Anyone ever go to "Atlantis"?

[kandb]

We are a family of 5 (2A, 10yr, 10yr, 4yr) and have been going to Disney yearly 8 years in a row. I think this year will be the first year we are not going to go. We are thinking of going to Busch Gardens/Water Country in VA the last week of August. We live in NJ. Now my husband said we should try the Atlantis. Has anyone ever gone? I have heard it is expensive. Can anyone tell me where I can research? Any info appreciated.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Just saw an ad on TV minutes ago:

"Starting at $130 per person per night". I assume that's off season.

 

[Lisa71]

Call your travel agent or visit AAA.. I have a friend who goes almost yearly and loves it. We went on a day pass from a cruise and it was nice. I did not think it was a week of a vacation nice but my friend does. They love it. She said her travel agent gets great deals too.

 

[TwinkleKS]

DH and I went in the prekids era, so it has been a few years.

If your kids love the water, you will be able to keep them entertained for a week ... if they don't, you probably wont.

We personally didn't care that much for the food options, but we probably should have been more adventurous and tried out more local places.

 

[sunshineNJ]

We are considering Atlantis also. If youn stay at Comfort suites which is within walking distance and very near either Coral or Beach Tower you get to use a EVERYTHING at Atlantis for free. You will save some money this way. CS gets good reviews AND it includes breakfast! Food at Atlantis is extremely expensive! There are poolside meals that are somewhat reasonable i've heard. There are places within walking distance that are more reasonable.

 

[brymolmom]

Second recommendation for Comfort Suites Paradise Island. Cheaper, full Atlantis access included and a basic breakfast too. We got a good deal on cheapcaribbean.com. Walk to Atlantis was about 3 minutes from property to property. We went to the water park every day...CS rooms have a frig so we made a grocery stop (be sure to clear this and get costs UPFRONT from cab driver) and ate breakfast at the hotel...Brought lunch and drinks to the pool daily (in a soft-sided cooler) and then ate out for dinner each night (averaged about $100 - $120 for family of 2 adults and 2 kids - places are expensive).

If you end up doing it - PM me. I have a great recommendation for a taxi service to use and a couple other tips!

One word of caution - the 4 year old might be too little for most of the stuff at the water park. The "lazy" river is not lazy at all but very wavy. I saw 3 people get hurt from getting thrown off their tubes. So be careful with the little one.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have a very good friend who took his 3 kids there for a school vacation. He said he spent $10k for the week by the time he was done with everything. I'm sure this was during prime season and that they stayed in the best rooms Atlantis has. He said they all had a great time, but it wasn't something he would do again.

 

[Happyjen27]

I went for a day while at port during a cruise. It was fun, but I can't imagine eeking a week of fun out of the place like I could for Disney.

I have heard about doing the Comfort Inn thing where you can pay much less and still use the water parks.

My best advice is to read Trip Advisor about people who have visited. Many refer to it as a big "money grab" type place where you spend way, way more than you intended or planned for.

 

[mjkacmom]

We've been there twice on cruise stops, and my sister went for a week with her family. In your case, I'd wait a few years, because the slides are a big draw, and your 4 year old will be too little (as a PP mentioned, the lazy river is far from lazy - I actually worried about my 10 year olds this past trip).

I think it's a great option, and we visited CS briefly, and it looks fine, and is just as close as some of the Atlantis properties. My kids love the water, so I know they'd enjoy it - airfare for 7 is just too pricey, so we will continue to visit on cruise ships.

 

[wiigirl]

We are considering Atlantis also. If youn stay at Comfort suites which is within walking distance and very near either Coral or Beach Tower you get to use a EVERYTHING at Atlantis for free. You will save some money this way. CS gets good reviews AND it includes breakfast! Food at Atlantis is extremely expensive! There are poolside meals that are somewhat reasonable i've heard. There are places within walking distance that are more reasonable.

 

[caselaw3]

following

 

[kandb]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I appreciate it. I checked the airfare and it is very expensive (approx. $575/person) plus we don't have any passports, so I believe that would add on another $500. When I added up just airfare/passports, it came to almost $3500. I think we would wait until the kids are older before we invest this much on a vacation. It would probably be in the $10K range.