January 24, 201213 yr http://www.yelp.com/biz/greater-cleveland-aquarium-cleveland only three reviews, but this does not look good. im going on the 17th of february and will hold judgement till then. It's been open what, a week and people are already complaining without give a "real" review. That is the problem with YELP, complaints with out getting to the core. ^Rarely people go onto yelp and other sites to complement. These sites breed complaints. I wouldnt take them too seriously. Aquarium snob? Really? Just go look at the fish, pal. Exactly. the 18-35 year old "internet" raised crowd largely use yelp to complain. Again, we see people complaining about the price, yet not doing any price analysis vs. a family plan. I don't agree with that statement. If these negative reviews keep coming, then there is clearly something wrong. Take a look at baltimores aquarium for instance. Many people go on to say great things about it. http://m.yelp.com/biz/national-aquarium-in-baltimore-baltimore The Balitmore Aquarium is one of the most famous aquariums in our country. People all over the region and country have heard of it and its easy to talk about on the web, not to mention it has been open for a really long time. Of course there will be positive reviews, so many have experienced it and its visibility is large. I doubt even half our city even knows we opened an aquarium, and its only been open a weekend. I think it is expected that the only reviews after weekend are people that are pissed they spent 20 something bucks on it and expected it to be a big raunchy Baltimore aquarium. They went right home and vented to the internet about it. I, for one, want this to be nothing like the Balitmore Aquarium, which i find mediocre at best. I want unique and sleek. I am hoping that is what I will find. Why are we bring up the Baltimore Aquarium? Who gives a ---k?!! Baltimore has been open since '81 and it was opened in conjunction with several other venues. As I said with the Shedd, how can you compare that venue today with ours? This is phase one of the project, correct? Why even acknowledge the ignorance? It's just negative noise. I don't agree with that statement. If these negative reviews keep coming, then there is clearly something wrong. Take a look at baltimores aquarium for instance. Many people go on to say great things about it. http://m.yelp.com/biz/national-aquarium-in-baltimore-baltimore Here you go again..... :? :| When did the Baltimore Aquarium open? What was said during it's initial opening? When did Yelp appear on the scene? What is the date of the first review of the B'more aquarium? Do you see where I'm going with this? Why do you guys, many times, feel the need to compare something here at home with an existing venue that has had time to mature? Why can't you guys look at the pieces of the puzzle instead of only touching the box top? The lack of live coral is disappointing. I can think of reasons why they didn't implement it (insufficient lighting, lighting costs, nutrient/fert costs, new tank syndrome) and can only hope that they will at some point put some in. It hardly takes an 'aquarium snob' to build and maintain a marine tank with coral. But you would think this is one of the most important and visible parts of an aquarium that features marine fish. I would have expected a post from the rainbow darter aficionado by now. Could they be waiting to do this in future phases? The second phase will be on the river so maybe the above will be included.
January 24, 201213 yr @MTS The only point of posting the baltimore aquarium yelp is to show that people dont only use yelp to complain. I could have posted Chinato (http://www.yelp.com/biz/chinato-cleveland) great reviews, but decided to stay with the aquarium theme. That was the only purpose. To show that yelp isn't only used to complain, and that poor reviews shouldn't just be ignored because its in Cleveland and we want it to be great.
January 24, 201213 yr @MTS The only point of posting the baltimore aquarium yelp is to show that people dont only use yelp to complain. I could have posted Chinato (http://www.yelp.com/biz/chinato-cleveland) great reviews, but decided to stay with the aquarium theme. That was the only purpose. To show that yelp isn't only used to complain, and that poor reviews shouldn't just be ignored because its in Cleveland and we want it to be great. (professional hat on) I'll disagree from a professional stand point. Over 35% (up from 20%) of yelps reviews are negative. That number doesn't include removed reviews. (professional hat off)
January 25, 201213 yr If you've read any of my posts on City-data, you'll know I've been pretty negative about the Aquarium. I love the location but that also causes all kinds of size issues. At this time, the place is just too small for its price. I have no problem talking about the value of their annual pass. Compared to much larger aquariums, Cleveland's is a ripoff. The Newport Aquarium, which is the closest "competitor" is cheaper even though its over twice the size. Not to mention the fact that tourists are going to have very little reason to buy annual passes since they don't offer any nationwide benefits unlike at other aquariums and zoos. I can get an annual pass with the Metroparks zoo for less and that includes discounts at zoos and aquariums across the country. The Pittsburgh Zoo's aquarium is about the same size as the Cleveland one but there, Im getting an entire zoo for a better price. I'd rather support non-profits at a lower price even if it involves some traveling. Just a personal opinion. I wish the GCA great success but it needs some help. And I have no doubt that should a phase 2 be completed, the prices will jump even more. Hearing about fake coral, etc. doesn't help my opinion of it. I'll certainly visit it every few years but I doubt I'll ever become a member like I am of the zoo.
