Today we visited the American Dream aquarium SEA LIFE. We pre-purchased tickets for mid week at 1pm. I purchased them a week in advance and at that time there were tons of tickets available at a large variety of times. Also at the time of buying the tickets you’re offered an opportunity to buy a combo ticket for the aquarium and LEGOLAND. We opted to break up the attractions since we were visiting the aquarium in the afternoon. For the aquarium it was $28.99/adult and $23.99/child (under 3 is free). There is a vast price difference between only the aquarium entrance and the combo ticket with LEGOLAND ($43.99/adult and $38.99/child).
If you read my post about our visit to the American Dream Dreamworks Water Park you know that this mall is gigantic and difficult to navigate. It’s best to park near the attraction you’re trying to get to rather than walk through the mall. Attractions and just general points of interest are very poorly marked. So it’s best to map out where you are going beforehand. To get to the SEA LIFE attraction, you want to park in lot A. It’s under the gargantuan ski slope if you’re looking for a more obvious land mark. From there it’s on the main level and a very short walk from the parking deck.
Once you navigate to the entrance you will realize why the site pressed you to purchase the combo ticket (SEA LIFE + LEGOLAND); they are quite literally attached. So for parents who might want to set proper expectations with their little ones, be prepared for this unavoidable conversation. I was not prepared for this so cue the 1 million questions about the Lego attraction. We arrived only 5 minutes before our window and there was no wait or line to enter. I do believe this was partially luck and also that we went so close to lunch time. When we went to exit I did notice a more substantial line. They scanned my pre-purchased tickets and we entered.
The aquarium is a set of winding hallways all brightly decorated and on theme. It was very clean and (mostly) stroller friendly. There were several families with strollers so some of the hallways were difficult to navigate with multiple double strollers. The most narrow parts where the fish tunnels where people really wanted to stop and observe. With the strollers it made it difficult to do that, but not impossible. The tanks are well themed and pull the little ones in. There was a touch tank that was staffed with a very knowledgeable associate giving information on the sea life that my kids were touching. For reference, it is a very small touch tank. It is nothing like our beloved Turtleback Zoo in South Orange, NJ. There are also a variety of large interactive screens that do pull the kids in. Full disclosure this is all touch, so if you’re skiddish about germs you may want to avoid or bring lots of sanitizing wipes. On the topic of health, they did not require masks if you’re vaccinated. Kids were mixed, some with masks, some without. But no one reinforcing. Overall it was engaging, fun and manageable. I had my mom join us but I would feel comfortable tackling this solo.
The aquarium took about an hour to navigate through. There is an area with a green screen to take a photo. At the end of the aquarium, there was a climbing structure that was closed (likely due to Covid). Like all the others, the aquarium then dumps you in a gift shop. The gift shop seemed sparse and was still stocking up on items. They had a single employee who was stocking shelves and ringing people up. Overall there were very few staff people present, however everyone we encountered were very nice. From there you are forced to walk through the photo station. We opted out of the $27.99 photo but you can download the images for free.
We had anticipated on exiting once we were through the aquarium gift shop, however the only option is to exit through the Lego store. Also a brutal lesson learned that I was not prepared for. There are no prices marked on anything (in either gift shop) and it’s nearly impossible to get through there without your little one wanting something Lego.
Once you have exited the attractions and you’re back out into the mall, we were looking for concessions (i.e ice cream). We had to walk down a hallway only to find pretzels and frozen yogurt (the frozen yogurt had a 40 minute wait - yeah, what?!?) so we doubled back and found a small ice cream stand parked not so far from where the aquarium entrance was.
Overall it was a fun experience, one I would do again. However since my kids now know LEGOLAND exist, that will probably be our next adventure.
Hope you found this helpful! Tag me in your photos if you go!
SNB
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