This is a great family activity to do so close to Times Square. It was about 45 minutes for us. We felt like it was a bit under whelming compared to what the trailer and advertisements portrayed as well as more expensive. But we did learn something so that was good, much more fun for kids. I appreciated their focus on promoting environmental aspects and issues.

Super coo place! Great for events and then your guest can enjoy the encounter. Its all digital but feels real.

It was a wonderful experience My Husband, Daughter, Grandson (2yo), and I, had a very interesting and fun time. The leader of the group was friendly and informative. Upon leaving, we felt that we learned a lot about the ocean. Thank you!

Good place. Good information. Friendly staff and quick. Interactive so good for kids. Unfortunately very load so be prepared to cover your ears if sensitive to sounds or for young children

One word: amazing!!! I didnt really know what to expect, so was pleasantly surprised with this guided interactive experience. What a great way to see the world under the sea! I loved that there was not one live animal behind glass here but you still felt like you were really interacting with the ocean life. I especially enjoyed the bioluminescent experience. Also, the restrooms here are gender inclusive and very clean!

We loved this place. Went using Go NY pass, really quick to go through. Everything was super informative. We especially liked the pledge we committed ourselves to, except that it never emailed our pledge to us as promised. Nevertheless, it remains a family pledge and we look to clean up our local beach soon as a result. Awesome awareness place, please be there when we next visit NYC.

Fun, beautiful and educational for all ages. Definitely one of the better experiential activities out there. Focuses on ecology and ways to save the ocean.

A very fun experience. Wasnt crowded for a Sunday, which made it better. Our tour guide was nice and had great enthusiasm. I really enjoyed the Kelp Maze and the 3D show. I recommend checking this out...but be forewarned. The Humbolt Squid might frighten some children.

Beautiful exhibits. My kids loved it. It felt real and was very nice and educational. Although I went with a school trip glad we didnt pay because I would have been very upset to spend all that money for a short experience like that. Definitely not worth more than 20 dollars but thats just my opinion.The tour guide was knowledgeable and great. Overall great and very beautiful experience. I recommend to all.

Really this is a tour for kids under 10 or 12, but we adults enjoyed it for the information and the great use of technology that gives a real feel of the sea. One boy of about 3-5 years old was scared at first, but soon learned to enjoy the images of sea creatures coming right for us. We signed up for a tour at 1pm on a weekday and there were only 7 of us. You walk through a series of rooms, watching life-like videos of different species and geographical regions and a mirror maze so you are on your feet for the whole 45-60 minutes. At the end of the tour, there is an excellent movie in a little theater. It shows the devastating effects of plastic in the sea, but none of the rest of our tour group stayed for it.

This place is very different. !! There are no real Fishes but the way its presented in digital is awesome. They have guided tour for the whole encounter.!!. Its a different experience and the 3D at last was truly amazing.

Im going against the majority here, but I felt this tour attraction was just mediocre. It could have very easily cost half the price. The entire guided tour lasted about 30 minutes.The exhibits were fairly decent overall; I especially liked the one where virtual, energetic tropical fish, horseshoe crabs, and sea snakes swam at your feet on a giant interactive projected screen.My step son enjoyed the exhibits, so thats all that really matters to me. But hes too young to understand the value of money. National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Oddysey just didnt give enough bang for the buck.

A sensory immersion experience to delight most. As you walk through the experience, each room is a different depth and habitant of the Pacific ocean. In some rooms there are things to touch, or see, or listen to. This provides an exceptional education on our oceans and delivers an important message about the fragility of its ecosystem/food webs.The only reason I didnt give it 5 is because the experience may exclude certain people. If you get motion sickness I throw a word of caution, some rooms may have you spinning. If you or your child have sensory sensitivities, such as individuals with Autism, you may not be able to handle the extreme changes in light and occasional, very loud noises.

Really cool place! Very interesting exhibit! Nice way to spend an hour or two off the streets of New York city

Got a free pass to this through my environment-friendly job. Usually costs $40. Felt like an Epcot center ride. High-quality. Fun, journey-type feel to it. Enjoyed the variable rooms. When rooms were something like: 1) screen-to-floor ocean-drifting projection, 2) under water glowing coral reef, 3) dark room with whale noises, 4) 3D whale sharks, 5) 360 projection of a squid cannibal attack, 6) kelp mirror maze, 7) video seal, 8) end room conservation games. I really enjoyed the whale noises and 3D room. Takes anywhere between 50 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on how long you want to play with video seals, play the games and interactive stuff. I think it’s totally worth about $25. Great for kids and families. Guy fierri’s American Kitchen is right next door. 1/2 block from Times Square.

