Address: Eastern Esplanade, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2ER, United Kingdom
Phone: +441702442200
Rating: 4.3
based on 504 reviews.
Value for Money
Pros:
"Staff were lovely! Great value for money especially if we manage to make it back with the Annual Passes we purchased today."
"Entry fee is £12 or £16 for a year pass so great price for locals."
"Annual passes are the way to go, amazing value."
"Always great value for money the yearly upgrade is worth it."
"We checked out the annual pass and we could have two adults + 1 child for £40."
"Good entrance price, and a fantastic annual pass offer at present."
"Great value for money if you buy an annual pass!"
Cons:
"A little expensive but good for young children and babies."
"Full price and the value would have been questionable because it's not huge like some of the Merlin Sealifes."
"Really overpriced for what can only be a maximum of 30 mins 'fun'."
"Incredibly overpriced for what it is. 2 adults total £28.00 on the day price!!! It killed around 10 minutes of our day."
"Very small, I’m surprised people say it’s value for money I was very shocked at the cost for the size."
"It costs a lot of money to get in and it really is far too expensive for what you get."
"Not worth the money. I paid about £60 for four people and we got around the whole attraction in 20/30 minutes."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"Staff were very pleasant and friendly."
"Don't let the outside fool you, this place is Tardis-like on the inside, there's plenty to see and lots of activities throughout the day with friendly and helpful staff."
"Amazing experience. Staff are lovely and so helpful."
"Helpful staff at reception, so much to see, lots of information for enquiring minds."
"One staff member took the time to talk about the work they do there."
"The staff are very friendly and welcoming."
"Staff are very helpful and happy to answer any questions you may have with enthusiasm."
Cons:
"Had a real bad experience here today... not worth all this trouble for a kids ticket."
"Café staff could be a bit more pleasant."
"We experienced poor customer service from Shanon."
"Very nasty man and completely unhelpful and unwilling to do what Is right. Should not deal with the public specially children."
"Certain staff lack experience in customer relations and how to talk to people and actually come across as rude, even to children."
"Staff member quite sarcastically said 'yeah... i can just see his head over the counter but your than welcome to stand him next to the penguin opposite.'"
"The cafe has its problems, the first being that they had out of date cakes on display and also selling, did not get an apology."
Facilities and Cleanliness
Pros:
"Loos were clean and there was baby changing facilities."
"The indoor aquariums were exceptionally clean and exhibits were clearly visible."
"Toilets / baby change were clean."
"The attraction is well laid out, good information next to the exhibits regarding the animals & fish."
"So many exhibits which are kept clean and well maintained."
"The space itself was clean and well kept."
"Was very clean and tidy throughout, with lots of information available on the walls."
Cons:
"Hygiene is the main concern at this place, some of the place have some kind of pungent smell like in pangea Dino world."
"The only 1 thing I wasn't too happy with was the food in the canteen, we had a cheese burger and chips, the chips were fine but the burger however was very though and over cooked!"
"Toilets needed a really good clean."
"The main door to the ladies' toilets felt sticky and grimey to touch and the toilet area smelt nasty."
"Only real criticism was the length of time we had to wait for our food order to be served - half an hour was too long."
"Toilets needed a little more cleaning, due to over use."
"Do wish there were more veggie and Vegan options."
Exhibits and Attractions
Pros:
"There are so many different types of animals."
"They have expanded out and have new features and is not just sea related now."
"There was a large variety to look at, including a dinosaur section, meerkats and monkeys."
"Nice collection of sea life as well as bugs and reptiles."
"They have many varieties of fish, reptiles, mammals and other types of animals to captivate everybody's attention."
"The new non fishy additions such as the meer cats and otters are great."
"It has more than just sea creatures to see, including butterfly's, reptiles, Dinosaurs, meerkat, otters, and penguins."
Cons:
"The facility itself was quite small, which was disappointing."
"Nothing too exciting for the older kids and adults."
"The main shark tank was empty apart from a couple of dog fish."
"Not sure how I feel about the dinosaur room. Felt a bit pointless."
"Most exhibits shut when we visited. Not warned beforehand."
"The monkeys don't seem to be in very good condition, lot of wet poops over their pen."
"Felt very basic, with not a huge selection of fish or animals."