sea life michigan aquarium

We brought out tickets online because you save money doing it that way. We arrived around 2Pm on a Friday and it was really crowded. We had actually went to the mall earlier than that just to walk around and walked by 2 times before our scheduled start time and it was crowded the whole time. When we walked in they tried to get us to buy 1st their souvenir book, then the souvenir picture (we declined both). It started with a short movie about conservation and then we went into the very dark aquarium. It was nice that they had tablets about the fish in the tanks, but most of the tablets only had a few of the fish in each tank not all. It was also very crowded the whole time and almost impossible to walk into someone else. With a few exceptions there were the same fish over and over in different tanks. While inside we saw a total of 2 staff members, 1 of who was running the petting tank and the other had just gotten done feeding the stingrays and was walking away from that area. They had more staff outside waiting to check people in and ring up their purchases at the gift shop (at the very end) then they did inside. I know we are adults and over the age they targeted, but even the kids looked board at looking at the same fish over and over and I even overheard several children in there comment about that. It only took us half an hour to view everything once we were inside, and that was with waiting to see each area since it was so crowded. I did like the walk through tunnel and how you could see 1 of the tanks from many view points. I've been to other aquariums and this one just left me disappointed, we won't be back.

Really amazing displays and animals, lots of different view points and talks/feeds during the day. You can spend the whole day here hearing all the talks as you can come back in and out to the mall. Great kids soft play, also a behind the scenes tour as $2 extra!

I took my grandchildren to Sea Life on a Sunday. We arrived at 10:00 am, when they open. We were unable to purchase tickets online as they were sold out. We stood in line for 30 minutes before reaching the ticket desk. The staff is very helpful but have been encouraged to try and sell other products to you while buying your tickets such as season tickets and books. This slows down the line. The aquarium itself was a lot of fun for the children ages 5-12. They allow you to enter in small groups which reduces the "crowded" feeling while you are there. It is well done and educational. I am glad we went. That said, it is expensive and I would not buy season tickets. I think the children would get bored visiting too frequently. It is small.

We were in town visiting parents, they decided to take us (my 4 year old son and I) to SEA LIFE. We went on a Thursday in late February, and I have to say: don't waste your money.First, we bought tickets well in advance, yet when we showed up the line was out the door, and the entrance was chaos. It seemed like they had no idea what was going on at the front. When we finally were let in, it continued to be chaos. The aquarium area is very small and cramped, and there were SO many people in there it was impossible to see most things. Our 4 year old tried a few times to get into certain areas to see and after a while he just gave up and wanted to finish it. One of the biggest problems is the fact that they allow strollers inside the aquarium. As I said, it is tiny, and bringing strollers in makes it almost impossible to navigate. Not to mention most people we saw with strollers had kids who were 6 months old or so, and they were being carried! So people would park their strollers in front of things or in the walkway so it was like navigating an obstacle course.The touch tank was no better - extremely crowded - and the problem here was the adults who wouldn't leave. They stood right in the front for close to 10 minutes, while many kids were waiting to give it a try. It was poorly managed and certainly not worth the money paid.Finally, at the end there is a play structure area that was INSANE. It is not monitored by the workers (or at least we saw none). Shoes were strewn about everywhere (even though there are cubbies for them, most kids just threw them on the floor). Parents just let kids go and didn't supervise. Our 4-year old was pushed out of the way several times by kids who were clearly 9 or 10 (which was out of the posted range for using the play area). Between the incredibly huge crowds, lack of space and lack of supervision, this is something we will never do again.

Thoroughly enjoyed spending a Saturday with my nephews at Sea Life in Great Lakes Crossing. Ordered the tickets in advance online (a must). The layout is interesting and really draws in young, curious minds....and recognizes that they need to keep their attention. The tablets at each station with information on the animals were fantastic----perfect way to convey educational info to today's kids. There is a playground area which is a great way to blow off steam. One thing to note: no restaurant or snack facilities inside. You have to go to a restaurant in the mall (Rainforest Cafe is right next door.....but the day we were there, it was a 5+ hour wait! [until 7:30 at night]}....went to the Johnny Rockets in the mall.

