We traveled to the American Dream mall specifically to do the Animal Crossing event being held at…read moreSea Life. The aquarium itself is incredible, it was above our expectations for sure. They had a large shark mascot roaming around and causing a lot of laughs. The Animal Crossing event was fun, we were able to collect stamps from staff at different exhibits and trade them for a prize in the shop. Unfortunately they were low on the Animal Crossing merchandise but getting the patch was still very cool. They had character meet and greets. We stayed for one of them, K.K. Slider. Not sure if they have other characters for meet and greets, but that is who we saw.

Few things in this world compare to the beauty of the underwater ecosystem, and fortunately for…read morethose who are fascinated by life under the sea, a trip to an aquarium will allow one to see firsthand sea creatures of all shapes and sizes, from the small but mighty seahorse to the aptly named and gently giant whale shark. While visiting the American Dream mall in East Rutherford yesterday with family from out of town, my partner, his family, and I decided to escape to Sea Life NJ by purchasing via their kiosk. Some of us haven't visited this establishment since it first opened up 4 years ago. Upon arrival, the staff scanned our time slot tickets, and we breezed right into the elevator. It's a smaller, quick-visit aquarium great for an hour and managed to pack a lot into it. It is a walk-through experience where one can marvel at the aquatic animals and read fascinating information on the walls. Especially great for young kids who love interactive features and photo ops. The touch tank was one of the memorable events, being able to touch the sea anemones and starfish. The various tanks looked clean and well maintained. One can pop one's head up into a few tanks for fun pics. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It's a fantastic destination for families and ocean lovers alike.

My kids had a blast at Ninja Kidz Action Park during Easter Sunday! The park is super fun and…read moreenergetic, with tons of trampolines, cool ninja-style obstacles, dodgeball courts, slides, and even a battle beam and zipline that had the whole family trying to outdo each other. My kiddos were always a fan of the youtube channel with Peyton and Ashton so when this place opened we really wanted to check it out. The Ninja Kidz theme really comes through with bright graphics and challenges that feel like the YouTube show. My kids were pretending to be ninjas the whole time and didn't want to leave. The staff was friendly and attentive, keeping an eye on safety and helping the little ones when needed. Everything felt clean and well-maintained, which is a big plus for a trampoline park. It's conveniently located inside the American Dream Mall, making it easy to combine with other activities or grab food afterward. The only downside was it was a bit small for a trampoline park and it got really crowded since we came on a Sunday. The kids were practically jumping on top of other kids. Next time it's probably better to come during off peak hours throughout the week.

We've been to Ninja Kidz about 5 times now with our 7-year-old and 2-year-old, and both of them…read moreabsolutely love it. It's one of the few places that really works for both ages, which is a huge win for us as parents. We ended up going with the monthly membership, and it's definitely been worth it. It saves money if you plan to go regularly, and we usually make it there at least once a week. Pro tip: go right when they open at 10am. It's way less crowded, and the experience is so much better. Later in the day it can get pretty packed--almost to the point of feeling a bit overwhelming. Overall, great spot for kids to burn energy and have fun. We'll definitely keep coming back.

What a great fun experience for kids!…read more A large hall with different sections for play activities including a movie hall, play supermarket, and multiple craft areas. The street area is an open activity scene with shops that you can interact with staring commonly known Sesame Street characters. Around 15 mins to the hour a meet and greet with either Cookie Monster or Big Bird can appear. Be sure to ask the staff if a character is scheduled to appear for that day. Throw in a playground with a soft ground for the little ones to jump and play, climbing area, and mini seesaws. Definitely worth the money. Word of warning, it can be crowded on the weekends, so weekday trips give you more time to interact with the play areas without having to wait.

Great place for kids. We went on a busy day so it was a bit chaotic. Long lines for character…read moremeets. Gift shop is beyond pricey. Tons of stuff to do and the kids had an amazing time.

Great theme park! Took my kids here for the day and they…read morehad a blast. The little kids rides were a hit. From the paw patrol ferris wheel, to the teacups, to the reptar carousel. Thomas the train ride tour was also really fun. They also had rides for big kids as well. These included the shredder, slime fest, Dora the Explorer Sky Coaster. and the Avatar Airbender spinning coaster. My daughter and I went on these multiple times and she had a really good time. Everything is super clean, bright, and colorful. It really feels like stepping into your favorite Nickelodeon shows. The staff was amazingly friendly and helpful, constantly high-fiving the kids and making sure everyone was having a great time. Wait times were reasonable save for a few specific popular rides. We spent the whole day there and never got bored. The food options in the park and the surrounding American Dream Mall are great as well. If you have kids who love Nickelodeon (or even if you just want to feel like a kid again), this place is a must-visit. To quote my kids. "10 out of 10!"

1.1 billion doesn't buy what it used to. New Jersey dumped a ton of state financing into what is…read morenow the American Dream Mall only to see payments missed and the mall still languishing. What the hell, Nickelodeon sensing paydirt built an amusement park inside, so for a cool $100 day pass you can go crazy on a handful of rides, some of which may actually be working on any given day. Considering Nickelodeon the cable network has lost half their audience in the last five years and may be sold or shut down, the mall and their namesake park seem like a house of mirrors (or cards) running on borrowed time (or at least borrowed money.) Who would have thunk that the second largest Mall in the country in the age of Amazon and all things e-commerce would ever have issues... everyone except the numbskulls who financed this albatross. That's a ride and an adrenaline rush that I can certainly skip. Two stars.

