A few years ago, we invested as a family in annual Merlin passes. We were a family of four (with children aged 6 and 4) and we figured we could make the investment work for us. And it did; since then we've paid for an annual membership of some sort - either Merlin, or the National Trust - and each year we make sure we get our money's worth.
This year is a Merlin pass year, and part of the making-it-work-for-us has been a trip to Blackpool to see the Sea Life Centre and Madam Tussaud's. We've done the Sea Life Centres in London and Manchester, so it was interesting to see how it compares. We also have a budding marine biologist in our family, who is now capable of immediately identifying the larger creatures by sight.
Honestly, I would rank this one as slightly above Manchester but below London (the Sea Life Centre in the capital is absolutely enormous). Why?
Well, after you've got past the security (a bag check and some bizarre questions about being a professional photographer and possibly - but not definitely - having a camera with a detachable lens... but then being allowed in anyway) and the ticket queue, the displays are truly awesome. We're now a family of five (children aged 8, 6 and 1) and they all loved it. Our youngest loves the brightly-coloured, fast-moving fish, while the older two like watching the larger (scary) fish as they drift around.
Blackpool has their interactive rock pool display at the start of the experience (Alton Towers has theirs at the end) - this is always popular with our oldest, who loves getting sleeves rolled up and touching the various rock pool creatures (I have started mentally replaying Finding Dory's rockpool sequence every time we visit one now). There's plenty for the other whole family to see (while the oldest goes eyeball to eyeball with a crab). The staff who managed the rock pool were friendly, helpful and full of information (ready to be questioned by inquisitive children).
In my opinion, the main component of any aquarium is the underwater tunnel, and Blackpool's is possibly the longest I've ever seen. The sharks at Blackpool are easily the largest I've seen outside London, with a range of extremely large sharks (better than Manchester's or Alton Towers'), and the presenter gave a great talk on each of the different sharks and other fish that they have in the large tank. The presenter was knowledgeable, clear and confident, and gave a good presentation. The tank is (by my estimation) just the right size for the fish from a viewing perspective - you don't have to wait too long before something large and dangerous-looking swims past the windows.
In addition, there are number of tanks that have glass domes - where you can crawl under the fish tanks, and poke your head up into a hemispherical dome and look at the fish with a full 360 degree view. These are always appreciated by our children, who love seeing the fish close-up.
It's not cheap, but there is definitely enough here to keep everybody occupied, and we spent over an hour in total - our visit coincided with one of the talks at the main tank, and we took the opportunity to find a seat and get some snacks (the seating in the viewing area is actually marginally better than the main 'refreshments area' by the gift shop). Our older two were very interested in the speaker; our youngest was hungry enough to sit still and plough through various snacks and food.
Facilities: there are toilets on site, with baby-changing facilities. The refreshments are a bit thin on the ground, with a coffee machine and a vending machine, and a seating area shoe-horned into the corner of the gift shop (I didn't see any high chairs).
There's also an incongruous soft-play area squashed in too. If you're looking for somewhere to stop and have a meal, I'd recommend somewhere else (there was a very smart looking fish and chip shop nearby); if you're after sweets and snacks then you'll be okay.
Gift shop prices are typical for Merlin shops, and I would generally recommend steering clear, unless you have a Merlin pass, in which case you'll get 10% or 20% off most items, which would bring the cost down to a more manageable level. Merlin pass holders also get fast-tracked through entrance (although to be fair, there was only a small queue when we visited during the summer holidays). The Sea Life Centre is about 100 yards away from Blackpool's Madam Tussauds, so if you're a Merlin pass holder, it makes sense to do both on the same day. We did, and I'll review Madam Tussauds (Blackpool) in my next post.
Costs:
Adult (15 yrs+): £17.50 on the door, £13.00 online advance
Child (3-14) £14.50 on the door, £10.50 online advance
Child under 3: Free
Website: Blackpool Sea Life Centre
This year is a Merlin pass year, and part of the making-it-work-for-us has been a trip to Blackpool to see the Sea Life Centre and Madam Tussaud's. We've done the Sea Life Centres in London and Manchester, so it was interesting to see how it compares. We also have a budding marine biologist in our family, who is now capable of immediately identifying the larger creatures by sight.
Honestly, I would rank this one as slightly above Manchester but below London (the Sea Life Centre in the capital is absolutely enormous). Why?
Well, after you've got past the security (a bag check and some bizarre questions about being a professional photographer and possibly - but not definitely - having a camera with a detachable lens... but then being allowed in anyway) and the ticket queue, the displays are truly awesome. We're now a family of five (children aged 8, 6 and 1) and they all loved it. Our youngest loves the brightly-coloured, fast-moving fish, while the older two like watching the larger (scary) fish as they drift around.Blackpool has their interactive rock pool display at the start of the experience (Alton Towers has theirs at the end) - this is always popular with our oldest, who loves getting sleeves rolled up and touching the various rock pool creatures (I have started mentally replaying Finding Dory's rockpool sequence every time we visit one now). There's plenty for the other whole family to see (while the oldest goes eyeball to eyeball with a crab). The staff who managed the rock pool were friendly, helpful and full of information (ready to be questioned by inquisitive children).
In my opinion, the main component of any aquarium is the underwater tunnel, and Blackpool's is possibly the longest I've ever seen. The sharks at Blackpool are easily the largest I've seen outside London, with a range of extremely large sharks (better than Manchester's or Alton Towers'), and the presenter gave a great talk on each of the different sharks and other fish that they have in the large tank. The presenter was knowledgeable, clear and confident, and gave a good presentation. The tank is (by my estimation) just the right size for the fish from a viewing perspective - you don't have to wait too long before something large and dangerous-looking swims past the windows.
In addition, there are number of tanks that have glass domes - where you can crawl under the fish tanks, and poke your head up into a hemispherical dome and look at the fish with a full 360 degree view. These are always appreciated by our children, who love seeing the fish close-up.
It's not cheap, but there is definitely enough here to keep everybody occupied, and we spent over an hour in total - our visit coincided with one of the talks at the main tank, and we took the opportunity to find a seat and get some snacks (the seating in the viewing area is actually marginally better than the main 'refreshments area' by the gift shop). Our older two were very interested in the speaker; our youngest was hungry enough to sit still and plough through various snacks and food.
Facilities: there are toilets on site, with baby-changing facilities. The refreshments are a bit thin on the ground, with a coffee machine and a vending machine, and a seating area shoe-horned into the corner of the gift shop (I didn't see any high chairs).
There's also an incongruous soft-play area squashed in too. If you're looking for somewhere to stop and have a meal, I'd recommend somewhere else (there was a very smart looking fish and chip shop nearby); if you're after sweets and snacks then you'll be okay.Gift shop prices are typical for Merlin shops, and I would generally recommend steering clear, unless you have a Merlin pass, in which case you'll get 10% or 20% off most items, which would bring the cost down to a more manageable level. Merlin pass holders also get fast-tracked through entrance (although to be fair, there was only a small queue when we visited during the summer holidays). The Sea Life Centre is about 100 yards away from Blackpool's Madam Tussauds, so if you're a Merlin pass holder, it makes sense to do both on the same day. We did, and I'll review Madam Tussauds (Blackpool) in my next post.
Costs:
Adult (15 yrs+): £17.50 on the door, £13.00 online advance
Child (3-14) £14.50 on the door, £10.50 online advance
Child under 3: Free
Website: Blackpool Sea Life Centre
