Welcome, Foolish Muggles! IoA/US/MK/SW *July 2013 Trip Report Link*

[JanetMom]

I'm looking forward to having a few minutes to write it!!! Working most of this week, for a change.

I hear ya on that! I can't believe how long it is taking me to write my trip report. Oh well, it makes the memories last that much longer.

We will be here waitinf for you, whenever you get to it.

 

[natebenma]

I hear ya on that! I can't believe how long it is taking me to write my trip report. Oh well, it makes the memories last that much longer.

We will be here waitinf for you, whenever you get to it.

And the time is now!

I had a hair appointment and while I was waiting for the color to take hold, I was able to put together an update!

 

[natebenma]

Unbelievably, I have completed 12 updates on Atlantis with no food porn.

Unacceptable!

The good news- I’m about to make up for that.

The bad news- there were a few meals where I didn’t take any pictures. Not because I didn’t want to. On this trip I was using two cameras that are fairly new to me. I didn’t have backup batteries for either camera. So when the battery died for the day, I couldn’t use the camera until I had charged the battery back in the room.

Here is the scoop on food on Paradise Island/Atlantis. It’s expensive. As we say here in Boston- wicked expensive! Even a trip to Quiznos was over $50 (4 subs, 3 drinks, 2 bags of chips).

There are things you can do to help with the cost- bring snack foods from home, make a grocery stop on your way to the resort. This actually works well at the Comfort Suites since there are large refrigerators in the room and a microwave in the breakfast area. You can eat over on the mainland at places like the Fish Fry or just over (well, under) the PI bridges.

But when we are on vacation, we are more interested in convenience than putting a lot of work into our meals. So we ate all of our meals in the vicinity of Atlantis.

One other note- a 15% gratuity is automatically added to all checks for meals including lunch, takeout subs, drink orders, etc. Don’t make the mistake of overtipping unless you receive fabulous service!

On our arrival night, after spending a couple of hours at the waterpark, we ate at Anthony’s Grill, which is a block or so away from the Comfort Suites.
Food was good, but the service was pretty slow and we were incredibly hungry!

CAESAR SALAD
Our version of the classic 13.00

CHICKEN PARMESAN
Boneless chicken breast baked with imported cheeses and basil in a pomodoro sauce with linguine

SEAFOOD BROCHETTE

Seared salmon, shrimp, grouper and scallops with a warm cherry tomato salad over orzo pasta 32.00

FILET MIGNON
8 oz filet grilled and topped with garlic herb butter 35.00

For drinks, the boys ordered virgin strawberry and guava daiquiris and I had an ice tea. Mark had water.

And the grand total… $136. 85


Johnny Rockets-

I’m not a big fan of this chain. We have been a couple of times on cruise ships (you pay a small surcharge to eat here) and we had one meal here on our last trip to the Bahamas. I find the menu confusing and I always feel like I have been misled or overcharged. I have taken to calling the restaurant “Johnny Ripoffs” and my family likes to tease me about eating here.

I decided to give it one more try on this trip, paying closer attention to the menu. And you know what? We had a pretty decent and enjoyable meal!

Grand Total… $86.42


When we visited Atlantis in 2009, we were on the meal plan and we ate breakfast and most of our dinners at The Marketplace, which is located in the Royal Towers:

Enjoy the Old World ambiance of this international marketplace, which serves regional fare at made-to-order food stations.

A bountiful breakfast buffet offers an array of morning favorites such as eggs any style, pastries, waffles, omelets and fresh fruit.

Dinner includes grilled burgers, stir-fry creations, oven-baked pizza, salads, seafood, pasta made to order, sushi, carved meats and irresistible desserts. Marketplace provides a bright, cheerful atmosphere with enough variety to satisfy everybody in your group.

This was a seriously extensive buffet and we were never bored with the choices offered.

The dessert offerings were insane! Little tarts, cakes, cookies, a Chocolate fountain, and several flavors of Ben & Jerry’s, including… Coconut 7 Layer Bar ice cream. Are you kidding me?!?

Price: $193.20 Are you kidding me?!?


I have pictures of this buffet from our previous tip, but unfortunately, this was one of meals were I was camera-less during this trip.


The Sea Grapes Buffet is located in the Beach Towers building, in fact, several floors below where our room was in 2009. I don’t think this was open in 2009, so this was the first time we ate here. This was another large buffet, not quite as plentiful as the Marketplace, but there was still a stir fry station, a make your own pasta area along with all of the other offerings.

I particularly liked the devilled crab served in the shell, a whole salted fish and made to order marinated conch. There was a woman who asked what you wanted in it and how spicy and she made me a huge bowl, which I shared with Mark.

This is another meal without cameras.

And a big price tag: $175.95


Lunch:

Atlantis has many stands selling lunch items throughout the waterpark- sandwiches, wraps, salads. The funny thing is that often purchasing a lunch special (sandwich, bag of chips, drink) is the same price and sometimes even LESS than ordering the sandwich by itself.

Here’s a menu with just the sandwiches:

Here is a menu showing the lunch specials-

Grilled cheese:

As far as vacation spots go, a $8-$11 complete lunch is pretty reasonable, but it is still between $40-$50 for a family of 4. Don’t forget the gratuity that is automatically added!


The day we were going on the afternoon tour of Nassau, we had a special lunch at the Lagoon Bar and Grill- This is a restaurant that is in the building with the Predator Tunnel:

Nate and Ben both ordered from the children’s menu-Cheese Pizza and Grilled Chicken Breast with Chips:

Mark and I ordered the Tuna Sandwich on Baguette and Mediterranean Veggie Panini and split the sandwiches:

Lunch Bill: $77.63


Now that we have experienced the sticker shock of dining in and around Atlantis, my next post will focus on happier things.


Next Up: The Dig Aquarium

 

[jenseib]

Holy Cow!!!! The food looks good...but not quite THAT good for the prices. i did know that Atlantis was expensive. 10 years ago we looked into a sandwich while were there, saw the price and said...ah we'll eat on the boat.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Food is so expensive! I mean WICKED expensive
I like Johnny Rockets. There's one near the boys' hockey rink- they always wanted to go after a game.

 

[MEK]

That looks like very average food for a very high price. Yes, I AM suffering from sticker shock!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

OMG Dee- I thought it was expensive to eat out here but that's crazy
Have to say I love the pic of you and your hubby You both have that sunkissed, relaxed look that only comes from vacationing with someone who's company you enjoy!
Not long until you are herding teens through Disney! Are you ready for it yet?
Oh and I told the 5yr old that Mickey was safe to which he replied "well thats a relief".He is the cutest wee lad

 

[HockeyMomR]

Dee - Wow, yes very expensive! The veggie panini looked yummy - thank for sharing the food port.

And your trip is coming up....do you have room for another chaperone? I desperately need a Disney fix. OK so I don't even live in the same state, but I would be an excellent tour guide and I have experience with teenage boys!

 

[Missyrose]

Food porn, yay!!!! Expensive food porn though. Eating at resorts like that can give you such sticker shock, it makes me long for the days of vacationing with my parents and they footed the bill!

Here's the thing about Johnny Rockets, I used to really like the place. But then the Redskins' evil dictator of an owner Daniel Snyder bought the chain and I refuse to give him any of my money, so I'm on a permanent boycott of Johnny Rockets.

 

[natebenma]

Sorry it has taken me so long on replies! Last week I worked 4 days which is very unusual for me and then I had a lot of work to do on the BC/YC FAQ board.

I also hope to get up an update with pictures from The Dig, but I have to admit, the task is daunting. I took a LOT of pictures so I will be trying really hard not to overwhelm everyone. I do have all of the pictures organized and categorized, which is good. And then I found another memory card! It was in Ben's camera but has some of my photos on it, too.

Holy Cow!!!! The food looks good...but not quite THAT good for the prices. i did know that Atlantis was expensive. 10 years ago we looked into a sandwich while were there, saw the price and said...ah we'll eat on the boat.

Good call on waiting until you got back to where the food was included!

Food is so expensive! I mean WICKED expensive
I like Johnny Rockets. There's one near the boys' hockey rink- they always wanted to go after a game.

In this post, I hoped to prepare anyone planning a future trip to Atlantis. The food can't be THAT expensive... Yes. Yes it can!!!

That looks like very average food for a very high price. Yes, I AM suffering from sticker shock!

Well, at least I shouldn't be going around Disney next week complaining "I can't believe how much that costs!"

Instead, I'll be saying "Do you know how much that would be at Atlantis?"

OMG Dee- I thought it was expensive to eat out here but that's crazy
Have to say I love the pic of you and your hubby You both have that sunkissed, relaxed look that only comes from vacationing with someone who's company you enjoy!
Not long until you are herding teens through Disney! Are you ready for it yet?
Oh and I told the 5yr old that Mickey was safe to which he replied "well thats a relief".He is the cutest wee lad

I like that picture of the two of us too! Thanks!

I am so glad your 5 year old is relived that Mickey is safe from Ben with a gun. Nobody else is safe, though!

Less than a week to go. Nate has to pack today- he needs to hand over his luggage for inspection tomorrow morning.

Dee - Wow, yes very expensive! The veggie panini looked yummy - thank for sharing the food port.

And your trip is coming up....do you have room for another chaperone? I desperately need a Disney fix. OK so I don't even live in the same state, but I would be an excellent tour guide and I have experience with teenage boys!

I would love to have you along!!! You and I could rock the World with those teens! We might have to think about changing our accomodations, though!

However, if I am reading the chaperone list correctly, my group has 14 boys and 6 chaperones. Not a bad adult-teen ratio.

Food porn, yay!!!! Expensive food porn though. Eating at resorts like that can give you such sticker shock, it makes me long for the days of vacationing with my parents and they footed the bill!

Here's the thing about Johnny Rockets, I used to really like the place. But then the Redskins' evil dictator of an owner Daniel Snyder bought the chain and I refuse to give him any of my money, so I'm on a permanent boycott of Johnny Rockets.

Yeah, more ammunition against Johnny Ripoffs!!!

.

 

[natebenma]

I lied. Ok, I’m copping out! Instead of taking you into The Dig (I am still not ready for that yet, organizationally speaking), we are going to do a little walking tour of the Atlantis resort. I promise that we will end in the lobby of The Royal Towers building, home of The Dig.

Here is our walk over from the Comfort Suites.

This picture is taken at the exit of Comfort Suites closest to Atlantis. The pink building in the center of the picture is part of Atlantis. I think it is about a 3-5 minute walk from here to one of the hallways into Atlantis.

Ahead, you can see the entrance to the building that takes you into the hallways of Atlantis

Here is a picture looking back- the pink building is the Comfort Suites.

One of the first things you encounter in the hallways is this crystal sculpture. We were passing by when a tour guide was explaining that the sculpture was valued at $1,000,000.

Next up is one of the resort’s most popular settings for photos. Poseidon’s Throne:

This one comes with a story. Nate gets very annoyed when I try to take his picture. I have to sneak some, and sometimes I will ask. I asked to take his picture on the chair. He scowled! Mark said “Could you just do what your mother asks?”

And he did.

These are across from the chair:

Next up is the Casino, featuring two crystal sculptures:


Temple of the Sun

Temple of the Moon

And, although you are not supposed to take pictures inside of casinos, I just couldn’t resist. Here is our friend from Expedition Everest.

These beautiful light fixtures are all through the hallways

From here, you can continue on to the lobby of the Royal Towers (we will do that soon) or you can pop outside to the grounds. Either path will be guarded by someone who will be checking whether you are wearing a wrist band or have a room key.

Here are a few outside shots:

In between the two towers of the building is the Bridge Suite. According to Forbes Magazine, this is the most expensive hotel room in the world, $25,000 a night.

The next updates will be the Royal Tower lobby and The Dig. Finally!

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[Queila]

that tuna sandwich looks so yummy! Fifty bucks for a trip to Quizznos is a crime. Don't you wish we could always be on the disney dining plan even when you are not at Disney?

Q

 

[JanetMom]

A walking tour - fun!

Love the pics of the boys on Poseiden's throne. We ask so little of our sons, the least they can do is pose for a not to be missed throne opportunity.

 

[jenseib]

Are you not allowed to go outside and take pictures without a room key or wristband? I am hoping to get some shots. I remember hearing about that suite too. I have pictures as well. I forget the price back then (about 9 years ago) but I think we were told about the same price. I remember thinking it was such an unreal price.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I love your pictures of Atlantis I actually took some similar pictures on my cruse on the Wonder 6 years ago this august.

Something else that people may find interesting the same arrest who did the above sculptures in glass did two in plastic for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder Chandlers in the main atrium.

The one on the Disney Wonder

and the one on the Disney Magic

 

[natebenma]

that tuna sandwich looks so yummy! Fifty bucks for a trip to Quizznos is a crime. Don't you wish we could always be on the disney dining plan even when you are not at Disney?

Q

The tuna was good, but not as good as the one at Columbia Harbor House.

Quiznos was our last meal at Atlantis. At that point, we were like "Fine, whatever, just take the credit card and do what you must!"

Atlantis does have a dining plan, it ain't cheap! We used it last time we stayed, but since we were at the Comfort Suites for this trip, we couldn't get it.

A walking tour - fun!

Love the pics of the boys on Poseiden's throne. We ask so little of our sons, the least they can do is pose for a not to be missed throne opportunity.

"Nate can't come to the phone right now. He's on the throne"

Are you not allowed to go outside and take pictures without a room key or wristband? I am hoping to get some shots. I remember hearing about that suite too. I have pictures as well. I forget the price back then (about 9 years ago) but I think we were told about the same price. I remember thinking it was such an unreal price.

I don't know how strict they are since we always had keys to show. You can definitely go through the hallways/Casino where all of the inside pictures are, but we were always asked for ID as we went from the Casino to the Royal Towers lobby.

I love your pictures of Atlantis I actually took some similar pictures on my cruse on the Wonder 6 years ago this august.

Something else that people may find interesting the same arrest who did the above sculptures in glass did two in plastic for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder Chandlers in the main atrium.

The one on the Disney Wonder

and the one on the Disney Magic

Thanks for sharing your photos. I have never been on a Disney cruise and I didn't know that Dale Chihuly, the artist who created them, has pieces on those ships. He also has some sculptures at the Bellagio in Vegas.

 

[natebenma]

As you enter the lobby of the Royal Towers, you get your first glimpse of the main tank of The Dig:

The Marine Habitat at Atlantis

Unlike any other place on earth, Atlantis is home to the world’s largest open-air marine habitat, second only to Mother Nature. The resort’s 97 acre waterscape comprises 20 million gallons of fresh and seawater. Fourteen exhibit lagoons contain more than 50,000 fascinating sea creatures representing over 250 species.


Inside The Dig, you will experience the wonders of a world lost in time. Wandering its ancient streets, you will see beautifully preserved Atlantean art and artifacts.​

I’ll cover (pun not intended) The Dig in two parts: The Main Tank (The Ruins Lagoon) and the other exhibits.


The stars of the show are Poseidon and Athena, the large manta rays. On our trip in 2009, the two rays were Achilles and Adonis, but we learned that when the mantas reach a 14 foot wing span, they become too large for the tank and must be returned to the wild.

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from the Main Tank:

Next up: The Rest of The Dig

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[jenseib]

I'm loving this!!!!!!

 

[natebenma]

I'm loving this!!!!!!

Thank you so much!!!

I'm going to try to finish this up before my trip next week. I like my loose ends all tied up and I want to come back fresh and ready to start a new DISNEY TR.

 

[DrMomof3]

I had heard that food at Atlantis was ridiculously expensive. And so it is.
The dig looks amazing so far!

Amanda