.:* is getting back into the review writing spirit *:.
.:* is getting back into the review writing spirit *:.
Member since:15.09.2005
Reviews:24
Members who trust:19
Holidaying in Weymouth for a fair few years of my life has always led us to encounter the wonderful World of the Creatures from the Deep Blue Sea. Well okay.................In other words a day trip out to the Weymouth Sealife Centre or better known today as Weymouth - Sealife Park and Marine Sanctuary.
Seeing as our last visit was in July last year, I felt it was only right for me to share with you all what a Wonderful family day out we shared (well something long those lines anyways) We had already planned to visit before we took our Holiday, as our last visit was two years prior to this. The kids were now 2 and 3 (well just over) so we thought it would Perfect and seeing as they were both really into Nemo around that time what better excuse did we have not to.
-*-*- So What can you tell me about the Sealife Centre-*-*-
Well they say they are a Marine life aquarium and offer a unique insight into the lives of marine creatures from shrimps to sharks. Which personally i would have to agree with. And having just stepped into their 23rd year are still playing a big part in Conservation and currently have many breeding programs in place. Most recently came up with a scheme called SOS - an acronym for Save Our Seas And work together with many different organisations (some being Greenpeace and WWF) in order to preserve the creatures who live freeley in our seas and oceans. Weymouth do have a few of the SOS creatures within their park and include Seahorses, Otters, Penguins, Seals & Sharks
At present there are around 21 Sealife centes stretching all over Europe. But with 7 of those actually being in the UK Other counties include: Belguim, Finland, France , Germany, Netherlands & Spain. If you are intrested in finding one near you check out: http://www.sealifeeurope.com/home.htm
-*-*- Getting Ready for the visit -*-*-
After arriving in Weymouth and starting off our Holiday, which just so happened to be at a Haven site Ooooh what a surprise (lol if you read my haven review you'll know what i mean) We decided that we should either visit The Sealife Centre Thursday or Friday with weather permitting.
Anyway the day off the visit dawned well the Thursday morning and as we woke up and pulled back the curtains we came face to face with an impressively big black rain cloud covering the sky. Hmmm you can imagine what we were thinking lol I'm just going to let you imagine, keeping my review clean and all'
Then switching the TV on whilst eating our breakfast we heard the weather report for the next few days, and again I'm going to let you guess what it was.... You got it in one Rain Rain Rain.
So now with all this in mind and all the moaning and dwelling about how we should have gone another day, A Miracle began to unfold right before our eyes! The cloud seemed to be breaking up and reluctantly letting through small rays of sunshine.
We couldn't believe it - but that was all that we needed to give us the push in opting to go that day.
Okay so after getting everything ready, getting out of the caravan, plodding all the way up the big hill that they decided to put the Haven site on (what a fantastic idea), waiting at the bus stop for about 10 mins and clambering aboard the tiny 10 seater bus with two buggies and probably everything except the
kitchen sink, we were on our way, but best of all the sun was still shining through.
-*-*- Arriving on Site-*-*-
Luckily for us our site was not situated very far from the seafront and with the Sealife Centre being one of the stops on our journey, it didn't take very long at all. Probablt took us longer to get on and get off of the bus with all our luggage than the actual journey to the park. Anyone with two young kids will probably be able to sympathise though.
Just to let you all know it is situated on Weymouth's Seafront across the road from the beach in the Lodmoor Country Park and is set is set in seven acres of landscaped grounds As soon as you arrive in Weymouth keep an eye out the brown road signs for 'Sea Life' and that will bring you straight to it. Well into the car park of the Lodmoor Country Park. All extra travel information you should need is available upon there website: http://www.sealifeeurope.com/uk/weymouth/howtofindus.htm
Seeing as we had been on many occasions we knew exactly where we needed to go. Although it is extremely well sign posted and you cant miss the arrows pointing you in the right direction, but if all that fails, then after entering through the Lodmoor Country park you will pass Pirate Adventure Golf and then it would be the next turning on the right and you should be able to see the Big Sealife Centre Sign or at least one of the many big flagpole flags waving about frantically If the weather is slightly windy.
Also as we were so eager to go (well down to the little miracle that had happened earlier) we completely dismissed the time and the actual opening times for the centre and found ourselves standing outside The Sealife Centre doors at 9.30am waiting for them to open up, which wasn't till 10.00am.
-*-*- Buying the tickets -*-*-
So after waiting for what seemed like ages Finally the doors opened.
One of the perks of staying at a haven holiday park was that we were already able to purchase our Sealife tickets onsite and get them for 20% cheaper. At the time i think we paid around £9.00 with discount. Prices to date (as i kindly contacted the Sealife Centre on your behalf to find out) are: Adults £11.50 Child (3 - 14) £8.50 Concessions £9.50 Family ticket (2a + 2c) £34 Under 3's are free.
Now walking through the main doors leads you straight into reception, where obviously you pay for your tickets and are able to pick up a programme of the park as a souvenir, which will cost a couple of pounds. All the prices are also clearly stated here before you decide to go in just encase you needed to know. You are also issued with a free park map and feeding times and daily events throughout the park.
