Toronto Ripley's Aquarium of Canada | 13.11m | 2s | Ripley Entertainment | B+H

TOBoy said:
Our aquarium is small, especially compared with those around the world. But it is very obvious that it is designed with children in mind. Purely entertainment. In summary, I don't think we have anything that is comparable with the world's best, with the exception of the CN Tower.

We have a high quality of life though, something I am proud of.
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While I agree that the aquarium caters to mostly children, it was quite educational, there were plaques describing different fish and their habitats, and also environmental facts about fisheries and such. Not what you would expect from the "Ripley's" brand.
 
someMidTowner said:
If they kept great whites in a tank, I wouldn't give them a damn cent. That would be even more ridiculous than those aquariums that house large whales - places that won't ever get a dollar from me. As it is now, I can justify going there because there wasn't exactly anything that was too big for its tank. Even if you gave a great white/orca/dolphin/beluga a 30x30km enclosure it would be cruel.
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+1

I can't give my money to anybody who confines these large sentient beings to any tank. It's like locking a human in a bathtub for the rest of its life.
 
the new look of the skywalk.
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Well, I finally made it out to the aquarium this morning. My quick thoughts:

  • I found the front entrance was just OK, kind of generic. It would've been nice to be greeted with a large "welcoming" of sorts to know that you've arrived at the Ripley's aquarium.
  • Getting there at 9am, the crowds were light which was perfect. By lunchtime, the place was much more packed and the lineups at ticket purchasing were huge.
  • The directional flow of traffic seemed very linear, which is probably a good thing for traffic, but didn't really allow for re-exploring. As a matter of fact, speaking to the staff, apparently you're not allowed to backtrack once you've walked ahead. Strange but true.
  • I enjoyed the exhibits and thought the aquariums and displays were beautifully designed.
  • My son, who is 2 years old, enjoyed the kids play area (at the lower level of the atrium) but that was really the only interactive area for kids. Not necessarily a bad thing.
  • As others have stated, the dining area was hugely undersized. The cafe was fairly small and there were definitely too few tables and seats for families to have lunch at.
  • The shark tunnel was very cool and I, too, liked that there were copious amounts of space for the wildlife to swim around in.
  • Some people might not think much of it but I really liked the mechanical room area where they showed the behind the scenes of maintaining and operating the aquariums.
  • Did not like the "please exit through the gift shop" but, hey, I'll let that one slide.

All in all, it was a fun and enjoyable experience. I don't know that I would get a season pass for it, however, as we get much better mileage with our Ontario Science Center pass. That said, despite some areas that I, and most others, feel could be improved, the aquarium is definitely worth a visit and gets a thumbs up.
 
I just visited it for the first time as well. I think James captures the essence in his review.

I also give it a thumbs up as a fun family activity. If you go in with the idea of comparing it to world beaters you will be disappointed. I have been to a number of aquariums and this is in the middle-range. It doesn't compare to the world's great aquariums but it is better than the average "just for tourists" kind of city aquariums you see in many places.

I liked the Canadian waters display and the lagoon is impressive even from an international perspective. Some of the displays still look as if the creatures need to grow and mature into their surroundings a bit but that is natural. I found however that there may have been an over-reliance on fake corals and aquatic plants over what I have seen in some aquariums (although I could be mistaken about this).
 
picard102 said:
How is it for childfree families?
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I went with my boyfriend a few weeks back on a Saturday afternoon. Instantly regret it, try to head out on a weekday night. They close at 9, and you won't see as many children. Both of us (19,24) enjoyed it. Something you'd want to do only once though.
 
We went for the Valentine's Day dinner and it was just for 19+. We had the place to ourselves. Was worth going in debt for as I can't imagine enjoying it with tons of people and overly excited children, as much as we love them.
 
Nice feature in the Globe about the Aquarium on the heels of what will surely be a busy week with March break. I found this part interesting:

We are overwhelmed by the popularity,” confirms Peter Doyle, the aquarium’s general manager. He projects it will cruise past its target of two million visitors a year. To compare, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago welcomed just over two million visitors last year, making it that city’s most popular cultural attraction
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Having been to both the Shedd and Ripley's, this is a pretty impressive feat given the Shedd is far superior. It'll be interesting to the how Ripley's does several years down the road as the hype dies down, though I'm sure it'll be a very popular tourist attraction.

There's also some good news for those without young kids that want to go later at night when the crowds are negligible:

In response, the aquarium has lengthened operating hours for its 365-days-a-year schedule, letting people in half an hour before the posted opening time of 9 a.m. and putting no time limit on those who enter as late as 9 p.m.

Mr. Doyle says the extended evening policy has attracted an unexpectedly high number of young adults, many, presumably, from the aquarium’s neighbouring condo towers. “They come here for a date night or before heading out to the clubs,” Mr. Doyle said.
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They also sold more annual passes than they expected and underestimated how busy the place would be. I'm not sure if structurally expansion is even possible but if it is you'd have to think they'd consider it. Full article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/downtowns-new-attraction-makes-a-splash/article17377479/
 
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