Atlantis....?

[paysensmom]

Have you been there? I keep seeing the ads on TV and looked into it a bit. Seems pricey. HAve you been? Discounts available? Anything you know would be wonderful!
Thanks so much

 

[tammymacb]

I'm not a super big fan of Nassau and would never take a full vacation there. But, my 14 YO daughter is also bugging to try Atlantis. We're doing an Eastern Caribbean cruise next spring break that will dock in Nassau. I plan on booking an overnight room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island as that will give us full use of Atlantis' amenities. And it will be much cheaper.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm not a super big fan of Nassau and would never take a full vacation there. But, my 14 YO daughter is also bugging to try Atlantis. We're doing an Eastern Caribbean cruise next spring break that will dock in Nassau. I plan on booking an overnight room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island as that will give us full use of Atlantis' amenities. And it will be much cheaper.

It might not be, especially around spring break. My friend tried to book a room 2 weeks from now, and CS was going to cost $500! You can get guaranteed day passes for only $10 over what they sell at Atlantis (good idea, because they do sell out, or not sell them to the public, as busy times). Google majestic tours.

We did CS, and saved money, but we were off-season, and I booked it way in advance.

 

[deezeealum]

we went last month for the first time. It was me, DH, and DD almost 6 yrs old. We did book the stay 3 nights get a 4th free and got a free buffet breakfast every morning. The breakfast would have run us $63 a morning!! we would have never done that if paying out of pocket. Thew breakfast buffet was fabulous. With everything from cereal to eggs benedict and made to oreder omelets etc. WE did do a later breakfast so that we would all split a combo lunch meal and added something to it. Almost all the pool cafes have combo deals for lunch which helped as well. WE stayed at the Beach Tower and had a great time. We did not do any of the signature restaurants that would have easily killed our $100/ day budget for food. We did really well with our budget and we were there for 5 nights and spent just under $600 for food. They are still advertising the stay 3 get a 4th free with a full breakfast buffet. WE did not venture off property and loved the hospitality of everyone we came in contact with.

 

[tammymacb]

It might not be, especially around spring break. My friend tried to book a room 2 weeks from now, and CS was going to cost $500! You can get guaranteed day passes for only $10 over what they sell at Atlantis (good idea, because they do sell out, or not sell them to the public, as busy times). Google majestic tours.

We did CS, and saved money, but we were off-season, and I booked it way in advance.

Thanks. I'll check it out. I don't usually travel over Spring Break because I hate the crowds, but with DD starting high school, it's our only option next year.

 

[casjen]

LOVE IT!!!! My DH and I went for a long weekend for our anniversary without the kids and I am itching to bring them back. We stayed at the Comfort Suites and it was fine. It is right nest to the Atlantis so it's an easy walk over. The pool and grounds and aquarium are amazing. We had a free continental breakfast at CS which was fine for us. We did the combo deals for lunch and went all out for our 2 dinners when we were there.

It is so beautiful and the water slides are so much fun and the lazy river is also great but it is not 100% lazy b/c there are rougher parts.

I want to go back!

 

[kathy87]

We were there last summer. It was me, my husband and my two boys 13 and 14 at the time. They were bored after 2 days Everything closes at 7pm even the pools. We did do the comedy show and a movie but after that there was nothing for them to do. They wouldn't go to Club Rush, they said if their friends were there it would be different. We stayed at the condos owned by Atlantis, Harborside resort that saved us some money but it was still very expensive to eat. A case of water at the grocery store was 12.00 A pizza was 32.00 just to give you an idea!! So I guess my point is that it all depends on your kids

 

[MAMA GRAVE]

I remember getting a slice of pizza and a Diet Coke and it was $10.00.

That was three years ago.

 

[TLuvsD]

You might check the Cruise Critic . com boards for Nassau, they often have information on Atlantis.

 

[nunzia]

I remember getting a slice of pizza and a Diet Coke and it was $10.00.

That was three years ago.

Wow..and people whine about Disney prices.....

