Thoughts on the Atlantis Waterpark?

[kathy884]

We are doing a cruise on the NCL Epic. My mom and dad who are in shape but 80 year olds and DH and I will skip this, but DS 21 has seen the commercials for the Atlantis resort ever since he was a little kid and they always show that one cool slide at the water park, so is intrigued by the idea of the water park excursion. I was thinking of paying for the Atlantis Water Park 1/2 day (5 hours) excursion from out ship for DS and his friend who is 22 who is also cruising. DS is paying for his own cruise, but this excursion goes over his excursion budget.

 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has been to this waterpark before and what they thought. Is it a unique waterpark with good theming? The best themed waterparks (pretty ones we've been to) are the Disney 's Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach and SeaWorld Orlando's water park (Aquatica)). Would Atlantis be more unique and have better theming than those? I was thinking yes (as it looks like they have some friendly sharks and other ocean creatures and it looks like a pretty cool vibe to me), but didn't really know. DS has always been into sea creature and marine mammals (sent him to SeaWorld camp for six years, etc.), and it looks like a place that would be right up his alley. I'm not asking if it's worth the price, as I can't imagine five hours at a waterpark being that unique experience and worth the $180 or so for the ship excursion, but what I'm really asking is it a neat experience. Because if it is kind of cool, I'd really like to fund the boys to do it.

 

I'm pretty sure we'll never do an actual vacation to the Bahamas or ever stay at Atlantis, so this could be kind of a fun opportunity to see the place for DS. DH and I FYI are going to do the Atlantis aquarium tour.

[pupskate]

I went a few years ago (when it was much cheaper) and had an absoute blast! I haven't been to Disney water parks, but it is similar to SeaWorld Aquatica. The atmosphere is beautiful, very plush grounds. Most of the slides are hidden by foliage/rock etc. So much so, that you don't know the layout of some of the slides until you are on them which makes it more exciting (or scary in my case :eek:) There is one the goes through a shark tank at the end, it slows enough so you are floating through as they are swimming around you. There is also a lazy/not-so-lazy river that you will want to stay in all day. It goes from smooth floating to wild rapids. It really was a great place. It was only $99 when I went so maybe they've added more since then to have jacked the price up so much. It was also not really crowded when I went, so there were plenty of chair and umbrellas and the lines went very quickly. Not sure how it would be nowadays. Hope this helps. You should go, I can't imagine anyone not having a great time there :)

[aam3]

You might want to consider checking the Atlantis website for day passes which are sold directly through the resort. They're cheaper than booking through the ship. Only catch is if you don't dock for some reason, or weather is terrible, you won't get a refund.

[Southerngal410]

Yes, it is so much fun! Highly recommend it!

 

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[mjkacmom]

I went a few years ago (when it was much cheaper) and had an absoute blast! I haven't been to Disney water parks, but it is similar to SeaWorld Aquatica. The atmosphere is beautiful, very plush grounds. Most of the slides are hidden by foliage/rock etc. So much so, that you don't know the layout of some of the slides until you are on them which makes it more exciting (or scary in my case :eek:) There is one the goes through a shark tank at the end, it slows enough so you are floating through as they are swimming around you. There is also a lazy/not-so-lazy river that you will want to stay in all day. It goes from smooth floating to wild rapids. It really was a great place. It was only $99 when I went so maybe they've added more since then to have jacked the price up so much. It was also not really crowded when I went, so there were plenty of chair and umbrellas and the lines went very quickly. Not sure how it would be nowadays. Hope this helps. You should go, I can't imagine anyone not having a great time there :)

The price fluctuates based on the time of year. The higher the price, the more crowded it will be. Booking it through the ship is the most expensive option, usually, although we only paid $99 pp for a full day through NCL on an off peak week.

[cwolfern]

We did the day pass last November and I am planning to do it again this November. Mt 21 yr old daughter, her BFF and I took a taxi and got the day pass at the window when we arrived. $88ea for the water park and aquarium. It was so much fun. This time it will be myself, my mother and my daughter. By getting the pass when we arrived, we avoided the worry of not going if we were not able to dock. There were 9 ships in port that day and it was not crowded at all. (It did rain a little.)

[aam3]

We did the day pass last November and I am planning to do it again this November. Mt 21 yr old daughter, her BFF and I took a taxi and got the day pass at the window when we arrived. $88ea for the water park and aquarium. It was so much fun. This time it will be myself, my mother and my daughter. By getting the pass when we arrived, we avoided the worry of not going if we were not able to dock. There were 9 ships in port that day and it was not crowded at all. (It did rain a little.)

