nice, we get to meet Mr. Tyrone from the ticketing counter, very nice and friendly.

It is beautiful please to see marine mammals, fishes , birds and kelp forest ; plenty of kid’s entertainment like touch pools.
Very important: but your tickets ahead!!! You can get with the app in front - employee will help you or on line at home/ hotel
As well a bit pricey but then again what is not expensive in CA …
Be carful with a caffè price! 😮 a glass of lemonade it’s 7.09!!!! That’s in sane ! My husband sugar was “ diving “ - diabetic, he just filled 1/2 but got charged for a full 🥴
Will I visit it again? ….

Good variety of animals. Staff is very informative. Aquarium is very well spread out. Only down side are the prices. Knew about their cafe prices in advance and ate before I arrived.

Everything here is amazing! I wish I lived in the area to purchase a membership and visit often. Worth the ticket price IMO.

Ok first time to party that much when it's new (actually was $30/$40 back then but it doesn't change much and $65 per person is a bit ridiculous though understand it's all the conservation they do but it's hardly Disneyland

Very nice aquarium with many animals and activities for kids. I will recomand it for sure. The price was expensive for kids 5 years old

The acquariam definitely needs to introduce timed visiting slots to tackle the chronic overcrowding. We visited on a Saturday afternoon and the crowds were so thick we really struggled to see many of the fish (especially when so many people held up their phones all the time). For the very high price point, this needs to be a better visitor experience to complement the excellent marine conservation work. The crowding also clearly makes it difficult for wheelchair users to see the exhibits.

Really neat aquarium. The space is beautiful and the exhibits are wonderfully done. The staff is great, kind and knowledgeable. We spent most of the day here. Purchased our tickets on line so entry was super easy.

It did get really crowded mid day. The price of tickets is high, but I feel worth it. I think they should consider timed tickets for crowd control. The amount of kids running around was crazy, but I blame the parents for that. There are plenty of very kid oriented places in the aquarium.

Seeing the otter feeding is tough - too many people, but otherwise this place is simply awe inspiring. Take plenty of time to absorb it. The gift shops are very expensive, and it's probably best to eat a hefty meal before you go in - and then plan to stay a while.

We saw the whole place in a day. Saw all five presentations in the auditorium. I had to use my walker and the elevators were well placed so access was not problem. The food was WAY too expensive so we skipped that

The aquarium was massively over crowded. Why oh why did they let so many people in at the same time. It was hard to see anything and at $65 per person very over priced.
Even if it hadn’t been crowded there wasn’t much to see. The tank that the penguins were in was too small.
If you think - dark, super crowded, underwhelming exhibits that’s what this is. I’ve been to much better aquariums than this and can only suppose the high reviews are mainly from people who haven’t been to any really good ones.

The BEST aquarium in the nation!! So diverse with penguins, stingrays you can pet, jellyfish galore and the list goes on. Superb presentations in every area! I’ve been over 10 times and never am disappointed. Plan on at least a half day or more!!

My wife and I went on Saturday morning prior to catching a late afternoon flight out of San Jose.

I definitely would not go on a weekend again. If you do go on the weekend, don’t expect a relaxing, leisurely visit.

First of all plan ahead to deal with a parking mess. Went into nearby lots only to find them full. Tried to get to another lot only to find I couldn’t turn left for blocks. Then found the lot cost $20. Finally found a spot over 1/2 mile away which wanted us to pay on a app. Forget that. Stopped some people and got change.

Hate to start out the visit upset but that’s the way it was.

Inside it seemed that every family in Monterey was there and with a stroller.

Disappointed there wasn’t an organized flow or crowd control inside. Everything was “force your way” to get close to the tanks to observe.

After an hour, my wife and I were ok to leave and get out of the congestion.

That said, we very much were impressed with the exhibits. The colorful jellyfish exhibits were amazing. Also, working in manufacturing I was engrossed by the canning exhibit.

A fascinating glimpse of the life of the sea. Very interesting exhibits and awe inspiring conservation.

The website warned us that on Saturdays it would be crowded, and it certainly was, with lots of children some strollers. The videos in the auditorium were excellent with the added feature of a live narrator, who offered to answer questions afterwards. My friend had been to the aquarium several times, and said it was increasingly oriented toward children, almost becoming a children's museum. I was unable to learn much about the displays since there were few accompanying natural history signs. However the display on the canneries' history on Cannery Row is informative.

If the Monterey Aquarium allows us to admire some of Mother Nature’s most intriguing marine creatures, we must note that a few species stand out.

Do you know the isopods?
-No?
Imagine a cockroach that lives 600 meters deep.
Now add a shell to it.
And finally feed him decomposing organic matter.
Nothing that makes you want to stroke it, does it?
Personally I tested.
It’s... smooth... a little scaly.
And seen from above it's okay.
But I'll put a picture of the bottom of it so you can see.

Then try to make up your own mind.

If you're in the area, this is a must-see. However, even though you need to purchase your tickets in advance, the aquarium is very crowded. Parking nearby is expensive (I paid $30 for the day) and not easy to find. Expect to stand in line at least 15 minutes to get in to the aquarium unless you're a member.

When you do get in, check out the times for the short films and the feeding times for the various animals. Both are well worth seeing.

A wonderful experience and a place to visit while in Monterey. While many cities have excellent aquariums to enjoy. This aquarium is really unique because many exhibits focus on the marine life found along the west coasts and particularly the Pacific ocean . Amazing to see the natural view of kelp forests or the playfulness of the humorous sea otter swimming freely in a live feeding exhibit kids will have a blast at the many touch exhibitions. And, of course they are even penguins. The Monterey Aquarium emphasizes many aspects of marine conservation, both for learning and actual practice. Very enjoyable experience

Overrated and not too much to see. Everything is behind glass, which is sometimes not transparent and hard to see. No animals close up, those who have been to aquariums in Europe will know the difference.

Super crowded everywhere makes it look like a Disneyland. Save yourself time and money and go see wild life in abundance just outside of the place. Buy a membership and bypass the line if you need to go.

Great learning experience for all ages. Animals are in their environments, personnel of the aquarium are very helpful, and the food at the cafeteria is very good with affordable prices. The only thing that I did not like is that many people are impatient to see the specimens very close and they go in front of you instead of waiting. Otherwise would be an extraordinary experience.