Walking through slightly further is a photographer who will kindly take a souvenir photograph of you, which can be a lovely keepsake for a small fee, although it isn't compulsory that you decide buy it, although after finishing your visit they are able to view and then you can decide. We actually decided upon this one-year and i think it was around £8. I'll let you make your own mind up about that.
-*-*- Inside the park -*-*-
Eventually battling your way through reception - you will be greeted with lovely big sign telling you to follow the lovely bright lovely yellow footprints to begin your adventure, although everything is laid out perfectly that there is not chance of getting lost.
It is all based on a route so that as soon as you come out of one particular section, the footpath will then bring you round to the next section and so on and so fourth.
The park itself is all out in the open air; although the various sections are all undercover in the shape of octagonal wooden huts shall we say (you'll get to see on the pictures anyway) So if for some reason the weather decided to go all unpredictable on you, you are still able to enjoy the day without it being ruined too much by the weather.
Probably a good idea at this point to take out the map that you may just shoved into your pocket at reception or perhaps let the kids have to play with - to see what route you plant to take, specifically if you wanted to visit a particular attraction First.
Although as I said everything is easily accessed through the following of the footprints.In our case we just took each section as it came, following the path along, jumping on all the footprints lol and ended up visiting each section along the way. Amongst all the attractions we visited were:
National Seahorse Breeding and Conservation Centre
I dont want to give too much away in terms of what each section plays home to, you will need a few surprises, although i will say each section is wonderfully laid out, and has been kept in line with the natural habitat of the species as best they can. Also many of these attractions speak for themselves anyway so you will know what to expect. Although i will say one of the above is home to The giant Japanese Spider crab - who can grow up to an amazing 3 metres, so with that in mind just imagine what else you could get to see. And yes we did manage to take a peek at him, although i wouldnt say he was 3Ms just yet. And i definitely dont want to where Nemo is hiding, as we had to search for him ourselves ...so I'm really sorry but you will too.After we had visited the first so many sections we strolled out one of the Exits and came face to face with ...DRIP!! DROP!! DRIP!! DROP!! Yeah you guessed it!! That blooming rain cloud decided to come back to haunt us, so we decided to make a quick right turn and headed straight to the restaurant. Thinking that we could hide out there until the worst of it was over.
-*-*- Grabbing a bite to eat -*-*-
Now there is only one main Restaurant located in the park, which serves everything that you could possibly imagine. From Sandwiches, Baguettes Hot meals, snacks, Children's meals. Everything you could possibly want. I can remember it being quite reasonably priced too, well considering the type of attraction the Sealife Centre is.
So whilst seeking refuge from the dreaded rain cloud we decide to get a drink and have a bite to eat, bit cheeky not to really lol There is also a rather large seating area outside too for use on the sunnier day. I had a very tasty freshly baked sausage roll mmmm still warm which i think was about £1 and it was absolutely Gorgeous. We didn't really need too much to eat as I think it was only bout 11am by then so not really Lunch time or anything.
Besides the main restaurant there are also plenty of snack shops located around the park which sell Ice creams and drinks and another small Restaurant called the Golden Galleon, although this is on a much smaller scale than the main Restaurant and only sells cold meals and snacks, with only an outdoor seating area for customers.
If you decided to take your own packed lunch, there are plenty of picnic seating areas where you are able to eat. I cannot remember reading anywhere not to bring in you're own food and they certainly dont search you.
I'll let you into a little secret though just located outside the entrance of the park (within the Lodmoor Country park) is a BrewstersPub & Restaurant, which serves reasonably priced meals and generally has many special offers going on. Seeing as we finished the first part of our visit by dinner
Pictures of Weymouth Sealife Centre
The Entrance - Note mark waiting lol
we decided to nip across. Not that there was anything wrong with the food onsite, although we felt the Pub had more to offer.
You're probably wondering how we manged to nip out and still get back in afterwards. Well one good thing is that, if you decide to nip out of the Sealife Centre during the middle of your visit to take a peek at some other attractions available within the Lodmoor Country Park or just to pop back to the car for something like the picnic hamper for instance the good news is you are still able to go back in at any time, provided you still have you ticket as proof and obviously it is still the same day. So you do get a whole days worth for you're money.
-*-* -Finding Nemo -*-*-
Whilst still seeking refuge back onsite, the rain wasn't showing any sign of getting lighter, so in the end equipped with a brolly I just happened to find right at the bottom of our bag, we decided to venture out to the rest of the attractions. Luckily for use we still have some undercover exploring still to do.
Seeing as before we went for our Elevenses, we hadn't yet found Nemo we were now on a mission to. And as luck would have it the first little hut we came to happened to be housing him :O) Chloe was extremely pleased, when we spotted him, so just encase you were wondering YES! Nemo is somewhere to be found. But NO! I'm still not telling. We also spotted other creatures from the film, amongst the various sections, so perhaps if you wanted to make the day even more exciting could perhaps set a challenge for your kids to see if they could spot all ot them, well anyway just an thought.
