Is ATLANTIS beach FREE to public?

[Lilly's Dad]

So we take a taxi over to atlantis, if the beach outside it is free, how do we walk to it? (I'm not talking about going inside Atlantis property) But why pay for the disney beach excursion when you can dig on the beach for the $32/4people cab ride ? Is cab fare negotiable?

 

[hsteacher]

You cannot get onto the gounds of the Atlantis without the wristbands. Even if you just want to walk around and have no intention of swimming/using the beach, security there has been tightened since 9/11. You can get into the hotel itself and gamble, shop, walk around the hotel but you will not be able to get to the back side of the hotel that has the pools, grounds and beach/ocean. There are guards all around at those doors and entries. The cab fare wasn't negotiable when we went but you may have better luck -- always worth a try. On these boards I've heard everything is pretty negotiable over there. Good lukc and enjoy your cruise!

 

[cmitch9999]

The problem with taking a taxi to Atlantis and then trying to go to the beach is that the security at Atlantis has guards at every door accessing their waterpark/beach area..you can't get to the beach from inside Atlantis unless you are a guest. What we did was go to the public beach access, which is a path just past the Sheraton Resort (hotel to right of Atlantis complex) you go up this path to the beach, then head to the left and you can get to the Atlantis beach there. When we were there in 2001 we stayed on the Atlantis beach (even borrowed a couple lounges for the afternoon!) and then walked up the steps to the Atlantis waterpark areas...we walked thru out the grounds without any problems just taking photos. When we got to the outside entrance to the 'dig' aquarium we were asked for a room key..we didnt' have one so they directed us to the outside door to the casino..we could see the free aquariums etc. from the lobby area there. We then had the concierge at Atlantis arrange for a cab back to port. If you tell your taxi driver in Nassau that you want to go to the beach access on Paradise Island past the Sheraton resort, they will know where to take you. Should be $4-5pp each way.
Chris Mitchell

 

[Lilly's Dad]

I've read that via this PUBLIC beach you refer to is "seedy": in addition to tourists being a minority, your peacefullness is intruded apon by panhandlers/ scary salesmen. It would seem to me that accessing the beach via reliable venue (Sheraton) is safe...is this possible for a well-dressed family of 4? (then we could walk down to the Atlantis beach from there? BUT ...is the beach in front of Atlantis PUBLIC PROPERTY, or is it restricted (and guarded) for Atlantis-Comf Stes guests only?

 

[MarkRG]

When we were there in Feb of 2003 they had people at the top and bottom of the stairs to the beach checking for wristbands. The beach was also very empty so I would think they are blocking part of the beach for resort guests only.

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by Lilly's Dad
I've read that via this PUBLIC beach you refer to is "seedy": in addition to tourists being a minority, your peacefullness is intruded apon by panhandlers/ scary salesmen. It would seem to me that accessing the beach via reliable venue (Sheraton) is safe...is this possible for a well-dressed family of 4? (then we could walk down to the Atlantis beach from there? BUT ...is the beach in front of Atlantis PUBLIC PROPERTY, or is it restricted (and guarded) for Atlantis-Comf Stes guests only?

If you access the beach at the Atlantis, regardless where you access it, you will be harassed. All beaches in Nassau are public, so anyone has a right to be on them, just some access points are private. The beaches on this side of Paradise Island have VERY rough waters and are frequently closed to swimmers, only sun bathers allowed. If you truly want to deal with the locals harassing you, and trust me they will every minute or so, go to Cable Beach on Nassau. It is a "nicer" (relatively speaking though) and the waters are calmer. You will be harassed there also, the beaches in the Bahamas are crawling with them.

 

[Lilly's Dad]

as for overall appeal? Is it better to be in the sand in front of Atlantis, without going in Atlantis, or be in the sand at Cable beach,, also factoring in local yocals?

 

[eek40]

Cable beach is much better for family swimming if you are looking for a place to actually swim. It is very rough over by Atlantis. Cable beach is much calmer.
Aimee

 

[rundogrun]

Anybody know what cabfare is to Cable Beach. And is there a fee to use it?

Thanks!

 

[eek40]

Cable beach is free

 

[jeanie]

Hi,


I had posted to another thread that we had paid for the room at comfort suites back in 2002 but I wasn't really sure what I was getting for the money (i.e. pool access, beach access, Dig access)
It seemed to me that no one was checking bracelets or room keys.... We actually got lost in the hotel trying to get out to the pools and ran into some construction/remodeling. The workers helped us out to pools through some side door, so maybe this was an off day but the security wasn't all that tight.... This was Feb vacation so maybe they were still working out the security kinks after 9/11..

We did get kicked off the main beach because the surf was too rough. There were lots of hair braider and people selling stuff but they semed to be in only one area....

We headed to the beach further down the property....again no one checked bracelets....and this was great for the kids...it was protected by a jetty and it was beautiful!


I am not advocating cheating and I am glad to hear that other peoples experiences where not like ours.... I was upset that we had spent that much money when it seemed as if we didn't have to for what we ended up doing....

 

[debaudrn]

Hi
I was at Atlantis in Dec. 2002 for a seminar with DH and again in April 2003 for a family wedding. People were not allowed on the beach by going through the hotel without a wrist band. There were many locals offering hairbraiding, cover-ups, shell and bead necklaces and rum drinks in coconuts on the beach both times (4 day stays each visit). We found that if you said "No thank you" they would leave you alone. They did sometimes come back a couple of times we just didn't look up or said no thanks. Needless to say on our March cruise this year we are skipping the Atlantis excursion, we've been there already. I'll enjoy some quiet time on board.
Debbie

FYI
For those with kids there are 2 locations of a store in Nassau that sells tee shirts that look white with black outlined drawings on them (Look like coloring book pictures). When they are exposed to sunlight (ultaviolet) they turn colors! Then return to black and white when out of the sun. GREAT mementos of a trip. There are also necklaces and hair elastics. The store is Sol de ... (or something like that)

 

[Tluvs2talk]

We actually rented a room at Atlantis for the day and had people checking our wristbands left and right. It was still cheaper than the Disney excursion and this way we got full use of the pools. The place with t-shirts that change color in sunlight is Del Sol.


Teri

 

[Hygiene99]

We went and some how Ended up in the area that required admission .... we just kept walking around checking out stuff and before i knew it we were in with all the other folk ....

walked to the beach where Bil was doing his DCl excursion ..

did not want to run into him since they had paid for this excursion... we just checked it out since we did not have suits we could not use the stuff.. but it was nice to check out... and the took Water Taxi back to the ship i think it was $4.00 per person.... when we ledft walked past same guy that told us you need to have wrist band... lol