This was our second visit and it was even better with our daughter being a bit older. The breadth and depth of the animals is amazing and the staff are super energetic, knowledgable and helpful. It was spring break season and super crowded but didn't feel that cramped except during the special feedings or animal sessions.

This aquarium is great! Is one of the only aquarium that use ocean water in their tanks. They have several tanks big enough to hold great white sharks when needed. The largest tank shows you the whole ecosystem of the ocean and how they feed. They have two store kelp garden tank and area that shows what lives under fishing piers by having fishing piers. It has great interactive area for the kids, and amazing jelly fish displace, and fun otters. One of the best parts its on the water so you can walk outside and see sea lions and otters in their normal habitat. There are touch tanks for kids as well as a theater with education moves about sea life and their stories. The cafe has good food but its pricey, just like the rest of this aquarium.

Long waiting line to get in. It doesn’t matter if you go morning or afternoon, this place is busy and crowded. Per adult $65 and per child ages 5-12 $45 so if you have a big family it ain’t cheap. In some parts of the exhibit it was too warm not sure if it’s because of poor ventilation or overcrowding or both. It is cool to checkout if it’s your first time but this place is overrated. Overall it is hard to enjoy because it is so crowded. Merchandise is expensive. The whole cannery row and aquarium are a fun experience but just be prepared to deal with people who lack common courtesy.

It’s hard to put into words how fantastic this place is. The entire experience was wonderful. Our entire family thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. It was very busy but the layout of the different exhibits kept people moving at a good pace. Highly recommend if you’re in the Big Sur area.

This is apparently a must see when in Monterey but it is really disappointing. Firstly, it was $120 for two adults which is a lot of money. Secondly, the place was very very busy and is an accident waiting to happen. Despite there being a stroller park, most parents decide to keep them which blocks access to a number of the attractions. They are also a hazard in the darker sections of the aquarium. If you want to see out of control children, some sad penguins or boring exhibits about seaweed then this is the place to come. Overall, we should have spent $120 on a nice lunch.

We had a nice time visiting the Monterey Bay aquarium. It is housed in two former seafood canning buildings and once inside they have some interesting exhibits about the history of the industry at Monterey as well as about the building. We arrived about 1 hour after they opened and had to wait in a 15 minute line to get it. The exhibits were fantastic and if you can take a behind the scenes tour I would highly recommend. Two bad points. 1) This aquarium allows strollers and numerous times we were bumped into or hit by strollers. 2) it at times was so busy it was hard to see everything . Restaurant onsite was good and offered a mix of healthy items and burgers.

This is the best aquarium we've visited. They are updating and improving exhibits. We hadn't been in a while and noticed several impressive changes. The new Open Sea exhibit is incredible with pelagic animals like sharks, rays, tuna, Dorado and schools of sardines. So much to see and do with rescued sea otters, penguins, deep sea exhibits and so much more. The on site cafeteria has been updated and is very nice. Visit and enjoy.

The Aquarium is good, but it is extremely overpriced. The ticket is $65! The senior citizen discount starts at the age of 70(!).
A puffin performed a dancing water show for us - very funny! There was an aviary with interesting birds like the one with the beak curved upward (American avocet). It was fascinating to see a school of fish going in the same direction. Aquarium with Kelp forest (golden color seaweed which can grow up to 70 feet) was nice.
There was a bright white rock in the water with birds on it just outside the aquarium. The reason this rock was so beautiful was that there were many years of birds' guano on it...
Allow about 3 hours.

Enjoyed the behind the scenes tour given by a volunteer who was very knowledgeable

Watching the otters being fed was delightful and they were definitely the stars of the show for me

Very good for children- there seemed to be all sorts of activities for them to enjoy

Fantastic. Absolutely worth the price. We were two adults visiting, and I can only imagine the awe from a child's view. I recommend getting there when they open if possible; we were there a couple of hours before I noticed it getting more and more crowded (on a week day). The volunteers at the exhibits were super friendly, engaging and incredibly knowledgeable. Take advantage of them if you visit - ask questions and learn even more about the creature you are observing.
(On a personal note, THANK YOU to the wonderful, local woman whom I talked to in line while waiting for the aquarium to open. We really enjoyed talking to you and your husband, and I was incredibly touched by the souvenir you gifted me. Rest assured I will pass along this kind gesture!)

Originally, the plan was to come here with my wife while on vacation in California with the in-laws. Sadly she passed away the month before due to a heart condition, but still came here with my brother who replaced her on the trip. Admittedly I wasn't there 100% mentally due to my wife not being there but it was definitely a beautiful aquarium. While it can be hard to pick a favorite, the Kelp Forest was definitely up there along with the otterz. Note it seems to be quite crowded especially during the summer so definitely plan ahead. Well themed throughout and it seemed like the sealife had plenty of space. Tickets are a little expensive but I do think it's worth it though the food was expensive and was just average. Plenty to see outside with the coast nearby

Aquariums are one of my groups favorite things, we been to some really cool ones- this sadly was not one of them.

From past experiences and at the $60 a person ticket price I had high expectations and left pretty disappointed.

It did have touch tanks and the staff was phenomenal. But overall I wouldn’t recommend it nor would my group return.

The Georgia and Arizona aquariums are still our favorites.

As young adults found this to be a great place to come and visit. It was quite pricey but something that has to be done in the area. Taking a tour would be very beneficial I would suggest but overall was cool to see the different sea life

Amazing place.
Well worth a visit
My Granddaughter was mesmerised
It does get busy, but that’s to be expected

It's hard to tell there is aquarium there bit it's there. They repurposed the old sardine cannery factory into the aquarium and it's quite awesome. It was very croweded, though, that is my only complaint which made the time to go through and actually see things much longer. I saw species there I've not seen in other aquariums and the Kelp Garden is amazing to see in real life. Outside the aquarium is Cannery Row, which is similar to the feel of a short board walk with lots of specialty stores, a dark pirate ride attraction, candles and candy shops. It's very nice. THey did a great job repurposing the industrial area of town to preserve its charm. The aquarium will not disappoint. For the crowd size though it makes the admission cost a little painful, we got to see it all, but not take it all in as well as we'd like due to crowd size.

I was amazed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium! In addition to being a large aquarium with many attractions, it is different. Both in the format and in the super unparalleled and different species! I was impressed with this Attraction, I want to go back with my family!

Outstanding experience. 5 stars in every possible way. We loved all of the animals, the movies we saw, the art exhibit encouraging less use of plastic, the exhibit about the prior sardine canning business, but above all else: The Location. Breathtaking, stunning, and gorgeous!!!

