Bought our tickets online, very easy to do. Line seemed long but moved so quickly we were only in line for less than 10 minutes. As soon as we got inside, we got a map and looked at their feeding schedules online to see where we needed to be to see what shows we were interested in. It was a Saturday so of course it was really busy but it is less busy on weekdays. We took our time and looked at each exhibit, watching the animals and taking great pictures! (Please no flash!) The kelp Forest feeding is a must! Watch an experienced scuba diver in the large kelp forest hand feeding the fish, eels and tiger sharks! So awesome! She was so knowledgeable about each animal and shared something about them all. Great experience! My favorite is the deep sea and the jellyfish. Most beautiful creatures!! Just a really great experience all around! If you plan on going multiple times with your family then a membership is the way to go to save money! Totally worth it!!

It was very fantastic and impressive to see all kinds of jellyfish on display with their elaborate lighting. There was space for direct contact with the giant beetle, and I could feel that his skin was softer than I had expected. I was told to touch it gently, but my companion probably touched it hard, and the bug bug, which usually stands still, ran away in a hurry, so I was stuffed by a female staff member. I was a little surprised to see that the foundation was run and apparently no state government taxes were used, and the admission fee was $65 (just under 10,000 yen at the time).

As an animal loving non seafood eater I was very skeptical about visiting here, but the boos (the wife) wanted to go, so you know..... MBA is brilliantly laid out with some magnificent sights, that unless you scuba dive or go to the north Pole regularly you won't get to see, so it serves that purpose and then some! The animals appear to be well looked after and loved by the team there. The exhibition is technically advanced, interesting, exciting and does nothing but make you smile. It was without doubt the best aquarium I have ever seen in my 50 plus years and would highly recommend it and learning about everything we do for these amazing creatures and of course the not so good things we as humans do to them in the wild. Loved it.

After 20 prior visits to the Aquarium over a decade, it keeps getting better. The staff and volunteers share so much information and always welcome questions. One of our favorite places to go in Monterey. Special thanks to Zachary for a great back area tour and the Aquariasts during the feedings and films who keep expanding our knowledge of all depths of the sea!! The knowledge and exhibits about the deeps keeps evolving. Even the otters in the bay made special outpourings along with an army of cormorants, harbor seals spreading along the pilings and one raccoon strutting her stuff on the beach. We never get enough. We're proud to be members.

Great aquarium but unfortunately it was far too crowded on weekday mornings. We were in the aquarium from 11am for two hours with two children under 6 years old. Unfortunately it was very crowded. The children couldn't see anything, it was terribly busy. We had bought the tickets online days before. We would have liked limited admission. Other than that, the aquarium is really worth seeing

It’s hard to put into words how fantastic this place is. The entire experience was wonderful. Our entire family thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. It was very busy but the layout of the different exhibits kept people moving at a good pace. Highly recommend if you’re in the Big Sur area.

Visited just after spring break, so not too busy. Buy tickets before you go, to avoid having to stand outside and to scan a QR code to create an a account and hand over all your personal info to buy tickets. (No family tickets.) $165 for 2 adults & child. Not able to just pay at the door. DON'T BUY FOOD or REFRESHMENTS. £££. Eat before you go in. Take and empty water container which you can refill inside. Some attractions were far to small. (I'm glad I'm not a puffin) Had a "good time" Would I visit again. No.

This is a small yet expansive aquarium filled with wonderful exhibits, staffed by passionate employees and volunteers who are dedicated to the study, understanding, and conservation of our precious aquatic ecosystems. With many species native to the area and an expansive kelp garden, Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the finest in the world. The real showstopper is The Open Sea area—brilliantly designed with a massive observation tank full of undersea species. Watch out for that Manta Ray—he’s a bit of a showboat. One of the aquarium’s most valuable resources is its energetic, informative, and engaging volunteers who are always eager to interact with visitors and spark their curiosity. Between the exhibits, the views of the bay, and those volunteers, this place is well worth a visit.

We drove from Chico California (216 miles, 4 1/2 hour one way) to Monterey Bay Aquarium to see a mantis shrimp (son with Autism was obsessed with the idea of seeing one). According to their website they had. When we asked an employee he said, he wasn’t sure where it would be located or if they had one. We looked for another staff member, but they were few and far in between. I would say staff members are only knowledgeable about the area locations and not about the creatures location. We could not find the Mantis Shrimp and for me to see the disappointment in my sons face, broke my heart. If you don’t have it, why is your website not updated? If you do have it, why was there no display sign for it like there was other creatures?  Overall, $60 was worth it to visit, but I would’ve liked to seen what was advertised on their website, if it had been true. Also, this is something probably to experience once every 10 years because of how pricey it is.

The Aquarium is good, but it is extremely overpriced. The ticket is $65! The senior citizen discount starts at the age of 70(!). A puffin performed a dancing water show for us - very funny! There was an aviary with interesting birds like the one with the beak curved upward (American avocet). It was fascinating to see a school of fish going in the same direction. Aquarium with Kelp forest (golden color seaweed which can grow up to 70 feet) was nice. There was a bright white rock in the water with birds on it just outside the aquarium. The reason this rock was so beautiful was that there were many years of birds' guano on it... Allow about 3 hours.