Atlantis??? What is it?

[spoiled_momma]

I have seen people talk about Atlantis. Just wondering what it is and where it is?

Thanks

[akid@hart]

It's a resort hotel... Here's a link to their web page:

http://www.atlantis.com/

[DVC California]

The Atlantis is a mega resort-casino located in Nassau's Paradise Island. It has been featured on television many times on Oprah, Regis and Kelly, and the Discovery Channel (as well as a Mary-Kate and Ashley video). It's best known as the hotel with the connecting "bridge" between the two main towers. That bridge is actually a penthouse suite which is valued at $25,000/night!

Besides the casino, there is a fantastic salt water aquarium, white sand beaches, pools, pools, and more pools, and several water slides. They even have their own lazy river inner tube ride!

It is a nice alternative to either staying on board or haggling at the straw market, with many cruisers making a full day of it. The Atlantis facilities are only available to their own guests ($300+/night) and to guests at the nearby Comfort Suites ($125-185/room depending on season).

We've done the latter and it turned out to be one of the highlight of our cruise.

Hope this helps, Steve :cool:

[disneyholic family]

Steve,
I don't know when you were there but i think the comfort suites rate has gone up...
we have a room reserved in two weeks and as i recall we're paying something like $240 (and i think that may be before taxes)...

spoiled momma, when you take a room at the comfort suites (which is right across the street from the atlantis) you can check in any time (though the room possibly won't be ready until the afternoon)....they give you a voucher to take across to the atlantis where you get wristbands (i think) so that you can use all of the facilities at the atlantis (which are quite extensive)....
none of the excursions from the ship include the pools/slides at the atlantis....since that's the only thing my kids were interested in, obviously a room at the comfort suites is the way to go...
some people never even go back to the comfort suites to actually use the room, while others do go back to shower before returning to the boat....
one more point, they have a height limit for the slides, so if you have little/short kids it probably isn't worth it for you to do it...

[Happy Birthday Cat]

disneyholic family,

At first I was thinking that the room price is too high for what you get but then I got thinking about how much it costs my family of 6 to go on the Blue Lagoon excursion plus the rental costs for the snorkle equipment. If I could keep DH away from the casino, it would probably be about the same cost.

Can a family of 6 reserve a room at Confort Suites?

HBC

[disneyholic family]

i'm trying to remember what the base room rate is....
you pay for the room, which includes two people....
then you pay an additional fee for each person over 2.....
but i can't recall how much it was....
we're a family of 4 (2 teens)....
i saw on a thread here once that for more than 4 or 5 people they had to get two rooms, but i don't know if that's true...
call the comfort suites directly in nassau and ask them...
the number is 1-242-363-3680

while you're at it you could call atlantis and ask what their cheapest rate is for 6 people...
their number is 1-888-528-7155 or 1-242- 363-3000 (i called the second number as i'm overseas, but i guess the first one is toll free)

you can also check both of their websites for information....(but i find talking to a human being easier)..

[DVC California]

disneyholic family -

We were there July, 2001 on a Wonder Cruise and did the infamous "$100 day rate" through the manager (no longer offered.

You might want to check out the Comfort Suites website for a better rate. I just ran Mon 7/01, and the AAA rate for a King room, 2 adultsw/2 children, is $166.50. This is before taxes but it still might save you enough to pay for the cab ride to and from.

Steve

[disneyholic family]

that's for children....but ours are teens, which cost extra....
(they're charged like adults......not free in the room as chldren are)....

[DVC California]

From Comfort Suites website:

Kids Stay Free Policy
Children 18 and younger (age may vary, please check "Hotel Alert" on the "Hotel Information" page to confirm age) stay free when they share the same room as their parents or grandparents when no additional bedding is required. When only one parent or grandparent shares the room, a single room rate is charged and kids stay free.

NOTE: Ages, discount and amenities may vary outside of the United States of America. Call one of our Reservations Centers for details.

Even though the Bahamas may fall outside Comfort's US area, they may still honor the discount. It's worth $80 bucks to call an 800 number to check (IMHO).