We visited while in the area due in large part to the reviews on TripAdvisor.

The aquarium itself is quite large but is also compact enough to make it very accessible and not feel overwhelming.

There was a wide variety of informative exhibitions and there is something for any age. The exhibitions covered a diverse array of aquatic life including marine birds, the deep ocean, and wildlife from the Monterey Bay geographical region. Additionally, the aquarium had a number of outdoor wildlife viewing stations and observations decks.

The aquarium seems small, but there's so much to see that even going fairly quickly, we took around 2-3 hours to see everything.

First up tickets are $65 for adults. Also parking ended up costing me $20 in a lot nearby. So this is an expensive visit. You need to buy your tickets online. You can’t just walk in and buy them there. At first after spending that much I was expecting to be disappointed or at least feel as though it was way overpriced. But about 20 minutes into my visit I started really enjoying it. It’s laid out pretty well. Lots of cool sea life to take in. They have some feeding demos that I was able to witness. Staff are friendly and helpful. I thought I might only be there for a short visit. Maybe an hour tops. But I think I ended up being there probably two hours. I mean I still think the prices are a little much, maybe if you didn’t also have to pay for parking it might not sting as much. But all in all a fun visit.

I can't stop talking about my experience at the Monterey Aquarium. My favorite part was the Sardine room... It was mesmerizing to say the least. I also loved the art that was made from recycled ocean plastic and the fact that they have educational information on how to save the oceans.

The aquarium was way overcrowded.
There were too many people and you had to push to move around.
The ticket sellers are greedy and should be embarrassed.

An amazing aquarium, I couldn’t wait to come back. I used to volunteer here back in 1989!
Certainly one of the best Aquariums, the ticketing process, parking, entrance, all worked great. We planned our trip for a weekday hoping to have slightly fewer visitors than a weekend, but it is still summer. The only drawback was the crowds. Extremely crowded and we probably would. Have stayed longer if it wasn’t so crowded. I wish they offered more hands on, behind the scenes for adults.

There were a lot of great tanks and presentations but there were so many people it was impossible to see some of them my h less even move in the tighter places. Pick an off time (day or season) if you want to actually enjoy it. $60/tic is a ton to spend for 2 hours...sure if you watch every presentation and read every placard it might take you 4 hours.

I'm originally from the East Coast and have been looking forward to going to this museum since I was younger. I've also worked and done research in marine science, so I was pumped to get tickets for Christmas from my husband.

The price of the tickets ($60 per person) had prevented me from attending before it was a gift. I am a supporter of marine science and was informed most of the money goes to the care of the animals, but I don't think the price of admission was worth the aquarium experience.

We were able to find parking on the side streets a bit further inland, but know that if walking isn't an option for you, parking isn't provided for free. We passed two parking garages that had parking (all day) for $30 and $20 respectively.

I was told we were not able to purchase tickets at the museum, but my husband spotted some booths where people were purchasing something (tickets? memberships?) For us, it was easy to purchase the tickets on our phones when we arrived. There were long lines to get into the museum, which were quicker for those without a bag to be checked.

We arrived at about 10:30am on a Thursday, and as soon as we entered, it was chaos. There were many great exhibits in the two-story aquarium, but they were difficult if not impossible to enjoy due to the crowds.

I had first convinced myself that it was just me, as I am not a crowd person, but it quickly became apparent that this was a problem. It was so congested that it was difficult to walk around without bumping into people. Quite frankly, it looked like a safety concern, too, as strollers were real dangers in the dark spaces. The feeding "shows" were plentiful in number, but they were all so packed you couldn't see the actual event.

The exhibits were obscured by people layers-deep, and it was so. so. loud in those small spaces. (I recommend noise-dampening earplugs if you are sensitive.) There were children everywhere, shrieking and cutting people off. I don't think anyone can argue that it's a treat to see a child's eyes light up in excitement over these creatures!, but this was nuts. There were about a 80 empty strollers in one of the stroller parking areas, taking up more of the floor space. The touch pools were jammed with grabby kids, my husband got a spitball to the face?, the benches were full of teens playing games on their phones, and parents pushed their little ones to the front of the exhibits. I was so taken aback by the raucousness. If I hadn't been on some "take me down" meds, I would have had to leave. If I had known, I would not have gone. It made an already expensive trip difficult to enjoy. This was my biggest issue. If it was not crowded, chaotic, and loud, it would have been a really good experience. One of the best things about aquariums is you can get IN there and actually observe these animals up close, but that was hard to do.

The workers at the aquarium were wonderful, and all took their time to help the best they could, but they were just overrun. The Help Desk woman informed us that the first few months of the year tend to be less crowded, and it was best to plan around times when the kids go back to school.

I think I was also just surprised because I didn't know this was a childrens' aquarium? There were so many non-living, interactive, informational spots for children, and the plaques with information by the exhibits seemed basic and simple. I wasn't expecting anything super technical, but there was no science for adults to bite into... at all.

My favorite parts of the experience: seeing the comb jellies up close and personal, (that's right, I fought for it) especially the blood-belly jellies; seeing the avocets and small killdeer vibin' in the aviary; the visual spectacular of their short-film on bioluminescence; and the jellyfish exhibits. My studies are of the intertidal zone, and so I was pleased to see they spent a decent amount of space showcasing its beauty and importance in the ecosystem, as well as the demonstrations of the tides.

I know a handful of people were disappointed that there weren't bigger animals, or that there were only small sharks, but I was so pleased by the animals I did see that I hadn't noticed. I am amazed by the tiniest of worlds just as I am of the giant ones.

The aquarium itself was very clean. They allow reusable water bottles to be brought in and have Elkay water stations to fill them up. They also have a few outdoor balconies were you can overlook the Pacific and catch some much needed fresh air.

I am happy I finally went and got to experience it for myself. I can't say I will be back unless it is without-a-doubt a time when all the kids are in school and I can try the behind-the-scenes tour... maybe there are scientists back there to chat with? But the tour is another $30 on top of the $60, and I will have to convince myself it will be worth a try sometime down the line. I wouldn't recommend this for an adult couple without children, or for those that have difficulty in crowds.

Would be great, very great, if...
Unmotivated feeding team! So bored.
WAY too many visitors. You get in quickly, but then you're just in a loud crowd. And we were there at an "off-peak time",

underwhelming.

