Product
Tested By Samantha Wade – Benjamin 4 Years
Samantha Awarded The National Sea Life Centre Birmingham 5/5
For us we
were sent the vouchers to present on the day we chose to visit the centre. It was very easy to get to the sealife centre;
we travelled from Leicestershire and had no problems finding it. Birmingham is
very well sign posted and the brown tourism signs lead us straight to the
nearest car park. It is in a great location, Brindley Place is a lovely part of
Birmingham and being on the canal definitely increased the excitement for my
son. It really was very quick and easy to get into the Sealife Centre,
the staff on the ticket desks were very well rehearsed in what they had to say
(maybe a little too well rehearsed and they were very quick at saying it and it
was hard to keep up). There were no queues when we arrived and although there
is some renovations taking place at the minute this was all politely explained
upon arrival. The staff
were very friendly and helpful, parts of the building were closed off but there
were plenty of staff directing people the right way. The Sealife Centre has a great flow to it; you are able to navigate
around at a steady pace without missing anything. It is impossible to get lost.
The Sealife itself really is the star attraction, the penguins are an amazing
feature and who wouldn’t love walking through the tunnel! There are a
couple of professional photo opportunities on the way round, the photos were
great but the packages were a little expensive. It was not possible to buy an
individual photo or magnet which was a real shame. The 4d cinema was good
although the 3d effect was not working, this was not a problem but the staff
were still handing out and collecting the glasses which seemed a little odd as
they were not required. My son was very excited about seeing the sharks and he
thoroughly enjoyed seeing the penguins swimming under water. We had a stamp
book to collect the stamps on our way round and he enjoyed looking out for the
stamp points and making sure we had them all! 4 really is a perfect age for
somewhere like the Sealife Centre as he had the perfect level of attention
whilst enjoying being able to freely wonder round in a safe environment.
We all loved the penguins and the tunnel as definitely the highlight for
Benjamin. He also loved the 4d cinema as due to his height, the water was spraying
directly into his face which he found highly amusing! For us personally the tunnel was probably our highlight, the
turtles are amazing! The toilets were very clean and easily accessible. We did
not come across any food and drink facilities other than a couple of vending machines;
this may have been closed as part of the refurbishment? It is a great facility
that has so much to teach us all about our oceans in the heart of a major city.
It is great that they recognise that they need to evolve and that new areas are
always being added. It is suitable for all ages and a true family friendly
attraction. This is great fun and educational tool for children. Benjamin is very excited to write
about it in his homework book! If
paying full price this could be an expensive day out, although you can return
on the same day as many times as you like, the trip only takes a couple of
hours. Luckily there are always offers available and I think these are the key
to ensuring that people continue to return. Spending time together
as a family is so important; this is a great facility that has something for
everyone. We lived looking at the different types of sea creatures and learning
so much along the way. We were actually
given a free return as there was work being carried out and sections were
closed. This was automatically handed out on entry, great customer service! I
would recommend as easily accessible, great location and family friendly, the
perfect day out. I remember visiting the Sealife Centre as a child
and it has grown and evolved so much since then. The tunnel was a sensational
concept back then, walking under all of those amazing sea creatures and truly
feeling like you were in the ocean. This feeling still remains today; the
Sealife Centre continues to be a great attraction and an equally great
opportunity to see things we would not otherwise get the opportunity to see. We
are so much more aware of the effects we are having on our environment these
days that it is important to have the education and awareness that places like
the Sealife Centre have to offer. The activities and little quizzes along the
way keep learning short and simple. The Sealife Centre truly is a great
family day out with something for all ages. Samantha Wade – Benjamin 4 Years
Product Tested By – Sarah Carter
– William & Ella – 9 & 3 years
SarahAwarded The National Sea Life
Centre Birmingham 4.3/5
It was very easy to organise our
ticket for our family day out. We did drive to the venue. We did find it a little confusing to get to
as we’d never been that part of town before, but when we knew where to go it
was simple enough.The venue looked inviting and we were all looking
forward to seeing what was on offer. Very easy to get into the centre no
trouble at all. We found all the staff
helpful and friendly. William absolutely loved it and enjoyed every moment, he
collected all of the stickers in his booklet to get a prize at the end which
was a token necklace; he loved seeing all of the sea creatures and learning
about their habitats. He particularly liked seeing the sharks in the
tunnel. Ella loved it there too, but it was very busy and she was a
little bit overwhelmed at first, but she learnt a lot about the sea creature
and animals & she had a great day and lots of fun looking around.
