Shedd Pass Tickets

I am a huge fan of the Shedd Aquarium. I think that all the exhibits are worth seeing over and over again. Spending three hours there seemed like only 30 minutes. I would suggest going early because later in the day school groups and families starting showing up.

Not that many years ago Shedd Aquarium and museums in Chicago were a major educational experience - worth the trip and the money. I understand that these arenas need to make more money to be properly supported, but must they totally give up what they should be known for? They have made it a playground for children, another place in the world to eat fast food, and gift shops selling stuffed animals around every corner. Having your "family portrait" taken as you enter for future purchase is another money-grubbing situation. Children are not taught basic etiquette such as not running and forcing their way in front of other people, and are consistently putting their hands all over the glass - what happened to "Look - don't touch, do you see with your hands?" Every area has multiple places in which to purchase "fast food" and play areas have been set up. Children can eat fast food and play just about anywhere else in the United States - must they do it in what is supposed to be an educational place? Shedd was overcrowded - looking at the exhibits and reading about them was impossible in many places. Having paid over $118 for 3 adults, having to walk quite a distance in exposed walkways from the parking area, waiting an extended period in the "will call" line (this needs to be streamlined after purchasing tickets in advance!), it would have been nice to be able to really see the exhibits, plus have some quiet to be able to read about them, and not be run over by children everywhere we went. Adults have been forgotten. Unless Shedd can have some "Adults Only Days" since most children are let run wild, this adult will never darken their doors again!

The day we went, the line for walk-up tickets was two hours long. The line for will-call was an hour long. We printed our pass from Ticketmaster, walked right up and into the aquarium. Well worth the money. The aquarium itself is world-class. The original exhibits are showing their age, but the newer ones (Amazon Rising, the reef, and the oceanarium) were all great.

Make sure you buy your tickets online prior to going..

Even though the holiday crowd was big we were glad we spent the extra fee to get will call as if you didn't the wait was a couple of hours.

This was a great place to see all kinds of fish and sea creatures in a natural setting. The Amazon River, Carribean Reef and Polar Playground were extrememely interesting. i would recoomend this to anyone, especially families with young children who will definitely be fascinated with the diversity of the creatures exhibited.

The aquarium overall was AMAZING. My 3 boys ages 3-9 all loved it, as did my sister and I. The interactive/child friendly stuff downstairs was a lifesaver and a huge bonus that it looked into the whale tank so we could watch the whales while they played. A few things that disappointed us - the penguin exhibit is dark at 3pm b/c they simulate North American polar sunlight hours for the animals, so they really should have some signage explaining that. They don't, and we had to ask to find out why it was dark. Also, the dolphin show was a real disappointment. Too gimicky, to showy and very little real action from the animals. My kids were truly disappointed in that. Also, whoever thought it was a good idea to hang garland loops around the plexi railing that separates the tank from the audience didn't realize they blocked the first few rows of spectators from being able to see at least half of what went on in the tank. We had to move up higher so my kids could see. But overall, it was a fabulous time. DEFINETLY buy your tix ahead of time - the line wasn't long but it moved very slowly and the folks at the ticket office weren't terribly personable.

Enjoyed spending the day at Shedd Aquarium. The restaurant food was great, the service was good. Watched Fantasea and that was well done. Spent the remainder of the time seeing all the animal exhibits and the Carribbean Reef was amazing. So many exotic sea creatures that I never knew existed. A very nice time and very interesting.

I was impressed with the Shedd Aquarium. They have all sorts of cool fish and a couple of monkeys. I wish there were more large fish though. Like large sharks - I can't get enough of them! We also were able to touch some starfish; that was cool.

I went with my two grand children (ages 7 and 5). They seemed to enjoy it and certainly liked the gift shop. The dolphins and water show was good. The exhibits were somewhat redundant and the crowd made it difficult to enjoy any particular spot. My grandson loved the interactive stuff the most. The shark tank was awesome.

If you are in the Chicago area I highly recommend going to Shedds. The Oceanarium is simply fantastic.

Good overall family fun, but a tad expensive. My three old loved the coral reef.

Thank you for giving my crew the best time ever. Your staff was very welcoming and helping of my group who had special needs. This aquarium is one of the best aquarium's I have been to and I have been to a lot throughout the country. Thank you for make this trip so memorable.

The aquarium was very nice. We went late morning on a Sunday. The place really fills up after noon. The crowds and screaming kids wore us down by around 3 PM. If you have the option, a weekday visit may be better. Great location and wonderful exhibits in any case. Buy your tickets on-line a day ahead. Save the wait in the box office line.

Very enjoyable visit - amazing fish, animals and etc. Plan to visit again and watch one of the shows available.

Overall, a fun experience for three generations. Having seen the old aquatic show, I thought this version not as good. Too slow a start, especially for kids. The announcer was too much like a circus MC. The rest of Shedd was wonderful, as always.

Shedd's aquarium is great for people of all ages. I went with people who ranged from 2 to 60 and we all equally enjoyed it. There were a lot of people on the Sat. that we went but we went slow and saw everything! It was a great time!!!

Shedd aquarium was wonderful! Very family friendly, clean and amazing displays! Would highly recommend going!

This is a great place for families! If you have young children, it's perfect!!

I went here because my boyfriend is an aquari-nut. It's his hobby and passion. To say the least, I was not thrilled about the idea. HOWEVER, I had a great time! I made sure we saw every single exhibit we could. I took pictures like a proud mother! So, in summary, this place is great for fish-lovers and non-fishlovers alike!