So here's the thing. I can't be too disappointed because I'm sure the expensive ticket goes to some good causes for the preservation of sea creatures right?

But if you've ever been to Baltimore or Seattle aquarium this location is extremely underwhelming. I mean it's a small one. I guess it's perfect if you have little kids. You go- you see some amazing animals and tanks and it's a couple hours at most. If I was local I'd probably have a season pass because it's a good boring day thing to do.

Easy parking. Charming touristy area. But the sea otter, penguin and puffin exhibits are extremely dishearteningly small and disappointing. I've always heard that the Monterey Aquarium was a destination trip and a good aquarium. I just don't see it. I wish I'd spent more time in Carmel by the Sea or drove Big Sur instead.

I definitely think the price is an absolute rip off. I do hope that some of the money goes to the projects the sea otter keeper spoke of.

It didn't help that you're kinda embedded in a huge crowd- someone REEKED of skunk pot and STANKY perfume. I don't care that it's legal- that's not my complaint. Driving down the coast- the entire west coast smells like pot in random parts of the road. lol I realize the aquarium has zero control over that. But there was a person there that was stinking up every section with I'm assuming freshly toked, because it was strong I was repeatedly nauseated. It was so bad. I think they tried to mask it with even stinkier perfume. I mean some of the viewing rooms have ventilation on overdrive and there were a lot of bodies packed into them. Adding that was just so annoying. I had to repeatedly find a door to the outdoors. Which thankfully they have. That's a thing you can't escape no matter where you go. There's always gonna be one pothead that has zero awareness of how badly they stink. So pile that on the complete underwhelming aspect of the aquarium. There you go.

Can't not recommend it. Aquariums are cool. But this was underwhelming.

We researched the coast of California for serval months before making the trip. This aquarium made our must stop and oh it was so worth it!

I loved how they incorporated the natural ocean. They had binoculars to borrow and someone to help point things out. We saw a whale spout on our visit!! Wild dolphins and otters. So cool!

Their exhibits were wonderfully done! LOVED the fish that were overhead swimming in a circle. We actually asked a worker if they were real or if it was computerized. Lots of employees everywhere to point you in the right direction or teach about something that was in the vicinity. So well informed! I was impressed!! They had lots of places for little ones to play. And in places where people without kids could skip and keep exploring.

We spent HOURS in this aquarium!! Inside and outside. Exhibits and Natural!

A beautiful but expensive experience. We did not have small children with us, so we saw everything in under two hours. Most importantly we felt that the sea creatures were treated well and had spacious clean habitats. Much better than others we have seen. The entry cost was expensive and there was nothing we found affordable in the gift shops. I hope these costs are going directly to the care of the animals.

This was one of the most impressive aquariums I’ve ever visited! The sea otters, jellyfish, and deep ocean exhibits were amazing. The penguins were my favorite—so fun to watch. Everything was clean, well organized, and family-friendly. We appreciated the free entry with EBT—thank you for making this accessible!

well the Monterey Bay Aquarium is still one of the best aquariums I know in the entire world. I haven't been to all of them but the ones I've been to in the midwest in the East and in Europe This one is still the big winner. I haven't said anything about it since 2012 so it's been a number of years and many of the major exhibits have changed and they've always changed for the better. I always buy annual subscriptions so that I can share my guest passes with other people and it's really the way to go I encourage people to get the annual support and then you get two passes for you and your honey and two guest passes which you can use again and again for your friends. introducing more people to this aquarium is fabulous. the open ocean is such a stunning sight to see the big fish swimming around right in front of you you just can't beat it. the kelp forest is always got a crowd and is always just wonderful especially when the divers go in and feed the fish it's beautiful the Otters isn't forever popular place however for me I like the otters in Morro Bay they're just right there in the wild and there's a whole lot of them and it's really fun watching them raise their babies. I recommend the aquarium with Two thumbs up and a hip hip hooray let's all go to Monterey

One of the best aquariums we’ve visited. Parking was a little difficult as you have to find a public parking area along Cannery Row. Not a problem at all, just should have researched a little before trip.

It's hard to describe just how amazing our visit was because it was absolutely fantastic. We arrived at 10am (expect long, but fast moving queues) and didn't leave until 5pm. It was a struggle to get our daughter's (4 and 8) to leave.

Highlights:

*The kelp forest is amazing, and worth just sitting and enjoying for as long as you can.
*The aquarium tank with turtles, sharks and tuna actually made my children gasp with delight (other kids too). They were breathtaking.
*The staff's passion - everyone we met was so knowledgeable about the creatures they were talking about. One amazing pair managed to get my daughters interested in plankton through sheer knowledge and enthusiasm! Honestly, the staff were fantastic!
*Food. So, it's blooming expensive but it's excellent quality and the portions are pretty generous - my daughter's shared a main and we're both full.
*There's a great mix of interactive displays, videos, talks, activities and soft play, so there really is something for everyone.

Downsides:

*The coffee was the most expensive I've ever had ($8!). On the plus side, it was in a proper mug, not a takeaway container.
*

We only spent a very short time in Monterey as part of our trip through California, but were told that the aquarium was a must-do, and we weren't disappointed.

I thought that it was quite expensive when we initially booked our tickets, but there is so much to see and do for people of all ages, and you could easily spend a full day there.

Really recommend if you are visiting Monterey!

We had a fabulous visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We enjoyed all the feedings. We saw the sea otter feeding, the open water feeding and the kelp feeding. We missed the penguin feeding but we hope to return next summer to see what we missed. I thought the film series was exceptional. They offer a bunch of 15 minute films on different topics. What makes these unique is that they are not pre-recorded. There is a live narrator for each film. The films run every 30 minutes and there are many of them.

I have gone here several times over the last 40 years. It hasn't changed much and it's WAY Too Expensive compared to like aquariums. Trust Me,...Save your money and do something else.

It was fun. I got to see the sea otters, bat rays,and sharks! I can't wait to go again! I highly recomend it. Do not get lost.

Always heard this aquarium was world class. Wife loves sea otters at the zoo so wanted to see them in Monterey. Cost nearly $100 to visit this place for a few hours. She enjoyed watching the otters being fed but said she enjoyed the elephant seals wild lying on the beaches on the way up the coast highway more. Go figure. This aquarium is large and takes 2-3hours to see but some of the aquariums we saw in San Diego and Florida were just as impressive. I've decided each aquarium has its own charm so see this one if you can but there are others that are great also.

