Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino

This aquarium was a very interesting and enjoyable experience. We learned a lot about piranhas and had all of our questions answered from Bennett who was very nice.

TL;DR:
This is place is too small and pricey to enjoy casually. Young kids will technically enjoy this because they won't know better or not have the attention spans for something larger, but any older kids, teens, or adults will probably get disappointed at how little there is here. However, that doesn't mean this is a bad place, as it does a lot of amazing work that is highlighted in the animal experience tours. Do the animal experience tours if you want to best enjoy this place.

I've been to quite a few aquariums across the United States, and by far this is probably the smallest one I've encountered, even worse than one I saw in Orlando, FL that was priced the same over-priced amount. While it does have some unique animals that I hadn't seen in other aquariums before yet, such as Pacu fish, Piranhas, and the Johnston's Crocodile, it doesn't make up for the space. You could probably spend 30 minutes minimum if you just glanced around and didn't read any signs. The signage is also poor in some areas, as we'll see fish in a tank, but have no clue as to what they are or any facts about them. There are educators around though that are happy to answer any questions about the animals they're stationed at, like the Piranhas, the Komodo Dragon, and Stingrays.

I knew this coming in though, so that's why I instead focused on the animal experiences where I got to feed sharks and sea turtles. There aren't many aquariums near me that offer interactions with those creatures, so my husband and I wanted to try it out here. It is definitely worth the experience, especially in doing both the same day. My general admission tickets were also covered in purchasing the tours. It is pricey, but it made me appreciate and enjoy the aquarium much more than I would've at surface level. Thanks to these tours, not only did I learn about the animals we interacted with, but we also learned why the zoo has earned it's Association of Zoos & Aquariums accreditation. They provide free field trips to the local schools in Las Vegas so students can learn about ocean wildlife. They also participate in conservation efforts such as when their sharks produce babies, they are shipped to another organization to be raised up until their about 3 feet and then released into the wild. They also are able to recycle about 70% of their water that is used for their tanks, which is incredible for a water-heavy desert attraction. I'm happy to pay a little more to get these behind-the-scenes facts and support the work they do.

It was fun but not very big and a lot of money. I was expecting there to be a lot more things to see and it be bigger. It should have been about half the price.