Shedd Aquarium Penguin Encounter Tickets

Having taught research skills using penguins as the topic with 5th graders for many years, one of my goals for myself was to spend some time up close and personal with a live penguin! Thanks to Shedd's Penguin Encounter, I got to spend one hour with Charlotte, a Magellanic 4 year old! She was delightful as was her handler and the info she shared. We got to spray her with water, pet her, and pose for pictures with her. This experience is so worthwhile for young and old. No one can leave that experience without a lifetime memory in tact and a huge smile on your face! Terrific!

Highly recommend this for all ages. Trainer was very informative. Olivia was a sweet girl.

After months of anticipation for Penguin Encounter, I have to say I was a little disappointed. Being that the event was only 30 minutes, I was surprised that that included a bunch of "fluff" including a mini tour with stops around the Shedd, a video, etc. We probably spent about 10 minutes with the penguin in a tiny, confined spaced that was less than glamorous. It was a good experience overall, but I would've liked it to be longer and actually get to do more with the penguins. I thought we might actually get to see behind the scenes action, but for the money, I'm not sure it was worth it.

We had a great time as with every trip to Shedd's Aquarium, but this was extra special since we got to actually pet a penguin. The trainers show you around and teach you how they train the penguins. They were very informative and friendly.

Being an animal lover, and a penguin fan, I thought this event would be top notch. My girlfriend and I attended the Friday encounter at 1pm. With excitement, we waited for our visitor to finally come out and see us. Not knowing what was ahead, we sat in a circle and were told the history of Shedd, and the guide briefly touched on some facts of penguins. Then came the little guy... The penguin was placed in the middle of a circle compiled of 10 young-middle aged people waiting to interact with it. Unfortunately, not much interaction occurred. Not only was the penguin (might I add, probably out of his natural habitat so I don't blame him) still and quiet, we were barely able to interact with it. We were able to gently glaze it's back with 2 fingers for about 3 seconds. For children, I can see this being a pretty cool experience. There was some good education, and enough excitement to entertain a child, but for a "date night" I would not recommend. The $69.99 seems a bit steep, but you do obviously get admission to all of the other exhibits. (Oh, and how could I forget, a nice little picture......) Surprisingly, my girlfriend thought it was a waste of money, but I thought it was an okay once in a lifetime experience (just to be able to say that you met a penguin).

The Penguin Encounter at Shedd Aquarium is NOT worth the money or the wait AT ALL. I paid $170 and waited 2.5 months for both my girlfriend and I. We were each able to pet the penguin for 5 seconds top. It wasn't like that for just us though, it was like that for the whole group. The trainer would say, "Use two fingers, and go ahead and start." Five seconds later, "annnndddd stoppp." We were treated like children, diseased children. A homeless man looking to cradle a mother's new born baby would have a better shot then we did at our penguin "encounter." On top of not being able to come close to the animal, you were not allowed to move while sitting in this tiny room because "that would make the penguin too curious." Isn't that the whole point, to have an encounter with the animal? The best part was that the trainer kept saying how comfortable the penguin was around humans because she was raised by hand. Though...we couldn't come close to it...or shift our bodies in it's direction.

I bought the tickets because it was me and my boyfriends birthday present and we love penguins. It was the greatest date idea I ever had!!! We learned so much about the different types of penguins and their habbits. We also got to meet a penguin named Stanley and in the end we got a card that had his wrist band colors on it so we can point him out next time we go to the Shedd. It was the best date ever, we are for sure going there again!!!

The Penguin Encounter was a birthday gift for my 74 year old mother. The staff was very accommodating of her mobility needs. We were greeted in a special room of the Shedd and felt like we were getting the "red carpet" treatment. We then walked to the behind the scenes area where we got to see where they prepared the food. After putting on boots and getting briefed on general rules, the trainer brought in Mercedes. She was quite shy, but we got to see her up-close and rub her tummy. I had read in other reviews that we might get to interact more with her (i.e. use a spray bottle and spray her), but the trainer did not have us do that with Mercedes. Our trainer was happy to answer all of our questions, and the small group of 8 was a perfect. FYI, no pictures are allowed to be taken, but you get one complimentary photo. My mother absolutely loved the experience, and it was a wonderful day at the Shedd. FYI, no pictures are allowed, but you get one complimentary photo.

The staff was wonderful. The penguin, Izzy, was adorable. I felt like I'd met a unicorn. Definitely something to check off on my life list. They are very very careful to not stress the bird. We were taught how to behave around her and each got to touch her briefly, mist her with water and watch her eat a fish. We asked many many questions. It was informative and now I can locate her in the penguin group by her coded colored band. Izzy in 'my penguin' now! There is a complimentary photo that you pick up later.

The Shedd Penguin encounter was great! The volunteers were knowledgeable and trainers were great. Izzy (our penguin) wandered around our circle for about 20 minutes exploring and each person could pet her and spray her with water.

Everything went great! I was very pleased with the penguin encounter.

Lots of fun! The trainers were very knowledgeable and the whole experience was very interesting.

Both my boyfriend and I love penguins so this was perfect for us. It truly is an unforgettable experience. You learn a lot and get to touch the penguin. Also love how you get access to all the rest of the exhibits. The only thing I didn't like is I thought you would be able to choose the photo you wanted but they pick and if you want the rest, its $25. But overall, I loved it and my boyfriend loved it too!

We absolutely loved it! It was cool to see the penguin that close. Also, you learn a lot. It was also nice to have access to all the exhibits. It was worth the money.

Had a great time. Perfect for a cute, fun date. Would definitely recommend this to our friends, and family.

Everything about this experience was PERFECT!!!!! We LOVED it!!

Not exactly what we expected, but you get a lot of "behind the scenes" information from the trainers. Actual interaction with the penguin was rather limited so as not to give her any opportunity to to be injured or pick up any bad habits and to control and reinforce her training. Because these tickets include access to all other ticketed events at the Shedd they are actually a decent buy.

It was the most amazing experience meeting and petting a penguin! How often do you get to see these beautiful creatures up close like that and actually touch them?!! You just want to pick them up and kiss them and bring them home! They are the sweetest and most precious little things!

Got to touch the penguin and watch it play. Small group of visitors allowed for a more relaxed environment. Worth the price. Was given an all-access pass to entire aquarium as well as tickets to the water-show. It was an amazing experience. I would reccomend it to anyone.

My girlfriend and I did the penguin encounter, and we had a great time!! The session lasted about 45 minutes, so we had plenty of time to get to know our penguin. Each person got to pet the penguin, which was very cool! The trainer was also very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, which helped make the experience even better.