Is the Atlantis waterpark excursion worth the $$$

[stinksmom]

We are going on the Dream next month with 3 other families. One family booked a Dolphin excursion and another Atlantis. Most likely the 3rd family will also do Atlantis. Is it really worth the cost? It seems like a lot of money when you already pay so much to enjoy the cruise ship itself. DH and I have been to Atlantis (just walked the aquarium and grounds). I'm sure DD will love it and won't want to be left behind on the boat. Please convince me it's worth the money!!

Thank you!

 

[bobbiwoz]

There are people here who book the Comfort Suites and get to use all of the amenities at Atlantis for less money. You book a room, take a cab to the Comfort Suites, check in/check out, but get your wristbands and head over to the Atlantis to enjoy the day. Take a cab back to the ship.

We've not done it that way. DH doesn't feel comfortable and so, as the DGPs we booked the excursion through Disney for ouselves and DS's family. The DGC were 5, 6 and 7 and it was in November 2010. They still talk about the fun they had there, and definitely want to do it again in August. Disney's excursion price did include a lunch, which was nothing fancy, but would have cost about $30 per person.

I enjoy snorkeling, and have had fun doing that in Nassau, and so, DH and I will most likely do that and we will book Atlantis for the family.

Many people here talk about staying on the ship and Nassau and having a great time just doing that. I don't think you HAVE to go to Atlantis to have a good time in Nassau. It is a LOT of money!

 

[chateau]

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[miztressuz]

It's always going to be subjective. It depends on what you want to do there - for me the whole reason to go is the Aquaventure which is pricey. Since you've been before you know there's not much else other than the beach and the aquariums and casino. If that's all you want, I think the prices for those excursions were in line with cruiseship excursion prices.

Personally, I don't think it's worth the price Disney charges for the Aquaventure excursion... and I liked Aquaventure I really enjoyed myself. If you break it down I think the Atlantis pass by itself is $120 per adult and the DCL excursion gives you a meal voucher which is probably worth $20. And then the rest is transportation, 'tour guide', and a bit of profit (of course).

I thought the slides and tube rides were good and I loved the 'Current' (lazy river idea but not lazy - has rapids and wave machines and takes you straight into the tube ride tower). If you and DD enjoy the tall slides and fast tube rides then it's something to consider. But if it's just hanging around the pools, I wouldn't think it worth it. I did the excursion on our own which saved some money and made it more palatable.

It is an experience you won't get anywhere else. And I thought it was worth it just for that - once in a lifetime idea. But we have the opportunity to go again this year (another cruise line) and I think we may skip it since hubby is not as big a fan of the slides or tube rides (party pooper) and does not find the same enjoyment as I do. So since we can check it off the bucket list, we'll probably skip it. My BIL and his family also did the Aquaventure last year and all the kids thoroughly enjoyed it (from 7 through 13) as well as adults. So its a fun time if that's what you like.

I have no idea if that helps I'm not one to 'convince' anyone else to do something (even my own husband) but hopefully you have some direction.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Could you offer details about the Atlantis excursion as far as cost and included activities? Are you able to walk the grounds of Atlantis (including the aquarium) for free? I know they have a waterpark there but majority of our family is much too little and just seeing the fish in the aquarium may be best. Thanks in advance for any info!

I think there's a charge to see the aquarium, but I'm not sure.

It seems to me that there's a shore excursion called Discover Atlantis, and that's the guided tour of the aquarium.

 

[ImDMous]

We went a few years ago and did the Atlantis Beach Day, which was $95 a person. It included transportation, beach passes, lunch, admission to the aquariums, casino and The Dig. I think it's the same as Aquaventure without the water slides. We had a great time. We didn't go in the hotel to see the casino or shop but we really liked The Dig and have some great pictures from the aquariums. We figured one hundred dollars to check everything out was much cheaper than flying there on vacation some time and then being stuck if we didn't like it.

 

[wutnik]

We went to Atlantis earlier this month and my two cents is what Disney charges would not be worth it. Don't get me wrong, we loved the waterpark and had a fabulous day but for $465 for my family (3) is too much! That being said, we went it on our own by booking Comfort Suites using travel points from my credit card. Cabs came to $30 with tips. Drinks, eats & a locker were another $50. I have always wanted to go to Atlantis and really enjoyed it as I wasn't stressed about how much we spent. Part of why I choose the Bahamas cruise was to get the chance to go to Atlantis.
I highly recommend going the Comfort Suites route, it was a breeze and even their regular rates are a savings over what Disney charges. The other option, watch for sales from Atlantis too - recently Travelzoo was promoting $199 plus tax rooms at the Beach Tower.

 

[KBT35]

I decided to book through DCL Atlantis Aquaventure ($169pp). I looked into doing Comfort Suites but figured once I added taxi fare and lunch it would be a wash. Comfort Suites for my May cruise would cost $279. DCL $338 (transportation & lunch incld)

 

[pluto1979]

I personally do not think that it is anything great. I prefer to save my money for a wonderful spa treatment or even for a Cabana on CC. I did not think the quality is good enough for the price they charge.

Whatever you do, have a terrific time!

 

[remlap]

We did Atlantis via Comfort Suites. It was a great day. I still can't believe I paid that much for a waterpark, but it was fantastic. This was our exciting day, and the next day on CC was relax.
We were in the locker hut and a family arrived at the same time via Disney bus and we thought we paid hundreds less than they did.

 

[Alexander]

We've done Atlantis twice. The first time I booked on my own by getting a room at Atlantis and the second time I went with the DCL excursion because believe it or not, it was cheaper than getting a room even at the Comfort Suites.

