Nassau: Atlantis-Dolphin Cay - Junior Ultimate Trainer for a Day

[GrnMtnMan]

Just wanted to bring this new* activity to the attention to folks. Atlantis has started a new activity that might interest people with kids between 6 and 10. It’s a “Junior Ultimate Trainer for a Day” program. Here’s what’s listed on Atlantis’ website:

A CHILD’S ULTIMATE DAY OF EXCITEMENT & ADVENTURE

Children ages 6 – 10 can experience what it’s like to interact with exotic marine animals during Atlantis’ Junior Ultimate Trainer for a Day Program. It promises to be a fun filled, educational day with memories that will last for a lifetime. It is a 4 hour experience for young marine enthusiasts where kids get to experience first-hand the fascinating world of dolphin and sea lion trainers, and work alongside Aquarists feeding fish and sea turtles. This customized and thrilling experience brings your children behind the scenes to learn what it takes to care for over 50,000 sea animals. It’s the “ultimate” day of safe discovery and fun!

Limited to just 12 children (two groups of six), this exciting experience is for kids ages 6 – 10 and must be in good physical condition and does not mind getting wet. Children must wear appropriate swim trunks, t-shirt, personal lockers, beach towels and lunch with non-alcoholic refreshments are provided.

Key Features

• This interaction takes place in multiple areas of the resort and requires some walking and getting slightly wet.
• Limited to just 12 kids
• 4 hour experience which includes lunch with Atlantis Marine Mammal Specialists and Aquarists
• Daily from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM
• Feed fish, experience the fish hospital, care for turtles, meet dolphins, sea lions and birds
• Discover fun filled facts for an unforgettable learning experience
• Memorable moments throughout the day captured by our personal professional photographers all downloaded on a 1GB flash drive.

This activity currently looks to be under-priced (if a $250 activity for kids could sanely be called that) as it combines parts of $155 shallow water interaction, a $160 Sea Lion interaction, a $10 minimum lunch, pictures that start around $25 for just a single picture (and you get a flash drive of all the picture), and then throws in things that are not otherwise part of any other activity.

We just booked our daughter for our upcoming spring break visit to Atlantis. If its not part of Disney's excursion system yet, you can book it yourself on Atlantis' website.

*new to me at least, though it's listed as new in the Atlantis brochure I just got in the mail.

 

[iwannago2disney]

I was wondering if you did the junior trainer for a day at Atlantis or not? We were thinking about booking it for our two daughters at the end of the month. Thanks! Angel

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I was wondering if you did the junior trainer for a day at Atlantis or not? We were thinking about booking it for our two daughters at the end of the month. Thanks! Angel

at Atlantis as I write this: my daughter did it just a few days ago. They did all the things that were advertised. We got a flash drive with all the pictures. I'll post some when I get home.

She loved it and wants to do it again!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I'll post some when I get home.

Late, but as promised:

 

[Cadyrose]

Does there have to be a paying parent with the child?

 

[gadisfamily]

I have the same question as above. My daughter would love this but not sure I would be willing to let her do it without a parent.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Sorry I missed this...

Does there have to be a paying parent with the child?

no. This is an activity for kids, so you only have to pay for the participating child.

I have the same question as above. My daughter would love this but not sure I would be willing to let her do it without a parent.

the group is limited to 12, in two groups of six. Very well supervised. The kids are taken to parts of the facility where you can't follow.

Now if you won't let your child leave your direct sight, that's another story.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Sorry to bump up such an old thread, but does anyone know how much this activity costs now? We are headed to Atlantis and I think my 9 year-old would enjoy this. There is no pricing on the website though. Also, are there any discounts (AAA, Marriott Rewards Platinum, SPG Platinum, etc.) available on the activities?

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Sorry to bump up such an old thread, but does anyone know how much this activity costs now? We are headed to Atlantis and I think my 9 year-old would enjoy this. There is no pricing on the website though. Also, are there any discounts (AAA, Marriott Rewards Platinum, SPG Platinum, etc.) available on the activities?

If you go through the day booking process (http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/daybooking), you can get to activity prices. The Junior Ultimate Trainer for a Day is $292.60, tax included.

I've never seen activity discounts. The discounts Atlantis usually offers are room account credits or the like. they've occasionally included a shallow water dolphin encounter, but again, that was part of booking a room package and I haven't seen that offer in years.