Conveniently located with the Great Lakes Crossing Outlet Mall, this attraction was a wonderful escape from the winter blues. The Aquarium takes great care that all visitors get great views so buy your tickets on line prior to visiting as there is a limit to how many visitors allowed. The exhibits are bright and well presented. Wonderful music accompanies the exhibits as well. We chose to have the insider's tour as well to understand the operation of the facility. There is great hope for the attraction to grow!

When we saw this aquarium was opening, we planned it into a Michigan winter vacation. We were late to learn that there are a limited number of tickets and we almost didn't get in. Anyway...As a new aquarium, it was nice. The sea life were young and smallish, but of course, they will fun to watch get bigger. Everything was clean and seemed well run. But that is about as much good as I can say. We were disappointed. The price was quite high for such a brief aquarium. There were wayyy too many people allowed into the narrow walks than should have been...and the strollers....holy cow, wading through the strollers was impossible. There were also a great many folks oblivious of the rest of the people who would like to view the sea life. Entire families would block a site for some time as they arranged themselves for group photos.Notes/Suggestion to Sea Life: 1. Great job, clean, and well laid out.2. Limit the number of strollers allowed in at any given time.3. Patrol for groups doing the photography thing - hi-jacking entire scenes for several minutes.4. Mark the exit a little better.5. That little show in the dark room at the start....made no sense and not necessary...wasted time and had every small child crying in fear. Not a good way to start the tour.

I bought an annual pass (you can go in anytime for one price for the whole year) this option will save you money if you live in the area and come to Great Lakes crossing often. I found it very interesting and loved the exhibits, lots of tanks to look at and see different fish and turtles. They have a area where children (and adults) can handle the starfish. All of kids that were there loved it and so did the adults. It is very pricey for a large group, but if you can afford the annual pass or buy your tickets online you can save some money.

Lots to see and look at, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. It's pretty expensive for a quick trip. You can use your ticket all day if you have time which makes up for the 20$ per child and 30$ per adult

I took teenagers and they loved it as much as I did! I recommend using the door to restart after you have gone thru once. The hands on and little climb into viewing places are great. Try everything. The hands on parts are great too!

The good things: my two kids (4 and 2) loved it. Most of the fish bowls and tanks are pretty cool. You will have an awesome experience taking pictures. There is also a zone where the kids can touch the sea stars. Finally, the children can get a stamp at the end of several stages and then change a book for a small reward. The bad things: It is too small. We spent too much time looking to every animal and we were out after 50 minutes or so. There is a small playground and we thought it was a stop before continuing to the aquarium, but actually it was the end. For the prices it is just not enough. Personally, I did not like the price. It is too expensive. Also, the lines and the policy to receive attendants is somewhat ridiculous. We wanted to use a coupon that was only redeemable at the center. The first thing we listened (around 10.20 am) was that it was sold out and we might not get in. It was almost a bad joke because I never considered the place was full or something similar. This might be adjusted in the future but it is not a nice welcome after driving for one hour and with children excited about visiting the place. The aquarium needs a curator that makes sense to the tour. You will see a video at the beginning and advocacy about fish consumption, but there is not enough information about the animals or the places where these type of water animals can be found. I understand that this can be only propaganda for the Foundation that supports it, but I do not get why they have to charge to the consumers that ridiculous amount of money if the only purpose is to introduce their ideas to a younger public.

Hey!Thank you for your review, I am very pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit, we ensure that fun, education and an immersive experience along with great customer care are some of the key things at the heart of what we dowe look forward to welcoming you back to SEA LIFE Michigan

HiThank you for your review, and I am pleased you enjoyed the decor and staff on the day of your visit, customer satisfaction is one of our key priorities. Due to high demand for tickets at present we do suggest people book online to avoid longer waits at peak times.

HelloThank you for your review, at present we are indeed experiencing high demand for tickets and high volume days especially at weekends and therefore we do encourage booking online, midweek being a little quieter at present. For the safety and to ensure our uests get the best experience we do try to control how many people are going into the aquarium at once time and this can result in a delay getting in on peak days, I'm sorry to hear this impacted your visit.We hope to welcome you back to SEA LIFE Michigan in the future

HiI am pleased to hear you enjoyed your visit. One of the things which makes us different is our immersive experience and educational aspects I'm thrilled to see you enjoyed those too!We hope you come back and visit us again soon