1st Trip: Booked Atlantis for $99, took cab for about $15r/t and paid $16 for lunch. Late August, almost Labor Day weekend. There was DS and I. It was amazing, there were hardly any people there, we walked onto all of the slides. It was the most amazing time. We could not wait to take the rest of the family on our next cruise.

2nd Trip: Booked DCL Excursion almost $800 for 4 of us (3 adults even though DS was 10 and 1 child). Good Friday, 2 days before Easter. Transportation and lunch included. We met in one of the lounges where we checked in, then we were taken of the ship and handed over to the Atlantis people where we stood on the dock were given wristbands and lunch vouchers. Then walked over to the taxi/bus. When we arrived we headed off on our own not wanting to take the tour. There was not a chair or piece of ground to put ourselves on. The employees were extremely rude to the cruise guests, dumping their chairs and giving them to Atlantis guests. We rode the not-so-lazy river once and left. It was awful. I am positive it had everything to do with the resort being pretty much full to capacity and it being Easter weekend.

Would we go to Atlantis again? Yes depending on the time of year. In the spring, no. Around a holiday, no. Late summer or in the fall, yes.

 

[ramonazayer]

If you've never been there it's a great place to visit.

For a one-time visit, worry less about the cost and more about having a wonderful time your family.

Enjoy.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I decided to book through DCL Atlantis Aquaventure ($169pp). I looked into doing Comfort Suites but figured once I added taxi fare and lunch it would be a wash. Comfort Suites for my May cruise would cost $279. DCL $338 (transportation & lunch incld)

Yeah, we booked the Aquaventure for our May trip thru DCL also because CS wasn't going to be the bargain for us it has been for others. We are a family of 4: 2 adults & 2 teen boys, ages 14 & 16. CS was going to be $562.22 after calculating all their little fine-print fees and that doesn't include transportation. After transportation we're still pushing $600 and we still have to buy lunch. Going thru DCL is $676 and includes transportation and lunch. It's the easier thing to do. I already booked our excursion w/a 9:15 departure so we'll have plenty of time to get situated before the slides all open. I'm still going to keep an eye on CS in case they run some fabulous special between now & then but I don't expect it.

For us, the big $$ for Atlantis is okay because we love water parks. We aren't beach people so just going to a beach wouldn't do it for us. It's all in what your family likes. You know?

 

[mddisneyfamily]

We LOVE water-parks, but I don't think it's worth it to be honest. We did the Atlantis excursion 3 months ago and although the kids had a blast I think they would have had fun on the ship had we stayed there too. We were a group of 10 including 5 kids ages 2, 5, 9, 11, and 13. Like I said, it was a good time-- but for $1,600+??? My mom really wanted to go and since we were celebrating her birthday we decided to give it a try, but next time we'll find a cheaper alternative (comfort suites was booked so that wasn't an option- plus I'm sure we would have had to book at least 2-3 rooms to get enough passes).

 

[sherpasmom]

Just off the Dream and loved the Atlantis Dolphin excursion. My only issue is wanting/needing a locker for the whole stay not just while we did the Dolphins. We found our escort onto property very chatty/knowledgeable and he even helped us after he was finished with our group.

Atlantis Dolphin picture packages were to me below what I was expecting and they kept heaping on extras like a leather frame, an album and luggage tags (and we got one of the cheaper packages with a USB of all our pics)

I loved it and would do the excursion (or just a trip to Atlantis ) again!

 

[britfish]

glad to see all the pros and cons of doing this!

Is it feasable on any of the excursions to go back to the ship for lunch?

 

[miztressuz]

glad to see all the pros and cons of doing this!

Is it feasable on any of the excursions to go back to the ship for lunch?

in the world of anything's possible, yeah you could. but logistically it's not worth it eat at the ship and then return, so you would cut your day short.

from what i remember it's a 15-20 minute ride from the pier to the resort. the resort itself is huge so there is time walking from your excursion (waterpark, dolphins, beach) back to an entrance with taxis. then you have the cost of the taxi fare. its a better value to just eat at the resort if you can't avoid it. we took granola bars and bottles of water with us so i didn't buy any food there so i don't know the full cost but i have to imagine it'd be cheaper to snack there than head back to the ship.

 

[Victoria J]

Could you offer details about the Atlantis excursion as far as cost and included activities? Are you able to walk the grounds of Atlantis (including the aquarium) for free? I know they have a waterpark there but majority of our family is much too little and just seeing the fish in the aquarium may be best. Thanks in advance for any info!

About 3 years ago, we walked around the interior of the Atlantis resort. At that time there was an area where you could view a portion of the aquarium for free which I think would be more than sufficient for little kids. My sister and I explored the resort, but they had employees posted at all doors to the water park and exterior so we couldn't go outside. My Mom enjoyed the Casino free of charge other than her cost to gamble. We taxied there and back for about $4 per person (I think). It was a girls family trip so DH and DS stayed home, and I probably didn't pay as much attention to kid/family things as I normally would have. Hope that helps!

Can anyone give a comparison between the Atlantis waterpark and one of the larger resort waterparks located around the US (i.e. Kalahari, Great Wolf, Wilderness)? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wutnik]

For lunch, I got the idea from this board to order room service the night before and take it with you. We packed a cooler bag with sandwiches & chips and took it with us to Atlantis. Saved us a bit of $ and we still got a few treats there like beer, ice cream and conch fritters!

 

[mddisneyfamily]

For lunch, I got the idea from this board to order room service the night before and take it with you. We packed a cooler bag with sandwiches & chips and took it with us to Atlantis. Saved us a bit of $ and we still got a few treats there like beer, ice cream and conch fritters!

Ok, that's brilliant, especially since a hot dog Is probably fifteen bucks...