 

9 ships in port? I can't even imagine what that would be like!

[2004corvette]

will be in Nassau (7am- 5pm) on 11/25/2016 day after Thanksgiving.

 

Thinking of (buying day passes - no advance reservations) WALK UP directly to Atlantis so 2 questions i have from any recent visitors to the Atlantis Water Park.

 

Condition of Water Park and any damage to Atlantis property from recent hurricane ?

 

What should expected cost be for a 1 day pass ?

 

thanks in advance for any replies :)

 

Scott

 

 

 

 

[cwolfern]

I will be sailing Nov 10 and plan to purchase a day pass to Atlantis. I will try to come back and answer your questions when we return.

[scubagirrl]

will be in Nassau (7am- 5pm) on 11/25/2016 day after Thanksgiving.

 

Thinking of (buying day passes - no advance reservations) WALK UP directly to Atlantis so 2 questions i have from any recent visitors to the Atlantis Water Park.

 

Condition of Water Park and any damage to Atlantis property from recent hurricane ?

 

What should expected cost be for a 1 day pass ?

 

thanks in advance for any replies :)

 

Scott

 

 

 

 

 

It's likely that Atlantis will black out sales of same day tickets over the holiday weekend. They usually do not sell passes when they are at high capacity.

This decision is made on a whim, so it won't be posted anywhere.

Best to book in advance, or try your luck.

[2004corvette]

I will be sailing Nov 10 and plan to purchase a day pass to Atlantis. I will try to come back and answer your questions when we return.

thank you have a wonderful cruise

It's likely that Atlantis will black out sales of same day tickets over the holiday weekend. They usually do not sell passes when they are at high capacity.

This decision is made on a whim, so it won't be posted anywhere.

Best to book in advance, or try your luck.

will try our luck if we get tix great if not we will find an alternative way to enjoy our day in Nassau

[Pellaz]

For the OP's original question, I'd say that, given your description of your son's interests in marine life and (presumably) having some water-fun, it's worth the purchase price. If you can get it for less than $180 thtough bahamasdaypasses.com or another source, so much the better!

 

One possibility for cheaper access to Atlantis is booking a room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island, because guests there enjoy full, complimentary access to Atlantis and Aquaventure...and they are used to cruise passengers booking a room there for the sole purpose of visiting Atlantis.

The hotel is right across the entrance circle from Atlantis' Coral Tower, where cruise excursions normally drop off. They'd check in, get their Atlantis cards from the front desk and walk over to the Royal Towers lobby desk to get their wristbands. The price for a room for two might well be less than the best price for two cruise-excursion visitors.

I haven't done that during a cruise, but I did stay at Comfort Suites last November and saw cruise passengers arriving and checking in and checking out in the same step...then leaving with their Atlantis passes in hand.

 

Some other things about Atlantis and Aquaventure:

 

• There will not be enough time for them to fully enjoy the park during just a cruise visit. Sorry, but it's a big place.
   
  
• If the weather gets really lousy (lots of lightning) they will close the Aquaventure water-park. No refunds are given. If it just rains, they will not close.
   
  
• While The Dig is the famous aquarium part, it's easy to overlook the Predators' Lagoon full-view tunnel, which is separate from The Dig. Both are good choices if the weather gets wet.
   
  
• Yes, your DS should ride the iconic Leap of Faith (that body-slide through the shark tank in the Mayan Temple)....but it's kinda anticlimactic and it's all over in about 4 seconds. I recommend the Serpent slide (same tower), which also goes through the shark tank but uses tubes and you float through slowly enough that you actually get to see the sharks.
   
  
• The 'lazy river' ride in Aquaventure ("The Current") is NOT lazy....it's actually a lot of fun. Rapids, a wave-generator, it's awesome. Not to be overlooked.
   
  
• The tube rides on the Power Tower are the best slide rides on the property, and interlink with the river. There's a conveyor belt that will haul you and your tube up to the tower for the slides. It's cool when it's actually working. :)
   
  
• There's a lot more there, too. Salt-water lagoon, rope-swing bridge by the Predator's Lagoon, the lap-pool, the secret hot-tubs, the actual beach itself..... A few hours just isn't enough, but it's worth a visit. The Atlantis theming is pretty nifty too.
  