Celebrated our sons birthday here ! It was really nice ! Thank you for an amazing experience! Each and every guest just loved it !Very happy !

Great place if you have kids. Very educational but has lots to keep them entertained as most of the exhibits are interactive.

We really didnt know what to expect when we went through but it ended up being very informative and cool to see. Its an interactive experience that takes about an hour to walk through. We did have a hard time hearing out guide but other than that it was worth seeing.

This exhibit is really neat and perfect for kids. Its interactive and informative and packed with a lot of information. We really enjoyed it. Recommend the 4 person in family pack. Best deal!

It’s a perfect place to go with family or anyone or even alone. Just don’t bring anyone under 4 years old- some exhibitions might be a bit scary for children at that age. It’s a great place to learn about deep ocean creatures. Ticket price is reasonable- will not regret after visiting this place.

Literally one of the best experiences. Not only am I more aware of what is happening on Earth, but I enjoyed myself. You get to witness all the acts of being underwater without getting wet. Fun for all ages and worth EVERY PENNY! Pay for the ocean odyssey admission. ITS WORTH IT!

Great walk through digital and educational tour. A little expensive for how long it took and more geared towards children. The tour guide was amazing though.

What an awesome outing for children and adults alike. A wonderful visual experience of ocean life!

Great Family experience and learning center about the fundamental part our oceans and sea life play in our eco systems, we worth a journey under water.

We were excited to check this out based on the website’s pictures and some reviews. The admission is definitely overpriced for the experience you get. Much of what is shown are video projections. At some points during the tour, the pace could have been quickened as it was just the same noise and image on repeat-a little annoying considering the cost. I think the interactive stations were interesting, but BEWARE of the “take the pledge” kiosk as they sell your e-mail address to spam. We never even received our pictures. I love what they stand for and the awareness they are trying to spread. The videos at the end were informative and impactful. This isn’t a place you visit over and over again for sure.

This place was really nice. I dont know if it is worth 40 dollars though. Its really great for kids. There is a number of interesting things kids can interact with.

What a cool experience! We had fun. There is 1 little 3D moment that my youngest who is 8 (she is a big chicken) was afraid of despite me telling her it was not real. Since we knew it was coming I just made her close her eyes for it. You can just ask your guide to warn you of anything scary for your kid. My other girls age 9 & 10 werent scared at all and loved the 1scary part. Its a real cool experience. There are no live animals but its interactive and you are literally thrown into the world of the sea. It was still worth every penny.

A must See. You get to experience the ocean in its truest form. I learned so much, had fun& was amazed. My 2y.o. autistic daughter had an amazing time, she loved it. she was not scared which was a bonus. We really had a blast.

Modern graphics with educational on aquatic life on the pacific. I was impressed with the squid and environmental impacts to the fragile ecosystem.

Interesting if you like nature or have kids. The tour was short aprox 45 min. and the only thing I found interesting was the 3D movie (for that alone I would go again) and the dark room where you hear our ocean friends which we normally dont get to hear.

This place is really in need of an update. It is using technology from (maybe) about twenty years ago but is still charging like it is cutting edge. The photos tend to make it look incredible, but it is really just decent quality projections with a bit of interaction. There is a 3D glasses section that was pretty cool, but other than that I was disappointed.

This is one of my favorite child activity in new york. It is such an amazing experience. And its for kids of all ages but I think adults definitely appreciate the experience more.Theres about 7 different rooms and they are all educational. Kids feel like they are underwater and get to play with dolphins, sting Rays, sea lions ect.They get to experience how the ocean animals communicate at night in a a dark room with tiny lights. They even get the experience of getting lost in a kelp forest. Watch out for the mirrors kids seem to smack their faces into them while looking for a way out.Every room has its own unique trait and activity it is such a beautiful experience. You can definitely take pictures and at the end you can buy pictures if youd like to as well. Kids can also play games or do some arts and crafts which they all pretty much enjoy. They also have toys for sale and other cute accessories (a little on the pricey side).If you are a member of kidspass this is also something you can do through kidspass. Just print your ticket show it at the entrance and they will give a ticket for 1 child and 1 adult. I think the ticket without kidpass is $30 for adults not sure how much it is per child. But you can also buy your tickets online so you dont have to purchase one when you get there.

The experience itself was awesome! Very fun especially for kids. However took off 1 star because the escalator does not work and to use the elevator upon entry, you have to go next door and go upstairs to take the elevator to the basement?!?! Elevator up is no problem.