-*-* -What else can we do -*-*-
So apart from the as for mentioned attractions listed above there are a number of different activities for Kids or Big Kids to participate in. These include panning for gold*, which is exactly what it says on the tin, plus every child who has a go gets their own special Medal. I didn't see any 'Big Kids' having a go, although if you felt the need to I'm sure they wouldn't object, Another activity for them to take part in is Dino Dig set out in a big sand box like an archaeological dig basically and the kids get to brush up Dino Bones, as you would expect. There is also a Bouncy castle, and adventure playground in the theme of a pirates with pirate ship, which includes play toys for children young and old. Also there is a seal boat theme park ride, for younger kiddies (Cummon I'm sure you can imagine). But the best thing about these is that they are absolutely free. *Except for the panning for gold, which will cost £2
One good thing about the way this park has been laid out, is that everything has been put in a place for a reason, there are plenty of stop off points to keep the kids amused and for you to grab a drink, in order that you dont just whiz around the whole of it within 10 minutes.
If your clever enough to plan your day out down to a T then you could probably get round all the attractions and still make it in time to get to listen to all the special events, talks and shows, which are available throughout the day.
You are able to request a copy of all events and talks prior to your visit, but like i mentioned before you will get a copy when entering the park and there is a big display board listing everything that's going on that day. Unfortunately seeing as it was raining most of the day many of the talks were postponed, although eventually after it decided to brighten up they did give them, but somehow we managed to only like catch the last few minutes, or one of the kids would start to whinge and then simply out of courtesy we would leave, so the other people would be able to listen in peace.
So by now the weather decide to brighten up again and this time the dreaded black cloud had simply passed us by. Well about time too. And after enjoying a very nice gammon egg and chips in the Pub. We were now able to visit the last few attractions and let the kids play in the playground without getting completely soaked through. Hmmmm perhaps this was a bit of a mistake, as located just near the pirate playground there are some money arcades. Which had teddy machines, and Guess what was inside??? Care Bears (now if you have read many of my other reviews you may have seen that Chloe my daughter is a huge care bears fan) I dont know how much we spent, but it was a hefty sum, hmmm and as you may have read we didn't even win a sausage, let alone a Care Bear :O(and I'm sure you can imagine Chloe wasn't best pleased.
-*-*- Time to go -*-*-
After we had strolled back around the park for one final time, and nipped into say Goodbye to Nemo (still not telling) we came to the decision it was time to go. Although I think the time was getting on for about 3ish, so we did make the most of our day, especially after it brightened up.
Typical though dont you think, time to go home and the weather turns out lovely. But i suppose it wouldn't be a typical British Holiday without a bit of rain, so anyway following the footsteps towards the exit we came face to face with the Gift Shop. Now for any parents with children such as Chloe having everything to hand in a shop full of toys doesn't exactly bode well, although we managed to nip through as quickly as possible. Mark already nipped in earlier on in the day to see what they had that we could get them as a gift, and came away with a little Clown Fish handbag for Chloe for £5 and a small soft Clown Fish toy for lee for £2.50. Okay slightly overpriced but its what you have to pay if you want to get them something and as I wanted too I didn't at all mind, plus Mark paid for it anyways :O)
-*-*- Anything else-*-*-
Ohh Yes!! I am happy to say that there are toilet facilities on site, situated in the restaurant, by reception. And of which include both disabled and baby changing facilities. Although if you are perhaps cut short after leaving you could always nip back in, or there are more toilet facilities situated within the car park of Lodmoor Country park. Also I am happy to say that the park meets the needs of disabled guests and is extremely Wheelchair friendly. Which also means very Pushchair/Buggy/Pram friendly too
-*-*- My Conclusion-*-*-
Does it meet the needs and standards of a Great Family Day out???
Well I'm happy to say YES it does.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day putting aside all my minor discrepancies. I think our highlight was seeing the kid's faces after finding Nemo - imagine how delighted they were. There was plenty to see and do for everyone young and old, with the added bonus of it being extremely educational in a fun, exciting way. Everytime I have visisted I have always come away with the feeling that i have learnt something different and new compared to that of the last. Although seeing as they are trying to always come up with new and exciting ideas about how to save our sealife friends then this would and should always be the case.
-*-*- What you should do Now-*-*-
If you are really interested in visiting the Weymouth - Sealife Park and Marine Sanctuary. Then I strongly advise you to take a look on the website: http://www.sealifeeurope.com/uk/weymouth/home.htm It will give you everything you need to know, regarding How to get there, Everything on offer and a much more in depth take into what they are focussed on achieving.
Thank you for taking time to read my review and I hope it may help you to make a decision if you were seriously thinking about going.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful review, we are hoping to go here in september when we are staying in weymouth
COOOEEE 05.02.2007 15:31
It is my grandaughter Courtneys second birthday on thursday and I am taking her here as it is just an hour away from where I live so I am quite excited and will be taking loads of photos. Hope the weather is better than it is today though. Fionaxx
aestro 05.01.2007 17:34
I swear i've been here when i was younger, when i next dig through the family photos i'll find out! Great review! :-D xxx
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
May 6th, 2006
exceptional by (26%):
very helpful by (70%):
helpful by (4%):
