REVIEW: Science Discovery Center: P160 Planetarium and Robot Zoo (P350 Value) from MetroDeal!

I have seen this NIDO Fortified Science Discovery Center before in SM Mall of Asia and was curious what's inside. I know it is educational and would be a good treat for my 7-year old niece, Xye, but I find that the rate is expensive. And so when I found this deal in MetroDeal, which includes Planetarium and Robot Zoo, I immediately bought vouchers for us. 

Reservation is not needed and voucher is valid everyday, Mondays to Sundays. We went there Saturday afternoon and headed to the NIDO Fortified Science Discovery Center located at the Ground Floor of SM MOA. There was an activity on-going. There were mascots and they were giving balloons to kids. Good timing for my niece. 


Planetarium

The voucher includes one planetarium show of our choice. There are 7 shows to choose from (40- to 50-minute duration) at specific screening time. I didn't have an idea on what the shows are so I just chose the next show screening which is "One World, One Sky". 

Even though it is a weekend, there were just a few people watching; not even a quarter of the seating capacity. One thing I noticed is that they do not clean the areas after each screening. So for our case, we've seen popcorns on the floor, cups or empty bottles on the sides of the seats. The seats were comfy, though, and designed so you can rest your neck as you'll be looking up throughout the show. 

I guess the show we've picked was not so suitable for us, too "shallow" maybe, that even my niece got bored. It was just like watching Sesame Street in a dome-3D theater. I guess younger kids may find it entertaining. But oh well, that is still a new experience for her. If ever we're going back, we'll definitely pick another show. 

If you're not availing the voucher, the actual entrance fee for the center plus one planetarium show is 330Php (300Php if you have SM Advantage Card). 150Php for additional planetarium show. You cannot view yet the galleries inside the center as they are still under renovation and will be open on September 19. Also, this voucher doesn't include gallery viewing. 


The Robot Zoo

It is called The Robot Zoo because you can find different huge robot animals. First is the chameleon in which you can control his eyes, tongue, body, and even the color. There's also the House Fly, Bat, Squid, Grasshopper, Platypus, Rhinoceros, and Giraffe. From here, you can learn how each animal uses their body parts. Camouflage like a chameleon, hang like a bat, see through the eyes of a fly, or crawl like a tortoise. There are also mini-games or activities for the young ones. 

I really find the Robot Zoo educational that even I learned new things about animals. Entrance fee is 200Php. 




Overall, I guess this voucher is a good buy for us. For just 160Php, we were able to experience Planetarium and Robot Zoo, which are both educational and enjoyable. 







NIDO Fortified Science Discovery Center
G/F Southside Entertainment Mall SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex Pasay City
+632 556-0331; +632 822-1565
Mondays to Sundays: 11:00 am to 8:00pm

Image from
MetroDeal