Going
There
Manila Ocean Park is located at the back of
Quirino Grandstand along Roxas Boulevard in the bright city of Manila. Since we
are coming from Cavite area (South of Manila), I referred to an online map with
SM Mall of Asia as my starting point. By the way, we travelled by car. For more
direction assistance whether you are travelling by car or by bus, I found this
site very useful: Directions, Routes, maps, Shortcuts in Metro Manila (http://www.metromaniladirections.com/). The map on the website of Manila Ocean Park (www.manilaoceanpark.com) also helped me memorize the
route going to the park. Grrrr. Unfortunately, I turned right too soon at Star
City so I had to turn around at Buendia back to Macapagal Ave until we reached
CCP Complex again. After a few kilometers, we reached US Embassy and then the
Quirino Grandstand at the left. There is a little chance you will get lost at
this point after turning left at the traffic lights because you’ll immediately
see the Manila Ocean park signs.
Parking
At the end of the road, you’ll see a paid
parking area, which could be your option when the main parking inside the park
is already full. Turn right to go to the main gate of the park. Don’t forget to
get your parking ticket because you don’t want to pay extra when you exit.
Parking fee is P25.00 for the whole day (flat rate).
Buying
Tickets
The ticket booth is located at the entrance
of the main building beside H2O hotel. There are attendants who could help you
decide on the perfect packages for you and your group or whether there are
great promos available on that day, so do not hesitate to ask them what’s best
for you. Read ahead and you’ll find the available shows/areas you could visit and
enjoy!
For our visit, I picked the Ultimate
Experience for P800.00 each. The promo runs until April 15, 2012.
The
Sea Lion Show
That's the two smart sea lions with their two trainors and two new friends. |
The show is scheduled 3 times within the day:
11:00AM, 2:00PM and 4:30PM
The Oceanarium
Right after the Sea Lion Show, we headed
straight to The Oceanarium, where most guests go because the next available
show is after 3 hours pa. This area showcases different marine animals in large
tanks of sea water lighted with beautiful colors. Flash photography is strictly
prohibited in this area so turn this off on your camera flash settings to avoid
scaring the marine animals ^_^
Jaimie and Jelly while enjoying the fishes |
At the dome |
At the shark area. |
Camera flash is prohibited in this area so we have to maximize the light source at the back :-) |
The Penguin Encounter (The Antartica)
This is not included on our chosen package
but if you want to see live penguins, you need pay an extra P300.00 for the
Penguins exhibit. Who doesn’t want to know why penguins wear tuxedo!? ;-) Hahaha!
Eating ice cream at Antartica??? Hahaha! |
The
Fish Spa
The doctor fishes are always in! Fish spa is
definitely an exciting activity here but I think ten minutes for each session
is sooooo bitin! They are also called
the nibble fishes, which nibbles the dead skin leaving the healthy skin to grow
with teeny tiny sensation but without pain.
According the Manila Ocean Park site, admissions are the following:
According the Manila Ocean Park site, admissions are the following:
Php 120 per head
2 ft & below free of charge
2 ft & below free of charge
Monday & Tuesday
10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Last selling of tickets: 6:30 pm
10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Last selling of tickets: 6:30 pm
Wednesday to Friday
10:00 am - 8:30 pm
Last selling of tickets: 8:00 pm
10:00 am - 8:30 pm
Last selling of tickets: 8:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday:
9:00 am - 8:30 pm
last selling of tickets: 8:00 pm
9:00 am - 8:30 pm
last selling of tickets: 8:00 pm
The
Souvenir Shops
Manila Ocean Park also has interesting shops
and offers pasalubong sales for their guests. There are a lot of stuffs to
choose from especially for balikbayans
and foreigners. There is also a BPI automatic teller machine(ATM) which I find
very convenient especially for those who run out of cash.
Restaurants
There numbers of restaurants and food kiosks inside so you'll never get hungry just prepare for the pricey food!!! So i suggest that you bring enough water and snacks so you don't have to spend too much. It is
located after the souvenir shop.
Jellies
One of the areas that we enjoyed is the
Jellies room. There are several illuminated tanks of jellies inside perfect for
the dancing lights. Don’t forget to get your pictures taken at the largest tank
like we did ^_^
I created a mosaic showing our favorite Jellies shots! |
The
Musical Fountain Show
The show that I enjoyed the most is the
Musical Fountain Show at 7:00PM- 7:30PM daily. There is only one show for the
day so make sure you’ll be at the stadium at around 6:30PM. The red-colored
seats area in the middle is the most perfect place to watch the show.
H2O Hotel
They also have a hotel and spa named H2O. So if you feel like having overnight with your friends and families, this a perfect summer getaway for you!
We spent 6 hours to enjoy our ultimate
experience package and headed straight to Yellow Cab in Macapagal Ave for our
late dinner J
All in all, it was fun… except for the pricey tickets! ^_^v
For more information, please visit Manila Ocean Park website: