On the outskirts of Moscow in 2017, the largest in the capital, Crocus City Oceanarium, opened. The visitor reviews describe the impressions, give recommendations and invite each adult and child to form a personal opinion.
Description
Crocus City Oceanarium is a separate three-story building, the total exhibition area covers more than 12 thousand square meters. The largest pool with sea water holds 1 thousand cubic meters of water, and a freshwater pool - 700 cubic meters. The interior space is divided into two expositions - marine and freshwater. Each section presents thematic sites that can be visited separately from the general tour.
The territory of the aquarium is convenient for movement - there are no stairs, thresholds, the building has enough elevators with wide doors, lifts and ramps. To the smallest details, the design of each site has been worked out. The whole atmosphere immerses the visitor in the water world right from the doorstep. There are three large expositions in the aquarium: marine life, river flora and fauna, and tropical butterfly garden.
In the freshwater section, the review begins with a presentation of the fish and plants of the water bodies of Russia, then the acquaintance continues with the freshwater inhabitants of the rivers and lakes of Africa, America (South, Central), Asia. In the marine exhibition, the exhibition begins with representatives of the cold seas and ends with the inhabitants of coral reefs. The delight of all visitors is a huge aquarium with stingrays and sharks.
The collection of the aquarium contains more than 2 thousand animals, some of them are represented in whole flocks, so the total number is about 10 thousand copies. The administration plans to expand the diversity of species to 5 thousand. The third floor of the building offers to get acquainted with rare animals, birds, spend a pleasant and informative time in a tropical garden among plants and exotic butterflies.
There are free and paid programs for visitors. The oceanarium offers thematic events, excursions, master classes, interesting for children and adults. You can strengthen your strength in the restaurant courtyard located on the third floor.
General impressions
The largest exposition of sea and river inhabitants is in the Crocus City Oceanarium. Feedback from visitors expresses general enthusiasm, talking about large aquariums and great children's joy. Most of the adults come to visit the water inhabitants along with children for whom grottoes, stone corridors, captain’s bridges, tunnels through the water column and much more have been created.
Adults left their impressions about the infrastructure, prices, exposure sizes, visiting the Crocus City Oceanarium. Reviews talk about overall comfort. You can get to the ticket office from the underground parking without going to the surface, which is convenient in the cold season or in bad weather. The complex itself is located near the Myakinino metro station, which reduces travel time if you need to get to the place by public transport.
Aquarium “Crocus City” liked the convenient and extensive locker room, a sufficient number of ticket offices. It is noted that there is no difficulty navigating the floors - there are signs everywhere, lists of what can be seen at the exposition are hung in convenient places. Numerous promotions were positively evaluated, thanks to which tickets can be purchased at a reduced price.
Negative ratings are not left. Crocus City Oceanarium received only positive or neutral reviews. There are comments, and they talk about a modest exposure in the hall "Jungle Garden."Many note an insufficient number of plates near the aquariums with explanations about who lives in it. Also, many felt that the cost of tickets is overpriced, but most are ready to come again.
Exposition Sections
The staff of Crocus City Oceanarium consists of 250 people. The team is made up of specialists in zoology, ichthyology, ichthyopathology, hydrochemistry for working with the inhabitants of aquariums. Technical staff provides support for the complex, the state of water, treatment facilities, life support systems.
The collected exposition is divided into sections:
- "Seas and oceans". The collection contains inhabitants of warm and cold ocean and sea depths. Rare, bright and interesting specimens of fish and animals are represented: stingrays, several species of turtles, seals, hedgehog fish, moray eels, barracudas, sharks and many others.
- "Rivers and lakes". The exposition surprises with rare fish and animals. Crocodiles, sturgeons, Baikal seals, tiger fish, piranhas, real gourami, flamingos, turtles and other representatives of the fauna living in freshwater reservoirs and rivers or settled near them settled here.
- Garden "The Jungle". The third floor of the complex immerses the visitor in the luxury of the green jungle, where tropical plants are collected. A miracle can be hidden under each leaf of a palm or creeper - luxurious butterflies of bizarre shapes and unusual sizes flock right in the palm of your hand. Amphibians, a flock of monkeys, reptiles, a chameleon and sweet-voiced birds live here. In the garden there are no barriers for human communication with nature.
Exposure Reviews
The Crocus City Oceanarium (Moscow) received reviews on the flora and fauna in a wide range of enthusiasm - from restrained adults to choking children. It is noted that children are ready to spend many hours between aquariums in a row, examining each fish and sharing their experiences with parents and friends. Those who were fortunate enough to get while feeding seals and penguins received an additional boost of joy.
It is noted that all sections are equally interesting. Some visitors did not expect the water world of the freshwater element to be so diverse and vibrant. Everyone enjoys the marine and oceanic exposition, many come only to see it at the Crocus City Oceanarium. Reviews contain not so much stories as original photos taken near the aquarium by visitors. Almost everyone notes that not a single photograph can convey or produce the impression that is experienced near a huge aquarium full of life and color.