It was super fun, educational, and immersive. Everyone will enjoy Ocean Odyssey. The last part of the tour is so exciting.

Really nice experience. Totally worth it, no need to wait and a really modern and relaxed experience. Can especially recommend on a rainy day.

Overall it was okay. Ive always had a fascination with marine life and this had some interesting things to explore and discover, but to be honest other places do it better and for less money.

Was surprised with this. Didn’t know what to expect but we loved it

Great amazing experience for all ages, very educational and right in the middle of Times Square

Its amazing , me and my son 1st time going he was in love he loved all the sea animals and encounters its great for 4 year olds and any kid who loves animals , great tour director and i would go again

This was very cool, with 2 adults and 2 teens. Definitely a better value with the Groupon. I wish the tour guide was a bit louder but the effects are best, its educational while being highly entertaining and our tickets even included an adult beverage at the end.

I just asked a group of 9 to 11 year olds and the average rating was four stars. The lowest was three stars. It was an educational experience and a nice way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy or cold day.

Definitely an fun place to bring the kids, I had so much fun, the 3d experience was surprisingly amazing

National Geographic is a worthwhile adventure for families, especially for younger kids. The special effects are pretty cool and everyone enjoyed the kelp forest and 3-D film. Our dive guide was funny and informative, shepherding us through each step of the tour. Our kids enjoyed the interactive center at the end. I think the tour is really geared more towards younger kids but any family can enjoy a morning or afternoon here. Im glad we went!

Nice exhibit. No live items, all video, electronic, and signage/murals. Didnt know it would be guided. The pace was too fast, didnt get a chance to look read all the signs and information placqes. Would have been more fun as a go at your own pace. The kelp farm/mirrors section was fun.

It was informative and unique but not quite what I was expecting. I didnt realize that there was a tour and narrative. I thought you went through it at your own pace. My children (7 & 9) seemed to enjoy it even after a very busy day. Emily, our tour guide was enthusiastic, but didnt seem to have a lot of patience for children.

So much better than I expected. Educational and fun all at once

Good place to learn about fishes. Can visit this place if you are either very interested about fishes or have kids or you have a lot of time in New York and you don’t know what else to do.There are a lot other better places to visit. This is more like a non tiring , last option in your trip.

This was a nice experience that me and my wife enjoyed. The best part of this exhibit was the last piece which was a 3D show of life in the sea. I was actually hoping a majority of this exhibit was like this. That being said there is a kelp maze, the sounds and sights of the night, and the red devil part of the exhibit that were great.If they kept the above parts and just made the rest a 3D movie show akin to the Hayden planetarium life of stars exhibit, I would have enjoyed it more. Highly recommend bringing kids to this as this is a fun way for kids to learn about ocean life.

This place is good as it shows the people on how we can help the ocean and teaches the world about these animals and best of all they dont have real aquatic creatures with them as they dont want to take the animals away from their natural habitat.they do have some interactive screens so the people can have some fun learning

A great place to see the story about the oceans that needs to be told but for what you get it is overpriced. The story is an incredible one but as presented is nothing more than a short movie at five times the cost of a regular one. I understand the drive is for donations and funding but it needs to stay as donations and not the price of tickets.

It’s was a fully digital experience. Great for young kids, or anyone curious about ocean life. There is a small guided tour, then an area where you can read and watch short clips. At the end is an interactive area, with 3D and hologram images of the things seen in the exhibits.

Went on a whim for my stepdaughters birthday. It was a cool experience. A little sad.... but fun all the same.

Awesome experience! It was fun and interactive for the kids (5yr, 22mos) and myself.

Had an amazing time at The Encounter. Our tour guide was very friendly from beginning to the end. It’s worth the trip to visit not only we learned about sea life and how we can help preserve it. We will definitely re visit again with a couple of more friends to enjoy especially the Kelp Maze Lml hope you make it out. Kudos very enjoyable experience even for the children. My Girls were so happy we came.

Impressive activity that uses projection mapping to make you feel like you are under the ocean. Educational, fun, and exciting for the kids. One tip, not good for children who are sensitive to loud sounds or afraid of the dark.

Nice tour, however, it is much enjoyable if you have little kids!

This show was fun, exciting and informative. My 7 yr. old said it was her best day ever! Loved it. I give it two thumbs up! Take your kids.

Absolutely stunning sea life animations throughout your tour that is not only educational but truly fun experience for both grown ups and kiddos in the family. A must see experience if you are in the area. Please do keep in mind there will be a wait time (about 30-45 mins) despite your assigned timing given tours broken up in groups of 20-25.