And just for clarity, Atlantis is not a Marriott or Starwood branded/managed property. Though its included in Marriott's autograph collection, its an independent entity. The inclusion in the autograph program was win/won for Marriott and Atlantis: one got to offer a new interesting place to its members, and the other got a new avenue to market to customers.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

If you go through the day booking process (http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/daybooking), you can get to activity prices. The Junior Ultimate Trainer for a Day is $292.60, tax included.

I've never seen activity discounts. The discounts Atlantis usually offers are room account credits or the like. they've occasionally included a shallow water dolphin encounter, but again, that was part of booking a room package and I haven't seen that offer in years.

And just for clarity, Atlantis is not a Marriott or Starwood branded/managed property. Though its included in Marriott's autograph collection, its an independent entity. The inclusion in the autograph program was win/won for Marriott and Atlantis: one got to offer a new interesting place to its members, and the other got a new avenue to market to customers.

Holy smokes!! I guess we'll skip it. That's more than we paid for the Harborside unit for the week I actually thought Marriott owned Atlantis so thanks for the info.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Holy smokes!!

Well, it was $250 in 2014 when I posted this originally. And I think that was before tax, so not that much of an increase.

They might have only bumped the price $15 since then...sometime in the past few years the Bahamas replaced all of its various taxes with a single 7.5% VAT and Atlantis now lists many of its prices with VAT included.

How'd you get such a great Harborside deal?

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Well, it was $250 in 2014 when I posted this originally. And I think that was before tax, so not that much of an increase.

They might have only bumped the price $15 since then...sometime in the past few years the Bahamas replaced all of its various taxes with a single 7.5% VAT and Atlantis now lists many of its prices with VAT included.

How'd you get such a great Harborside deal?

I trade timeshares that I've picked up cheap or free over the years. This particular Harborside week showed up with a certificate Interval (timeshare trading company) deposited into my account for free. The price for using it was $274 for that 1 bedroom Harborside unit for the week. It's an off-season/shoulder-season week, so not prime time or anything, but still...that's cheap! In all my years of trading, I've never seen this resort show up on a certificate so inexpensively so I jumped at it! I think it's a one-off...I don't expect to ever find it this cheaply again so I'm pretty sure this trip is a one shot deal for us.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I trade timeshares that I've picked up cheap or free over the years. This particular Harborside week showed up with a certificate Interval (timeshare trading company) deposited into my account for free. The price for using it was $274 for that 1 bedroom Harborside unit for the week. It's an off-season/shoulder-season week, so not prime time or anything, but still...that's cheap! In all my years of trading, I've never seen this resort show up on a certificate so inexpensively so I jumped at it! I think it's a one-off...I don't expect to ever find it this cheaply again so I'm pretty sure this trip is a one shot deal for us.

Gotcha. Nice catch!

So you know how good a deal you got: a good summer or spring break week at Harborside rents for $3,000 or so from an owner for a one bedroom. You can rent the Harborside units for $600+ a night from Atlantis as a 'hotel room'. And annual dues on one bedrooms are $1,600.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Gotcha. Nice catch!

So you know how good a deal you got: a good summer or spring break week at Harborside rents for $3,000 or so from an owner for a one bedroom. You can rent the Harborside units for $600+ a night from Atlantis as a 'hotel room'. And annual dues on one bedrooms are $1,600.

The prices there are crazy! We have tried to go for years, but the prices scared us off and there just isn't much trade availability. Normally I'm not open to pulling my kids out of school, but this is the one exception I've ever made. I just couldn't pass it up!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

We should probably continue this discussion over on this thread, since we're veering away from cruise relevant issues: Tips for Doing Atlantis-Paradise Island for Less

The prices there are crazy! We have tried to go for years, but the prices scared us off and there just isn't much trade availability.

Atlantis prices are high, yes, but they include a lot. Unlike WDW, you don't also have a park ticket expense in addition to paying for a hotel room. From the thread I linked to above:

Your room pays for all the fun you really need. Unlike Disney or other theme parks, once you pay for your room, you *can be* done at Atlantis. Yes, there are excursions and dolphin experiences that cost extra....you don't have to do these to have a good time. I haven't been on an excursion in 10 years, and we've only done a dolphin experience once! And we go back annually and have enough fun that we want to go back again and again.

Plus there are lots of free activities: movie theater, trivia games, live music, touring the aquariums, and just a nice walk on the beach. Now people who need a snorkeling trip one day, jet skis the next, and a dolphin visit the next aren't going to find any place to vacation cheaply! ​