William loved the water tunnel with all of the sharks and other sea
life. Ella loved the penguins and watching them perform for the audience,
she was excited to see them.My partner Michael loved seeing the snakes
and fish through the tunnels; he was fascinated by the sharks and stingray
also. I myself loved the penguins too, and I loved learning about the creatures
and their habitats. Toilet facilities easy enough to find and clean. Food and drinks were available via vending
machines in the centre. The fact we got to spend a lovely day together was most
important as we hardly get the chance with money being tight, but we are more
than thankful for receiving the ticket and being able to experience the sea
life centre together as a family and we loved being there with one another,
learning new things, experiencing something new where we’d never been before
& enjoying one another’s company and having a fun day out. The sea
life centre is a nice place to go, although it didn’t take long to get around
and we felt it was very cramped in there. But all in all a good day &
educational.I think once a year will be enough, this isn’t
somewhere I’d feel we’d need to go again for a long time as it wasn’t as
entertaining as we’d hoped. It was enough for a once a year day out. We
would recommend as its educational, fun, a good experience if you’ve never
been, enjoyable, good to see all the animals and sea creatures, interesting
facts, a nice day out for all the family. There are some activities to take
part in and would be fun for an hour or so. It isn’t the best place to
visit and it isn’t the worst. It’s very cramped and hot but also fun and
enjoyable if you do want to see animals and sea creatures you’ve never seen
before. It’s nice to show children about sea life and they will benefit
from it as it’s educational and fun. I feel there could be room for
expansion on the activities as there wasn’t that much to do, but my children
enjoyed it and that’s the main thing. Sea life centre was a new
experience for us as a family as we’d never been. We didn’t have to wait to go
in which was great, the staff are helpful and friendly, there’s a lot of sea
life to look at, exhibits and the sea tunnel which was amazing. They have
lots there to learn about and children can benefit very much from this. I
would recommend it as a once a year day out, it doesn’t take long to get around
and it was a bit busy so it’s a case of trying to squeeze through crowds of
people which is the bit I was uncomfortable with. It’s a bit confusing and
not very good at being sign posted. We didn’t stay all day as it got too
hot and cramped but my children loved going for the time we stayed. I just feel
there’s not much to do there and there could be more activities for the
children. All in all a nice few hours out as a family and recommended if
you’ve never been. £80 is a lot of money and we just wanted to say how grateful
we were to be able to go for free as we’d never of afforded that amount of
money. Sarah Carter – William & Ella – 9 & 3 years
Product
Tested By Charlotte Evans – Leyla & Finlay 4 & 2 years
Charlotte Awarded The National Sea Life Centre Birmingham 4/5
It was very
easy to organise and book our family trip to National Sea Life Centre
Birmingham. We travelled by car and followed the Sat Nav. The Sealife centre
was easy to find once in Birmingham as there was plenty of road signs to
follow. There is a multi storey carpark which cost £4.50 for our 2.5 hour stay.
The carpark is just a short walk to the Sealife centre. First impressions were
that it appeared smaller than expected, however when walking into the building
it was instantly very eye catching with lots to see. We arrived at 10:15
(opened at 10am) on Easter Sunday and didn’t need to queue, we was served
straight away. We seem to have got there at the perfect time as it was a lot
busier around an hour later. Staff appeared very friendly and knowledgeable. We
viewed some of the small creatures and the lady explained more about them and
encouraged our children to touch them. Only downside for me was towards the
end, before arriving for the 4D cinema experience, the staff were a little
pushy for us to have photos. My little boy doesn’t like photos and they made us
feel a little like it wasn’t optional. The photos could then be purchased at
the end where again it felt quite pressured to purchase, quite expensive to
purchase photos too in my opinion. The walk around was very easy to follow with
directions all the way round and staff to help direct us.There was a vast
range of sealife creatures to be seen. Our children were both completely
engrossed in everything going on around them.Our children thoroughly
enjoyed our visit to the sealife centre and were really interested throughout
our 2.5 hour visit. My daughter loved the walk through glass tunnel and was so
excited to get up close to such amazing sea life. My son loved the penguins and
the 4D cinema experience. Personally for me the best part was the walk through
the glass tunnel as it was amazing. There were ample toilet facilities which
were found throughout our walk through. Reasonably clean. There were vending
machines within the sealife centre and benches/ tables for picnics but we
didn’t come across any sort of eatery/ cafe. This was something we found
unusual. The sealife centre is a lovely place to visit and is very nicely set
out with things to see throughout the walk through. Our children loved time
there and learnt things they didn’t previously know. I think at a cost of £80
for 2’adults and 2 children is very overpriced. We thoroughly enjoyed our time
there, but we were in and out of the sealife centre in 2- 2 1/2 hours, for £80
I would expect to spend a full day somewhere. I would be happy to have paid
half the price of this. We all loved the vast range of fish and sealife which
kept us engrossed throughout our visit.Unfortunately, I would not be able to justify the cost of returning to
the Sealife centre. I think the cost definitely needs to be re-evaluated, or
even perhaps offer free entry again within the cost of the ticket.I would
recommend this venue to visit if the price was cheaper. Lovely place for a few hours out.
Overall, we all thoroughly enjoyed our morning at the Sealife Centre. Our
children were fully engaged throughout our walk through and were amazed by some
of the sites. It is a lovely place to visit, but is smaller than I had expected
so from start to finish we had finished in around 2 – 2 1/12 hours with us
having a slow walk around and including the cinema experience. We were a little
disappointed when we came to the end as we expected to be there a little
longer. As a result, I do feel the ticket prices are extortionate for how long
we were there. Staff friendly and informative but a little pushy for photos/
purchase of photos. I feel it would also benefit from having a cafe/ eatery in
there. Parking not actually on site but a multi storey carpark a short walk
away (we had to pay for parking). I was a little disappointed at the cost of
parking also, £4.50 for 2.5 hours, feel this should be included/ refunded for
purchase of tickets? Overall, a lovely morning out, thank you. Charlotte Evans
– Leyla & Finlay 4 & 2 years