Never would I have thought that I would be standing right in the middle of the second biggest mall…read morein the U.S. But there I was on Mother's Day. Perhaps it's because of the sheer size of the mall or perhaps people were busy celebrating Mother's Day elsewhere, but it wasn't as busy or crowded as I would've expected. Although the food court wasn't packed, the wait for Jollibee was insane (probably a 25-35 minute wait). It was worth it though, I hope more malls in the U.S. have Jollibee. After eating, I explored the mall a bit. American Dream has a NHL-reuglate size ice skating rink (entrance is on the first floor, where you can also get the tickets). But what's wilder is the ski and snowboard resort - the first indoor snow resort in North America. I didn't go in but I could feel the chilliness from the condensation on the windows. There's also an NJ Hall of Fame, laser tag, Sesame Street Learn & Play, and Nickelodeon Universe inside. You can enter Nickelodeon Universe (no tickets needed) but you need to buy points to go on the rides. Even if you don't go on the rides, there are plenty of photo ops. I saw Spongebob and Squiward taking photos on a stage. Other cool things about American Dream: A ferris wheel called American Dream that allows you to see the NYC skyline, a Toys "R" Us train that goes around on one floor, and HMart. There is a fancier part of American Dream with high-end stores, too. I didn't come here for shopping though. Plenty of spots in the parking garage and it's $6 for each vehicle, though the first 15 minutes are free.

1 star - More Nightmare Than Dream…read more (But giving a 3 star since what was actually open was fun.) Took my daughter to American Dream Mall for her birthday weekend, expecting water slides and celebration shakes. What we got was a masterclass in disappointment. The water park was closed for electrical work. Fine -- things happen. So we headed to the shake shop to salvage the birthday with one of their fancy cake-topped frappés. Also closed. At this point the "dream" branding was starting to feel like false advertising. The hotel situation wasn't any better, not that the mall can be blamed for this. But fair warning to others who traveled as far as we did for this magical weekend. Pool closed for the entire weekend -- not for a quick cleaning, but pending state inspection results that could take "days to weeks." Called around to other hotels thinking we'd just move. Same story everywhere. Apparently post-Memorial Day weekend triggers mandatory state testing after high guest volume, and every pool in the area was in limbo. Nobody mentioned this when we booked. Back at the mall, the game room -- where the closed shake shop lives -- lost power entirely. And if that weren't enough, the fire alarm spent a good chunk of the afternoon flashing and blaring "there is a fire in the building, evacuate immediately" on repeat. Not once. Multiple times. So to recap: no water park, no birthday shake, no hotel pool, no game room, and a fire alarm that cried wolf so often we genuinely weren't sure whether to panic or just keep walking. Happy birthday, kid. At least the parking lot was open.

Great kids playground. Tons of slides, swings, nooks & crannies for the kids to explore. Easy…read moreonsite parking & bathrooms as well.

This reminds me so much of the Floor Is Lava game and is such a fun place for kids and adults…read morealike! They have 3 rooms to choose from depending on the difficulty level and the number of people in each group. We opted for Blue's Arena, which is best suited for 2-4 first-time players. There's a small locker area where you can store your belongings during the game. The hour we booked for was divided into 2 sessions. Each session features a different game with about 10-12 levels each. If you fail a level, no worries because you can always repeat it. You can also take a short break in between the sessions, which we definitely did because it was quite a good workout session.

We loved it! It's in a weird location, but once you get inside it's all good and it's a lot of fun…read more They should tell you to come in short sleeves or tanks because we were definitely way too hot wearing sweaters and jumping around the way we did

We went to Mill Creek Park and decided to walk on the boardwalk over the marsh. It led past…read moreSecaucus High School and ended up at acorn Park. Super cute jungle animal themed Swings Two big enclosed tube slides Park is located behind some houses... I think there is construction being done around the park?

I would not recommend this place for several reasons. The owner lacks respect for customers, which…read moreis a major concern. Save your hard earned money and give it to business that actually cares about doing the right thing and makes children a priority. Significant improvements are necessary, or this business risks failing!!! There are much better children playgrounds in the Bergen/Passaic county area which will treat your family better!!! If you already paid, GOOD LUCK & pray it goes smoothly!!!!

Great facility for children 12 months to 6 years old. Owners are actively involved in managing…read more Friendly staff. Clean premises. My son had a great time playing and interacting with other children. Theme rooms inside for children to play in. Can purchase beverages and snacks .

My experience is always a 4/5 but the 3 stars are for the upkeep and supervision overall…read more Hot tubs - kids are allowed in with parental supervision but they are still meant to be a place for relaxation. Far too many patrons allowing their kids to swim around in the hot tubs with no oversight or correction from the employees. Slides - the shrek slides were amazing, the trip to get there, not so much. You're climbing 6 flights of stairs on concrete and although we wanted to do this slide multiple times. We stopped at 3 because the concrete was ripping our feet apart. If we came back swim shoes would absolutely be necessary. Walking in general - there was only one walking liner, roughly the width of a generic bathroom mat, to walk on around the park otherwise you're liable for a fall. My daughter fell twice so swim shoes are 100% in order. Lockers - at $20 a pop you'd think you'd get something spacious but no. In the summer it's not that big of a deal but mid winter it was a hassle cramming 3 coats in. Waze pool - where are the waves? We got a few here and there but I was expecting more for sure. At least a section of time where we got some fun waves but it was just sporadic.

We were probably the oldest people at the water park on the day we went. That's ok, it's taken me…read morethis long to even consider a water park. The last time I went to one was for my daughter's 10th birthday party and clearly I sat on the sidelines. But, I digress. The slides are so much fun, you guys! It's super cute too.