Is Atlantis worth the money?

[BlueIvy]

I'm planning our Nassau day for our upcoming Carnival Cruise...I almost fainted at the excursion price for Atlantis! $165 per person!! Close to $200 for a waterpark?! Do they hand out diamond waterbottle ...included massages or something for this outrageous price? Correct me if I'm wrong...isn't this just a waterpark?

I can see spending close to $50 each to enter a waterpark but over $100 is ridiculous .

I checked out the comfort suites because you get access to atlantis with the room and with taxes/fees it was $397. That's still $100 each to visit the waterpark.

I wanted to do something different this trip. The last cruise we took we got off at nassau and we walked around ,did a little shopping and went back to the boat . It was pretty boring . I've seen the atlantis commercials and it looked gorgeous...I atleast would like to walk around the grounds (for free)

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[kymom99]

We went to Nassau last summer and it was not to exciting for us either. We walked around and went to the pirate museum. There was a man on our cruise who said he booked his own shore exursion with a hyatt hotel (I think it was hyatt). He just googled nassau excursions and found it. They got to spend the day using the facilities at the hotel and on the beach. It was a short walk from the pier. I don't know how much it was but he said it was reasonable. Not a waterpark, but sounded good anyway.

 

[Disney Dynamite]

When my husband and I took a Carnival cruise back in 2012, we booked an excursion for Atlantis that was just a tour of the grounds and aquariums. It was closer to $50/person. I'm glad we did that excursion, but I would also have a hard time paying $165/person for it. Parts of the resort are absolutely gorgeous, but overall, I would say it was a little underwhelming. (Maybe our expectations were just high, who knows.) Paying $8 for two bottles of water probably didn't help.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

I stayed at Atlantis a few years back for 5 nights. Yes it was nice and there was a lot to do. I would like to go back again and stay overnight.

If your family loves hanging out by the pool and everything they would probably like Atlantis. It is beautiful.

There is also the Dig which is a big aquarium, it is neat to see. I'm not sure if the rate includes the Dig or not.

I don't believe you are just able to walk around the Atlantis, I remember wearing wrist bands.

When we've ported in Nassau on a cruise, we have always done snorkel or scuba excursions. We have enjoyed those.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I think atlantis is worth it to stay there, but I wouldn't pay the cruise (or atlantis) prices for a day pass there. While the water park is fun, the river is not exactly lazy and can throw you about a bit and not something I'd do nonstop all day enough to get my $s worth.

It's funny I went a few years ago and never tumbled out of my tube once. Went back last year and toppled over just about everytime through the Rapids and we weren't the only ones! Not sure what changed or if I was lucky the first time lol!

The pools are nice but not worth that price.

If you're just there for the day and don't mind spending to eat off the ship, I highly recommend twin brothers in the fish fry. Amazing fresh fresh grouper and lobster!

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I agree with others that staying there for a vacation is worth it but $100 per person for the day? That's an awful lot of money for a small scale water park. It's a ton of fun and maybe worth it for $50-$75.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

We just did Atlantis for the day on our Disney cruise. We did the Dolphin encounter which was really neat. It was very expensive though. A lot of walking and a little rushed. Here is what we did there:

Lazy river...we loved it!
Dolphin encounter
Ate lunch
Pool and kids water section
A couple of the big slides

Didn't have time to see the aquarium. I think it would be awesome to stay there for several days though.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

We just did Atlantis for the day on our Disney cruise. We did the Dolphin encounter which was really neat. It was very expensive though. A lot of walking and a little rushed. Here is what we did there:

Lazy river...we loved it!
Dolphin encounter
Ate lunch
Pool and kids water section
A couple of the big slides

Didn't have time to see the aquarium. I think it would be awesome to stay there for several days though.

If you do a dolphin excursion there's one that's a bit cheaper than the one at Atlantis where you take a boat over to a private island - Dolphin Encounters is the name of it if you search it. It's still $115 and a $10 coupon on their Facebook page. It gets better reviews than the dolphins excursion at Atlantis.

 

[Darcy03231]

We walked through the free portions of Atlantis were underwhelmed.

We have a good friend who spent a week there with his three children. While they had a good time, he did say that he thought that overall it was really expensive for what they got.

We did the dolphin swim through Dolphin Encounters. It was definitely one of the best excursions we've ever done. Pricey, but worth it.

Another good option in Nassau is a snorkeling trip.

 

[Iowajes]

I've read on cruisecritic that you can book a room at the Comfort Inn for the day and you get a day pass for your family to Atlantis. Check into that (it may not still be valid.)

For our day in Nassau, we went on a great walk: to the Pirate Museum, to the Zoo, and back.

It was quite lovely.

Depending on the time of year you go, Nassau is about the same temperature as Florida- so for us in January, it was too cold to swim.

