Atlantis with a 4yo and 6yo - questions

[ameliahyde]

We have not yet been to Atlantis, and I'm debating whether this very expensive option will be good for us. I feel like it is finally time to bite the bullet and go since it does seem to be "the place" in Nassau but it is so darn expensive.

So here are my questions. We have a 4 and 6 yo who are actually quite good swimmers for their ages. We swim a lot as a family and they are comfortable in water (but of course require constant supervision given their ages). I've read that many slides at Atlantis are for those over 48 inches tall, so we wont be going on those. Is there still a good amount of slides and water activities for smaller kids? Is the lazy river for any age?

I noticed that there were also pictures of the water "acquacycles" and kayaks online. Are those included with the Acquadventure packages with DCL?

How is the beach? I reach some reviews on cruise critic of guests mentioning drunk people on the beach. I know there are no guarantees, but if we are likely to encounter over-indulged adults on the trip to Atlantis, it would be a big turn off with our little ones along.

Overall, how do you rate the value of this for a family of four? We are a very active family, so we will be in the water the whole time and use everything that is age appropriate for us. However, do you think it is worth it for the one time splurge?

Lastly, how does this compare to a day at the Blue Lagoon? I know there is no water features there and just the beach, but does Blue Lagoon seem to be overall more enjoyable for those of you who have done both?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

We did Atlantis in October 2013, our girls were ages 13 and 9. I was able to use Choice Hotel points to book a room there for no dollars, just points, and the room included passes for our family of four to get into Atlantis. So, our family spent a small amount of money to take a taxi to and from the ship.

My honest answer is no, I do not think the price is worth it for your family. Our girls were old enough to go on everything. The lazy river has rapids in certain sections, so it isn't all that lazy and, frankly, I would be very worried about taking my 4 and 6 year old kids on it. The pools are nice for sure and I think you'd have fun at the pools. But do I think you'd have $600+ worth of fun at the pools. No I do not. I also was not impressed with the beach there. First of all, when we walked down toward the beach there were piles of loungers stacked up off to the sides. For some reason, that really turned me off. The water also had bits of debris floating in it. I didn't notice anyone drunk. Maybe we didn't walk far enough down to a good spot of the beach or whatever, but we quickly got out and didn't spend much time there. We have been to Hawaii many times so maybe I am "beach spoiled" not sure. Just didn't care for it.

Please feel free to ask me any further questions about Atlantis. I was glad we were able to go and see it and we had a fun day, but I am glad we didn't have to pay the Disney excursion price and I am glad we never booked Atlantis as a destination vacation because I thought we'd love it but we just didn't.

My favorite part of Atlantis was The Dig and seeing all the aquariums. Loved that part of it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[KristiMc]

I agree that I don't think it would be worth it for your kids. We went when my youngest was 8. He was a small 8 and was not able to go on many of the slides and it felt like a waste. Also agree about the "lazy" river. It is not lazy and actually flipped my sons tube over. Thankfully my husband was with him and was able to grab him. The lifeguards seem to be on Bahamian time and did not even notice.

 

[ameliahyde]

We did Atlantis in October 2013, our girls were ages 13 and 9. I was able to use Choice Hotel points to book a room there for no dollars, just points, and the room included passes for our family of four to get into Atlantis. So, our family spent a small amount of money to take a taxi to and from the ship.

My honest answer is no, I do not think the price is worth it for your family. Our girls were old enough to go on everything. The lazy river has rapids in certain sections, so it isn't all that lazy and, frankly, I would be very worried about taking my 4 and 6 year old kids on it. The pools are nice for sure and I think you'd have fun at the pools. But do I think you'd have $600+ worth of fun at the pools. No I do not. I also was not impressed with the beach there. First of all, when we walked down toward the beach there were piles of loungers stacked up off to the sides. For some reason, that really turned me off. The water also had bits of debris floating in it. I didn't notice anyone drunk. Maybe we didn't walk far enough down to a good spot of the beach or whatever, but we quickly got out and didn't spend much time there. We have been to Hawaii many times so maybe I am "beach spoiled" not sure. Just didn't care for it.

Please feel free to ask me any further questions about Atlantis. I was glad we were able to go and see it and we had a fun day, but I am glad we didn't have to pay the Disney excursion price and I am glad we never booked Atlantis as a destination vacation because I thought we'd love it but we just didn't.

My favorite part of Atlantis was The Dig and seeing all the aquariums. Loved that part of it.

Good luck with your decision.

I agree that I don't think it would be worth it for your kids. We went when my youngest was 8. He was a small 8 and was not able to go on many of the slides and it felt like a waste. Also agree about the "lazy" river. It is not lazy and actually flipped my sons tube over. Thankfully my husband was with him and was able to grab him. The lifeguards seem to be on Bahamian time and did not even notice.

Thank you both. I think the lazy river sounds a little scary, and the beaches seem less than ideal. We were in Turks and Caicos at the Beaches resort in April and truly spoiled by their amazing beach. I don't want to pay $600 for a subpar beaches and slides we can't ride.

Would going over to the resort to access the dig and walk around be worth it, or is the Blue Lagoon a better option.

I'm honestly feeling very disappointed with Nassau and wondering if we should just stay on the boat.

 

[RHSTigerMom]

Personally, I'd stay on the boat and let the kids ride the Aquaduck.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

I just got back from staying at The Cove at Atlantis for 4 days and I would not suggest paying the money for Disney's excursion nor the trouble of getting over there for such a short amount of time that you'll have. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved Atlantis but with a time constraint as well as the crowds that are ever present I feel like you would be extremely disappointed.

