Should we bother going to Atlantis?

[poohs4me]

We will be on the Majesty 4 day leaving April 30. The ship is in port in Nassau until a little before midnight. We plan on scuba diving with the cruise excursion in Nassau and by the time we get back to the ship clean up and eat something we expect it to be around 3PM. We have late dinner seating but we do not mind missing dinner if the experience in port is worth it. So is it? What can you do at Atlantis in the time frame I suggested? Is it just a casino?

[torpeedo]

Atlantis is beautiful. Has a great aquarium. Beautiful marina with fabulous yachts. Reminds me of Bellagio or Venitian in Las Vegas. We always go over there. It is very expensive however! You can eat over there but we have never done it. Just usually walk around and people watch or look at the aquarium. Lots of high end shops also. I think it's $6 pp for a cab over there.

[Imasealuvr]

Yes,

It is really worth seeing.

[Cruisin' Kari]

It is worth seeing. We spent about 2 hours just wandering around taking photos.

 

If you would like to see them they are in the link in my signature :)

[cruzmax]

The floor to ceiling aquarium is awesome. It is a large walk-through area, one of the largest built, if I remember correctly. It's amazing to walk through the resort, nice casino also, and when we went it was free of charge.

[boingy300]

We rented a room acrossed the street at ? Comfort inn with full access to Atlantis. Of course we didn't use the room at all, but it was a cheaper way in for 6 people at the time. I don't know current rates, we did this in 1998.

Karen

[isujim]

I agree it is worth seeing and the cab fare over there isn't that much........if you like casino's they have a very large one........nice upscale retail shops and plenty of places to eat.........

 

You can tell it was made for American money........:) to stay there is very pricey..........

[kc320]

Yes,

It is really worth seeing.

Ah-ha, somebody hijacked my dancin kitty!!:D Only you were smart enough to figure out how to keep her moving.....

 

We went to Atlantis for the 1st time last year & it was beautiful, even won about $7 on the penny slots.........

[QM2 Cruiser]

We went to Atlantis a couple of weeks ago while on the Jewel. If you go take the water taxi because it is cheaper ($3 per person) and it avoids all the traffic on the bridge. It is must faster, only 10 minutes I'd say. We will never go back to Atlantis, but it was nice to see once. It is beautiful but there are so many people it ruins the experience. The hotel holds 9,500 guests! And on top of that are tours and gamblers. It is like a Vegas hotel but with more people.

[kms18]

Can you go swimming there? And use their facility's? Of course for a price.

[cb at sea]

If you're not going til that late in the afternoon, don't bother about swimming and stuff. you will have ample time to get a cab, arrive, wander the public areas and casino, etc... No need to pay for a "day room".

We went after late seating and gambled for a couple of hours, then returned to the ship. (Our ship didn't depart until 2am!) This was formal night on our trip, and we went in gown and tux! We looked FABULOUS, dahling!

[catl331]

Yes, you must go. We will be there beginning of May and I insist that my husband see it. BUT I was very disturbed later when taking a tour of Nassau how the locals live "Over the hill". It seems the money being made hasn't trickled down much to the natives. Atlantis leaves me in awe so I wonder what the natives think.:confused:

[Cruisin' Kari]

Apologies to anyone that tried to view photos and couldn't. A mix up on my end. It is fixed now :)

[smoosh21]

I stayed at the Atlantis about 9 years ago. It was a prize winning and not a trip that I would have chosen.

It was nice, but also very expensive. Pretty much everything is way overpriced, and I can only imagine it is much worse now. If I wasn't on the full meal plan most dinners for 2 would have run about $150. So I wouldn't look at this as a place you would want to eat dinner.

 

It would be fun to walk around, but you can not see the whole aquarium section unless you are a guest, or pay for a day pass.

 

I do believe that they still give free grounds tours a few times a day, to both guests and non-guests (trying to get future bookings).

[gettin outta here]

If you have never seen it, it is worth the day trip. We went in Feb only for a few hours, we skipped dinner on the ship and ate at a little pizza shop on the water. I also agree to take the water taxi but you may have to take a cab back to the ship because the water taxi stops running at either 5 - 6 .

[2CruiseNow]

Just back from the Atlantis! We loved it! Check out my pictures at:

http://family.webshots.com/album/558811343otdWFV

[PhinsAndGills]

I liked it just to walk around. Yes shopping and eating are very expensive. The part of the aquarium that was free was VERY cool. When we were there, you could pay admission into the other part, and it wasn't TOO much if I remember right. You didn't need the day pass. To swim and use those facilities you did need a day pass. We did this on my first Majesty cruise in '01. However, in '03 the new Senor Frog's had just opened, so we spent our after-dinner hours there! :)

[robtulipe]

We went there last April while in port with the Costa Mediterranea, even though we had seen Atlantis several times before. We took the water taxi over since the guide who works the crowd for tips does give a good commentary on the different homes and other areas on Paradise Is. We then strolled thru the marina area as I always like viewing the one yacht with the helicopter on it which has been there everytime I've visited. Next we walked thru the casino to the free section of the Aquarium to video and still film the new baby Manta Ray, Zeus who replaced the original Manta which had outgrown the main aquarium pool there. We then went to the public beach on the Atlantic side beside the Sheraton for a swim before most (3) of our group took a taxi back to downtown to do some shopping before returning to our ship. I actually walked back the 1 1/2 miles from the beach, over the bridge to the downtown area. I had a new DVD camcorder and wanted to video the harbor from the middle of the bridge and to work off a few calories. It was a nice relaxing (our ship arrived at noon, sailed at 6PM) and not costly afternoon.

[Maxima81]

We stopped in Nassau overnight last May (8PM until 12 noon the following day). Headed right over to Atlantis as soon as we docked at night and walked into The Digs for free after reading recommendations from the ports of call board. The Digs is basically the portion of the aquarium that you pay for during the day. Admission was $29 when we went (this is not a daypass to use the other facilities). But after 8 or 9PM, the security guards leave for the night and all of the Digs is free for all to wander. The "free" portion is just a small section of the entire aquarium. Definitely worth checking out, but not for $29 in my opinion.

 

I believe they got rid of the day pass if you want to use the facilities as a non-guest. The only way to access the pools, slides, etc. is if you are a guest at Atlantis or the Comfort Inn nearby.

 

For your time frame, if you want to save the $29 to see the Digs, you can wander around Atlantis during the early evening (casinos, shopping, etc.) until the guards leave. They basically stand by a staircase that leads to the entrance of the Digs. No booths, gates, etc. to stop you from walking in after they leave. Just make sure you leave yourself enough time to get back to the ship! I'd say you can see all of the Digs in about an hour if you don't stop for lots of photos, souvenirs, etc.

[Moeve]

According to another CC poster it seems they have closed the Comfort Inn Loophole requiring a minimum 2 night stay now........

[bankonus]

I would recommend doing your day excursion, back to ship for shower and change, then go roam around for a couple of hours, and come back and eat dinner. The restaurants there are very expensive. Unless you don't care about the price of the meal, then you could stay and eat. You will still get some great time there, even if you go back to the ship for dinner.

[wineguy68]

Hey Poohs,

There are a few CC'ers that will be on the MOS with you. Check the Roll Calls for our thread. We're having a sail away cocktail after Muster Drill. Feel free to join us.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=459083