The African penguins are leaving The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk after
Jan. 2, but this holiday season offers a special last chance to personally and memorably say hi before the birds say goodbye.
On weekends from Thanksgiving through Christmas and then daily between Christmas and New Year’s, a limited number of Maritime Aquarium visitors can enjoy “All Access – Penguins,” a special backstage meet-and-greet. Winners will get close to the penguins, learn about their care and take home a keepsake limited-edition penguin footprint painting, a plush penguin from the gift shop and their commemorative “All Access” pass.
“All Access Penguins” tours will be held:
Nov. 26-28
Dec. 4-5
Dec. 11-12
Dec. 18-19
Dec. 26-Jan. 2
There are two ways to get the coveted “All Access Penguins” passes:
Win them. Each day of the tours, at noon & again at 3 p.m., a winning ticket will be drawn from the Aquarium general admission tickets sold in the previous few hours. The ticket number will be announced and posted in several locations in the Aquarium. Upon presentation of the winning ticket stub, all visitors of any age admitted to the Aquarium via that ticket purchase will start their penguin visit. (No purchase is necessary. The contest is not valid for group admissions.)
Refer back to this web site for contest details and rules, coming soon.
Buy them. For penguin fanatics who find a ticket drawing too risky, passes for 9 a.m. tours will be sold by advance telephone purchase only on a first-come, first-served basis. They’re $32.50 each and include Aquarium admission afterward. (Cost to Maritime Aquarium members is $22.50.) Each hour-long tour is limited to 12 people. For these purchased tours, children must be at least 7 years old; youth under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. For reservations, call, (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.
Visitors bearing “All Access – Penguins” passes will go backstage of the penguin exhibit to learn about African penguins and other species, about penguin care, the penguin exhibit’s special design and more. And of course the penguins will be right there through the “stage” door, to see and hear. (They bray like donkeys.)
As a special bonus, winners of the “All Access” drawings receive one free unique footprint painting, made with webbed-footed flair by the Aquarium’s penguins.
Of course, you don’t have to win or buy an ‘All Access’ pass to see the penguins one last time. They’ll be preening, swimming and cavorting in their exhibit daily through Jan. 2, free with general admission.
All Access Penguins Contest Rules:
Definitions:
1) “Maritime Aquarium” shall stand for The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Educational Corporation.
2) “Visitor” shall stand for any person with an admission ticket to any of the following venues of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc.: general aquarium admission, IMAX movie, Ride Film.
3) “Usher” is a person employed by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk to admit persons to Maritime Aquarium venues by verifying the visitor’s ticket and tearing a stub from that ticket.
4) “All Access Penguins experience” constitutes the “prize” for contest drawing winners and consists of a guided visit in working spaces of The Maritime Aquarium penguin exhibit. As presented for this contest it has no cash value, may not be transferred or assigned, and must be redeemed immediately.
Eligibility:
1) No purchase is necessary. See a Maritime Aquarium cashier for an entry form and directions on its use.
2) No cash value.
3) Must be present to win.
4) All Maritime Aquarium visitors on contest dates (see below) who submit their tickets to an usher within the contest time frame (see below) are automatically entered to win.
5) Open to the general public except for employees and volunteers of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and their immediate family members. The term “immediate family members” includes spouses, parents, siblings, grandparents, children, grandchildren and significant others.
Method:
1) Contest dates are: November 26, 27, 28, 2010; December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18,19, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 2010; January 1, 2, 2011.
2) Winners will be selected by a random drawing of all eligible ticket stubs. Odds of winning determined by number of stubs received.
3) Two drawings are conducted each contest day, on or about noon and 3 p.m.
4) Eligible ticket stubs constitute all Maritime Aquarium ticket stubs collected by Maritime Aquarium ushers. All ticket stubs collected between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and on or about 11:50 a.m. shall be entered into the Noon drawing. All Maritime Aquarium ticket stubs collected by Maritime Aquarium ushers from the hours of or on or about 11:50 a.m. until on or about 2:50 p.m. shall be entered into the 3:00 p.m. drawing. Visitors’ ticket stubs collected after the 3:00 p.m. drawing tickets are collected from the usher by the contest facilitator are not eligible for the drawing and are not carried over to any other contest day.
5) Potential contest winners are selected by Maritime Aquarium at its sole discretion.
6) Winners are determined by the transaction number on ticket stub drawn.
7) Winning transaction numbers shall be announced throughout Maritime Aquarium and printed on special notification boards throughout Maritime Aquarium.
8) Winners have one hour from when their ticket stub was drawn to present their matching ticket half. Winners shall report to the Information Desk. All prizes must be claimed in person at Maritime Aquarium at the address identified above by 1:00 p.m. for the noon drawing and by 4:00 p.m. for the 3:00 p.m. drawing on contest dates as stated above. After such time has elapsed the winner then loses all claims and rights to said prize. Unredeemed All Access Penguins experiences will not be awarded.
9) Redemption of the All Access Penguins experience commences immediately upon presentation and verification of a winning ticket stub.
10) By accepting the All Access Penguins experience, all participants agree that Maritime Aquarium, its members, directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives shall have no liability for any injury, misfortune or damage to either persons or property incurred by entering, participating in, winning or losing the All Access Penguins contest and/or by the use or non-use of any prize received in connection with this contest.
11) All entry blanks, forms, devices and materials gathered during the course of entry, as well as all information contained on or within, shall become the sole property of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc. to be used, disposed or destroyed in Maritime Aquarium’s sole discretion.
12) All winners and participants agree to give Maritime Aquarium and their licensees, affiliates, successors and assigns the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use, re-use, broadcast, or publish winners’ and participants’ name, city of residence, photo, video tape, film or any other likeness, including portraits and pictures, in whole or in part, and winners’ and participants’ voice or statements, for any reason Maritime Aquarium deems necessary, without compensation, unless prohibited by law, in perpetuity.
13) By participating in the contest, participants agree to be bound by the decisions of Maritime Aquarium personnel.
14) Maritime Aquarium will interpret these rules and resolve any disputes, conflicting claims or ambiguities concerning the rules or the contest and Maritime Aquarium’s decisions concerning such disputes shall be final. If the conduct or outcome of a contest is affected by human error, any mechanical malfunctions or failures of any kind, intentional interference or any event beyond the control of Maritime Aquarium, Maritime Aquarium reserves the right to terminate the contest, or make such other decisions regarding the administration or outcome as Maritime Aquarium deems appropriate. All decisions made by Maritime Aquarium are final. Maritime Aquarium may waive any of these rules in its sole discretion.
15) A winners list may be obtained five (5) days after the conclusion of the All Access Penguins contest, January 2, 2011, by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Maritime Aquarium at the address above. Please write “All Access Penguins Contest Winners” on the outside of the envelope.
