New England Aquarium

Reviews 3

JE

Jessica Reals

Not really worth the cost, definitely not worth more than one visit. Do your research ahead of visiting! I thought I did, but we would never go on a Sunday again, if at all. Also, I should acknowledge that it was Labor Day weekend, so that could have been another reason it was so overcrowded. How hard would it be for them to set limits or warn people in advance--either on their website or at the ticket window? Even if they were not reaching fire hazard quotas, there were people stacked 4-5 deep at almost every display--rows of people crowding and (sometimes) pushing through. For the most part, the crowds of people were generous with viewing space. Many of us seemed to realize that it would be rude to take as long as one might like, since so many others were waiting a turn. One rude person LAID her body across the starfish enclosure so that only her child was able to see, while the rest of us stood and waited. The aquarium staff was made up of very nice, very knowledgeable people who did nothing to help with the crowd flow or movement. The displays themselves are informative and clean. Not all the creatures were cooperative (Oh, you boring octopus, just sitting in a jar!). In fact, they should hesitate to promote something called "Tentacles Take Hold" if there is nothing to see. The sting rays were fun to pet, but the sharks were all kind of burrowed in trees and quite hard to reach, especially for kids, who would probably be most interested. The signs on the floor didnt seem to really lead to any of the displays, just kind of point in a general direction. Im not sure we ever did see the anaconda display, even with the large arrows on the floor. We did like the small tank displays because it was easy to see the animals and have a close encounter. I have an amazing picture of a lionfish who came right up to the glass and stuck around for a minute. If it had been less crowded, I think we would have spent a lot of time studying more of the small tank displays. The penguins are probably the biggest attraction they have going. WE LOVE PENGUINS, and watching the many kinds they have all eating and interacting was definitely a highlight. You can see them from every level, and it is just as fun on the higher levels as on the main level. The large tank was impressive, as a feat of architecture. Standing back and viewing it as a whole display, it is really genius. However, practically, up close, it leaves a lot to be desired. The fish all swim in circles, with some staying near the top, some near the middle, and some near the bottom. Since the walkway is built as a ramp, you cant follow a fish all the way around, and they dont really stop to check you out. Also, people stop in the little bays to take a look, and then you have to wait your turn to see. The view from the top is pretty limited. We didnt see much of the turtles during the turtle "show" because they just bob up for the lettuce. The shows are incredibly heavy on conservation matters, but very light on animal information. We didnt see or learn anything new or amazing. Overall, $27 per adult is a rather high rate for what we actually got to see/do. The Adventure Aquarium, in Camden, NJ, charges the same price and has a shark tank that you can walk through, and a giant hippopotamus enclosure, making it well worth the price. We were there for at least 2 hours, but we spent the majority of that time fighting crowds to get from one level or display to another. I felt really bad for all the people with strollers and little ones. We had enough problems trying to keep our family of 5 all together. I guess that was the crux of the matter for us. We just ended up feeling claustrophobic and cranky, which we could have gotten for free, at the popular seal tank, in front of the aquarium. I give them three stars because it was our fault for choosing a holiday weekend to visit, but I think I might have given them two stars otherwise. Sadly, Im not sure were willing to give them another go to figure it out.

PI

Pinky Ling

Im not sure who recommended this aquarium to me but maybe it wrongly influenced my expectations. The other major aquarium Ive been to is the one in New Orleans which is is fantastic. I went after it was renovated...I wonder how it was before the renovation... First off, I bought timed tickets online prior to arrival. They were printed out beforehand, I went to the line where advance ticket people lined up at. An employee told us to go to the Whale Watch counter, we walked down there and didnt see any signs/information about obtaining ANOTHER ticket (thats right, you buy tickets online to get in line for another ticket, that you might have to be in line for)...but basically, to "save time", you can get your aquarium advance ticket switched for an actual ticket at the Whale Watch area. It would have been helpful if there was any of this on the ticket or if there were people directing you more specifically rather than "walk down there to the Whale Watch booth." Then when you get your ticket, you go to another area that may or may not have a line up to get the stamp that lets you go in. So basically, advanced tickets = lining up at least three times and getting in total, two tickets. Im not sure if this is the most awkward and irritating ticket system Ive experienced, but its close. Second, maybe its not the fault of the aquarium per se and Boston (and larger cities overall) more so but I had an inconvenient experience parking near Fan Pier, not having exact change, having to get a refund ticket, having to call up someone to give me a refund and then having to try swiping 3 credit cards because the machine wouldnt read 2 of them (2 that were not exceeding limit and works). I actually could not find a simple list of MBTA stops that had parking. It involved googling and finding forum posts from 2009 with peoples suggestions about parking further away and riding in. Lastly, about the aquarium itself - its small. If it werent so stuffed with people, it would have taken maybe 1 1/2 hours to look through things. There just isnt that many exhibits on display especially compared to the New Orleans one. The layout is also kind of "compressed." Its basically one large building with everything on 3/4 floors. The layout is pretty sterile...the spiral staircase, the bottom penguins pool and then each floor has the exhibitions side by side. Not that I expect aquariums in limited spaces to be art displays, but I found it unspectacular. I cant say that I recommend this place.

DJ

DJ Chuck Johnson

There was about an hour wait simply to buy tickets. We had the Boston GO Card... which allowed us to go to the "pre-purchased" line. So we waited there... for 30 minutes. After we finally got our vouchers, we then had to go stand in another line (in a tent) to get our hand stamped. THEN they wanted to take our picture in front of a green screen- presumably for us to buy later. No thanks, we walked by. First- the Good- there were sea lions outside the entrance (free to see) and as soon as you walk in, there are penguins. Very cute, but this exhibit pales in comparison to the penguin exhibits at Sea World and the Georgia Aquarium. I understand this is a new feature of the aquarium, but it looks just as dated as everything else. Now, the bad, after we got into the actual aquarium, and there were hundreds (thousands?) of people in there, crowded walkways, and strollers blocking everything (hint- please dont ALLOW strollers inside. THERE IS NO ROOM). The building is dated (from the 1960s) with square tanks along the edges, and one central tank in the middle (a big "tube" tank) that extends up, you can spiral up the walkway following the tank all the way to the top via a ramp. The center circular tank was very cloudy (Greenish tint- dirty maybe?) and the outside tanks that surrounded the center tanks were mobbed by people 3-4 deep trying to see something, anything. On top of that, There was very little AC- I suspect because there were way too many people inside this building than was probably allowed. All in all, a really terrible experience, especially compared to other aquariums in Baltimore or Nearby Mystic. We lasted about 15 minutes, and finally had enough. Had I actually paid $25 to get in, I would have asked for my money back. I see they had "Timed entrances," but that didnt solve any problem with overcrowding. I cant believe they admit this many people, take in tons of cash, and dont update their exhibits, it was a real disappointment. If you have kids, the Museum of Science a few miles away is a much better choice.

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