Manila Ocean Park — Attraction in Manila

URGENT PUBLIC REVIEW: MANILA OCEAN PARK — A DETERIORATING EXPERIENCE NOT WORTH YOUR TIME OR MONEY

I am writing this with deep concern and utmost urgency to bring public attention—and hopefully, serious action—from the management of Manila Ocean Park regarding the alarming state of the entire facility. What should have been an enjoyable, family-friendly attraction has instead become a disappointing and almost hazardous experience.

PARKING The parking area is in a disgraceful condition. Potholes are everywhere, the ground is filthy, and there is a strong, unpleasant smell of trash mixing with the sea breeze. Oil-stained, cracked pavements further degrade the space. When it rains, unloading passengers becomes difficult and unsafe due to poor drainage and access points.

ENTRANCE AREA The entrance is poorly maintained and visibly dirty. Fixtures are either broken or unorganized. There is a shocking lack of signage—especially for essential access like strollers and wheelchairs. Although a ramp exists at the ticketing area, it is unmarked and hidden from view, only noticeable once you're already upstairs, which defeats its purpose.

OCEANARIUM This is perhaps the most concerning part of the visit. The entire place feels worn down and neglected. Water leaks are present throughout, creating potential safety hazards. The air-conditioning system is either broken or insufficient, resulting in high humidity and an overpowering smell of sweat and mildew. Many sections are closed off without any explanation. It's impossible to enjoy the sea life when you’re drenched in sweat and surrounded by disrepair.

BIRD AND SEA LION SHOW The sound system is completely dysfunctional—you can barely understand a word. The show itself lacks energy, excitement, or any unique value. Considering the ticket price of nearly ₱1,000 per head, this is extremely overpriced, especially for families.

STAFF AND CUSTOMER SERVICE The staff lack proper training and coordination. They appear unfamiliar with basic rules and procedures. Customer service is severely lacking, with no clear communication or helpful assistance throughout the experience.

ANIMALS AND EXHIBITS The variety of marine life is minimal. Tanks and enclosures look outdated, and the overall condition of the aquarium suggests neglect. It's clear that maintenance and care for the animals and the facility have been deprioritized.

FACILITY CONDITION From broken air-conditioning to leaky ceilings and closed-off areas, the entire complex feels abandoned by its management. What was once a promising destination now feels like a forgotten relic from years past.

PRICE VS. VALUE For a family of three, the nearly ₱3,000 cost is unjustifiable. The experience provides only sweat, discomfort, and regret. It is not worth the price by any standard.

FINAL THOUGHTS This establishment is in dire need of renovation, proper management, and customer consideration. It is incredibly disheartening to see such a landmark facility allowed to fall into this state. At this point, customers deserve a full refund for enduring what can only be described as a scam. Based on this experience, I strongly advise the public: do not visit Manila Ocean Park until real improvements are made.

This is a call to the management—you are accountable to your...

Honest and detailed review for Manila Ocean Park Date: March 2023

9/10 Price of ticket: the 680 pesos is reasonable "assuming" it is to upkeep the place and provide food for the fish

7/10 Price of food: the food inside the place is expensive, it is double the price inside. However, there is a lot of food choices for everyone to pick from.

7/10 Oceanarium: Poorly maintained, there is also a part where kids can splash and dip their arms in the water which for me is a big no no for the fishes. The aquariums feels dull and old (nothing has changed from my last visit back in 2017). The glass in the aquarium is scratched and sometimes too scratched it limits my view inside the tanks.

5/10 World of the creepy crawlies: a lot of the enclosures was empty. Poorly maintained, enclosures are dirty.

4/10 Trails to Antartica: one of the worst exhibits for me. The information aids are damaged. The glass is too cloudy you cant see well inside the enclosure. The penguins feels cramped inside the enclosure (it is too small for them). The exhibit focuses more on the paid experience where users can feed the penguins inside (explains why the glass is poorly maintained).

2/10 Christmas Village: more like christmas room. Too small to be called a village, it only showcases three 3 ft houses, aircondition sucks and more like a waiting area than an exhibit. Designs are damaged and the bigger designs feels dirty and old.

9/10 Dancing Jellyfish Exhibit: Good, it served the exhibit's name well. Very relaxing as classical music is played in the exhibit. Dark but the enclosures are lit with slowly fading led lights. One of the best exhibits i have been on but like any other exhibits nothing new has changed from my last visit at 2017.

10/10 Toy Exhibit: one of the best exhibits. It offers a fresh feeling for customers to enjoy, has interactive exhibits and photo spots for everyone to enjoy.

8/10 Shows: only offers 2 shows per day, plave is too hot, animals performing feels overworked. Show is boring and repetitive but is good for children and first timers (i guess).

(Bird Exhibit is closed when i visited. )

Overall review: Manila Ocean Park is great for children, but if you are an adult or someone who is interested in fish pet hobby you will feel that the fish and other species kept in here is overworked and stressed. Maintenance is not well but just enough to keep the fish on "living". It's okay if you will go here for the first time but it's not a place where you will have the urge to go back again.

Overall...

Alhamdulillah we visited Manila recently and went to Ocean Park and due to busyness with several tasks I actually forgot to order our tickets online via their website so we had to pay for the original price of tickets. Anyhow Alhamdulillah when we went there it was on a Monday July 28 if I'm not mistaken and there was one incident when the weather was so windy that whilst I was taking out some cash from my wallet to give to one of the staff to pay for the baby sharks and stingray feeding my 100 pesos flew away yet MashaAllah one of the staff amazingly caught the 100 pesos that was about to fly or soar towards the turbulent ocean at Manila Bay if I'm not mistaken. Instead of passively watching the paper money fly away, the guy was really kind enough to go out of his way to catch the 100 pesos and give to the other guy for the payment (200 pesos that time for feeding baby sharks and stingrays). Then prior to that when we were at the elevator I later discovered that I forgot one of my bags at the ground floor. We quickly went back to where the bag was left and noticed one of the staff gently putting it in a safer area away from passersby or guests who may mistakenly claim that plastic bag. Others would just leave the item in its place but that guy was ensuring it's in a more safer area and as soon as he saw us approaching him for the bag he laughingly informed us we forgot it and returned the bag to us. Lesson learned: avoid bringing too many bags to Manila Ocean Park so you don't forget any of them due to being busy wandering around and exploring loads of wonderful aquariums and things to learn etc.

We didn't have enough time at Manila Ocean Park and couldn't visit other sections. Inn-sha-Allah (if God Allah the Almighty Wills) perhaps in the future we can visit again with more of our loved ones.

Overall the staff at Manila Ocean Park are among the most helpful and most cheerful staff I have observed so far in the Philippines.

It would be nice though if there's a prayer room or prayer corner for Muslims to pray in (with a curtain or divider to segregate males from females). Alhamdulillah in Islam we Muslims who believe that our main goal in life is to worship just One God Allah the Almighty are expected to pray 5 prayers a day at specific timings. Having a prayer room somewhere in Ocean Park can make the establishment even more welcoming to Muslim tourists/guests from...