Went with family, had ppl of all ages - from 3 to 65 and would say the ones below 13 were the ones who enjoyed it the most. The adults in the group felt they could have stayed out after the experience. The kids could not stop talking about the 3D whale eating them up experience or the maze they had to walk through, or having fish n sting Rays swim under their feet.. so its more a place for the kids.Its supposed to be 45 min of guided tour but honestly ends in 30 min or so.. and then its pretty much 15 to 20 min to wrap up and leave .

The National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey was AMAZING! My 7 year old was in awe the entire time and so was I. All the detail and the information that went into this was shown at every turn! So informative and enlightening. I believe the amount of money I spent for 3 tickets was well worth it! I have already recommended this Encounter to all my friends and family! This is a great expierence for all ages!

This place is ok but definitely not worth your money. I got here as a student for $20 and I had only a decent time. Aside from being boring its extremely over priced. There are some fun moments though but not alot

Very informational and a lot of fun for people of all ages!

Its thrilling journey to pass through various shows of aquatic life.The virtual ocean will leave you spellbound.Once you enter inside of this mesmerizing world.... You will wonder thats in Manhattan times square area.Kids will enjoy thoroughly.

Nat Geo Encounter was fun and very educative. I think pricing should be less but I was able to get a discount. If you go, take your time and ask questions to make the most out of the experience and your $. Groupon has a discount but I used Playbill’s discount (two dollars less than Groupon).

Absolutely stunning exhibit! The images are crystal clear and you really feel like youve taken dive under the sea!

Brought my two boys (6/9). They loved it and so did I!Super cool tech and really informative science. We learned a lot and I highly recommend.My 6yr old loved getting lost in the Kelp maze!!

Checked this out with my wife because we both like cool effects and aquariums. Overall, its not a bad experience and I think kids would enjoy it. For the price though, unless you have kids, the value isnt really there.

Great attraction. Heart of NYC @ Times Sqaure. You cover the attraction in 2 hours. Best bit giant white shark goes over your heads. Some interactive activities for the kids at end of it.

This was pretty cool. More learning than expected. We had a tour guide who took us through all the room and explained things. There was a mirror maze, and interactive games. Great for kids as well.

Awesome experience! The dedication to details and the beautiful VR made this tour my most memorable experience in NY by far!

Phenomenal experience! Its a must see!

Unique 3D experience for ocean life. #kidfriendly but #pricey, the tour was over in an hour and felt like not worth the 40$ per ticket. Probably worth around 25-30$, sometimes they do have discounts that we unfortunately missed. Great way for the #naturelover in the city to explore ocean life.

Everything is animated. No real fish, no water, exotic plants etc. I was hoping to maybe pet some sting rays or interact with live animals. I thought my 11 month old would really enjoy that but instead it turned out to be like walking through a horror movie, with scary loud noises and dark rooms. Quite opposite from what I had in mind for her. It could easily turn out traumatic rather than fun. The staff however was very friendly, professional, and great customer service.

Fantastic experience. Amazingly accommodating staff, very polite and knowledgeable.

My family visited to celebrate my daughters 13th birthday, we couldnt have had a better time and she was THRILLED! Our guide was informative, friendly and very knowledgeable and kept both the 13 year old and 9 year old engaged and interested. Even my husband, who is usually so stoic, had a blast!! This is a great event to have as a family!

Very nice museum to know the kind of life that exists under the ocean. Although everything was digital, but looked real.

Wow on the low reviews from people thinking this was some kind of aquarium and expecting real fish...not good at researching or reading descriptions maybe?Anyway this attraction was included in my Sightseeing Pass so I didnt pay full price and maybe wouldnt have felt it was $40 pp worth.We were in around noon on a Tuesday and although there was a big Kids field trip and another large group, we were able to be in a small group of 7 including ourselves. That made for optimal viewing and smooth transitions.My young kids and I were pleasantly pleased at how cool this spot was. The rooms were well done and you dont stay in one place too long to make it boring. It wasnt overly preachy or flooded with facts. Some cool rooms we enjoyed were the first room through Solomon Islands, the dark room with sounds and the kelp forest maze.Afterwards, the interactive features and games were really cool...they did a really good job here too. I have seen many info kiosks that are pointless / uninteresting.Employees were friendly.I recommend this escape from the nyc summer heat.

I was hoping to see live animals in an aquarium. The exhibits and experience is base on tech projection.

Clever. Interesting..fast moving. Unique. The audio from the guides was sometimes static or couldnt hear. Some guides were perhaps over their job and just gave the speal with limited awareness.

