marineland dolphin adventure

My sister-in-law turned 60 last Saturday, March 7th and she told my brother she wanted to pet a dolphin-it was on her bucket list. Well he bought the ticket and we all went to take pics and enjoy. She smiled from ear to ear the whole time. It was windy and chilly out but she had a wet suit on and it made it just right. She LOVED. It's a pricey adventure but it was worth every penny. it was a once-in-a-lifetime thrills. We, the gang on the sidelines, enjoyed it just as much as she did. We took a lot of great pics. The trainer and the employees were all very inclusive and knowledgeable.

There's construction going on right now, so the visit might be better after it's complete. Right now, there are just three different tanks where you can peer in to see three different sea turtles, a shark tank where you can look down on a couple of sharks, a tank with some rays, and, on the other side of the complex, the dolphin tank. Unless you're going to pay a large sum of money to be in the water with the dolphins, you'll have seen all there is to see within a couple of minutes there, too. Unless you're traveling with very young children or you do plan to be in the water with the dolphins, you will probably be disappointed.

I went to Marineland as a child, went as an adult 15 years ago and took my 6 yo grandson last weekend. It is not what it was in it's hay day, I had forgotten a hurricane took much of the area out. It is not Sea World. It is a small research facility that allows you to see several sea creatures up close to include dolphins. It is educational, we both learned things. We did the feed and touch experience. 30 something dollars included the admission. The description said we would have 3 minutes with the dolphin but I believe it was a bit more. We fed, petted, rubbed, shook hands with and directed the dolphin. The trainer with us was very enthusiastic and informative, she took extra time to make sure the 6 yo understood and answered all his questions. Never felt hurried. All the staff was friendly and we were ask several times did we have any questions. We never felt pressured in the gift shop and didn't feel bad about the no camera rule during the experience, buying our pictures helps with funding. Even if we hadn't done the experience watching a family interact in the pool with a dolphin would have been worth the price of admission. My grandson smiled and talked about this for 2 days. Certainly worth it !!!

This place was lame. Tank that sharks were in was gross. Place is small worth not much to see. Not worth the money.

Tried to make it a learning experience but failed. The pricing is complicated and confusing, at least to us, standing at the counter. We decided to do Touch & Feed only to discover when I handed over the credit card that the minimum age was 3. Grandson who was very interested and fearless and would have been fine, was only 2. Couldn't leave him by himself so ended up with General Admission only. We were told we could watch others do the Touch & Feed and Dolphin Encounter. Well, we would have needed BINOCULARS to see anything pertaining to the Touch & Feed from the General Admission deck and we didn't have them. Couldn't even see more than a dolphin shadow through the tank side windows. We were allowed briefly to a higher level deck so we could look down on a few dolphins, but the guide said that wasn't permitted typically. Other viewing? Two large turtles in small tanks. Sharks and stingrays supposedly in tanks (so murky we couldn't really see anything). The setting is lovely because it is right on the ocean. But the facility looked like it was being disassembled or under contruction. And we felt sorry for the animals trapped in tanks with the wonderful ocean so close. Better dolphin viewing standing along the banks of the Intercoastal Waterway. Yes, Georgia Aquarium should be embarrassed.

Hi there, We are saddened to hear that you were so unhappy with your recent visit to Marineland Dolphin Adventure. You arrived during a time when required maintenance was taking place in order to preserve the high quality of our dolphin habitats. This is part of our ongoing responsibility we have to ensure our animals always reside in a safe environment. Each day, we make every effort during this maintenance to take guests on a personal tour that is not usually available via General Admission. It appears we missed you and for that we apologize. We are currently housing two sea turtles in individual habitats, six sand tiger sharks and a number of both cow nose and spotted eagle rays. Algae grows in our outside pools as it does in the ocean and therefore we continually strive to maintain the visual clarity of the water. If you are still in the area or plan to return, we encourage you to reach out so that we may invite you back to see what we have to offer and learn more about our historic Marineland.

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Marineland, and our adventure petting and feeding the dolphin! It is a shame that the facility is clearly underfunded - it could be a much more attractive venue.

We absolutely LOVED our time at Marineland. We aren't theme park people - not big with crowds. This is a place that like a previous poster said, is not an aquarium but a research facility. They have a long history with the area, from helping local animals to training military animals. It is small place, don't expect bells a whistles. They have a great staff that are passionate about what they do and will talk to you about it as long as you'd like. We were able to see two giant turtles, each in their own tank, two sharks, stingrays, and a handful of dolphins. You absolutely can't put a price tag on the up close and personal experience you get as well as the location and the staff. We will surely be back.

First, this is not an aquarium. Second, this is not an amusement park. This is a research facility. There are no dolphin shows. There are no expansive tanks of fish. There are Turtles, stingrays and dolphins; all kept in large tanks where they can be studied. There are signs throughout telling interesting facts. There are lots of staff wandering around to answer questions and give short conversations on the facility. There is a strong environmental message. My last visit was in the early '60s (I went to see where "Seahunt" was filmed). If you're expecting Disney, don't go! It is not an all day (or even all morning) site. But it is a pleasant way to spend an hour or so. I could almost see Mike Nelson swimming in the tank (only the old codgers like me will get that).

I went there with my family. It is an amazing place. People who work there were very friendly and helpful. We loved to see all the animals and learn about them. I really recommend this place

We are sorry to hear that your experience at Marineland did not meet your expectations. Please contact our Guest Services department directly at 904.417.2287. We would like the opportunity to share with you and your family our history and mission and to provide a better understanding of this facility and the animal habitats. Perhaps it will change the way you feel about Marineland. I look forward to your call. Sincerely, D. Aizcorbe, Manager of Guest Services.

I have always been in love with dolphins! When I graduated high school my dream came true when I got to swim with them! Marine Land made this possible. I learned so much about the dolphins. And they were so accommodating to my disability. They take such good care of their Dolphins! I can't wait to go again :)

We bought a general admission voucher online and it was amazing! We lucked out and there was a dolphin interaction going on so we got to go and watch the dolphins with the humans. As we were taking photos with the tank, a cheeky dolphin actually photo bombed us, it was soooo cute! We were also hanging out by the tank when one of the very nice volunteers asked if we want to see the baby dolphin (at 7 months old) - and we got to see the little critter. There are 14 dolphins overall and the tanks are big and deep, the dolphins look happy (and not overworked as some of these facilities do) and there is also a shark tank, manta rays, and two sea turtles. The place is also a conservation area (teamed up with the Georgia Aquarium) so it is not a performance place. We would definitely come back to do one of the dolphin interactions (the boyfriend wanted one for his birthday and I happily obliged), I'm currently saving up for the two attraction tickets :)

We just happened to see marine land on our way to st. Augustine and decided to stop in. Glad we did. The dolphins were amazing and smart.

We had gone to Marineland maybe 10 years ago, and it was showing its age. It was renovated into a "marine experience" some years ago.The dolphin packages are not cheap, but the experience was well worth it.