 

[girli565]

I'm a FL resident and they usually run promotions because it's such a short flight from Ft. lauderdale/Miami. Even with those deals I find Atlantis expensive. We'd rather go on a cruise and go to several different islands. Nassau is not my favorite place, there are so many other caribbean islands that I think are nicer.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I generally agree with a PP's assessment of Nassau, but visiting Atlantis is not visiting Nassau. So please take cruiser opinions with a grain of salt. Their experience at Atlantis is more comparable to a day visitor to the Magic Kingdom, staying on international drive. Not a deluxe hotel visitor staying for several days and only visiting WDW...that's a more comparable visit to Atlantis. You'll see that I've been to Atlantis 9 time (timeshare there)....the first trip we visited Nassau to walk around. The other 8 trips we haven't left Paradise Island once (except on sailboats to snorkel a reef).

The best resource for Atlantis questions is the Bahamas-Paradise Island forum on TripAdvisor. But I'm also happy to help.

First, it's expensive....no two ways about it, but there are ways to save. Comfort Suites is a great budget option....free breakfast and decent room. Renting a unit from an owner at Harborside (the timeshare part) can be very reasonable (but you have to stay for a week then)

Food is expensive, but only slightly more than WDW prices.

Yes, the breakfast buffet is $23-$25 per adult. Chef Mickey's is $26.62.

Yes, the dinner buffets are $40-$50. Boma is $39.40.

Yes, lunch is expensive. Burger, fries and soda value meal is around $9. But at Cosmic Ray's, the burger and fries alone are $8.79.

I really love Atlantis...possibly more than WDW. Why? I can actually be relaxing. It gets very crowded during school vacation times, but there's always a quiet place you can find. And crowds there are not like Disney crowds. And there's always something else you can do there that isn't crowded...unlike the times I've been in the MK when the TTA has a line....and so does absolutely everything else.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

We were there last summer. It was me, my husband and my two boys 13 and 14 at the time. They were bored after 2 days Everything closes at 7pm even the pools. We did do the comedy show and a movie but after that there was nothing for them to do. They wouldn't go to Club Rush, they said if their friends were there it would be different. We stayed at the condos owned by Atlantis, Harborside resort that saved us some money but it was still very expensive to eat. A case of water at the grocery store was 12.00 A pizza was 32.00 just to give you an idea!! So I guess my point is that it all depends on your kids

I see this type of criticism occasionally on the Trip Advisor board. I'm guessing it mostly comes from Disney/Them Park fans.

Atlantis has three separate clubs for kids that operate into the evening. One for the younger kids, one for tweens, and one for older teens.

But the bottom line is nighttime activity is pretty low-key by design. Atlantis has a movie theater which is free. Bimini Road, a casual restaurant in the marina village usually has a live band out front. There's a comedy club. Several of the lobby bars will often have live music. And The Point restaurant, an outdoor place, has a musician on weekend nights.

There's no late-night swimming, go-karts, hula-contests, mini-golf, fireworks, Broadway revues, or bungee jumps. I have learned to take it for what it is and enjoy that nighttime is low-key.

Being a regular Disney visitor, I've come to really enjoy that the day ends after dinner at Atlantis....no lining up for two hours to get the right spot for a parade and fireworks, then an exhausted wait in a long line for a bus back to the hotel. Just a nice dinner, a leisurely walk with some ice cream in the marina village, maybe a walk on the beach and some cruising through the sea-life exhibits, and then bed. Then up early the next morning for fun in the sun. Personally, I throw a couple hours in the casino in there every few nights.

 

[jewlz]

Day passes to the Atlantis Water Park are not guaranteed. They cannot be purchased in advance and the are sold on a first come first served basis, only on the day you are there.

 

[jkcyoung]

Look on atlantis.com! I don't know how old your kids are, but they are having a deal with their dining plans that kids under 11 get free dining when the adults purchase the dining. Check it out, that could really save a lot of money. Also I would stay in the least expensive room available, it is the ammenities outside of sleeping that you are there for. My husband and I went a few years ago, and yes it was expensive, but it was AMAZING!!! It is one of 2 places that I have been (the other Hawaii) that I feel is worth splurging. I am dying to take my boys there when they get a little older. I really should start saving, but we keep going back to Disney

 

[collegejunkie]

we love atlantis! it's a self-contained water park and resort all in one. it doesn't feel crowded because so much is spread out and it's really just beautiful. there's a good choice of restaurants and activities. the island of nassau is nice as well, be sure to have dinner at the poop deck - it's delicious.

 

[Lily & Giny's Mom]

This week I saw a tv commercial advertising the Atlantis with a stay 4 nights get 1 free offer.