The New York Aquarium doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers on its own pages. What it does list is a group rate of $14 for each student and $14 for each chaperone, for school and camp groups of 10 or more visitors age 3 and over, in grades K-12.
If you’re planning a class trip, the group reservation below is where you start, and the registration page says a booked education program comes with free general admission for your classes. If you’re heading to the Aquarium on your own, the FAQ lists free admission after 3:00pm on Wednesdays, and that part is further down.
How To Get The New York Aquarium Teacher Discount
There’s no individual teacher discount to claim, so a teacher’s route is a school or camp group reservation. The FAQ has a question from an NYC school teacher or camp counselor asking what admission costs for students or campers. The answer says advance reservations are required for all schools, camps and groups of 10 or more people, and it gives the Group Sales Department number, (800) 433-4149. It adds that there are no walk-up tickets.
The School & Camp Groups page lists the rate: Student $14 and Chaperone $14. Rates apply to groups of 10 or more visitors age 3 and over, in grades K-12, and the page says reservations for field trips are available year round. All group ticket orders receive one complimentary ticket per every 20 tickets purchased. School and camp groups need at least 1 adult chaperone for every 10 children, and chaperones must remain with their group at all times.
On timing and payment, the page says group ticket orders must be reserved and paid in full at least two weeks before the expected visit date, and that walk-up groups aren’t permitted. Purchase orders aren’t considered a form of payment, with one exception: the page says NYC Board of Education purchase orders will be accepted as long as an approved copy is received by Group Sales before the visit date.
Education Programs And Free Class Admission
Booking an education program is a separate path from buying group tickets, and the registration page ends by sending general-admission-only visits to Group Sales. It says that once your booking has been made, an invoice with program information, including date and time, will be sent to you. It then says that letter is valid for free general admission for your classes and must be shown at the entrance gate on the scheduled dates.
The page sets class sizes by grade. Pre-K and kindergarten classes are capped at 25 students and 7 adults, including the teacher, and 1st grade and up at 35 students and 7 adults, including the teacher. Payment in full is due at least 5 weeks before your program date, and a $50 change fee applies if the school needs to change the program dates. That’s a longer lead time than the two weeks the group page gives for general admission, so check which kind of booking you’re making.
Getting Your Class There
The registration page says buses may drop off students at the intersection of Surf Avenue and 8th Street at the pedestrian gate, and it asks you to contact the Aquarium if you have students with mobility needs. Parking isn’t included in the price of the program, and the tickets page says no bus parking is available.
Urban Advantage Vouchers For NYC Science Teachers
The Urban Advantage NYC website, which is separate from the Aquarium’s own site, has a page for the New York Aquarium that says Urban Advantage participants receive vouchers for admission. It says class trip vouchers are for UA-participating science teachers to bring only the students they teach (grades 3-8) on up to two trips per school year.
The vouchers are valid for an all-inclusive Aquarium admission and one visit to the 4-D Theater. To reserve your date and time of entry, the page says to provide your Redeem Code or Voucher ID and school name, and it says vouchers won’t be accepted at the gate.
Visiting On Your Own
For a day with your own family, the tickets page lists adult admission (13 and over) at $29.95 off-peak and $32.95 peak, and child admission (3 to 12) at $25.95 and $27.95. Children 2 and under are free, and every visitor needs a date-specific ticket.
The FAQ answers its free-admission question with free admission after 3:00pm on Wednesdays, and says advance tickets are required. The Wednesday Afternoon Ticket Store opens on Monday at 3:00pm for that Wednesday’s reservations, and the FAQ says not to come to the aquarium without a reserved ticket. The tickets page says there’s a maximum of 4 tickets per order. The FAQ also says the 4-D Theater isn’t included in Wednesday Donation Admission (3pm to closing), and additional fees are required.
The FAQ says specific ticket discounts are offered for US Military and Veterans, and Museum Council of New York City members. If you’re active military or a veteran, it says you’re eligible for a complimentary admission ticket and 50% off tickets for up to 3 guests. You need an advance reservation, and the military member must be present with valid ID on entry.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The FAQ calls Wednesday afternoon admission free, while the tickets page describes it as reduced admission, so we couldn’t tell which one you’ll see at checkout. The Urban Advantage page sits on a separate site and the Aquarium’s FAQ doesn’t mention Urban Advantage. That means we couldn’t confirm the voucher program with the Aquarium, and we couldn’t find how a school becomes a participant.
We also couldn’t confirm what an education program itself costs. The group page names school and camp groups and says nothing about homeschool groups, so if yours is one, call Group Sales before you book.
Q&A
Does the New York Aquarium give teachers a discount?
Not on the pages we read. The FAQ says specific ticket discounts are offered for US Military and Veterans, and Museum Council of New York City members, and it points school teachers to group reservations.
What does a school group pay?
The group page lists Student $14 and Chaperone $14, for groups of 10 or more visitors age 3 and over, in grades K-12.
Can my class show up without a reservation?
No. The FAQ says advance reservations are required for all schools, camps and groups of 10 or more people, with no walk-up tickets.
How far ahead do I book?
The group page says orders must be reserved and paid in full at least two weeks before the visit. For an education program, the registration page says payment in full is due at least 5 weeks before the program date.
Do group orders get any free tickets?
Yes. The group page says all group ticket orders receive one complimentary ticket per every 20 tickets purchased.
Is there a free day to visit?
The FAQ says admission is free after 3:00pm on Wednesdays, with advance tickets required. The ticket store opens on Monday at 3:00pm for that Wednesday.
More Information:
The details above come from the New York Aquarium’s pages and the Urban Advantage NYC website as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
