Explorium - National Sport & Science Centre — Attraction in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

Fun place but shockingly overpriced and bad attitude to families. We made a mistake on the numbers we were bringing while booking online (which they recommend you do) and they would not give a refund for the family member who did not attend. He could not go as he was unwell. No amount of explaining did any good. A total loss of €28.

They say their 'policy' is 'NO REFUNDS.' Why? We paid €80 for 2 adults and 1 teenager and a 2 year old. On top of this they say you have 2 hours 'free parking' (it should be free parking full stop!) but do not tell you where to pay for additional time. Why is there a charge for parking ? They own the parking lot? It's an extremely unfriendly experience. Smacks entirely of a money grabbing exercise.

The stuff on show/display and for the kids to interact with is a copy of W5 in Belfast. However W5 in Belfast is half the price, has double the number of items. and free parking!.

We left disappointed, upset at the NO REFUND policy (repeated ad nauseam no matter what we said). At the parking exit, we were delayed because we, and many others, 'overstayed' the 'free paring' period. I would have paid the additional charge if (1) we knew that we had to pay extra and (2) where we could pay.

W5 in Belfast beats this attraction hands down. We could have driven to Belfast and it would not have cost us anymore. Parking should be free full stop - its their own car park and there is no choice but to park there This attraction, based in the former Total Fitness Gym in Sandyford could be and do so much better- I believe it needs to adjust its pricing strategy instead of being the money grabbing exercise that it is from the moment you enter their car park.

In Summary We are big promoters of all Dublin attractions but this is a waste of time and money, greedy attitude to families, (which I assume is their bread and butter.?) And I assume they would want them to return? On their website they offer lower pricing for 'off-peak' times €22 instead of €28 per person?? Big deal, saving €6, and you still have to pay for all the other individual attractions once inside! You are charged at every turn once inside the building. 'Off-Peak' by the way, is when the kids are at school?. Not weekends, school holidays nor bank holidays. Whats the point in that? I note the condescending remarks made by the 'owner' in response to other reviewers who have made similar comments on pricing, suggesting that the reviewer go 'off-peak' which 'are lower price and may suit you better"........ wow...

The consensus is that it is Overpriced, Overhyped and most definitely not value for money. We spoke to many unhappy visitors here today - in the place itself and in the car park,. A bad experience. Go to Belfast if you want to spend a day in a science environment. We will not be returning and we will share our opinion. By the way: Total cost for our '3 hours' spent there today was €200.... Top of the Rip-Off league for Irish/nay European...

Edited after 2nd visit we went here again and found most things much improved: the staff at reception were friendly, the cafe staff helpful, the staff around the centre a bit more welcoming than last time. The only things not improved were that the crafts area was 'closed' for 15 minutes and then had very limited options. I would visit here again though.

Disappointing We went here this morning. I booked 2 days before and received an email to confirm the waiver had been signed, but no booking confirmation email. I called their reception at least 10 times and left 2 voicemails but no one replied or called me back. No email address is on the website. Our card was charged that day, 27 euro for 1 child and 3 adults. We decided to go in anyway as the tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded. when we arrived I explained to the girl on reception what had happened, and there was no apology, just 'sometime the email goes into your junk folder' and that was it. Really bad considering she is customer facing. She gave us the bands but did not advise us where the junior section was so we had to find it ourselves! Lots of staff chatting in groups and ignoring the visitors, no one to explain the exhibits and several exhibits were either broken or had an essential part missing. Disappointing to see the 'aquarium' they promote is just a projection on a wall. There was one helpful staff member, Simone, who explained they had not been opened long and advised us the outdoor area was open. To be honest my 2.5 year old was overwhelmed by large numbers of older children who seemed to be part of a kids party, who didn't want to hand over the tubes to the other children in the queue and just pushed past or stepped on children inside. The staff member in the cafe was rude, didn't say hello when we said hello to her. We were at Imaginosity a few months and it was much better run and better value. They need to improve this hugely to make it better for the people paying...

Children's Slime Birthday party @ Explorium

Wow, what a party!...Oozed fun.

Finding new and creative ideas to keep the little one's entertained for a birthday party is never easy. This year, we had 30+ children (Age 6 and 7) and were lucky enough to discover Explorium in Sandyford. We were a little nervous as it's such a new venue, but their delivery was out of this world. We could not have asked any more of the team.

From the moment the children arrived, you could see their faces light up with curiosity, ready to explore. They were given time to play in the open area, so much for them to do with loads of creative sports and science activities, every child was looking for the next task or challenge, always a member of the Explorium team on hand to help or explain what they needed to do. Lot's of fun and we had to drag them off to the next project.

Next, the children got a little fun chemistry lesson (creating their own slime). All dressed in white lab coats & protective glasses, the children mixed their water and reactor with some bright colours to create their very own slime. The noise levels increased as the girls got stuck in, pouring and mixing to create their own little souvenir of their trip to Explorium. Again, the Explorium team were so attentive, helping the children to learn and get creative. The parents got to stand back and smile as the slime was not all over the house this time.

Leaving the slime lab behind, the children went next door to finish off the party with Pizza and Birthday cake. Back out to the open area for a final exploration before every child went away with their slime souvenir and a smile from ear to ear.

Thank you to the team at Explorium, especially Spain, Catherine and Orlaith for all their hard work! Great party, we...