Keeping it short this aquarium is in a stunning location and has some draw dropping tanks to look into but the information about the exhibits looks to be written for 5-year-olds and it isn't cheap. I also found the talks I did sit on in to be full of the usual American exceptionalism and lacking in any real base in real life. Monterey bay was fished to virtual destruction of the ecosystem but its all still "pristine" apprently?

Its a good day out providing you don't want to learn anything.

We visited the aquarium trusting the guides who called it a must. Two of us spent $130 to see only fish tanks in the bay and there weren't even many. I'm sorry I spent all this money on half a disappointment.

It was very fantastic and impressive to see all kinds of jellyfish on display with their elaborate lighting. There was space for direct contact with the giant beetle, and I could feel that his skin was softer than I had expected. I was told to touch it gently, but my companion probably touched it hard, and the bug bug, which usually stands still, ran away in a hurry, so I was stuffed by a female staff member.
I was a little surprised to see that the foundation was run and apparently no state government taxes were used, and the admission fee was $65 (just under 10,000 yen at the time).

Don't go. Terrible value 260 for family of 4. Best thing is otters and yiu can see them for free on the beach. Billed as world famous - the management need to see how others do it, better.

We spent hours at the aquarium. It was immaculate and the staff was very knowledgeable and helpful. The jelly exhibit was our favorite, but it's hard to choose since we love the whole place.

We absolutely loved everything about this aquarium from the various 15 minute programs scheduled throughout the day to the jelly fish, to the hammerhead sharks, the swarms of sardines and anchovies, the sting rays, etc. But I gotta say the story of little Luna, the little sea otter, was my personal favorite, and the sea otters in the tanks were SO much fun to watch! There were a ton of kids here on the same day, Tuesday, that we went, and it seemed like many were on school outings. We left to have our lunches at the car parked a short ways away, had our hands stamped for easy return, and it worked well as we ended up spending the entire morning from opening time up until close to 3 PM here when we had to leave for our bike tour. Best aquarium ever!!

I've been here around 4 times over the past 10 years. We recently took our kids and were completely floored by how expensive it is. Even a kid's hot dog is $15. I have no idea how families afford this. I've come to the realization that it's not worth the price anymore. This is sadly now an aquarium for rich people. There are many other fun things for kids to do in Monterey such as hiking, the beach and tide-pooling....all for free.

I love aquariums and have visited a lot of them. This one is just OK.

It's a lovely and well thought out place. I appreciate how connected the aquarium is to the Monterey Bay and they clearly care about the health of the local marine ecosystem. Some of the exhibits (the large kelp tank, for example) act as an extension of the bay and its marine life.

The main detractors are the cost and the crowds. The aquarium is large, but not large enough for a $50 per adult ticket price that entitles you to end up walking through small walkways jammed full of people who are crowded around small tank windows.

It was impossible to see most of the exhibits or read the interpretive signs. It was mostly just chaos and noise. The aquarium itself is too small for the number of visitors they pack in.

The jellyfish exhibit was particularly disappointing. I've visited lots of jellyfish exhibits (I really love them) and this was the only one that was totally spoiled by massive crowds, getting constantly hit by huge strollers, literally shoved out of the way by some guy and overwhelmed by a wall of sound.

Before I visited I was tempted to transfer my ticket into an annual membership, but I don't think I'll be back or bring visitors here. There are other aquariums around the US and other parts of the world that are either less crowded or are better built to accommodate the huge numbers of visitors they receive.

It's too bad because the aquarium itself is in a beautiful setting and the exhibits themselves seem delightful (if you can elbow your way through all people to see them....)

Some of the staff and volunteers are great. Perhaps if they were able to limit the number of visitors more than they do, or stagger ticket times to cut down on the overwhelming crowds, they could make it a more enjoyable experience.

A fabulous aquarium with some stunning exhibits. We really enjoyed the jelly fish and the "Into the Deep" area. As well as all the different zones, tanks, feeding times etc, there is a programme of free talks throughout the day in the auditorium. We went to a couple and they were very interesting. Yes, it's expensive, but it was a highlight of our trip to the west coast. The day we went (a weekday) the aquarium was very busy with lots of children on school trips. If you can, I'd suggest getting there at opening time to try to get ahead of these groups! Cafe could do with more variety, although I did have a very tasy donut.

Amazing aquarium. Not to be missed. Only issue if that it is very inconvenient to purchase the ticket on site. The have you scan the code on your smart phone, then muck around opening account and then fumbling thru the rest to get a ticket. I think no phone, no entry. For $49 admission, they can do way better.

I’m writing this review mainly because I don’t understand the glowing reviews. It’s very small for the cost. Yes, they have a very large kelp forest, but that’s kind of only cool if you’re an aquarium nerd so my teenager who takes aquarium science at her school and wants to be a marine biologist loved this place. The rest of us were extremely underwhelmed. We spent a fair amount of money to get from San Francisco to Monterey and then a lot of money to get in and it was not worth it. We lost a whole day of our vacation. Thank goodness the whale watching tour we took down there was amazing. It saved the day for us.

Beautiful aquarium. Huge speeds, possibility to see very well huge fish... Sharks, rays... possibility to touch rays.

It was way too crowded to see any of the popular things. Wish they had some sort of reservation system to control the crowds. For the price of admission, I don’t think I’d go back. It’s unfortunate because we’ve been there several times over the years and my kids enjoyed it in the past. Sadly, it wasn’t worth it for us this time around.

My friend had absolutely no interest in this, but I wanted to go . . . so we went. Inside are about a dozen aquariums with sharks, fish of all types, a guide that talks about a ton of piranha's, and an aquarium with jelly fish of all colors and sizes that was something I have never seen (sooo cool). And, at the end, we sat in a small theater equipped with virtual reality goggles and we literally swam with the sharks at the bottom of the ocean. I absolutely loved it and ended up my friend loved it too. It's definitely worth the visit.

I want to start by saying the aquarium itself does great work and is beautifully set up with many interesting exhibits.
The problem is that you can't enjoy any of them do to the hordes of undiciplined children and in some cases their equally undiciplined parents.
It was incredibly noisy and for the otter feeding I couldn't see anything at all unless I watched the video feed because of all the people. For the penguin feeding a effort was made to control the crowd and have the people in front sit down which helped a lot.
As entry was very expensive($130 for two adults!!) I simply can't recommend visiting the aquarium unless entry maximums and crowd control is put in place.
As they do a valuble service just donate online and do a whale watching tour instead.

