Blue Planet Aquarium Avis 

Visited on 27th August 2026 with my grandchildren (2 adults 2 children) cost £96 +£2.50 parking. Very expensive, I would say overpriced for how long it takes to get round. We visited quite a few years ago and thought it was brilliant so thought we would treat our new grandchildren. The difference was shocking, it looks like it has never been touched since it first opened. The handrails on the stairs have no paint on them and are extremely sticky, the toilets were disgusting requiring cleaning and the seats were broken. There was no one way system through the exhibits as used to be and the conveyor through the tunnel wasn't working, people with prams and pushchairs trying to go in either direction causing chaos. Which in turn caused my grandson to get very upset and have a meltdown.The fish exhibits weren't as good as they where when we last visited. All in all to expensive, in need of refurbishment and I would not recommend until improvements are made.

As echoed by lots of reviews this is an expensive attraction for what is maximum 2 hour visit. We paid £58 thankfully because of a free kids offer, but if we’d had to pay the full £94 i would be pretty disappointed. Because one of my kids has quite an interest in sea creatures, especially sharks, it was a worthwhile visit that we enjoyed. The shark tunnel is very impressive. It was shame there was no info about what creatures were in the tunnel. What sort of sharks and fish were they? We would have like to have read the info as we walked through. I know they are listed on the website but there was no phone signal. I’d recommend for anyone wanting to visit that you look out for offers such as on Kids Pass to make it better value. And although it doesn’t affect the visit itself I wanted to mention that the car park was covered in litter, bins overflowing (in the morning not end of the day) with some fly tipping around the edge too. Considering there’s an additional charge for parking on top of the tickets, you’d think it would be better maintained. An extra star because my kids had a great time and the tunnel was a real experience.

Only 2 desks open so people were outside queuing in the pouring rain. The aquarium looks like it hasn't been updated since it opened. The viewing tunnel was amazing but the overall experience was disappointing for the price, it took us longer to get there than it did to walk around.

We visited Blue Planet Aquarium as a family of four. One of us received free entry as a carer, but we still paid £73 for the other three tickets.

The shark tunnel was definitely the highlight of our visit. The sharks were beautiful and really impressive to see up close. It was easily the best part of the aquarium and we all enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, we were surprised by how quickly we got around the rest of the aquarium. We weren’t rushing at all, but after around 45 minutes we had pretty much seen everything.

For £73, especially considering one member of our family had free carer admission, we expected a lot more to see and do. We left feeling that it was simply too expensive for the amount of time we spent there.

The sharks were fantastic and I’m glad we experienced the tunnel, but overall we were disappointed with the value for money.

Glad we’ve visited once, but at this price we wouldn’t return.

If you are looking for a day out, I would suggest you don’t choose Blue Planet Aquarium.
Two adults and three children cost £87
The displays were disappointing, grubby and tired. The walk-through viewing pipe was dull and the lighting wasn’t great. Tables and floors were dirty, and the café looked like something from the 1970’s

There are vending machines plotted round, with “out of order” signs hanging from them. Lots of children’s slot machine rides, designed to take more money. The science display was beyond a joke and lasted about 10 minutes.

There much cheaper and cleaner venues to choose from than Blue Planet Aquarium, which you can see in an hour.

Found a cockroach in the restaurant after eating there. Left feeling a bit sick. Prices are outrageous.. £18 for a pizza, £8 for a kids meal, £3 for a half full cup of tea.. and you can’t keep the place clean? Contacted customer support but got an unapologetic reply.

The aqua theatre is great but the rest of the place feels dated and can be done in an hour and a half. Very expensive for what it is. Go Chester Zoo 🙂

We did a "Swimming with the sharks" experience with a family member which was an excellent experience, you were able to view the SCUBA dive through a glass wall and in glass tunnels below the tank. In addition we had our own guided tour - staff were first class.

We visited to watch our daughter take part in a shark dive, and from the moment we arrived, we were made to feel incredibly welcome. The entrance team were friendly and helpful, setting the tone for a fantastic experience.

The pre-dive tour with Lucy was excellent, she was engaging, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what she does. We were then treated to a shark presentation by Shannon, who was equally informative and enthusiastic, sharing fascinating insights throughout.

The dive itself was outstanding. Hannah, Fergus, and Jamie from the dive team provided exceptional care and attention, ensuring the divers felt comfortable and confident every step of the way. Nothing was too much trouble for them, including helping the divers pose for the countless photos we wanted to take!