Check out CruiseCritic though- you might get some great recommendations for excursions.

 

[NinaBella]

When we went we booked the city tour that ended at Atlantis. Then we bought day passes for Atlantis. We walked through the aquarium and dig, then swam at their beach, rode some jet ski's, then took a taxi back to the port. I would not pay that price for their water park when you are on a time schedule and the beach is right there.

 

[rockawaybeachgirl]

I've read on cruisecritic that you can book a room at the Comfort Inn for the day and you get a day pass for your family to Atlantis. Check into that (it may not still be valid.)

For our day in Nassau, we went on a great walk: to the Pirate Museum, to the Zoo, and back.

It was quite lovely.

Depending on the time of year you go, Nassau is about the same temperature as Florida- so for us in January, it was too cold to swim.

Check out CruiseCritic though- you might get some great recommendations for excursions.

This is what I was going to suggest. Check the price for one night at either the Beach Tower section (cheapest accommodation at Atlantis) or the Comfort Suites. We've had friends do this and it was much, much cheaper than the excursion price. The Comfort Inn gives full access to everything at Atlantis. An added benefit would be having a place to store your stuff for the day, and possibly getting in a shower before heading back to the boat.

 

[Psychodisney]

We've walked around Atlantis but never paid to use the property. We have gone to the beach just south of Atlantis (Cabbage Beach). Rough surf but fun. Last week we took a cab over the the Melia(use to be the Sheraton) and paid for a day pass to use the pools and beach. $30/pp. We enjoyed the day and use of uncrowded pools and a nice beach.

 

[mjkacmom]

We've done it twice, and I think it's worth it if:

You can do it for around $100 pp (first time we went through CS, the next time through NCL for $99 pp - off season excursion pricing - CS was more expensive).

Your kids are tall enough for all of the slides.

It's not a crowded time at Atlantis.

Your ship is in port until at least 6.

It's not winter.

We go with a plan - drop our stuff on a chair before 9, enjoy the pools and smaller slides until 10, head over to the big slides/"lazy" river, when we get tired we head towards the beach (if it's rough, we keep heading left until we get to a calmer beach). When we are tired of the (beautiful) beach, we spend an hour or so at the aquarium.

We buy cold water from vendors right after we leave the ship for $1 each, eat a big breakfast before getting off the ship, and bring some pre-packaged snacks. We grab something to eat when we get back on the ship.

It's not like a water park - it's very unique, especially the river. We've also done the Hilton and Melia (formally Sheraton), and prefer Melia. The problem is, my kids are Jersey shore kids, and LOVE big waves, and aren't fond of the clear calm water at Cable Beach.

 

[EC0323]

When I was going to have a port at Nassau, some one on Cruise Critic mentioned buying a day pass stay from the Comfort Inn and Suites. You get the use of the room ( you can shower and change etc) plus all amenties of Atlantis. It was definitely way cheaper. You may want to look into doing that.

 

[EC0323]

Forgot to mention. It was sold out for us so we did Dolphin Cay. We did the dolphin experience and the lagoon playground. We really enjoyed the day there. They even have rows of hammocks in the shade to relax in. It was also cheaper than Atlantis. Some thing else to look into....

 

[mjkacmom]

When I was going to have a port at Nassau, some one on Cruise Critic mentioned buying a day pass stay from the Comfort Inn and Suites. You get the use of the room ( you can shower and change etc) plus all amenties of Atlantis. It was definitely way cheaper. You may want to look into doing that.

It's not a day pass - you are booking a regular room, and are subject to all of the taxes and fees. Sometimes, it saves money, especially if it's an off peak time, and you book way in advance. Like any hotel, the price fluctuates. However, if you arrive and it's raining, you can't cancel, even if the water park is closed (I think it's a 48 hour cancellation policy).

We checked the forecast before getting on our cruise when we booked through CS, and it worked fine. However, on our next cruise, the ship sponsored excursion was the cheapest option, and CS was only a little cheaper than buying directly from Atlantis.

 

[PrincessKymm]

I just spent 3 days at Atlantis (stayed after a work trip so total time there was a week) and I was not impressed. It was dirty. Staff was nice tho. As for the water park...I honestly wasn't that impressed. They have a handful of slides, a crazy river, a bunch of pools and a kids area for under 48"...and yeah everything else was closed. We thought kalahari was more fun and much cheaper. Everything is expensive at Atlantis. Our favorite part was the crazy river but it's not worth $100 a day.

 

[lauradis]

In one word NO

It screams american tourist trap to me.

 

[vandort]

We went snorkeling with Bahama Divers in Nassau. We had a really nice time. There is another hotel being built that may put some pressure on Atlantis to bring their prices to a more reasonable level. However, I don't know when the construction will be finished.