Ocean Park Wladyslawowo: more ocean or more park?

We were encouraged: “Want to see the most expensive playground in Poland? Go to Ocean Park in Wladyslawow”. – well, so we went :) Undaunted by the high prices and the crowds in the photos on the website, we decided to see if Ocean Park was worth the price.

We visited Ocean Park during a May trip to the seaside. And here it should be noted that it was a very ugly May weekend: rains, strong winds and about 10-15 degrees were forecast. Why do we emphasize this? Because it allowed us to see Ocean Park in peace: we hit the weather window, and there were not that many people at all.

We first heard about Ocean Park in the context of expensive attractions in Poland. We were telling friends about the Zoo in Wroclaw, where entering with two children over 3 years old. It costs 160 zloty. And while this is a very attractive price compared to European attractions, it is a considerable expense for the average Polish family that cannot be afforded just like that. And then they told us to see the most expensive playground, which is just Ocean Park, where they spent almost 200 zloty!

Table of contents

Ocean Park price list, or how much does it cost to get in?

To begin with, we hasten to explain that entry to the Ocean Park in Wladyslawow for a family of 4 (children over 3) costs 176 zlotys in high season (i.e. July and August). Outside the holiday season, the cost of a ticket for the same family is 136 zloty, so quite a bit cheaper.

An adult pays 49/39 zloty (holiday season/off-season), and children pay 39/29 zloty respectively. And unfortunately, there are no family tickets here, as is often the case at other places of this type (such as the aforementioned Zoo in Wroclaw).

At the time of writing this post, it is not possible to purchase tickets online. During our visit, there were no queues to the cash registers and we entered “with a shoe.”

What’s inside?

Ocean Park is intended to be a place where children learn about the hydrosphere and aquatic organisms. It’s a place where you can walk among aquatic animals rendered in 1:1 scale, and the central and most important place in Ocean Park is a platform with a blue whale that measures 34 meters! And on top of that, it gushes water! Only first one of the guests has to throw 2 zloty into a special machine, so that just a moment later this giant cetacean made an exhalation to the delight of the kids (seriously, couldn’t this be done for free?).

The entire Ocean Park in Wladyslawowo covers an area of about 20 hectares, and it’s a good idea to set yourself up for a bit of walking (kids can take it easy on scooters, for example). The animal models are very well reproduced, we can see seals, orcas, dolphins, including their small ones. Here you will find descriptions of individual animals and interesting facts. There is also a mini waterfall and a tunnel with sharks (note, not real ones!).

But of course, there are many more attractions inside! There is a small fishing village with several huts, and there are shows and exhibitions. We can see here, among other things. wood-carved fish.

But the biggest attraction in the village are the shows – we were at the whale show (there’s also virtual reality for older kids). But rest assured! An animated whale :) Such a “real time” type attraction, where the cheerful whale Blue tells about life in the ocean, animals, but also talks to the kids in the room. Olive was still a little too small, but the 4-5 year old kids had a lot of fun. Anyway, we have to admit that we also learned quite a bit about whales (did you know that they gain weight at 4kg per hour for the first months of life!?). Educational it is, and no animals suffer in the process either ;)

There is an aquarium with sharks in one of the huts, but it is a rather sad sight…. The aquarium is terribly small, and conditions are poor.

More education or more entertainment?

And although we came here more for educational purposes, at the end of the day we spent more time on attractions completely unrelated to education ;-)

Something that surprised us was that once you get down there, the first thing that catches your eye (aside from the whale, which you can see from a distance) is the tracks prepared for steerable off-road vehicles. For the price of a ticket, anyone can ride in such a car, and next to it can ride a segway in a circle.

After walking deep into Ocean Park, one finally hits a playground that is hard to leave. There are plenty of children’s attractions, slides, toys, inflatables – something the little ones like best and you can get stuck here for longer. Fortunately, there are plenty of benches around, right next to the restaurant, so you can take a break.

And we understand that kids love it and would most like to spend the whole day here, but still, it’s a shame that the playground is much more appealing than the path among marine mammals next door. And it was here that we realized that Ocean Park should also (or maybe mainly) be treated as a place of fun and entertainment, where you can spend the whole day.

Fortunately, the entire playground, including inflatables, are included in the ticket price.

During the season there are quite a few more attractions here, which you can read about on the Ocean Park website: there are concerts, fireworks shows, there is an amusement park, etc.

To Ocean Park with a stroller?

You can enter Ocean Park with a stroller, but at the beginning you will face a sharp descent down a path with pebbles, so strollers may have a problem. Later, fortunately, it is much easier, in many places there are paving stones or a paved path, so there are no problems with movement.

Our opinion about Ocean Park in Wladyslawow

And we have quite a dilemma how to evaluate Ocean Park. On the one hand, we are aware that there are other, more interesting places for such and less money, because, however, going to Ocean Park for a family of four is a considerable expense. On top of that, we have the impression that as many attractions as possible are being squeezed in here, and the educational dimension itself is relegated to the background.

On the other hand, however, it’s a place where kids will spend the whole day outdoors, with unlimited access to various attractions, while learning something interesting about animals.