 

I've been there twice in the last two years and I'm visiting again in November, so feel free to ask about the waterpark or the property.

[Inigo Montoya13]

We were there a week and half before the hurricane and had a blast!! There was only one other ship in port (royal Caribbean) and they left at 2:00, so the water park was not crowded at all. DS (10 years old) loved the marine life and themed park. We took a taxi to the resort and bought tickets at the window at the main hotel, our driver knew exactly where to drop us off. We would do it again!!

 

 

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[ncracken]

Hi, I was at Atlantis last year in November with my family. We had a great time, the only downside was that we ate lunch there. We got 4 hot dogs, 2 chips and a couple drinks to share and it was over $50. Eat before or after you go!

[Sun Lover]

I went on the Atlantis to see about booking a day pass but when you click on the link, it goes directly to booking a room at the hotel so I didn't see a way to book the day pass. Also, what I'm concerned about is the length of time we would have at the waterpark. Our ship leaves at 2 p.m. and they recommend being back on the ship one hour before that. Do you know how easy it is to get a cab back to the ship and if we ran into a problem, would it be within walking distance? It looks like some of the rides open at 9 a.m. and others at 10 so I thought if we get right into the park at 9 and stayed until 12:30, maybe that would be worth it? What do you think?

 

For the OP's original question, I'd say that, given your description of your son's interests in marine life and (presumably) having some water-fun, it's worth the purchase price. If you can get it for less than $180 thtough bahamasdaypasses.com or another source, so much the better!

 

One possibility for cheaper access to Atlantis is booking a room at the Comfort Suites on Paradise Island, because guests there enjoy full, complimentary access to Atlantis and Aquaventure...and they are used to cruise passengers booking a room there for the sole purpose of visiting Atlantis.

The hotel is right across the entrance circle from Atlantis' Coral Tower, where cruise excursions normally drop off. They'd check in, get their Atlantis cards from the front desk and walk over to the Royal Towers lobby desk to get their wristbands. The price for a room for two might well be less than the best price for two cruise-excursion visitors.

I haven't done that during a cruise, but I did stay at Comfort Suites last November and saw cruise passengers arriving and checking in and checking out in the same step...then leaving with their Atlantis passes in hand.

 

Some other things about Atlantis and Aquaventure:

 

• There will not be enough time for them to fully enjoy the park during just a cruise visit. Sorry, but it's a big place.
   
  
• If the weather gets really lousy (lots of lightning) they will close the Aquaventure water-park. No refunds are given. If it just rains, they will not close.
   
  
• While The Dig is the famous aquarium part, it's easy to overlook the Predators' Lagoon full-view tunnel, which is separate from The Dig. Both are good choices if the weather gets wet.
   
  
• Yes, your DS should ride the iconic Leap of Faith (that body-slide through the shark tank in the Mayan Temple)....but it's kinda anticlimactic and it's all over in about 4 seconds. I recommend the Serpent slide (same tower), which also goes through the shark tank but uses tubes and you float through slowly enough that you actually get to see the sharks.
   
  
• The 'lazy river' ride in Aquaventure ("The Current") is NOT lazy....it's actually a lot of fun. Rapids, a wave-generator, it's awesome. Not to be overlooked.
   
  
• The tube rides on the Power Tower are the best slide rides on the property, and interlink with the river. There's a conveyor belt that will haul you and your tube up to the tower for the slides. It's cool when it's actually working. :)
   
  
• There's a lot more there, too. Salt-water lagoon, rope-swing bridge by the Predator's Lagoon, the lap-pool, the secret hot-tubs, the actual beach itself..... A few hours just isn't enough, but it's worth a visit. The Atlantis theming is pretty nifty too.
  

 

I've been there twice in the last two years and I'm visiting again in November, so feel free to ask about the waterpark or the property.

[scubagirrl]

I went on the Atlantis to see about booking a day pass but when you click on the link, it goes directly to booking a room at the hotel so I didn't see a way to book the day pass. Also, what I'm concerned about is the length of time we would have at the waterpark. Our ship leaves at 2 p.m. and they recommend being back on the ship one hour before that. Do you know how easy it is to get a cab back to the ship and if we ran into a problem, would it be within walking distance? It looks like some of the rides open at 9 a.m. and others at 10 so I thought if we get right into the park at 9 and stayed until 12:30, maybe that would be worth it? What do you think?

 

The pools open around 9am, the slides open 10am. Don't think it's worth the $$$.