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.

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

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 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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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.