Disclosure – I was invited to the #FindingDoryEvent. Costs and expenses for my trip were covered by Disney but all opinions expressed are my own.
When I was a child I remember taking a trip with my best friend and her parents to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While I cannot remember everything I had seen as a child I have always remembered the touch pools and I have always wanted to go back.
Last month I was invited by Disney for their Finding Dory Press Event where I got to take a trip to Monterey to learn more about the upcoming Disney and Pixar film and also visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium to visit the coral reef homes that inspired Dory, Nemo and the Tank Gang’s character design.
When I arrived in Monterey and checked into the hotel I couldn’t wait to head over to the aquarium for some free time before the press event began. I had a couple hours to spare and wanted to get a head start of taking pictures of every fish and sea creature I could find. I wanted as many photos as I could get to show my kids once I got home, especially my son who loves sea creatures!
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a place I could visit for hours! It is a 2 level aquarium that features some really amazing exhibits including: Sea Otters, Touch Pools, Kelp Forest, Splash Zone, The Jellies, Open Sea and more. Luckily the second day of the press event including more time at the aquarium because there is no way I could have seen everything I wanted to see in just a couple hours.
Not only is the inside of the aquarium amazing, so is the views from outside.
The Jellies Exhibit
While I loved every exhibit at the aquarium one of my favorites would be the Jellies! There is just something magical to these sea creatures and I can watch them for hours. You will find a variety of jellyfish that include the Purple-Striped Jelly that look really neat swimming around in the tank.
You can also find Sea Nettle, Egg-Yolk Jelly, Moon Jelly, Cross Jelly and Lobed Comb Jelly that are all interesting and pretty amazing to watch.
The Sea Otters Exhibit
Another exhibit I spent quite a bit of time at was the Sea Otters. On my first day at the aquarium I was able to enjoy these cute creatures from the 1st floor through a tank. On the second day I was able to visit the VIP area of the otter exhibit where I was able to get up and close to the otters, get some great photos and video coverage as well as ask the aquarium staff questions about these adorable creatures.
Watch my video of the sea otters in the VIP area:
The Touch Pools
One thing that I made sure to visit was the Touch Pools. I mentioned before that these were the one thing I remembered seeing as a child so this was something that was important for me to see. At the touch pools you can get close to Mr. Ray’s cousins and touch a Bat Ray like I did! You will also find other friends of Nemo and Dory in this fun exhibit.
Puffins & Penguins
Puffins and penguins are two animals that my son just LOVES. I think they are pretty darn adorable myself. When I found the puffins and the penguins at the aquarium I had to be sure to take photos and a video for my son to show him what I had found.
My video of the puffins and penguins:
Dinner At The Monterey Bay Aquarium
One thing that was pretty amazing was attending a private reception at night after hours at the aquarium where we got to eat some amazing food in the Open Sea which is the largest exhibit! While we were enjoying our meal we had a unique view that included hammerhead sharks, tuna, sea turtles and more!
The Giant Pacific Octopus
One of the last things that I did at the aquarium before I left was I TOUCHED an octopus. Not many can say that they have had an octopus wrapped around their arm. I was lucky and was able to get a special Behind-the-Scenes experience with the world’s largest species of octopus. This octopus did make me think of the adorable character Hank that you will see in Finding Dory who is first to greet Dory when she finds herself in the Marine Life Institute and is on a mission to escape his facility to leave more peaceful life of solitude. Touching this octopus was definitely a once in a life opportunity and I would definitely do it again!
Watch me TOUCH the octopus in my video here:
Did you know that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is home to over 35,000 animals in 623 species! To find out more visit: www.montereybayaquarium.org.
More About Finding Dory
One fish that our group all wanted to find at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was Dory! I not only found Dory but I also found Nemo and their friends!
During this press event we were able to watch a sneak peek of Finding Dory and it was really good. We learned how Dory’s story came to be and also learned about the in-depth research that was put into this upcoming film to make it realistic. After talking with the film’s producers and directors about their work that was put into this film I can’t wait to take my kids to see it! I also can’t wait to take them to the Monterey Bay Aquarium!
If you have Finding Nemo fans in your home this is a movie you are going to want to take them to see! They will be excited to see Nemo again on the big screen along with Dory and all of their friends.
Watch the Finding Dory Trailer below:
Leave a Reply