January 25, 201213 yr ^I definitely have my doubts about the aquarium, but that kind of wholesale dismissal without even visiting it seems unwarranted.
January 25, 201213 yr The Newport Aquarium (northern Ky/Cincy) has 3.5 stars on Yelp with 57 reviews and Cleveland's has 2.5 stars on 4 reviews. As far as I know the Newport Aquarium has been successful. That leads me to believe that with minor fixes the Cleveland aquarium can at least reach a 3.5 star rating after a year (hopefully higher).
January 25, 201213 yr ^I definitely have my doubts about the aquarium, but that kind of wholesale dismissal without even visiting it seems unwarranted. I don't think that is a wholesale dismissal. I plan on visiting as I love aquariums and I hope GCA does well as its great for the city to finally have a marine facility. My complaint is that its overpriced compared to other similar venues and I'd rather support non-profits. The Family Pass sounds great but not when you compare it to other aquariums or zoos. Its a poor deal if you analyze it that way. I also think many tourists coming to our fair city will consider it a disappointment since they are charging so much for so little. Again, I'm comparing it to similar venues. The basic Shedd Aquarium admission is only $6 more than what GCA is charging. I find that bizarre and I believe tourists will feel like they are getting ripped off. Its easy to say you can't compare GCA to Shedd, Newport, etc, because of age and other factors but let's face it, most tourists ARE going to compare it that way. They want value for their money and I think GCA fails there. If you are going to build a small aquarium, price it that way, not as a mega marine center.
January 25, 201213 yr ^I definitely have my doubts about the aquarium, but that kind of wholesale dismissal without even visiting it seems unwarranted. I don't think that is a wholesale dismissal. I plan on visiting as I love aquariums and I hope GCA does well as its great for the city to finally have a marine facility. My complaint is that its overpriced compared to other similar venues and I'd rather support non-profits. The Family Pass sounds great but not when you compare it to other aquariums or zoos. Its a poor deal if you analyze it that way. I also think many tourists coming to our fair city will consider it a disappointment since they are charging so much for so little. Again, I'm comparing it to similar venues. The basic Shedd Aquarium admission is only $6 more than what GCA is charging. I find that bizarre and I believe tourists will feel like they are getting ripped off. Its easy to say you can't compare GCA to Shedd, Newport, etc, because of age and other factors but let's face it, most tourists ARE going to compare it that way. They want value for their money and I think GCA fails there. If you are going to build a small aquarium, price it that way, not as a mega marine center. I think the problem here is similar to one that Ski Resorts in the area have. There are a lot of fixed costs that have to be covered regardless. For example Boston Mills costs $41 for a day pass. This hill doesn't go beyond 300 ft. Kissing Bridge, about 3hr away and likely less, is $45. They have a vertical of over 500 ft. The reason that Boston Mills charges about the same amount is that making snow is expensive. Probably on the same scale as making Salt Water to the proper pH levels.
January 26, 201213 yr I was indifferent to against this proposal -- I really believe a larger aquarium on the lake along the Flats east bank would have been better. That said, these photos look interesting and I'd rather have this aquarium than none at all. Let's hope this is just the 1st part of an expanded building in the future... I do hate the fact that the easiest access from the East Side is Center Street, and that the Swing Bridge, as usual, is broken/out-of-commission indefinitely.
January 27, 201213 yr Remember when Jurassic Park first opened and the dinosaurs escaped and ate a few people? I doubt it was getting good reviews on Yelp! at that point. What I'm saying here is to give the aquarium some time.
January 27, 201213 yr Remember when Jurassic Park first opened and the dinosaurs escaped and ate a few people? I doubt it was getting good reviews on Yelp! at that point. What I'm saying here is to give the aquarium some time. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 30, 201213 yr Terrible joke...point being that museums/attractions/amusement parks, etc. rarely are perfect in their first few months of operation.
January 30, 201213 yr The Aquarium is very nice and its only going to get better...We had a good time on our visit...Im so happy to have the Aquarium here in Cleveland and looking forward to more growth
February 15, 201213 yr Does anyone know why Marinescape does not count Cleveland for its portfolio? http://www.marinescape.co.nz/wb_pg/cont_fla.html
February 24, 201213 yr More fish swim into Greater Cleveland Aquarium Posted: 02/23/2012 Last Updated: 8 hours and 31 minutes ago By: Tina Kaufmann, newsnet5.com CLEVELAND - The Greater Cleveland Aquarium got 900 new aquatic residents Thursday morning. Saltwater fish from Key West, Florida now call the GCA home. Goliath grouper, porcupine puffer fish, polka dot batfish, sea slugs, stingrays and more arrived via tractor trailer to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium around 10 a.m. The arrival of the new fish means Cleveland's aquarium is just about fully stocked. They now have 5,000 fish. For the next 30 days, the new fish will remain in quarantine before being introduced to the display tanks. Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/more-fish-swimming-into-greater-cleveland-aquarium#ixzz1nGrDVvAw
February 24, 201213 yr So far so good....64,000 people attended in the first month http://www.wkyc.com/rss/article/232188/45/Greater-Cleveland-Aquariums-attendance-hits-64K-in-first-month
February 25, 201213 yr 64,000 people sounds like a good number for the first month. Any idea if that's how many they expected or if there were projections on how many people would visit the GCA??
February 25, 201213 yr Oops, I didnt even see the link to the article there. I imagine that those numbers will decrease a bit, but its good to be ahead of the projections for now. :clap: :clap: :clap:
February 25, 201213 yr so, they need 30-40,000 per month from here on out to reach their target. That seems reasonable. I went last week and it was too crowded for me to even critique it. They had to hold up the line and let people in as others left, for capacity reasons. I'll wait till it slows up a bit to give it an honest try. But they acknowledge their cloudy shark tank by giving everyone 10% of per ticket. the lady at the ticket counter said the firm that designed it is flying in from new Zealand to fix it.
February 25, 201213 yr ^It's good to hear that they are responsive to at least one critique of the aquarium thus far.
March 15, 201213 yr *bump........The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has been a great addition to Downtown Cleveland ....My family and I have gone 3 times so far....we love it.... Check out the facebook page
March 16, 201213 yr I was surprised to see they don't sell tickets online for a same day visit? You would think they'd want to sell as many as possible online so they could communicate with all patrons whether or not to come down that day. I looked to take my kids last weekend and decided after reading the reviews and not knowing what to expect in terms of ticket lines to just pass until things calm down there.
March 16, 201213 yr I would say always buy online. We did and when we went in their was a HUGE line for tickets. Since we already had ours bought we got to skip right ahead and had no wait at all.
March 17, 201213 yr We bought ours on our way to the aquarium. Good thing because the wait was over an hour. I know people who got in line then used their smartphone to buy tickets online. They then got to move to the front.
March 17, 201213 yr We bought ours on our way to the aquarium. Good thing because the wait was over an hour. I know people who got in line then used their smartphone to buy tickets online. They then got to move to the front. When I tried same-day they said they do not sell same-day tickets online.
March 17, 201213 yr I would think they would get more complaints from Mr. & Mrs Medina for driving 40 minutes down there then waiting in line forever then just selling out in advance and posting that on their website. But then again, maybe Mr. & Mrs Medina wouldn't bother to check the website before firing up the mini van. So Mr. & Mrs Medina, with their Motorola Star-Tac Razrs, our line-jumped by the smart phone user. It's lose-lose for Mr & Mrs Medina. I guess you can't please everyone. :-D
March 19, 201213 yr I don't see a reason to malign Medina or any other exurb people in this thread, given that I'm sure they were part of that impressive opening month number.
March 19, 201213 yr I keep forgetting which suburbs are good and bad on this site. I guess I see where Medina falls.