**you must pre-purchase your tickets online**

This is an amazing aquarium! Not only did they have beautiful displays but they had lots of creatures I hadn’t ever seen. They have kids interactive areas that my daughter (2.5 y/o) enjoyed. We practically had to drag her away. They offer a stroller parking area if you wish to utilize it. They also have a cafeteria with lots of options and several different shops. We went early in the day which I highly recommend because it started to get too crowded around mid-morning.

The aquarium itself is absolutely glorious.
Where the visit fell very short was the cost of food, water and drink. Be aware, nothing can be brought into the aquarium. The problem then became the extreme cost. A small drink was $6.49 with NO refill. We purchased a small lunch for 3 and it totaled over $100. With the price of admission it becomes very EXPENSIVE for the typical family. I understand the need to keep food from the exhibits, but the over the top cost to eat made the experience less than an overall great. I left feeling ripped off.

My son is a marine biologist that graduated last year 2024 from A&M Galveston and he enjoyed this aquarium. Very informative

I used to live in Monterey from 2001-2005 and I enjoyed the privilege of being a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium during my time living there. Perhaps it is remnants of Covid, perhaps I am old fashioned, but I do not like the changes to the aquarium as a member. I used to be able to get in a little earlier than the public and enjoy a bit of peace before more people came. I liked having my own little entrance, it added to feeling like I was special. Now for my 90 dollars I can get the 60 dollar regular experience of waiting in a long queue to jostle with 1000's of other people as they tap on aquarium glass.

For those who come here to enjoy the environment, to learn, the aquarium is STILL a fantastic place to go. They do remarkable work for the animals here, and the exhibits are TOP notch. What I wish, and hope is to come back to this review as a member of the aquarium in a few months time and find that some things have been changed. Give members their own little space and time. Allow us to enjoy this remarkable place.

This aquarium had a lot to see but was very crowded the Friday we were there in February. You had to stand in lines gathered in front of all the tanks in order to see anything. Despite the crowds we were impressed with all the animals and had a great time during our visit. We even saw a humpback whale out in the bay behind the aquarium. I was very impressed with the amount of research and discoveries made by the scientists and staff working here. Lots of information to read and the staff was helpful and informative during our visit. Everyone working was friendly and I really enjoyed listening to them educate the children and guests. The tickeing at the front is a huge pain if you didn't buy tickets in advance, which was my biggest complaint here. You'll find like 200 people standing out in front of the place on their phones attempting to buy tickets upon arrival. Definitely buy in advance!

I had been to the aquarium some 30 years ago and found myself back in the US with my 20something sons so thought we’d take a day trip to Monterey and Carmel so I could revisit the aquarium. We weren’t disappointed. The exhibits and tanks were a fantastic spectacle. The staff were well versed in their aquarium and animals. The outside areas were great too but we didn’t see any sea lions or otters on our particular visit. We spent 3 hours there and managed to see everything albeit not all the demonstrations. Would highly recommend that you visit if you are in the area on a trip.
It was well worth it.

Laid out in an old sardine canning factory, there is a very nice display overviewing the history of the building. The building has quite a few visitors but the layout ensures that the crowds are relatively spread out over the large number of displays (except maybe for the sea otters). Focus is on local environments and species. Very nice displays and good descriptions. Outdoor viewing area is a nice addition since whales and sea otters are frequently present.

If an Attraction is described to you as one of the best on the Pacific Coast, second only to that of S. Diego, well then you feel fooled!
Entry USD 65/pp, absolutely out of proportion to the value for money; yes something nice, but nothing more!
Sharks and tuna, manta rays, some penguins, but too little; it abounded in outlets x merchandising, that yes!
All right, if you've been to Sea World in Orlando (a blast!) or to Sea World in
Genoa, which defends well, then better leave it alone!

What a beautiful aquarium with such a community connection to the wildlife. We feel in love with the sea otters!

Visited the aquarium with family. It was expensive but enjoyed our day. I loved it was located on the beautiful bay. I enjoyed being able to explore the town afterwards.

The outdoor tidepool exhibit/experience was neat.
They also had some really cool windows in the exhibit that allowed to you "sit inside" almost, surrounded by the fish. That part was really cool.

Sure do wish they had offered a military discount, like they used to. It was quite expensive, especially for military members on a very fixed income.

This is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. It’s very interesting and educational, so is great for children.

At $210 for a family of 4, it is expensive but on balance I’d say is worth it. There are great views over the bay. The exhibits, on the whole, are excellent. The various jellyfish exhibits were a standout for us, and the feeding of the sea otters. There are some touch pools for rays, kelp, starfish etc which the children loved.

We weren’t overly fond of the penguin exhibit. The penguins don’t have a huge amount of space or water volume to swim in, and looked rather sad. This could definitely be improved.

I’d also avoid the gift shop. Given the expense of entry, I feel that the gift shop are profiteering from children who are likely to want to take home a small souvenir. Everything in the shop is a ridiculous price (the same can be said for the cafe).

If you plan to visit, it’s worth booking tickets online ahead of your visit. We turned up at opening time, 10am, on a Saturday in August, to be told that tickets were sold out, but that we could order online for same day entry.

Huge disappointment. Tickets were $50 each for seniors and youth and $60 for an adult. Tickets MUST be pre-purchased and are NOT available at the door. The aquarium has a membership program that allows multiple visits during the year. At 10 AM when the aquarium opened there was a line that was 3 city blocks long and maybe longer. It took almost an hour to get in from the back of this line. The long wait was attributed to the fact that there was ONE entry point and this line was held up when members arrived with head of the line privileges. And members were showing up in mass and were allowed to bring their out of town guest in with them. The aquarium has two main displays. Everything was difficult to see as on Juneteenth the place was packed. I was told there were over 1,000 people who had entered from 10 to 11. Parking is all paid and is charged by the hour. Street meters have 2 hours max time and we lost over an hour just waiting to get in. Though this aquarium is supposedly rated one of the best in the country I have found Boston, Baltimore and Atlanta to be superior (my opinion). Would not do it again. To me it would have made more sense to have a separate line/entry for members. A LOT of non-members were frustrated and some angry at the wait -- especially those with younger children.