Beautifully made, they way they immerse you into ocean/sea life is Amazing. I went with my 5 year old and we both learned so much. Thank you for the great experience.

We couldnt take pictures of this exhibition but I can say, it is really worth to visit! Gives a view of the nature in the ocean as also the plastic.The first part is a guided part with really nice different kind of effects (sound and light). The second part is a free part of the tour where you can do a lot yourself. Perfect to do with the kids!

Its a wonderful experience, everyone that loves nature should visit this short tour. One would see the ocean and the life in it a different way. We all should protect the ocean!!!!

Nice attraction go with kids and family. The 3D movie and the virtual ocean view was awesome.

Its very nice place. I really thought it was like an aquarium that you get to see live sharks . Its a simulated virtual reality place, still very nice and had fun with family.

Very educational and sparked a lot of questions and discussion with my grands.

This place is really great for kids as they will enjoy a lot. Explaining how we enjoyed can be a spoiler so I am leaving that part. It was included in our sightseeing pass so we decided to visit and it was definitely worth going with my kid.

The most fun experience was a maze with many mirrors: kelp forrest. You may frequently bump into mirrors because its hard to tell what is the path and what is the illusion. The kids definitely had fun and learned how to protect the ocean by reducing the usage of plastic bags.

Great tour! Very informative and interactive. Gave great tips on how we can save our oceans. Great animation, digitally mastered! So much better than going to an aquarium where animals are removed from their families in the wild, and held captive behind glass tanks for the rest of their lives and denied everything that is natural to them. Dont support this abuse of our beautiful animals in the sea or on land. Great job Nat Geo!!!

Another attraction included on our NY passes and we only visited because it was nearby and we didnt have anything else in mind. Glad we did though. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Theres 2 sections, the first bit is an immersive movie experience culminating in a 3D movie as part of a bait ball swarm. This bit was great, well worth the entrance fee alone and took about 45 minutes to get through. The next section was also advertised as taking a further 45 minutes but we felt the second half was quite small and 15 minutes was pushing it. However, as an overall experience we all enjoyed it and were glad we went.

This experience was great!! So realistic and I learned so much right along with the kids

The kids and I loved going to the National Geographic Encounter. When you arrive there is a person standing in front of an escalator and she asked you to go down to start the tour and grab tickets. There is a to Private tour included with other families and kids. As first when you arrive there are a lot of people but they divide people up so going throughout the exhibit is very easy.There are different rooms that you visit and everybody learns about what’s happening in the undersea.

Loved it, better than expected. Great way to spend an hour or so indoors when its cold or rainy. The interactive theaters are great fun for little ones chasing fish. You can reserve times and pay for tickets online, but that didnt seem necessary based on the number of people in the attraction when we went in. Theres a store onsite that you walk through to get out, heads up for parents there are a lot of educational options as well as stuffies.

I liked what i saw. Very nice. But the price was too high and the 3D experience was too short. Would rate it better if it was longer. Too much money for so little. I was expecting more.

Went there with my friends. Had a wonderful time. Its basically 1/4 of the Georgia Aquarium but mostly in 2D. Note I said mostly because there are plenty of 3D elements. The curatorial design is ingenious making the experience both entertaining and interactive. If you have an issue with dark spaces, loud sounds, or are claustrophobic there are some parts of the exhibition you wont be trilled about.It was not wheelchair accessible on the day I went. The elevator wasnt working. Call ahead.

5 star treatment by the staff! Great experience for the kids! Mine loved it!

Amazing the computer graphics were so surreal great for children 5 and older

Thought this would be ok but ended up having a fantastic time! The imagery was beautiful. Kids had fun! Kelp forest mirror maze was fun and the 3D bait ball thing was interesting.

My expectations were higher for the hologram part! Bit for the rest was nice! I think I give 3 Star for this and plus the kids age for be free supposed be higher, the tickets are not the most cheep!

An amazing experience that I suggest everyone goes to. It is educational and fun and interactive. You will not forget the information you learn here.Note: THE MOST GENDER INCLUSIVE BATHROOMS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!

I agree with other reviews that you need to set your expectations with this attraction. Its not a real aquarium. Its a virtual experience of what animal and plant life is like in our oceans. At times you do feel like you are in the ocean with fish swimming all around you. Its also educational as well. Its definitely an experience for any school aged kid. This is a perfect spot for dads to take the kids while mom goes shopping in NYC!!! It is very interactive so it will keep the kids entertained. The movie experience at the end is a definite must see.