Overall, it was a truly memorable experience delivered by a professional, experienced, and engaging team. Thank you all for making it so special. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spent almost £100 (2 adults , 2 children) plus £3 parking and half a tank of fuel to visit Blue Planet at Ellesmere Port with my grandchildren. What a complete waste of time and especially money. Apart from the sharks most of the fish could be seen in my local garden centre fish department. A lot of exhibits were empty and we did the whole 'aquarium ' in 40 minutes. Cafe looked so awful and shabby that I didn't bother to eat or drink anything. Gift shop ridiculously priced tat. Only saw 2 members of staff throughout the visit and one of those was at the entrance checking tickets.Car park is a rip off, barrier was raised on entry, told to keep my ticket on dashboard - no idea why as there was nobody to check it on exit and no monitors scanning my car or ticket. Just a scam to attempt to justify paying for parking. Given the strains of cost of living and how much people are struggling, visits like this are a very special treat and Blue Planet should be ashamed of themselves in providing such appalling venue. Some of the tanks were so overcrowded that the poor fish had very little space to swim. I would strongly discourage anyone from visiting here.

£52 to get in what a waste of money we walked round in 15 mins several tanks were empty plus maintenance was been carried out and to add to the terrible disappointment £3 for a car park. The gift shop had a child cheap bracelet with a turtle on for sale when I took it to the check out with my 9 year old granddaughter I was told it was £18.75 couldnt believe it what a rip off 🤪

I don't think the price reflects the experience.
We were around it in 45 minutes and paid nearly £60
Maybe we were expecting something else, but shouldn't be £28 each - maybe charge £15 fair enough

Was looking forward to a nice day out with my grand children.
Lets start with the costs.. £28.70 per adult, £20.70 for a child over five. So for us four adults and.one child aged five. Not an inconsiderable amount.
The place itself is still under renovation. There are no signs indicating which way to follow. We covered the whole place in around 50 minutes. The ladies toilets were dirty. One of the cubicles had a broken seat, one had no lock on the door and the third one had poo on the seat ! Disgusting... And.. to add insult to injury they have the cheek to charge £3 to park. Do NOT waste.your hard earned money

Very expensive for such a small place took about 30 minutes to do the whole thing. Fish were amazing though which is why I give the 1 star. However the pelican enclosure has had me upset since leaving this morning. It’s awful. How that’s even aloud is beyond me. It was depressing, the birds looked depressed and the enclosure was awful hardly any land, horrible stagnant water and a net close to there heads enclosure wasn’t even as big as my back garden and it held around 6-7 huge pelicans. Truly sad that they are stuck there, wish there was something more I could do for them, I am going to try my hardest to report as surly this is animal cruelty.

We payed full prices for a child with a disability a carer, an adult and a child 70 odd pound and half of the place was getting renovated both my children were not happy it was a day out that we could just about afford we chose this place as they have just only got over not being well n needed a place inside so they were warm and we was not very happy

The fish were amazing but the pelicans enclosure is awful! No room to fly they have just been dumped on a stagnant pond thats not even the size of an average back garden. The enclosure is overgrown they should not be kept by a sea life place and they should be cared for by a proper sanctuary. Chester zoo or somewhere like that would care for them in a way they should be cared for everyone needs to report this and get them moved. The animals look so depressed and unhealthy.

Took us 50 minutes to walk around and we paid £55! Glad our daughter was free. Waste of time, would’ve been better off going to Chester zoo (or the free aquarium at the World Museum). Came for our daughter’s 2nd Birthday as a day out and couldn’t believe how short the experience was. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone and won’t be coming again. I had to ask did we miss something as it was so underwhelming and I was expecting to be there for at least 2 hours and the staff member laughed and said nope we’ve been all around! No sea horses or octopus. Pelicans were sad to see as the enclosure was tiny and they kept extending their wings flapping like they wanted to fly and couldn’t (guess their wings have been clipped). 0/10 all around. Cade was empty, but looking at the food for the prices you can see why.

Bought an annual pass to discover that we are not allowed to come in at 4:03 pm. We assumed that last admission is only for those who buys tickets. No, its for members too. Want to come in and buy a souvenire in a shop? no. Want to come for 10 minutes after school to watch your favorite snake or fish? no. Nobody comes in after 4, not even members. So our plans to visit after school are gone. Comparing to the ZOO where members not allowed half an hour, one hour is just mad. Turned us away at 4:03 pm