This aquarium is one of the most beautiful I have seen. Various species , perfectly staged . I keep a moving memory of jellyfish and otters
To visit , without fail

Superb aquarium. Very well maintained, with activities for young and old. We don't see the time passing, yet the visit is long.

This is rated one of the top 20 aquariums in the world and I can see why. The admission certainly does not come cheap and is relatively reasonable when you consider the cost of upkeep for such a facility.

My highlight is definitely the jellyfish exhibit and the large aquarium. There are also good areas for kids to do more hands-on activities.

Steer clear of the cafe. Total ripoff. A cookie came to $10USD.

This is a MUST SEE place when in Monterey.

Pros:
Lots to see
the animals seem to be well cared for

Cons:
Crowded

We went on a Saturday morning and it was CROWDED!! There is a lot to see, the tanks are clean, animals seem well cared for… We had a great time. We will definitely be back next time we are in Monterey

We had a lot of fun! Its perfect for families and I would say that that's who they cater to the most. But I went with friends and it was really cool. If you have been to other aquariums this one might seem smaller to you but don't be fooled. There is a lot here. My favorite part was visiting the kelp forest. You can view the forest from below and above and see how many animals thrive in this environment. Nearby are the otters, who are so so cute. And then you can go outside and see wild seals and sea otters swimming in the wild! In the same bio-diverse habitat you just learned so much about. If you are lucky you might even see a whale.
The deep sea exhibit was also another favored area for me. Glowing fish, need I say more? I also had the opportunity to sit in a mini lecture on Bioluminescence, it was short and sweet but made me feel much more connected to the ocean.
And they filmed part of Star Trek the Voyage home here too! So if you are a fan of that movie its still here!

Visited today and was left a little bit underwhelmed. Have seen other aquariums and expected more for the price. It was very busy, had trouble getting to some of the windows, it seemed more geared towards children. Also we discovered that we had to book in advance online, which for a non-usa resident who's had difficulty with phones since arrival proved problematic.

A spacious and well laid out aquarium in the heart of Monterey. A huge variety of sea life to see and lots of learning opportunities for children.
I easy walking distance Monterey’s popular tourist area and right beside the sea.
Tickets must be pre booked

This is a very nice modern aquarium with a special focus on education of children with places where you can touch animals from the sea but also simplified explanations. All areas are very well kept and clean. You can also stand on the verandas and observe sea life outside the aquarium e.g. sea otters, seals, birds etc

This aquarium is really very well done, with a wide variety of exhibits. There are also planned feeding times that really give you a great close-up look at a lot of the animals.

A lot of the enjoyment of the exhibits, however, was affected by the crowds. We were there mid-week, early-May, and it was packed, including lots of groups of noisy kids. Can't imagine what it's like during prime season. It was also MUCH more expensive than it was just a few years ago. We are seniors, and paid $50 each to get in. No AARP, AAA, or other types of discounts any longer. The cafe was ridiculous: There were pre-cooked hamburger plates sitting out under warmers, and they were almost $20 each. A bottled water was a whopping seven bucks! And forget about the gift store - prices there are so high most items are not even marked, you have to ask.

A beautiful facility to be sure, but plan on going with a bag-full of both cash and patience!

As a local, I will never visit the aquarium again after being treated so poorly. Please hire individuals WITHOUT an attitude.

What an incredible aquarium. Beautiful location, lots of interactive exhibits (touch a sea urchin and sting ray!) The Jelly fish exhibit was a personal favorite. Building was crowded but I never felt cramped. Staff was knowledge and helpful.

Monterey is great. first, go to Dennis the Menace park with your kids. Then to the Aquarium. It is very unique and you can touch the starfish. they have a great restaurant too. You can stay at Asilomar

We went on a weekday at the beginning of April, it was overwhelmingly crowed and the place had no capacity control. It simply continued trying to sell more tickets and get more and more people in. There was no place to even stand in front of each exhibit. Haven't seen that many people in such a small place for decades. Of course you could guess the quality of our experience. Keep in mind this is not the summer/peak season.

***Location***
It is in Monterey, 1.5 to 2 hours outside of San Francisco/Bay Area depending on traffic. If you happened to be in the area or to have a road trip or pass by the area, this could be one activity you do with your kids, but going out all the way from Bay Area to there, I don't know if you want to do that.

***Exhibits***
As many reviewers stated, the exhibits themselves are good and you can tell the facility tries to maintain them well. However, with that many people in a small facility like this, the quality went downhill quickly (5 minutes after you get into the door) and dramatically.

Is this aquarium better or one of the best (as many reviewers said), absolutely not! If you never been to any aquarium, of course this might be the best. Comparing with the aquariums in many major U.S. metropolitans, this is simply an average aquarium. If you live in a large city and/or have an aquarium nearby, you don't need to come here, there isn't anything you cannot see at home.

***Value***
Again, comparing with the aquariums in many major U.S. metropolitans, this place is very expensive, and by the way as some other reviewers mentioned this is not Disney. At the time this review was written, it is $65 per adult and $50 per kid. It is understandable things are more expensive nowadays, however for a family of four, for the total of $230, is it worth it? Big question mark! There are similar/better aquariums at half or less of this price. Plus the overwhelming crowded facility with no capacity control, you decide if you want to come.

A world class aquarium with huge tanks with large fish and smaller tanks with special fish. The jellyfish and octopus are not to be missed. The otters and penguins are adorable. Great for all ages. The restaurant is very good as well. They have area is a beautiful and scenic destination.

We loved it so
Much we became members year ago. Check out the membership it has loads of benefits. This aquarium has. A big focus on education and their volunteers are the best

Brilliant. Was recommended and didn't disappoint. Took my two teenage boys and they were enthralled for 3 hours. Good value for money. in the modern world. Spacious layout which didn't herd you in one direction. The volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable. Good for all ages.

This aquarium is big, and a lot species in a very natural environment, which are ver well taken care.
It took 3 hours to see all the place.
There is not enough parking lot, so be careful where you park around.
The staff is very freindly.
If you need to go out for a while they will put an invisible sign on your hand.
Definitevly I higly recomend it for all ages.

Beautiful aquarium, although a bit pricey, but aquariums are expensive to maintain so the price is understandable. Food is very expensive inside so suggest eating beforehand ($10 for a stuffed (delicious) cookie!) Parking is not included so we paid $20 to park at the recommend lot on Cannery Row, but there was plenty of street parking nearby. The aquarium was much smaller than I expected. The Kelp Forest was cool and they had many interesting types of sea creatures. I had a very educational and enjoyable afternoon.

