Overview

We travelled by train as by bus would involve a LOT of stairs from the bridge down or a long walk from park and ride. By train it's a short walk downhill all the way. No issue with uneven kerbs from the station, through the car park and down the flat path to the doors. The staff at the entrance know their stuff and are welcoming. All the staff throughout the venue are happy to help wherever they can, refreshing in an age of disconnected employees dreaming of their break! The venue is really accessible, right through to the seal pool which is outside and ramped with ridges in case of wet weather (I love when places think about the safety aspect of Scottish weather, this means it's always safe to go rather than a wheelchair user being left behind). The layout of the whole internal exhibit is clear and you can wander at your own pace and backtrack to repeat anything, I find there's always something I miss or want to see again so this works for me. The information about the creatures is easy to read and relevant. Tanks and such were not too high or too low to see what was going on. The handling tanks are up a small ramp but it's worth it to be able to touch starfish etc at times which are stated as you enter. The education room has talks and allows you to see other creatures up close and the staff made the effort to bring the creatures around so everyone could see rather than just those who could get to the front. The disabled toilet had enough room for my manual chair but I'm a little concerned about larger chair (I used to have bariatic, I'd have struggled with that) or powerchair (no turning space I feel) grab rails were there though for transferring. The cafe is accessible and tables not so close you have to make everyone play musical chairs to get in which is always a relief. The shop which is always where my kids make a bee line for also had enough space for me to get my chair round and the counter was low level so I could see the cashier and reach for myself. One of the things I was worried about was the moving walkway (which clearly states no buggies) my manual chair fit safely but again a powerchair may have struggled to get around the bends easily. I put my brakes on to go round and could use my phone to take pictures without having to focus on controlling the chair, being so close to sharks and rays is amazing and an experience worth the trip all on its own. We did the tunnel/walkway part twice on our trip as it's so good and saw different things each time. The whole attraction is low level lighting but the floor is smooth and solid which helps, in one part of the tunnel it's even darker which adds to the drama but is worth knowing. There are staff visible pretty much all the time which I find a relief rather than having to look for them if needed. Having put off going based on my own worry my family are already keen to add this to our regular visit list as we felt well looked after, valued and safe.

Transport & Parking

The car park has a row of disabled spaces and all access is level right into the venue. The car park is free for all. The train stops at North Queensferry and it's downhill all the way to Deep Sea World, on the return there's ramp access to the station beyond the stairs. If travelling by bus from either direction there's a lot of stairs (over 50) so it's better to go to park and ride in Inverkeithing and take a taxi from there

Access

Signage is pretty good from the Forth Bridge or from motorway south. There's no stairs within the venue at all, every exhibit is ramped continuously, so you can go up and down and explore as you choose. The creature info is at a good height to allow everyone to read as are the actual exhibits. The cafe, shop and education room are all accessible, as is the outdoor seal pool where the seals show you their skills and dive for fish.

Toilets

Loo could have been a lot better. Tight for a manual chair with limited room for a carer etc. Grab rails in place (the wall mounted ones which swing up and down). Took a little manoevering to get back out again, backwards and I caught my handles on the door frame as I did so.

Staff

The staff were all awesome and noone was patronising or crouched down to speak to me (pet hate). They were happy to help at every point and made the effort to ask if we needed anything which is always good. The animal handler brought the creatures to us so I could be involved rather than having to make a fuss to get through the other patrons. The staff by the rock pool/handling section also brought creatures over and asked if we could see properly before they started. It's clear they have had disability awareness training and have listened to it!

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Obviously there's nothing Deep Sea World can do about the number of stairs from the bridge down (I think there is a flatter way if you go up through the hotel but I'm not 100%). The path from the car park is split in 2 sections to limit running into people going the opposite direction which is useful but it's not signposted so it's still worth taking care. The seal enclosure fills up quickly when they are feeding them so it's worth going early so you can get full view (we didn't and I was looking through legs to start with). The moving walkway has a lip to get on or off so take care! The non moving part is right next to the moving part if that doesn't appeal to you and follows the same route so you can stop and take longer to look at the creatures and take photos etc at your own speed.

Photos