Has anyone been to Aquaventure before? I'm wondering if there are a lot of shaded places. We are in Nassau and the next day in
Castaway Cay. That's a lot of time in the direct sun. I may just take a cab over to Atlantis and purchase a day pass for the water park.
Here is the answer I got from the gal I was telling you about that just got back from aquaventure. Great information!
Hi Liz....
There is lots of shade around the Atlantis grounds...however most of the areas directly near the pools are in full sunlight. There are some lushly landscaped areas around, and as I recall quite a few chairs in partial shade near the Mayan Temple Pool....but in the area immediately surrounding Aquaventure (ie the Current and the Power Tower) is pretty much in direct sun. As I mentioned there were certainly ample chairs and it seemed plenty of umbrellas, however we weren't trying to get one so they may be harder to get than I implied. It may depend on how early you get out there and get set up.....If you can do it by 11 am you should be in good shape but we noticed a huge increase in population by the pools between appx 11 and noon.
As for the Current there is virtually *no* shade...there are little caves you go through but you are traveling pretty fast through those so it would be really hard to linger underneath. There is also shade in the first conveyor area, but again you are moving through, so not a lot of respite from the sun. The long conveyor up to the Power Tower (the one I have a picture of) I remember was *ridiculously* hot b/c you are pretty much out of the water for about the 20 minutes it takes to get through the bottleneck at the bottom and up to the entrance at the lower level of the PT. Once inside the PT you are in shade but we were only inside for about 5-8 mins before getting to the slide itself.
The reflection of sunlight off the water only intensifies the sun's rays, and it can get pretty darn hot, even while in the water. I would certainly recommend a fairly powerful (at least 30 SPF) waterproof sunscreen, and do not hesitate to reapply it after an hour or two. By the time you feel the sunburn on your skin, it is to late and you may be burned pretty bad. I had an OK tan when we went and still got a bit burnt, even though I used sunscreen. It was most uncomfortable the next day at CC, which is your exact concern. As nice as it is to brown up on vacation, it won't be worth the pain and suffering when you are trying to enjoy CC the next day (the ropes of the hammocks on burnt backs....owch! )
And it always bears repeating....hit the Mayan Temple slides first, those lines get so ridiculous by early afternoon, while the Power Tower lines seemed to stay steady (and fairly manageable) throughout the day.
Hope this helps you and have a fantastic cruise!!!
Let the packing begin! So excited, just think 1 week from today we'll be in beautiful Nassau soaking up the sun! 