I went on the FAQs on their website which stated that it's not possible to buy tickets on-site and all tickets must be purchased online in advance ("Tickets must be purchased on our website as there are no in-person ticket sales. You're welcome to make a reservation on your mobile device, but to ensure a spot is available, please purchase in advance. Tickets must be purchased through Monterey Bay Aquarium's official site."). This led to a lot of stress for me the night before as I had to scramble to try to purchase tickets before midnight. Imagine to my surprise when I saw an in person sales counter at the entrance of the aquarium! The staff seemed as baffled as me when I explained that I thought online pre-purchase was mandatory. MBA should update their FAQs to not cause confusion for guests.

What an experience! My husband and I enjoyed every minute of the aquarium. The exhibits were fantastic. We loved the Kelp Forest the best as well as seeing the hammerhead shark. Definitely worth a visit!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a pleasant experience but nothing like what I expected it to be. I had heard so many rave reviews about how great it is but in comparison to the Aquarium of the Pacific it was a bit of a disappointment. I feel that the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has many more displays. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a magnificent view and a great cafe with very friendly staff.

Very very expensive like all activities in the USA. Closes too early. On the other hand, the fun side is really good for children who can caress rays, algae, crabs. Beautiful collection of jellyfish.

We were taken here by members which means we didn’t pay and didn’t have to wait online. Therefore, this was easily 5/5. I try to rate based on value so I can’t guarantee the value would be 5/5 but it is an excellent aquarium. We loved all it had to offer including the binoculars and outdoor area overseeing Monterey Bay. We were lucky to see the pacific octopus putting on a show for visitors.

Great experience here. Lots of parking we liked all the fish there is a diverse abundance of varieties. I recommend this place.

I can't add too much more than what people have already shared - the Aquarium is an absolute must-see if you're in the area. Budget 2 to 4 hours if you can, there is so much to see - there are sporadic feedings as well (not the penguins, tho, that's on hiatus). The otter feeding was especially fun but get there early, people really cram next to each other on that second level and if you're short you won't see much. Thankfully there are monitors that you can look at for a better view! The Aquarium has a great cafe, gift shop and even a historic part that talks about Cannery Row. My wife and I really enjoyed our afternoon there. There is a real emphasis on sustainability, too, and keeping our oceans and waterways clean, which I liked.

Online mentioned that today (7/5) is a popular day to visit, however…if they said I would start by standing in line for 1.5-2hrs to reach the main entrance I would have skipped it. I don’t agree with reservations, but it would have limited this excessive crowd. I write this as I stand in line so I do t have an actual review of the inside but this process has put such a sour taste in my mouth. There is no options for a refund either.

The best aquarium we have ever been to and I’ve traveled the earth. So many things to see. I could have watched the jellyfish for hour! The best!!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must-see and must-absorb educational experience. The entire day was filled with beautiful marine life, birds, otters, seals, turtles, sting rays and moon jellies. Around everty corner is an awe-inspiring coenr of the deep sea, coral reef, kelp forest and more. Thank to the staff, scientists, donors and volunteers who devote their lives to this wonderful landmark and educational experience.

We hadn’t been here in about 10 years, and wow…it’s grown. They keep adding and improving, keeping old favorites and adding new. Each time we learn something new. Thanks MBA!

The waterfront area known as Cannery Row, was the Sardine Capital of the world, with the fisherman taking almost all the sardines out of the deep water (underwater canyon goes down over 5,000 Ft).
Today all the abandon cannery fishing buildings have been turned into hotels, and the BIG sardine processing plant has been turned into the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
YOU NEED A FULL DAY to enjoy all the features of the Aquarium.
Tickets are only Available on line, which we did just outside the Aquarium entrance

One of the only good things I can say about my experience here was that in the long, long, long line, it was a breeze to get through. You must buy your tickets on-line, so they just scan your code and the line moves quickly.
Other than that, the otters have a super small habitat as well as the poor pacific octopus. They let EVERYONE in (I don't think they have a limit) so there is lots of waiting to see an exhibit. Apparently, Monterey has no Fire Marshal...You undergo a multitude of screaming children and babies all the while trying to navigate the huge strollers and running children.
Certainly not worth the $49.95 price tag for entry.

A bit underwhelming considering this is an internationally well known aquarium.

We did like the section with jelly fish. And the sea otters were cool however we couldn't see the talk very well about them.

It was so busy.

We also had to buy tickets online, there was no booth which is an issue when your internet access is really not good which it is for a lot of travellers in the US (surprisingly- something to do with android phones vs iPhones, we have android)

I hesitated for a long time because of the costs (USD 60 for adults and USD 50 for the kids) and time (arrived at 2:30 PM), but it was done.

We loved the beautiful aquarium and especially building 2 (ocean). The jellyfish and sharks were really great.

Lots of interaction for young children, never seen like this before. However, ours (16-14-11) are just a bit too big for that.

Catering facilities available but really expensive. Parking in the recommended parking garage (USD 20) is also overpriced.

We spent 3 hours, including a 15-20 minute break in the restaurant, but we did not do the auditorium (session was not interesting enough (5.30 pm). Due to the late arrival time, we did not watch the feeding of the fish.

Is it worth it? Still have doubts, it is a super beautiful aquarium but the price tag is hefty (including parking).

Parking $20 + Ticket $60 = $80.
Expectations for an $80 experience, 9 out 10. Experience received, 3 out of 10. So many people you struggled to see anything. There seemed to be no large fish such as dolphins or sharks. The penguins were kept in such a small holding area I went away feeling sad. Do yourself a favor and pass on this wallet draining, underwhelming, heart string tugger.

We came here on a Sunday at 10:30 am. The line had about 150 + people standing outside.

We didn’t get tickets in advance, which after reading the other reviews, we should have.

If you are looking for parking you need to use the public parking off Foam Street.

I recommend going on a weekday, buying tickets in advance, and being prepared for a long line.

This was such a waste of money. It was $140 for 3 of us to go in. The place was super crowded. The exhibits were just ok. Not worth it!!! I have been to much better aquariums!

Obviously the best Aquarium i have ever seen but the crowds are overwhelming and i think they allow too navy people in at one time. great displays and fun adult activities a couple of times per year. You cannot get senior tickets until you are 70. Great photo shots, nice bird estuary. You could easily lose a kid in here on busy days.