Atlantis Excursion Timeline

[justme0729]

I am considering doing a 3 or 4 night disney cruise primarily to check out Atlantis Aquaventure. It would be two adults (23) who enjoy water slides etc. Can someone give me a timeline of what they were able to accomplish during the excursion through Disney? (Something like as 10:00 transport, 10:30, get locker and tour, 11:00-1:00 big slides, 1:00-4:00 beach or the current). I'm wondering what we will have time to see?

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Your timeline sounds about right, depending on the hours that the ship is in port that day. If my primary objective was to experience Aquaventure, though, I'm not sure I'd go about it this way. Pretty much every cruise line that visits Nassau offers this same excursion, so if you're looking for transportation, there are cheaper ways than DCL! Also, guests at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island get full access to Atlantis. You could book a few nights there instead of taking a cruise or, if you want to go the cruise route, you can book one night there just for access to Atlantis while you're in port. DH and I did this a couple of years ago (there is a full play-by-play in the trip report in my signature), and we're about to do it again next week with our daughter. Depending on what time of year you go, it may not be much cheaper than the Aquaventure excursion through DCL since there are only 2 of you, but you can get there more quickly and avoid all of the herding by going on your own. Some people here have also reported that they've gotten a great rate for staying onsite at Atlantis. I don't remember the name of the specific hotel, but sometimes the prices there are comparable to what you can get at the Comfort Suites. Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

[poison ivy]

We were the first group off 8am way back in 2011 so use this as a rough guide since I'm sure the logistics of this excursion probably have changed.
Plus if you are an early excursion, things tend to run very quickly before the crowds emerge.

8:00-8:05 walked off the ship / thru customs / boarded shuttle bus. (really fast and efficient. we were one of the first groups off)
8:20 - dropped off at front entrance of Atlantis
8:20-8:40 - not knowing what we were doing, we stupidly waited with the group at the entrance for a guide to walk us over to Aquaventure. They took us thru the entire resort - casino;shopping; etc.. and finally outside past the Dig and half way around the pool area.
(I'm not sure if they still do this and didn't realize you can easily just breakaway and go straight to Aquaventure since we already had wristbands on from DCL.)

So that felt like a complete waste of time and the walk was pretty long. I kept thinking there must be a shortcut, but we had no idea where we were going.

By 8:50 am we found a great cushioned lounge area with umbrellas and small tables and settled in before the crowds arrived.

This was the last week in May. Not unbearably packed at all. We rode the slides and lazy river / walked over to the beach area to grab lunch around 11 / toured the Dig and hung out for about half the day. We were back at 1:30 believe it or not, mainly because I had my parents in tow who are in their 70's. But it was a great day and I could have easily stayed longer.

 

[justme0729]

Thanks! I would just stay a few nights there but we plan to be at WDW 5 nights before and don't really want to take another flight from MCO after flying 5 days before and then having to fly home after just 3-4 nights. It would just be a lot of flying :/ i will look into if CS is cheaper... So far when I compare it's not since we are only a party of two adults but maybe it's still worth it to get on our way over faster? Or do Disney excursions get to leave the ship earlier than other people?

 

[ShannonAbby]

My family and I went to aquaventure with the cruise, it was stressful! You meet for a briefing prior to leaving and we got separated (mind you this is when half the ship is leaving for excursions too) not enough time at all for the price we payed. Bahamas Day Pass picked up aquaventure, about $50 cheaper per adult and you can take a cab earlier that everyone on the DCL excursion. I have never used Bahamas day pass though

 

[poison ivy]

Thanks! I would just stay a few nights there but we plan to be at WDW 5 nights before and don't really want to take another flight from MCO after flying 5 days before and then having to fly home after just 3-4 nights. It would just be a lot of flying :/ i will look into if CS is cheaper... So far when I compare it's not since we are only a party of two adults but maybe it's still worth it to get on our way over faster? Or do Disney excursions get to leave the ship earlier than other people?

I don't remember if we were allowed off the ship first but it did seem that way since nobody was around us when we walked off.
You need to find out which deck and location (aft/forward/mid) the outside plank is for Nassau and simply line up there as early as you can. You will be let off as soon as the ship clears customs. Also make sure you use the correct elevator(s) to get to that lower deck. they don't all take you down to the lower decks. We learned this the hard way.

I have heard that if you are a small group (ie. 2 ad) you may be subjected to a share ride if you hop in a minivan cab and you'll sit and wait until it fills.

Hopefully others around you are headed to Atlantis (for whatever reason) and you will be on your way. Or look for a smaller vehicle.

 

[krisinparis]

We were in Nassau on New Year's this year. I booked a cabana/ Aqua Adventure combo since there were quite a few ships in port that day. Our meeting time was 9:30 and we were in our cabana by 10:30. Our friends booked the Aqua Adventure only and they also had a 9:30 meeting time. However, she said they didn't even leave the lounge until 10:30 and it was almost 11:30 before they actually made it to Atlantis and by that time they had a hard time finding open loungers. By around 1 Atlantis was packed--- no loungers, no tubes for the "crazy" river and really long lines.