The lazy river is currently closed so I can comment on that but The Current which is like a lazy river on steroids was amazing. Even though I got pretty beat up in there (tore up my hand and elbow) after falling out of my tube. Other than that, I only went on one of the other slides located in the Power Tower and had to wait 30 minutes for it which was early on Friday. On Saturday, I wanted to go on the Leap of Faith so we got to the Aquaventure before it even opened and the line was already pretty bad.

So in conclusion, I wouldn't pay the $180 or whatever it is now for a day pass to Atlantis if you plan on going during a cruise. Otherwise, it's probably one of the most fun places I've ever been to and would rank it above my recent trip on the Disney Dream. Since I was just there, let me know if there's any other questions or concerns that I could help you out with.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Well, if you just got back from T&C Beaches, then I am almost certain you will not be enamoured with Atlantis. I know nothing about Blue Lagoon. I am thinking your cuties will have just as much fun staying onboard and enjoying all the ship has to offer. Given their ages, I would not think twice about missing Atlantis. And I certainly wouldn't leave the ship to just go walk around Atlantis and see The Dig. Trust me on this! Enjoy the magic of the Dream, you will not regret it!

 

[TOONTOWN]

We did Atlantis in October 2013, our girls were ages 13 and 9. I was able to use Choice Hotel points to book a room there for no dollars, just points, and the room included passes for our family of four to get into Atlantis. So, our family spent a small amount of money to take a taxi to and from the ship.

I have a 15 and 12 y/o that are DYING to go to Atlantis on the excursion. I've read about this hotel deal - so it does work ?? Do you take the taxi to the hotel "check in" then walk over to the Atlantis ? I'm sure even with the hotel booking($) its a great savings. Can you book a Dolphin swim while there?

 

[JTBE]

Our family (kids were 6 and 9) loved the beach at Nassau. It was so beautiful. We considered the Aqua adventure but felt that our youngest wouldn't enjoy it as much since he's not that strong of a swimmer so in the end cancelled out of any excursions and just went and enjoyed the beach. We are beach people and we live near both DC and Baltimore not near a beach. We enjoyed a couple hours at Cabbage beach which is near Atlantis but is a public beach then went back on the ship.

 

[mswhittaker]

We brought our 3 year old on the cruise last year and did the Atlantis Beach Day. While we had a great time, I probably wouldn't pay for it again, knowing how much their is to do on the boat. It was really nice to swim in the ocean along that beach, and I wanted to show my husband and son the aquariums at Atlantis (I'd been in college), but there's really not much to do for that age.

 

[spottycotty]

Our family (kids were 6 and 9) loved the beach at Nassau. It was so beautiful. We considered the Aqua adventure but felt that our youngest wouldn't enjoy it as much since he's not that strong of a swimmer so in the end cancelled out of any excursions and just went and enjoyed the beach. We are beach people and we live near both DC and Baltimore not near a beach. We enjoyed a couple hours at Cabbage beach which is near Atlantis but is a public beach then went back on the ship.

Sorry to jump in on this but can I ask how you got to this beach please? Did you feel safe?
We were thinking of just going to Atlamtis for a walkabout for 2/3 hours but maybe interested in the beach too/instead.
Thanks x

 

[JTBE]

Sorry to jump in on this but can I ask how you got to this beach please? Did you feel safe?
We were thinking of just going to Atlamtis for a walkabout for 2/3 hours but maybe interested in the beach too/instead.
Thanks x

We just grabbed a taxi -- more like a van. There were about 3 families in the same van, 2 from the Disney Cruise and 1 family from another cruise line. We paid $4.00 per person. The driver dropped us off across Atlantis and told us where the public beach was. However, we went into the Atlantis hotel and they directed us how to get to the public beach. From what I can recall, I think there were signs in the hotel directing you to the public beach. We felt very safe and never felt threatened. I think the only annyoing thing is that when you enter the public beach some people may try to rent you umbrellas, chairs, parasailing. If you just say upfront you're not interested and walk away they won't bother you. We were asked a couple of times and we said straight up we weren't interested. I think the only thing we did rent was an umbrella only b/c we wanted to have protection from the sun for our kids. The umbrella was maybe about 15 or 20-- about the same amount when we rent an umbrella at Bethany Beach. Then on our way back, we grabbed a taxi again. There are so many people from the various cruise ships looking for taxis to go to the beach on their own and back. We felt perfectly safe.

 

[hubbard53]

I had fun in the casino while my 4 yr old son and wife walked through the aquariums. I went to cash out my $600 in chips - I thought I was a big winner - until the guy in front of me cashed out his $17,000 in chips

Anyway, we did it once and decided we would never do it again. Just not worth it.

 

[spottycotty]

Cabbage beach looks gorgeous! I think we might try this for a coye of hours and save the money x
Thanks JTBE

 

[Toddymae]

If you want to do Atlantis there is an area for little kids. It's a very large pool area (with lifeguards) - I think the deepest is about 2 feet and shallow is ankle deep. There's a great climbing water thing (OMG what do you call it - senior moment) it has slides, rope climb and a very large bucket that dumps water every few minutes. There are places to get food and restrooms. We spent about 4 hours playing in the water and the kids 4, 7, and 9, didn't want to leave. Yes, it's an expensive excursion - we've do this area every time we go on the cruise (41 cruises to date). Just love it.