Steve

[disneyholic family]

Steve,
they specifically asked for the ages of the kids...and explained that my kids are above the age limit (i don't recall what it was....but mine are 15 and 17 and they were above it)....
and my kids look VERY old....my son, the 15 year old looks in his 20s, and my daughter at least 19 or 20......(they're not just very tall, they also have very grown up faces)...
there's no way i could attempt to pass either one off as younger than 15......
yes $80 is a lot of money, but that's the rate for us.......my son has been looking forward to atlantis since we found their website a few months ago.....i'm not about to disappoint him to save $80....
and even with the 80 it was still a LOT cheaper than even the cheapest rate at the atlantis itself.....

[qsdaddy]

Anyone that has gambled in a casino anywhere in the world try calling casino marketing at the Atlantis. I cruised last September, and I called and got a rate of $60 for the day (Royal Tower), casino rate. The only questions they asked me is where I have gambled in the past. I told them several names of Las Vegas hotels. The names I gave them were true but they didn't verify, becuase they gave me the rate before we hung up the phone.

[disneyholic family]

but you went in september....was it post 9-11?...
i would assume that at that time many hotels everywhere more or less paid people to come.....

in any case, i don't intend to gamble, just use the swimming pools.....i wouldn't know a blackjack table from a baccarat one....best to stick with what i have...

[qsdaddy]

It was post 9-11 (9-24) but the reservation was made in July. I didn't gamble while I was there but the rate was locked in. I was just giving people that gamble an idea.

[disneyholic family]

and it's an excellent suggestion for gamblers....i never would have thought of it...

[DVC California]

From the Comfort Suites Paradise Island (http://www2.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfoGeneral?sid=VwGjg.2Ij6$F6PN.2&hotel=BS003) website:

... Children 15 and under stay free if sharing room with parents or grandparents, when no additional bedding is required. Senior Age 60 or older. All guests 16 and older will be charged a $6.50 per day housekeeping gratuity and energy surcharge. Children 12-15 are charged only a $3.50 per day housekeeping gratuity. These fees are in addition to sales tax...

$166.50 Internet rate for 2 adults + 2 children
$ 19.98 12% hotel tax
$ 26.00 Guest surcharge (4 x $6.50)

$212.48 Total for 4 "Adults"

I checked this rate for most Mondays and Fridays in July, when the Wonder docks in Nassau. I'm not posting to argue with you disneyholic, but there may be others for whom the the extra $40-80 dollars will be the difference in whether they visit Atlantis or not.

Steve

[disneyholic family]

thanks Steve....
it's possible that only my daughter is extra...i made the reservations quite some time ago so i don't remember...
and it's also possible that the rate came down as the date got closer....
i have reservations for las vegas for the end of july....
i made those reservations months ago as well....since that time i've gotten email offers that were 50% lower....i just got an offer of $99/night for the venetian for the same period we're staying in LV (not at the venetian.....my kids wanted a better pool than that.....i still haven't decided which hotel we'll stay in.....i have reservations at the mirage and mandalay bay....i've never been in LV so i don't know which one to pick)....but the point is, that $99/night rate for the venetian is very very low.....they're offering it now because they haven't filled the hotel for those dates...

in any case thanks for the information.....i'll see if i can get them to reduce the rate when i check in.....sometimes they agree to do that...or maybe i'll call them later to day and see what they say...
i happened to call the MGM grand the other day to cancel our reservations there.....and something happened that never happened to me before...he asked me why and i said we were staying in a different hotel....he asked what the rate is so that they might make a competitive offer......i was stunned.......that's never happened to me with a hotel before....but i told him we were staying in a different hotel because i was able to get the room i wanted (that wasn't true...it was because i'd heard better things about the mirage and mandalay bay.....but i didn't want to insult him....)

anyway...thanks again for the info...

[DVC California]

Hi Disneyholic Family -

We are also going to Las Vegas but in August. We have the MGM booked at $85/night but were thinking of switching to the Rio, which are semi-suites, for $69 special. The Rio is off the strip but we'll have a rental car to get around.

