Every time we visit Walt Disney World, in Orlando Florida, we get to see our cousin Jenn (which is the true highlight of the trip). She is an absolute saint for putting up with my shenanigans and is always down for an adventure no matter how big or small (and is especially awesome since she is a local and has probably already done it). This trip we decided to do the local aquarium Sea Life.

Aquarium Details

We got our tickets to the aquarium straight off their website (listed below). There are tons of add ons that you can sign up for when you are checking out and we decided to do the Behind The Scenes Tour to elevate our experience and it was the highlight of our visit!

Sea life orlando official website

We paid $89.97 for 3 tickets plus a digital photo download and then added on the Behind The Scenes Tour for $10 each. Our total with tax and “processing” was $130.76. I got immediate confirmation email and digital tickets.

SEA LIFE Aquarium is located at 8449 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819.

Open:
- Monday-Thursday: 10am/11am-7pm (last admission at 6pm)
- Friday-Sunday: 11am-8pm (last admission at 7pm)
Plan at least one hour to see all of the exhibits inside. The surrounding area is really happening (especially at night) so you can make a day of it if you do a little research.
The ICON Park parking garage is located on both International Drive and Universal Blvd., and is a facility with valet, premium and free parking (available on levels 4-7 of the parking garage).
- We just went for the free parking as it was mid-day on a Monday, but the website warns that parking can be challenging during peak times.
You can buy tickets for just the aquarium, or you can purchase combination tickets to include other attractions such as Madame Tussauds, The Orlando Eye, Digital Photos, Legoland, and the Behind The Scenes tour.

Screenshot taken from the website visitsealife.com

Once you get in, you can stay as long as you want.
There are 9 Interactive Zones to explore: 360 Ocean Tunnel, Jelly Wall Exhibit, Indian Ocean, Feeding Frenzy, Coastal Rockpool Exhibit, and more!
They are the largest Aquarium name brand and there are 6 of them in the United States currently.
During your visit you can expect to see sharks, turtles, axolotls, stingrays, seahorses, jellyfish, and over 250 species!
No food or drinks are allowed into the aquarium.
- There is a “food court” next to the entrance to the Aquarium as well as restaurants all along the shopping center if you get hungry or thirsty before or after your visit.
Photos and video are allowed and encouraged but for the safety of the animals, flash and lights are not allowed.
It was chilly inside, so I had a sweatshirt.

Our Visit

We arrived about 15 minutes before our scheduled entry time to ensure we found parking and had time to walk to the Aquarium. We went straight into the building and up to the counter and showed our digital tickets.

We had about an hour before our special tour to hang with the fish on our own, so we got right to it. Once inside, someone takes your photo against a backdrop and gives you a card with a QR code that you can use to access your digital photos from your visit (more on this later). After our photo we went straight into exploring the exhibits.

Screenshot of map taken from www.visitsealife.com

The first exhibit you enter is the “Shoaling Ring” which is basically a 360 room of fish.

From there you go into the “Ocean Caves” section which is fun and interactive because there are little holes that you can actually get into that come up into the exhibit so that you feel like you are a part of the action (they also make for some cool photos). You have to be ready to get down low (our old knees were not ready, and it took us a moment to recover).

Next, we passed by the mesmerizing “Jelly Wall”. Something really interesting that we learned on our tour later is that all of the jellyfish at the Aquarium have been born there. They also don’t have hearts or brains!!

We arrived at the “Shipwreck/Atlantic Ocean” section of the Aquarium which is very nicely themed and decorated.

On our second pass through the Aquarium with our guide, we got to see the Octopus (she had been hiding before). Our guide shared with us that Female octopus have 100 more suction cups than males. We spent several moments just marveling at her movements.

One of the most interesting parts of the Aquarium was the “Axolotls” section. The entrance to the exhibit was beautiful (video below). There were many creatures for you to admire of all sizes and there were lots of interactive displays that gave information about this little guy.

These guys are CRITICALLY endangered, and ore only found in ONE place in Mexico. Our tour guide Bella spent a good amount of time with us in this area because none of us were really familiar with these critters.

These dynamic little guys have several unique qualities including the ability to regenerate limbs, gills, and even parts of their brain!

They keep the babies separate and feed them brine shrimp with a turkey baster (which we got to see on our Behind The Scenes tour).

Next, we moved into the “180-degree tunnel/Pacific Ocean”. This is where my favorite fish resided. They had these cool tunnels you could crawl through/under and within those tubes were fish and coral.

There was ONE beautiful blue and white fish with swirls. It was unlike any other fish and was completely captivating. Our tour guide said she thinks it is an Emperor Angel fish. They lose their colors as they grow older and are very territorial. Here is a video-isn’t she lovely?

Here are some photos from the friends we saw in this section. They also had some interactive displays that we enjoyed such as a brine shrimp display and the stages of the life of a jellyfish.

Another captor of my heart was Rocko the viper eel. He was about the size of my thumb but looked absolutely ferocious peeking out from his little rock. I visited him about three times during our trip.

After making friends with the fish and eels in the “Pacific Ocean” section we made our way through the “360-degree tunnel”. If you look closely, you can see Sassy, the green eel. You can also see Chelly the green sea turtle who is a rescue. and the zebra shark Joy.

This is the only 360-degree tunnel in Florida. It was such an incredible experience to watch as the fish, sharks, turtles, and eels swam all around us.

The “Seahorse Temple” was next, and I have to say was another highlight for me. I always find them so fascinating!

During our tour, the guide told us about the super special Pot-Bellied Sea Horses. They are born with these big bellies, and they get bigger as they get older. They can also change their skin color! I didn’t know I could love Sea Horses any more than I already do!

We passed through the “Indian Ocean” section and over to the “Feeding Frenzy” area. Every day at 1:00pm and 2:00pm you can stop by and observe a feeding.

After checking out the feeding area we wandered into the “Everglades” section. This is a floor to ceiling replica of the ecosystem and makes for a really impactful space.

Out tour guide shared that her favorite creature in the whole Aquarium was in this section. Meet Darcy the soft-shell turtle. Despite being named Darcy, the turtle is actually a male.

Probably the most exciting part of the Aquarium for visitors is this next portion, the “Coastal Rockpools”. Here you can observe and also gently touch invertebrates such as sea stars and anemones.

You must follow the instructions of the staff at all times as the sea creatures are very delicate and can only be handled with a specific type of touch. Here is a photo of the handwashing station you must also utilize.

On the way out of the Aquarium, you pass through the gift shop. There are all of the typical things that you would expect to see. You can also turn in your interactive log book here at the register.

Behind The Scenes Tour

After about an hour of exploring on our own, we went back up to the front of the Aquarium (where we got our photo taken) to meet up for our tour. Somehow, we got SUPER lucky, and it ended up being just the three of us on the tour this day!

We met our guide Bella and set off to learn more about the sea life inside the Aquarium and how the staff is able to maintain the incredible facility.

The first part of the tour was us going back through the exhibits and learning about how they are maintained and about the animals inside. She shared their names and histories with us and fun facts all along the way.

Bella talked to us about the Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project and we got to see the facilities rescued corals.

We got to learn about the Aquariums breeding efforts. We got to see the lifecycle of the jellyfish that are all born in house and we got to see the baby Axolotls and witness a feeding!

Once we got to the “special door” we actually went behind the scenes and into the area where the team does all the hard work that we cannot see.

They work hard to maintain the water and proper environment for each living creature in their care.

We got to see what the animals eat and how the team prepares underwater meals.

We even got an up-close look at the feeding schedule. They do not eat every day because realistically in the wild, they would probably not eat every day.

Here is where they keep sick or newly acquired sea animals that are not ready for display yet.

It takes a lot of work and resources to replicate the ocean and to keep their sea animals healthy and happy.

This is where they do all of their health checks.

We got a birds-eye-view of the ocean tanks by walking above the surface at the “Ocean Overlook”.

We even got an opportunity to feed the fish in the ocean tank!!

Bella prepared the food for us. It was human grade seaweed. We only got one sheet each, so we had to be careful on our way over to the tank.

The tour was 30 minutes long and was absolutely worth the $10 per person.

Interactive Thing

One of the things that we found really entertaining and that is great for kiddos at the Aquarium is the Dive Log Book that you get when you check in for your visit. It in an interactive guide that has you look for specific education in each part of the aquarium.

As you travel through the aquarium exhibits, you learn additional facts about the marine life and their environments. In each exhibit you must look for the answer to the assigned dive station question as you follow along in your guide.

Once you find it and read it, you can stamp your guide to indicate that you completed that station.

Once you have completed all of the stations, you can turn your completed guide in to the register at the gift shop for a prize.

Digital Photos

As you are welcomed inside the aquarium, you are greeted by a photographer and positioned in front of a screen. Your photo is taken and you are given a card with a QR code that allows you to access the website with your photo.

After we left the Aquarium, I scanned my code to take a look at the photos and was not disappointed. Our tickets covered the cost of two free downloads but there were so many others to choose from for $22.50 each.

In Conclusion

If you are looking for a low key way to spend a few hours indoors during your time in Orlando, this is not a bad way to spend it. It is not a Georgia Aquarium by any means in terms of the size or magnitude, but it was well kept and enjoyable. If it had been during peak season and packed full of people I may have a different point of view, but when we went, we were able to explore each exhibit with ease and at a comfortable and unobstructed pace. Definitely opt in for the Behind the Scenes Tour if you can and say hello to Rocko the eel for me!

Sea Life Orlando