Facebook
WanderboatGet the most of Wanderboat by installing our new mobile app.Get the app
photo-1
place imageLearn more insights from Wanderboat AI
cultural
entertainment
family friendly
accessibility

An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Canada, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.

Description

An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Canada, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.

Posts

photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

We’ve visited the Oceanarium today on our way back to the Isle of Wight from staying at a caravan park near pool. So we thought since we are passing through Bournemouth anyway, why not explore the area a little bit and see the exotic fishes 🐡 and turtles 🐢. They currently have a special discounted price from today until the 3rd next month. My daughter is a part time wheelchair ♿️ user due to her disability and we found this place very accessible. We’ve used the near by car park, but have to say it is very expensive (£7) for 2 hours and blue badge holders are not exempt of the fees. Thought I’ll mention that incase you are planning to use your blue badge. Carers go in free of charge. Disabled adults and children have a discounted price too, which is lovely to see. There is a lift to get you to the first floor and back down if you are a wheelchair user or pushing a buggy/stroller. This places may be smaller than the sea life aquarium we are used to in London, but it is still a very nice place to visit if you are in the Bournemouth area. Staff are super friendly and helpful there. The place is clean. There is a little cafe on the first floor where the penguins 🐧 are with a lovely view of the pier and sea 🌊. There are some interactive bits for the kids too, which is nice as kids always love the interactive things. There is a gift shop on the ground floor witr lots of different options as souvenir. I recommend this place especially if you have kids 👧🏻

Lei HangLei Hang
00
photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

I hadn’t been to the oceanarium in a while so I thought I’d go there, it took us a while to even be served to get tickets because the girls were more interested in chatting. A man finished serving in the gift shop and came to serve us instead. Staff stood around either chatting or just stood there rather than educating or even just being helpful. I understand that staff obviously want to chat to each other catch up ect ect but when you’ve got customers waiting the customers are the priority. Overall not too much has changed since the last time I visited which was probably over 6 years ago, few new additions. Bournemouth oceanarium is definitely on the smaller side and understandably the price is steep for what it is but when you factor in wages,animal care, maintenance ect it makes sense. The only bad thing was the service other than that it was decent, doesn’t take up the whole day so if you’re in Bournemouth you might as well go to the oceanarium. Enclosures seemed well maintained, some glass was dirty and hard to see through but that’s to be expected and wasn’t a huge issue. Animals seemed well looked after. The turtle seemed a bit bored as he was doing the same lap to and from the ladder but I’d also be bored if I was a turtle Shop is a bit on the pricy side but again to be expected as most zoos/aquariums are like that. Overall a 3/5, would I go again within the next few years? Probably not but I can see how it appeals to some especially with children.

Chelsea SherwoodChelsea Sherwood
00
photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

The array of sea life in the actual aquarium was great, however they don’t seem to have any limit on the number of guests that can be inside at any one time and if they do those limits are way too high. We visited the cafe first as we wanted to eat before going in and since it was fairly early for lunch (11:45) we managed to get a table but by the time we were leaving the place was packed, there were literally people just standing around the outside waiting for a table and as soon as you stood up you’d get asked if you were leaving. Then when you go in, there’s crowds around some of the more popular attractions like the otters, we just skipped them in the end as we couldn’t see anyway and didn’t want to push through crowds especially during these times to get a quick glimpse. There was a queue to get through the tunnel which was about half way round because the guy manning the station just let people stand and look for ages. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good aquarium and maybe we just went at a super busy time (not school holidays but was a Sunday). However, there needs to be more of a limit on the number of people that can go in, it would be annoying even before Covid and now it’s just annoying and stupid.

Ricky DawnRicky Dawn
40
photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

Half price entry for locals during March ! However £12.50 entry for adults and £2 discount for students isn't the cheapest for this small aquarium. It's right next to the pier and the beach so it's very popular, which makes it very busy, I'd dread to think how busy it would be during peak times. Some of the tanks were bland, the best one with the most enrichment was the otters enclosure, they also have a view of the sea. The penguins was a bit sad, and also having birds fly around their encloure was a bit risky and there wasn't a very good "double door" system to prevent them from escaping. The shark tank is very small but it's nice that it's not over crowded with sharks and turtles. All around the oceanarium there are lots of posters about preventing global warming and reducing plastic waste but they don't stick to it themselves, selling loads of plastic items in the gift shop, (Sea Life have biodegradable pens made from recycled material), also selling lots of plastic bottles and plastic buckets wrapped in plastic wrap. I mean if you're going to preach about plastic use, stick by your morals.

Charlie BreakwellCharlie Breakwell
20
photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

Visited on a rainy Saturday during school summer holidays so predictably it was very busy. Queued about 10 minutes to get in (around 10am opening time) but queues got longer as the day progressed. Main attractions: jellyfish, stingray, penguins, shark and turtles, including giant turtles from different vantage points - from above the tank and especially from walking under it. Talks/feeding times throughout the day. Little area inside for little kids to climb, walk across wobbly bridge and rocking apparatus. Nice idea for littles needing a quick sensory/physical activity. Small cafe serving hot food and gift shop at the end. Advance online tickets cheaper or they do entry discounts on cereal boxes. We were told you can leave and return with the ticket anytime that day till 5pm. We finished within 45 minutes but you might plan to stay for particular talks/feeding time. Lots of information to read throughout as expected in these places. All across two levels, stairs and lifts for those who need them. Areas are wide for wheelchairs but a bit trickier to navigate in the crowds.

Mama SJMama SJ
00
photo-1
photo-2
photo-3

Visited here on a rather wet Thursday! It was busy, which we expected due to the weather and how this is an indoor attraction. We found staff to be very helpful. Tickets were reasonably priced, and we were served quickly. They accepted diagnosis letter for disability discount, carers, and a student card for me as I'm studying. We opted to go for lunch first as it was just after 12. We had 2 lots of chips as well as fish and chips. The fish was rather well cooked, but the texture inside wasn't pleasant. Sane for all three chips. However, it was busy, and it was understandable. Went on to see the attractions. Lots of varieties of fish as well as penguins, sharks, stingrays, and so much more. The signage was clear, and we could find our way around, ensuring we didn't miss any part. My daughter loved each part, especially the tunnel, and spoke lots about it when we got home. Another plus point is that you can reenter all day once you have your tickets, which we found helpful when we needed to step outside for some quiet time. We will definitely visit again :)

Laura WLaura W
00
Get more from Wanderboat AI

Nearby Attractions

Bournemouth Pier

Bournemouth Pier

4.4
(5.2K)
Click for details
Bournemouth Parks - Lower Gardens

Bournemouth Parks - Lower Gardens

4.6
(2.2K)
Click for details
Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

4.7
(959)
Click for details
Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

4.3
(721)
Click for details

Nearby Restaurants

The Moon in the Square - JD Wetherspoon

The Moon in the Square - JD Wetherspoon

4.2
(3.2K)
$
Click for details
Turtle Bay Bournemouth

Turtle Bay Bournemouth

4.6
(2.3K)
$$
Click for details
Harvester Durley Inn Bournemouth

Harvester Durley Inn Bournemouth

4.0
(1.9K)
$$
Click for details
Miller & Carter Bournemouth

Miller & Carter Bournemouth

4.6
(1.6K)
$$
Click for details

Overview

4.2(2.4K reviews)

Phone

+44 1202 311993

Call

Website

oceanarium.co.uk

Visit
banner

Deep Dive

A deep dive into Oceanarium
boat

Get the app

Get the most of Wanderboat by installing our new mobile app

Get the app
boat
  1. Unable to get your location