The aquarium as many people have said is rather disappointing, just a short tunnel you walk down with the sea creatures swimming around. The underwater zoo was of more interest and many 10-13 year old children seemed happy enough. I enjoyed the visitation of the Burj Kahlifa as i didn't want to leave the country without visiting its land mark but everything is super expensive! They took a picture of us there and the price was laughable, i swiftly declined. I would say the visitation of the building is not really for children unless they have an interest in such things, as mine were not really impressed and after all the qeueing all they wanted to do was sit down somewhere. Which made it seem a huge waste of money bringing them. They more enjoyed watching the dancing fountains outside the dubai mall (which is free!)

On arrival at the Burg Khalifa counter to exchange our voucher for tickets we were given the opportunity to upgrade to the 148th floor. We decided to do this. Only 20 of us in our group, you can stay all day if you wish. Therefore no crowds. We were also given Arabic tea and nibbles in the viewing lounge which is very nice. We were able to go outside on the viewing deck. We were also able to go down to the 124th and 125th floors. There was a haze so our photos aren’t fabulous. For me it was the experience of being so high up, such an amazing building. There aren’t a lot of tourists in Dubai in July. It really wasn’t necessary to buy tickets in advance but it doesn’t matter either way. I imagine it would be advisable during peak times. We had no problem finding where to exchange our vouchers.

The Burj Khalifa was on the list of Dubai must-do activities, but I only booked at the last minute. A recommendation from people met on a desert tour was "do the 148th floor". That was one of the best pieces of travel advice that I could have been given. It's not cheap, but the beat-the-queue process coupled with the calm and tranquility of the skylounge shifted the experience up more than just 23 floors. I was able to relax, drink coffee, view quietly, take as many photos as I wanted, and get real value from the time at the top. The one tip I would give to others: allow plenty of time on the way in and out. There are truly interesting displays at ground level, and they are easy to be rushed-through.

The price was definitely the deciding factor and it was well worth it. Easy to collect the tickets from the Burj and then for entry into the Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. Queues for the Burj were minimal (time of year perhaps?) - slightly longer for the Aquarium. The Aquarium was disappointing - just a tunnel. However, the Xoo was great although the crocodiles were fake and the penguins right at the end make you a little sad considering the limited space they had. We were Grandmother, Mother and Son aged 8 and had a great day so would recommend.

Tried to purchase ticket to level 124/5 at the desk and the lady sold us tickets to Level 148 at 555Aed about £125 p person was told this was not available. She was very rude as we requested a refund which she did and someone told us we could purchase the £35 ticket online. Lady at information desk connected us onto wifi and we paid £70 for 2 to 124 level queued and you should have seen her face this was all done in about 10 mins. The day was hazy and once up there it was worth it for £35 but not for £125 they prey on people being ignorant.