OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. What its pages offer is for school groups: bring 10 or more students and the school groups page says you save on admission, with a discounted student rate of $15.25 (plus tax) and free chaperones, teachers included, within the required ratios.
If you’re lining up a field trip for your third graders, those ratios decide how many adults can come along without paying. If you’re heading over on a Saturday with your own kids, nothing on the ticket pages is aimed at teachers, and the section on visiting on your own covers what is on offer instead.
How To Get The OdySea Aquarium Teacher Discount
The pages don’t list a rate for individual teachers, so the way to a lower price is to book a school group. The school groups page says advance reservations are required to receive school group pricing, and that you should submit your request at least one week in advance, because bookings made with less than one week’s notice may not be approved in time. Payment is required in advance, and the page lists a school purchase order, credit card, school check or cash as accepted.
The page also says to select an entry time between 9:30am and 3pm, so it helps to know your bus schedule before you start.
What A School Group Gets
The discounted student rate is $15.25 plus tax each, for preschool through 12th grade, and the page lists an average duration of 2 hours for the self-guided visit. The FAQ describes the group rate the same way: a discounted admission rate for groups of 10 or more.
Chaperones, teachers included, are free within the required ratios, which are 1:5 for PreK through 2nd grade and 1:10 for Grades 3 through 12. Additional adults are $27.50 (plus tax), and the page says they must prepay with the school to get that rate, so adults who haven’t been prepaid are charged regular admission at the gate. Bus drivers are admitted free.
Homeschool groups are treated differently. The page says complimentary chaperones aren’t available for homeschool groups, though parents and additional chaperones can take advantage of the discounted chaperone rate.
Title 1 School Scholarships
If you teach at an Arizona Title 1 school, the aquarium’s Title 1 scholarship is worth a look. The page lists the criteria as a Title 1 School designation from the Arizona Department of Education and at least 40% of the students eligible for the Free or Reduced Lunch Program, with awards limited to one per school, per semester. It says there are limited scholarships and that an application doesn’t guarantee an award.
If you’re awarded one, the scholarship covers the full cost of student self-guided field trip admission, up to the maximum number of students awarded. Adults outside the ratios aren’t covered, and additional students above the maximum pay the discounted student admission price.
Classroom Resources
The aquarium’s educator resources page says you can select downloadable curricula for various grade levels, divided into PreK-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8. It says the lessons are designed to meet AZ Science Standards, which is useful to know before you plan the day around a unit.
Visiting On Your Own
The FAQ says there’s a $5.00 discount off General Admission tickets for any adult with a military or veteran ID, and that OdySea doesn’t offer an AAA discount. It also says the aquarium isn’t part of the AZA’s Reciprocal Admissions Program, so a membership at another AZA accredited zoo or aquarium doesn’t get you complimentary or discounted admission.
The promotions page says to save 30% after 4:30pm, every day. It also lists bundles with other Arizona Boardwalk attractions, from Pick 2 for 20% OFF up to Pick 4 for 40% OFF, and says you can save up to 40% when you bundle.
Cash Back Routes We Checked
Fluz lists 1.5% cashback at OdySea Aquarium with a Fluz virtual card. The offer terms say it’s valid only at official store locations and that offers are subject to change, so check the rate on the Fluz page before you buy. The school groups page lists a school purchase order, credit card, school check or cash as accepted payment, and we couldn’t tell whether a Fluz virtual card works on a group booking.
We didn’t find a TopCashback page for OdySea Aquarium, and Rakuten’s address for it loads a general page instead of a store page.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
If you’ve heard that teachers get up to 20% off with a school ID, or free admission during a Family Fun Month, we couldn’t find either on OdySea’s FAQ, promotions or school groups pages. The only 20% on the promotions page is the Pick 2 bundle with other Arizona Boardwalk attractions. The group page also doesn’t say what a class of fewer than 10 pays, so ask the aquarium before you book if yours is a small group.
Q&A
Does OdySea Aquarium have a teacher discount?
Not for individual teachers. School groups of 10 or more get a discounted student rate of $15.25 (plus tax), and chaperones, teachers included, are free within the required ratios.
How many chaperones are free?
The page lists 1:5 for PreK through 2nd grade and 1:10 for Grades 3 through 12. Additional adults are $27.50 (plus tax) if they’re prepaid with the school.
How far ahead do I book?
The page says to submit requests at least one week in advance, and that advance reservations are required to receive school group pricing.
Can a homeschool group get free chaperones?
No. The page says complimentary chaperones aren’t available for homeschool groups, but parents and additional chaperones can take the discounted chaperone rate.
Is there a military discount?
The FAQ says there’s a $5.00 discount off General Admission tickets for any adult with a military or veteran ID.
Does my zoo membership get me in?
No. The FAQ says OdySea isn’t part of the AZA’s Reciprocal Admissions Program.
Is there cash back on tickets?
Fluz lists 1.5% with a Fluz virtual card, valid only at official store locations. We didn’t find a TopCashback page, and Rakuten’s address loads a general page.
More Information:
The details above come from OdySea Aquarium’s own pages and from Fluz, Rakuten and TopCashback as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers, and the posts in cash back for teachers.
