Is the Merlin Premium Annual Pass Worth It?

JZ and I love maximizing value with annual passes. They make local, and somewhat expensive, attractions a more relaxed experience because they become part of our regular weekend rotation. Our first year in Sydney, we chose Taronga zoo, one of Sydney’s most famous attractions boasting incredible animals and harbor views. Travel to the zoo If you want our tips for Taronga zoo after nearly monthly visits, read this post. However, this article is all about the Merlin Premium Annual Pass.

We delayed purchasing another annual pass around Sydney when our year at Taronga finished. While we loved the freedom to explore Taronga, the trip became a hassle during peak season. We found ourselves visiting out of obligation instead of true interest on occasions. This made convenience a top priority for our next annual pass.

Merlin Premium Annual Pass

When JZ’s sister, LZ, came for holiday in June, we purchased the Merlin Annual pass from the Manly Sealife Sancutary. The popular Darling Harbour Sealife aquarium was on our to-do list, but with the price tag, we delayed the visit for a “better time”. However, with a visitor keen to see several of the Merlin attractions in Sydney, it became very affordable.

Benefits Merlin Premium Annual Pass

  • 12 months of entry to 11 Australia and New Zealand attractions. The Sydney attractions are: Darling Harbour: aquarium, zoo, Madame Tussauds; Westfield Tower, Manly Sealife Sanctuary
  • Food, retail, and special excursion discounts
  • 25% off tickets for accompanying friends and family
  • Not waiting in the excruciating ticket lines

Cost – There are a lot of complicated options for the Merlin Annual pass. The short version is that it is much cheaper to purchase online, regardless of your ticket type for most Sydney attractions. Also of note, is that children under 4 are free. We spend $90 x 3 annual passes, in person. Online pricing would only have been $81 each.

In comparison, Taronga Zoo costs $270 pp for a family pack (67.5 pp for max 4 passes). When we purchased ours we bought two full-price adult annual passes for $115 each. Even with an annual pass, both locations require an investment, and the food discounts Merlin offset the price difference. Either way, I look at it as an educational expense.

Merlin Premium Annual Pass – Sydney Attractions

Merlin Premium Annual Pass

View of St Mary’s Cathedral from Sydney Tower Eye

While we have the ability to visit 11 attractions, only 5 of them are in Sydney. More than six months into our passes, we have not ventured to the other cities, and we don’t have any upcoming travel plans. This means the Sydney attractions are on rotation. Although, we tend to gravitate toward the Sydney Wildlife Zoo and Sealife Aquarium. CZ and I often wander through the bite-sized zoo after a morning play at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour.

Sydney Sealife Aquarium – The Sydney Sealife aquarium is always packed to the gills (had to). On an average Tuesday, I jostle for a spot at the glass with large Asian tour groups, and get swept up in crowds of giddy school children, on excursion. I cannot find a slightly peaceful time to go – maybe an hour before closing would be calmer.

Manly Sealife Sanctuary – Due to the travel time, we only wandered through the Manly counterpart once. The aquarium is extremely small, we were finished in about 30 minutes. I might have been disappointed with the offerings if I purchased a one-off ticket instead of the annual pass bundle.

Hopping like a kangaroo at the zoo

Hopping like a wallaby at the zoo

Sydney Zoo – The Sydney Zoo is incomparably small and limited compared to Taronga, but it offers viewings of Australian animals in a compact, accessible area. CZ and I can casually walk through the entire zoo in 90 minutes and feel refreshed, instead of drained and grumpy. Another perk of the zoo: smaller crowds. We tend to arrive at opening time (9:30) and rarely wait for a turn to peer into an animal enclosure.