March 19, 201213 yr I don't see a reason to malign Medina or any other exurb people in this thread, given that I'm sure they were part of that impressive opening month number. Sorry I really didn't mean to malign them--was just thinking of the people with kids who drive 45 minutes one way to wait in line 2 hours. That was the furthest out "suburb" that came to mind, and yes was nodding to their contributions to those numbers. Once again it is a lose-lose proposition if the aquarium doesn't do anything to improve their ticketing and patron traffic flow situations.
March 19, 201213 yr Agreed. I just don't care for the characterization that because people live in the exurbs, they are clueless about how things work and don't have smart phones, which I find to be not true at all. Almost ALL the moms on my local mommies board have already been to the aquarium (reviews are mixed, I think it depends on your expectations) and they are all tech-savvy ladies that grab up online deals all day and use their phones for everything. The majority of the Moms who have actually been already are exurban, whether south or east, and there are a couple in Lorain county as well. We all keep the Cleveland engine humming and all are important. I think it's to be expected that they will have these patron flow issues initially. I remember timed tickets after the opening of the rock hall. Perhaps they should have done something like that, or maybe they just didn't anticipate the crush.
March 19, 201213 yr If I remember correctly, the tickets are timed that you buy online. In fact I'm almost sure of it. It was 2:15 as we were driving on the West Shoreway and we were buying tickets for the 2:30 time slot.
March 20, 201213 yr If I remember correctly, the tickets are timed that you buy online. In fact I'm almost sure of it. It was 2:15 as we were driving on the West Shoreway and we were buying tickets for the 2:30 time slot. They must have stopped it for some reason, because when I try to buy the website said they no longer sell same-day tickets.
March 23, 201213 yr I believe the aquarium has intentions to expand, but I have no insider information. The price of admission is a bit high. What if they are taking advantage of initial interest by charging a higher admissions price in order to fund future expansion that will sustain its interest and justify its price? This might be how a not not-for-profit cultural attraction has to operate.
March 26, 201213 yr A shout out from the Columbus Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/travel/2012/03/25/1-aquarium-fills-unusual-venue-in-clevelands-flats.html
March 26, 201213 yr This is my biggest frustration. In real life, the waters are nowhere close to the clarity in the shark tank that already exist. Sharks don't use eyesight...they use smell. To answer your question, yes it is pretty clear. I've been 4 times already and I've never seen the issue with unclear water.
July 28, 201212 yr still ahead of projections. Good news for phase II possibilities. Cleveland Aquarium tops 265K guests in first six months Ryan Haidet Read more at: http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/253417/45/Cleveland-Aquarium-tops-265K-guests-in-first-six-months CLEVELAND -- The first six months at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium have been a swimming success. Since the attraction opened on Jan. 21, officials say 265,000 guests have splashed in Ps. why is this thread in the event section?
August 22, 201212 yr Finally went to the Aquarium. Was underwhelmed by the size, we were in and out in an hour. For the prices they are charging, it definitely needs to be bigger. I was happy with the quality though. The shark tube was very cool. I've been to a lot of aquariums and that wasn't something I've seen before.
January 18, 201312 yr Greater Cleveland Aquarium exceeds 400,000 attendance mark in first year By AMY ANN STOESSEL 10:47 am, January 18, 2013 More than 400,000 people have visited the Greater Cleveland Aquarium since its opening last January. The city's newest attraction will mark its one-year anniversary this Monday, Jan. 21. According to the aquarium, other milestones reached since its opening: READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130118/FREE/130119773 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 18, 201312 yr A year ago they estimated first year attendance 400,000-500,000... How convenient that they hit 400,000.... Wonder how many members will renew. Have not been but have heard the "underwhelming" comments, as noted above.
January 18, 201312 yr What I'm wondering is what announcement the council prez will have to say on Monday? Maybe a second phase? Maybe that he'll be sleeping with the fishes? "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 18, 201312 yr I visited here for the first time while home for Christmas. I was a bit disappointed. Even with a 1.5 year old setting the walking pace, it only took half an hour or so. It was nice, but far too expensive for its size. I hope they expand as that's the only way I see it lasting for a long time.
January 19, 201312 yr I will be renewing. It's a nice 15 minute walk there and nice to walk around inside.
January 19, 201312 yr I've renewed as well. My little one loves the fishes and the aquarium is unique. I do agree agree a single ticket is expensive.
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