We did the same thing. We did Atlantis first. We did it on our own, too. We didn't do
DCL's excursion because I have read on these boards that you are rushed. Doing it on our own, we were able to leisurely stroll around the property and take it all in. WE LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know that most of you will think I am crazy, but HONESTLY this was my favorite part of our entire 4 day cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!! I liked Atlantis more than
Castaway Cay!!!!!!!!! Now, before you jump on me, I must admit that my family lived in Venezuela for a year and we visited true private Caribbean islands. Truly the boat took you out to these little islands and dropped you off. There was nothing.......no restrooms, no hotels, no snack stand, nothing......we had to bring our own ice chest with drinks and meals. We stretched our hammocks out between the coconut trees and relaxed. It was pure heaven!!!!!!!!!! (BTW, the name of the place is Morrocoy Venezuela in case anyone is interested. I can PM pictures too if you would like.) So since I have had this experience I did NOT consider Castaway Cay private at all. Yes, it was beautiful, but thousands of people hitting the same beach was a bit much for me. I preferred Atlantis. It was so beautiful!!! I told my DH that he has to take me there now!!!!
Anyway, we did Atlantis first, for a few hours. Then we went back to the boat for lunch so we didn't have to pay for it. (I have heard that food at Atlantis is expensive.) We let the kids stay on the ship at the club because they didn't want to shop downtown. DH and I then had a nice time shopping and we even took the carriage ride. To be honest, the shopping was nice, but not as great as Atlantis. We will do it again and skip the shopping. The next time we will spend all day at Atlantis. I would LOVE to see it at night.
I know that a lot of you will disagree with me. I know that others much prefer Castaway Cay. But since I have had a better Caribbean beach experience, Atlantis was the top of the list on our cruise experience!