Mandalay Bay is at the very south end of the strip, next to the Luxor (Egyptian theme) and the Excalibur (King Arthur/ Camelot theme). It has a 1.5 million gallon wave pool, a sand "beach", and a lazy river. If your kids want to stay wet, this is the place.

Other great pools to consider are at the the Hard Rock Hotel and the MGM.

Have a great time! Steve

[disneyholic family]

well since we're on las vegas, what do you think of the mirage?...
i thought the central location would be nice.....and it supposedly has a nice pool as well....

i heard that the MGM has a nice pool but it's sooooooooo huge that it can be overwhelming...i mean with so many people there...

this is our first trip to LV and we're all really excited....i've only heard good things...unfortunately we won't have time to do any nature exploring....hikes and the like...maybe next time...

[qsdaddy]

I live in Las Vegas and can tell you that both the Mirage and Mandalay Bay are very nice and have excellent pools. Mandalay Bay has the wave pool and lazy river and just an overall bigger pool area.

[disneyholic family]

thanks for the info.....
i was more impressed with the mirage's reservations staff...
the people at mandalay bay were just this side of idiots....so it makes me wonder whether the rest of the staff is equally challenged...
i guess it's a dumb reason, but as a result i'm leaning towards the mirage....i already have reservations for 4 shows: mystere, o, efx, and blue man group.....so our evenings are taken care of..
oh...and i want to also take the kids to see that jousting dinner thing....it sounds sort of silly but i bet we'll love it....
during the day we plan on making the rounds of all the hotels....
i'm sorry we won't be getting out to the red canyon...that's not the name....what's it called?....or the grand canyon....but i suspect it's just too hot in the summer to do any of that...

as for gambling...well....i'll do a wee bit...but since the kids are too young, we'll just do a bit for fun and that's it...

[DVC California]

The Mirage is a fantastic resort and has a great location. Ride the tram next door to Treasure Island and watch Mystere and the Pirate Ship Battle. People mover the other way to Ceasar's and the Forum Shops. Cross the street to the Venetian and the Canal Rides. Hop, skip and a jump to Harrahs, the Flamingo, Bally's, the Paris and f course...the Bellagio.

Not that the Mirage doesn't have it's share of glitz, it started it all off with it's Pina Colada scented volcano and white tigers!

The last time I stayed there, it was still run by Steve Wynn, and he ran tight ship. It is now owned by the MGM group, who also run New York, New York, the Bellagio, Treasure Island, and the Golden Nugget downtown.

Mandalay Bay is run by the same group as the Luxor, Excalibur and Circus-Circus. So I'm not too terribly surprised by your telephone assesment.

Wherever you stay, you will have a fantastic time in this "Disneyland" for Adults. And you don't have to drop a nickel doing it either...there is plenty of excitement for the non or "wee bit" gamblers.

Enjoy, Steve

[disneyholic family]

Steve i just noticed that you'll be at the beach club villas on july 2....
have a great time!!!...
we'll be at the grand floridian from july 1 (before the cruise) then at various hotels in WDW after the cruise, (including the yacht club)....
didn't the beach club villas just open?..
i'm sure they're great (at the very least they'll be immaculately clean)....
if you're still around during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of july, we may bump into each other at the pool....
we're at WDW until july 21.....a shorter stay than our usual, given the cruise in the middle of it...
anyway..

have a spectacular time and enjoy the new villas!!....
oh..
interesting what you said about the bellagio being in the mirage group of hotels...
the reservations person i spoke with there had to be the most intelligent and helpful of the entire bunch....
i was sorry i couldn't stay there after speaking with him, but i realized the pool just wouldn't be up to snuff in my kids book....

anyway...
i'd better sign off and go pack....(finallly)

[mommysharon]

Me and my husband are going in september for a PBA convention. (My husband is a police officer) we are there for a week. Does everything cost. We have a package with our food. But I was wondering about everything eles. (pools, water stuff, slides ect..)

Thanks:earsgirl: