Anyone been to Atlantis?

[DisneyPrincess21]

I am planning my first upcoming cruise to Nassau for september, and i was thinking about maybe going to Atlantis. I have always wanted to go there, and it seems like it would be a shame to go all the way to the Bahama's and not see something that is right there that i have always wanted to see.

What kind of stuff is there to do at Atlantis? How do you get there? What is the best/safiest mode of transportation to get there? Is it expensive to take a taxi there? Does DCL offer excursions to Atlantis?

[caryrae]

You can look here to see a few Atlantis excursions. Just click on Nassau, Bahamas on left side. You can go to the Atlantis website to see what there is to do there. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cr...rsions/search/

[TammiMcMan]

You have a lot of options for Atlantis. First, are the excursions offered by DCL. Second, you can visit certain areas of the resort on your own, but keep in mind, that many spots are off limits unless you are an Atlantis resort guest.

On your own, a taxi is the quickest and most direct. When you disembark the ship, walk towards the Welcome Center, go through and there are taxi's all lined up. I think it averages about $25, but they'll drop you at the entrance. Least expensive is the water taxi option. These are on the right hand side after you exit the Welcome Center. It's only $4, but the drop off is a 10 minute walk to the Atlantis.

On your own, you can visit the shops, gamble, have a meal or purchase entry into the aquarium. The beach and pool area would be off limits. If you're interested in the beach and/or pool, but don't want to do the DCL excursion, you can look into booking a day room at either the Atlantis or next door at the Comfort Suites. Usually, you can get a good rate at the Comfort Suites and it includes 4 wristbands, which gain you access to the beach and pool all day.

[scootch713]

We rented a room at the Comfort Suites. Cost about $210 with all the taxes and fees, but much less expensive than the disney cruise excursion. We took a taxi with a group of people I met online over, it is a flat rate of $4 per person(just be sure to double check before you get in the car ) It is about a 3-5 min walk to get to Atlantis from there, you take your room key to the towel hut and they give you the wristbands. Most people just checkin and check out at the same time.... they know what you are doing, people do it every day... they dont' care.. you don't cost them anything..... this way you dont' have to go back there when you are done, just take a taxi back from the front of Atlantis. The Dig(aquarium), all the pools and the beach are included. We LOVED our day there and will go again on our next cruise. People felt the food was pricey, but lunch was like $8.95for a sandwhich and the kids meals were huge. I just got some yummy nachos which were more than enough for lunch, then ate when we got back to the ship. Only word of warning, be sure to be back before dark. The rest of the Bahamas isn't really very nice and I wouldn't want to be taking the taxi back in the dark. Have fun.

[TammiMcMan]

People felt the food was pricey, but lunch was like $8.95for a sandwhich and the kids meals were huge.

You can also arrange with DCL's room service to have some sandwiches made up to take with you . You can't bring any food back on board the ship, but you can definitely take food off it. Especially since you've technically paid for all the food that's provided on the ship.

[Catzle]

what kind of food is there to take off?

[TammiMcMan]

what kind of food is there to take off?

They have fresh fruits, salads, sandwiches, cookies. I understand that if you let them know you'll be taking it off the ship, they'll wrap it for you. You may want to give them some extra time to do that.

[DisneyPrincess21]

You can also arrange with DCL's room service to have some sandwiches made up to take with you . You can't bring any food back on board the ship, but you can definitely take food off it. Especially since you've technically paid for all the food that's provided on the ship.

Wow! That's a great tip! Thanks

[Dsnygirl]

This is the second post where I've seen renting a day room at the Comfort Inn mentioned, with access to the beach and pool. Does the pool include the waterpark area?? The price certainly is great... just hoping that maybe it includes the waterpark, as it would be the most fun for our girls.

for any info!!

(PS - just answered my own question and am putting the answer here for anyone else w/ the same question... just googled and found that the Comfort Inn has full access to the waterpark at Atlantis, as well as the beach and aquarium. Yeah!! )

[MidnTPK]

I vist Atlantis annually. I'm happy to help if you have questions.

[mjm12000]

Just returned from the cruise this past Sunday and we did the Aquaventure excursion booked through our Disney Cruise, it was not all that pricey considering it included our wrist bands for the resort and water park, lunch and transporation to and from Atlantis. Having been to the Bahamas in the past I was a little nervous about taking a cab or just winging it once I got there and so we booked it all through Disney to be safe and free of the hassles one could (but may not) experience otherwise from the locals.

Our bus took us from the port to the front door of the resort and included a short tour through the hotel and directions on how and what to expect once in the resort.

The slides are amazing as are the wonderful pools that are scattered throughout the water park, the views of the ocean are stunning as well. My favorite part of the park is the "lazy rive" which is not lazy by any stretch, it has rapids, grottos, beaches, tiddle waves, caves and conveyor belts to bring you back to the top of the Power Tower slides...

The Mayan Temple slides house the shark tank that you can go sliding through on either the Leap of Faith slide or the tube slide.

All in all it was a wonderful day for about $100 per person. When you are ready to go the shuttle bus picks you up starting at 12:00pm and leaving every half hour for the ship terminal where you can either reboard the ship or if you get back with time left before having to get back on board you can check out the downtown area of Nassau.

[Dsnygirl]

All in all it was a wonderful day for about $100 per person.

Which excursion did you book? The one I've been looking at through the DCL site is over $600 for our family of four... and it doesn't mention including lunch. Maybe I was looking at one that included more than we want/need??

[TammiMcMan]

mjm, thank you for the detailed review of the Aquaventure. The DCL website quotes a cost of $160/pp aged 10 and up. Maybe it was the Canadian conversion that made you think it was less expensive?

[mjm12000]

it was aquaventure that we did, I must have thought it was less expensive, anyhow it was still worth it. I know you can probably do it cheaper the way some have described by checking into that hotel etc, but I like to do things the easy way and let Disney do all the work, and I don't mind paying the few extra bucks for the convenience and peice of mind, especially in places like the Bahamas.

[Disneyglamour]

I LOVED the Dolphin Cay!! I actually visited with *cough* Carnival *cough* but it was a great experience! Usually the cruise lines have transportation to and from Atlantis so you won't have to take a taxi. They told us while we were there to be careful with the taxis because there are drivers out there waiting to drive you in circles to make and extra buck. My parents also did the Discover Atlantis tour which takes you on a tour of the whole hotel and they said it was very nice. Just VERY hot! I hope you enjoy your trip!

[MidnTPK]

They told us while we were there to be careful with the taxis because there are drivers out there waiting to drive you in circles to make and extra buck.

This is quite an interesting untrue exaggeration to get you to use the cruise's transportation.

Taxis in Nassau are on a zone system....the price from the place of pickup to the point of drop off is the same no matter the route the driver takes. And there is set $5 fare per person to take you back to the port from all points on Paradise Island.

That all being said, if it your first time in Nassau, then using the cruise lines services is a decent idea. After that, it is so easy to get around, that most people would be fine doing transport on their own, once they have a feel for the place.

[Pirate Storm]

The Comfort Inn tip is a great one, thanks! But I was wondering how we could add one more person on as we are a family of five. Any ideas?

[MidnTPK]

The Comfort Inn tip is a great one, thanks! But I was wondering how we could add one more person on as we are a family of five. Any ideas?

How old is the youngest? 4 and under does not count toward the limit.

[TammiMcMan]

If your youngest is aged 4 and up, your only choices are to book a second room at the Comfort Inn or you'd need to purchase 1 aquaventure excursion through DCL.

[Pirate Storm]

My youngest is 9, guess I'll have to buy one excursion through DCL, which might be OK because I think my DD, age 16, will want to do the dolphin/Atlantis package. Thanks for the help.