Room at Atlantis?

[cjsmith]

Based on this thead, I have booked a room at the Comfort Suites for our 7/23 cruise. My question is, can you get your pass (or whatever they issue you to gain access to the Atlantis) as soon as you get in (check-in isn't until 3:00)?

Also, I was considering the Day Pass idea and did some googling. One link brought me to a site with a phone number for Atlantis (242-363-2000). I called them to ask about the day pass and they said that they only offer them when there is availability and that the hotel is sold out for the rest of the month. So if you are considering this option, you might want to look into it further.

Just in case anyone is going to call, its' actually 242-363-3000. Just called and found out that though they are booked fairly solidly for the rest of July, there are still rooms available.

Not sure if I want to wing it or book at room at the Comfort suites like you did for our 7/23 cruise. We did the day room last time and it worked well. The problem with the Comfort Suites for us is that I can only book 4 to a room and we're 5 while in a day room we can have 5.

 

[JeffR]

Not sure if I want to wing it or book at room at the Comfort suites like you did for our 7/23 cruise. We did the day room last time and it worked well. The problem with the Comfort Suites for us is that I can only book 4 to a room and we're 5 while in a day room we can have 5.

Sounds like you're in a pickle. Book early and you only get four, wait for the day room and possibly get shut out. If it helps, the number for the Comfort Suites is (242) 363-3680. Maybe you can call about a fifth guest (you can usually get a rollaway).

 

[yogibigdog]

do you what the height requirement is for the slides? we are thinking of booking a cruise for 5/2007 and I would like to go there for the day. I'd hate to tell the kids they couldnt use the slides though.. thanks

From the website:

Guests must be at least 48 inches tall to ride the water slides.

For your own personal safety, please follow the complete set of rules posted at all pools, water slides, lagoons and beaches. Exercise caution when walking around pool decks as wet surfaces may be slippery. Please do not run. Beach, sand, and deck surfaces may be hot. Wearing shoes, sandals or "aqua socks" is strongly recommended, especially for children of all ages. Guests with visible injuries (i.e. casts, bandages, etc.) are not permitted to ride the slides. Please remove all jewelry, watches and eyewear before riding the slides. Do not place valuables in swimsuit pockets.

But the do have smaller slides in the Kiddie pool areas.
My kids were 4 and 6 last time I went too small for the big slides but had a blast in the lazy river, pools and small slides.

 

[yogibigdog]

JeffR - Thank you for the info and the number.

I called the number and spoke to someone at the front desk and asked about a "day room." I asked her if a room was available for my time of travel in September if I could get a day room for my family of 5. She said I would have to get 2 rooms. She also said there was a set price of $200, no matter what time of year. I feel like I'm talking to one of those WDW CMs who may or may not be "in the loop." I know that I've read of families of 5 getting one room, and I know I've read of lower rates for a day room. But based on that info and not wanting to risk it, I think I'll also book ahead at the Comfort Suites for my travel date ($120/room/night + tax and surcharges).

I know they let families of 5 get a day room a couple of years ago, but I don't think any DISER have gotten 5 wristbands in a long time. As far as I know and when I inquired when I was there last December they told me a family of 5 would need to get 2 rooms.

 

[cjsmith]

I just called both the toll free number and the hotel directly and they both told me that a day room is still available for up to 5 in a party so hopefully that is correct. I will let everyone know when we return if it worked.

 

[Luv2Travel]

I just called both the toll free number and the hotel directly and they both told me that a day room is still available for up to 5 in a party so hopefully that is correct. I will let everyone know when we return if it worked.

We're not getting the same answers from different customer service reps - does this remind us of another company we all know and love (that was started by a mouse)?

Thanks for the info, hope you have a wonderful cruise! And don't forget to update us when you get back.

 

[JeffR]

We just returned yesterday from the cruise and everything worked out great with booking a room at the Comfort Suites. We were given two passes (one for each adult) that we then took to the Atlantis where they issued our wristbands. They did not issue passes for the children and so as far as I could tell, you could have had as many children in your party get access to the property as you wanted.

But boy were they busy! Lines for the slides were very, very long and I spoke with one guest who said the Atlantis was 102% booked (so I guess they must have issued SOME day passes). But if I were to return and wanted to spend the day at Atlantis, I would do it exactly the same way.

Thanks for this GREAT tip!

 

[CinderellaIam]

Thanks for letting us know how it turned out! So glad you guys had a great time. We were debating doing this on our December cruise...and now you have convinced me!

 

[yogibigdog]

We were given two passes (one for each adult) that we then took to the Atlantis where they issued our wristbands. They did not issue passes for the children and so as far as I could tell, you could have had as many children in your party get access to the property as you wanted.

Thanks for this GREAT tip!

They must have changed this since this past December. We were give one pass for a party of 4. We took the pass over to the Atlantis and they match up the pass to number of people in your group.

Glad you had a great time. I have done this twice. Once in April it was packed and the lines were long. But in December it was great lines really short - we got a lot more done.

 

[cjsmith]

We also returned from the same cruise and also booked a room at the Comfort Suites. We were given 2 passes for the adults and then went over to the Atlantis. We had 2 adults and 3 teens and the Atlantis allowed us 5 wristbands.