Sydney Tower Eye – I initially thought the Westfield Tower served as a cheaper, less thrilling alternative to the Sydney Bridge Climb. JZ and I decided that the Bridge Climb would be our once in a lifetime, Sydney splurge last year. We found it exhilarating and epic, and didn’t see the point of paying for the Westfield tower as well. With the Sydney Tower Eye included in our passes, we made the trek and actually appreciated the different viewpoint. We ventured to the top a few times for the 360 degree views from the circular indoor viewing deck. However, because of the other skyscrapers, you cannot get a clear view of the Harbour Bridge or Opera House.

Madame Tussauds – A Madame Tussauds in Sydney – wax figurines of Australian and international celebrities, with an abundance of selfie opportunities.

Know Before You Go

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While one of the benefits of an annual pass is the ability to pop in for a brief visit, it can be difficult to head straight for your favourite exhibit. The layout of the buildings seem custom designed labyrinths for herding crowds with minimum chaos. I appreciate the design to keep traffic flowing, especially at the aquarium. However, if you only want to see the penguins, you must wind your way through all of the other exhibits first.

Leave the pram at home. I am not an advocate for prams in the city because of the headaches of elevators, stair detours, and squeezing through the crowds. The Manly aquarium has a small area for pram parking, but all of the other attractions are designed for exploration on foot. Prams clog up the traffic flow, block views of other children, and generally get in the way. I suggest wearing a younger child and making your toddler walk. I may eat my words if we have #2 any time soon, but with one toddler walking is much more pleasant.

The random perk we thoroughly enjoy? $2 coffees at the aquarium. The aquarium cafe at Darling Harbour has pretty decent coffee! With JZ working nearby and the awesome playground at Tumbalong, we stop for a cuppa even on days we don’t go to the aquarium.

Is the Merlin Premium Annual Pass worth it?

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For us, the Merlin Annual Passes have more than compensated for the hefty price tag. Here are some of the reasons we have loved our passes:

  • We bought the passes with a guest in town, so we immediately visited all 5 attractions. Within a week, our price per visit plummeted from $81 to $16. Without the time pressure of a visitor, I highly doubt that we would have toured the Manly aquarium, Tower Eye, or Madame Tussauds yet. So basically, we bought an annual pass to the Sealife Aquarium and Sydney Zoo – which I am okay with.
  • The passes allow you to skip the ticket queues and walk straight inside – this is especially awesome at the busy aquarium.
  • Convenience to Darling Harbour. Cycling from Redfern to Darling Harbour takes about 25 minutes, along a pleasant route. We appreciate not worrying about parking or train schedules. Also, the walk from Town Hall Station lacks excitement for CZ, and it a touch far without a pram (and I’ve already mentioned my issues with prams).
  • Live animals add an unexpected element. One of the big differences between walking through a museum multiple times and the aquarium/zoo are the changing animals. The baby koalas born earlier this year have grown up, and we finally saw a shark feed last week. We may walk through the aquarium several times in a month, but that doesn’t mean we see the dugongs chomping on lettuce or make eye contact with a manta ray. The variety and suspense add to our visits, which influences us to linger and experience the animal interactions. Merlin Premium Annual Pass

Don’t buy the Merlin Premium Annual Pass if…

You are a tourist – Get the full Sydney zoo experience at Taronga. Take a ferry from Circular Quay, the complimentary cable car up to the zoo, and see the best zoo in Australia. While you may not rub noses with a dugong, most of the other marine and land animals are featured on the expansive, beautiful property. You can always make a one-off trip to the aquarium for $30-40, depending on your flexibility. The Sydney Tower Eye is cool, but the Bridge Climb is the way to see Sydney from above. Also, the Harbour Bridge Pylon is only $13.

If you need to drive or travel more than 30 minutes for a visit – If navigating to the attractions is a pain, you will not make the trip as often as you might plan. Plus, they are busting at the seams on weekends and public holidays, which only creates more chaos. I suggest making one visit and then see if you ever get close to returning that year. For sanity’s sake in most families, convenience trumps novelty, and I suspect you won’t visit enough to maximize your benefit.

Is the Merlin Premium Annual Pass worth it? For us, yes, and maybe for your family too.

 

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