Impressions
Adults say that the exposition opens gradually - from small aquariums, portholes to huge water spaces and a tunnel, in which one can see a stunning view of the slides, turtles, sharks and schools of fish gliding in the water column. Crocus City Oceanarium received very detailed reviews from parents, with a large number of vivid pictures and recommendations to visit this place, despite its remoteness.
Rare reviews with comments indicate a modest in size and assortment food zone, a large workload of all floors by visitors, and an insufficient number of information plates. But in general, Crocus City Oceanarium received very few reviews of this kind. Many are interested in the possibility of parking a car. Here this problem is solved - there are ground and underground parking lots, where there are always enough free spaces.
activity
The total area of the aquarium is 10 thousand square meters. The territory is sufficient for a comfortable stay of flora and fauna of land and water space, as well as for numerous activities and entertainment for children and their parents. Guests are regularly invited to master classes, diving, and excursions. Everyone can get vivid emotions and spend unforgettable birthdays, photo shoots and other events in the aquarium.
Excursion programs:
- “Seas and Oceans” - introduces visitors to representatives of these reservoirs. The guide tells about the inhabitants of the aquariums, their distribution area, habits and characteristics.
- "Rivers and Seas" - a review and acquaintance with representatives of freshwater bodies of Russia and the world.
- A sightseeing tour covers the entire water world represented in the aquarium.
- The "Jungle" is one of the most interesting excursions, where it is allowed to contact representatives of the fauna of the tropical zone of the planet.
Programs are designed for schoolchildren of all age groups, students and adults, family and game tours are conducted. The cost of the programs varies from 5 to 10 thousand rubles from a group of tourists. Entrance ticket is paid extra. You can visit the aquarium with the aim of replenishing luggage of knowledge daily, ordering the program is carried out 3 days before the desired date.
Diving
In the aquarium, the dreams of adults and children come true, of course, not all, but you can plunge into the sea bottom, swim through the tunnel in the company of fish, seals and turtles without any problems. Diving is carried out under the supervision of experienced instructors with international certificates. All visitors who decide to take such a walk under the water will have to go through a multi-kilometer tunnel where majestic slopes, ancient spotted turtles will swim nearby, barracudas will follow the swimmer from the bottom, and coral reef fish will make up the retinue.
Diving is available on any day of the week from 10:00 to 13:00 or from 17:00 to 21:00. Diving is not carried out on sanitary days. Cost - from 4,500 to 8,500 rubles. The service is available for children from the age of 8 years, for photo and video shooting permission is required (1000 rubles). To make a dive, you need to make an appointment.
Birthday at the Aquarium
Birthday is a special holiday. To mark him in the circle of friends and get the maximum of positive emotions, new knowledge and, perhaps, new hobbies, it is enough to contact the Crocus City Oceanarium. Experienced and creative animators will create a holiday with the participation of fairy-tale characters, treasure hunts, excursions, fill children's hearts with joy and curiosity.
The oceanarium offers:
- Children's menu and theme design.
- Stylized parties and shows.
- Interactive games and animated tours.
- Quests, puzzles, treasure hunts, adventures.
- Professional photo / video shooting, face painting.
- Workshops, custom-made cakes, etc.
To organize the event requires a reservation and discussion.
Event reviews
Some people who attended the excursions left reviews on the Crocus City Hall Oceanarium. Reviews rarely tell about excursions, perhaps because they were mainly visited by children. In the reviews, it was noted that the excursion programs are saturated, and the information is adapted for a younger audience, therefore it is accessible for understanding. Several reviews talk about how the birthday was at the Crocus City Aquarium. Reviews from parents assure us that this event is very fun and interesting. Animators hold children's attention well, offer a large number of contests and entertainments, passing along talking about fish in neighboring aquariums.
Underwater and surface world
Diving in the Crocus City Oceanarium received only enthusiastic reviews. Many dared to put on equipment for the first time and go down under water. Bold divers said that the experience was unforgettable. It is noted that the instructors take care of the local inhabitants, instruct in detail both beginners and experienced divers. For many, the first impression was the impetus for training in diving. And some were glad that, without leaving the country, they had a great opportunity to visit the water latitudes of the tropics.
The palette of impressions, the brightness of colors, the large number of inhabitants of the sea and river depths - all this captures the imagination and attention of visitors. Many already simply do not have a margin of safety for a full assessment of the Crocus City Oceanarium Jungle exposition. Reviews about this section tell us that after all the riot of previous sites in the garden it seemed a little boring.
Visitors warn that there are no less pleasures here, you just need to know the secret, and it consists in high temperature and humidity. If it is possible to take a walk in a short-sleeved T-shirt, then you will get acquainted with butterflies, a chameleon, cockroaches and other inhabitants. For children, this section is not only interesting, but also useful from the point of view of close acquaintance with living creatures and birds.
Summing up, we can say that the Crocus City Oceanarium makes a favorable impression on the majority of visitors by the number of inhabitants, the professionalism and courtesy of the staff, and the opportunities for exploring the underwater world.
A small part of sophisticated visitors, who considered that the capabilities of the aquarium were exaggerated, counted on a greater variety of expositions. The written reviews indicate that the visit will bring a lot of joy in the first place to children, and strongly recommend that you give them such a gift.