It was crazy over at the Atlantis, so much more so than other times we've been there. There wasn't a lounge chair or seat to be had and you practically had to step over people. The lines to use the slides were at least 45 minutes to an hour long. Service was incredibly slow. While we somewhat enjoyed ourselves this time, all 5 of us wish we had actually stayed on the ship. We chose this as the kids wanted to do the slides again since swimming in a pool isn't a big deal for them, we have our own. The kids stood on line once and went down once and just couldn't see doing it again. At 2:00 in the afternoon they actually asked if we could go back to the ship and after lunch that basically what we ended up doing.

The good thing is we have always talked about going on vacation here and I now know that I have no desire to do it. The facilites are just not big enough to handle the amount of people who stay here and the Comfort Suites.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Thanks JeffR and cjsmith for reporting back to us!

cjsmith - when you booked at Comfort Suites, how many people did you book for the room? Did you only book 2 or 4? I guess there weren't any problems with the 5th person?

Also, how long of a walk is it from Comfort Suites to the Atlantis pools?

Did you take food with you from the ship or buy something there?

Sorry for all of the questions, just can't decide what to do. We are cruising in September and I'm hoping lines won't be so long at the slides.

 

[cjsmith]

Thanks JeffR and cjsmith for reporting back to us!

cjsmith - when you booked at Comfort Suites, how many people did you book for the room? Did you only book 2 or 4? I guess there weren't any problems with the 5th person?

Also, how long of a walk is it from Comfort Suites to the Atlantis pools?

Did you take food with you from the ship or buy something there?

Sorry for all of the questions, just can't decide what to do. We are cruising in September and I'm hoping lines won't be so long at the slides.

I booked on line and put 4 people since that's all it had as a choice. I figured that once we got there if they gave us a hard time I would just book another room. Comfort Suites must be used to this because they didnt seem to mind and knew once we arrived that we weren't even going to use the room at all. They ended up making $220 on us since we didn't use one thing on their property and never used the room.

The walk from the Comfort Suites was probably about 5 minutes. Go out the back stairs and cross the street. Make a right once you get on the other side and walk right up to the Atlantis. You basically walk straight through the casino area and we did the dig first. Once outside the dig we were right by the pool and then went and got our towels and wristbands by showing our ID. When we left we got a cab right in front of the Atlantis and actually paid the guy a couple of bucks to stop at the Comfort Suites so we could check out. We chose to leave the account open so we could charge back to the room. You can actually close it out and then just pay by credit card at the Atlantis.

We ate lunch at the Atlantis and didn't bring any food with us. We do wish we had brought water with us though. WE did end up buying a really large bottle of water at the bar for $7.00 and then got some glasses with ice. We ate lunch right by the pool. Food was just okay.

Sept is usually a quiter time so you should be fine.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Thanks so much for the quick and helpful reply.

 

[JeffR]

Our experience was very similar (long lines, a LOT of people, kids ready to return to ship relatively early). Another negative I would add would be the high cost of food. We had also considered staying here in the future but decided it would probably cost a fortune and so have decided against it.

With all these negatives, however, we still had a good time and was glad we did what we did. We rode all the slides, and except for the inner tube slide, the waits weren't as bad as they actually looked (the lines tended to merge along the way up and we simply "unmerged" them - because the life guards weren't doing it). After lunch we went to the other side of the property to ride the lazy river (and a smaller slide that the kids really liked), then toured the aquariums. And although it was crazy busy, we were able to find chairs (although as it turned out, we never really used them as we kept very active).

Would I do it again? I don't know. But I'm glad we did it for the experience.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Would I do it again? I don't know. But I'm glad we did it for the experience.

I have a feeling that this will be my sentiments too. But we do have to try it!
One more question for you both - what time did you make it to Atlantis? Meaning what time did you leave the boat, how long did it take to get a taxi and check in at Comfort Suites, and then make it to Atlantis? That was really more than one question - wasn't it? Thanks for all the info!

 

[JeffR]

I have a feeling that this will be my sentiments too. But we do have to try it!
One more question for you both - what time did you make it to Atlantis? Meaning what time did you leave the boat, how long did it take to get a taxi and check in at Comfort Suites, and then make it to Atlantis? That was really more than one question - wasn't it? Thanks for all the info!

From the time we left the boat (I don't remember the time - about 15 minutes after we were cleared), we waited maybe 5 minutes for the taxi to "fill up" (they were using a van and wanted it loaded before it left). It was less than a 10 minute drive to the island and the check-in process only took about 5 minutes. Another 5 minute walk to the resort, 5 more minutes to find a towel hut, and then a 5 minute wait in line for towels (a LOT of people). I think it's fair to say that we were "gettin wet" within an hour of leaving the ship. The return trip was quicker.

FWIW - I checked with the boys tonight (ages 10 & 12) and their consensus was that without the lines this is a must do, but if they knew the lines were going to be long they would prefer to stay on the ship. But I should also note that we live less than 10 minutes from a major amusement park and they are at a water park nearly every day during the summer. Lines are tougher to take when you live that close!

If you do go, you might want to wait till the day you were boarding to make reservations. If none were available, it's probably too busy to enjoy. I would also recommend following the tip that says order PBJ from room service the night before and bring that as your lunch. Also, bring water.

Enjoy your cruise.