Atlantis Shallow Water Dolphin Interaction

[MzItaly79]

On the tour through RC it states that you get can "take a self-guided or guided tour of the Ruins Lagoon, a re-creation of the sunken streets of mythical Atlantis and The Dig, a replica of an archeological excavation site at their leisure"....are either of these the aquariums or something different?

 

Can you use the beach afterward?

 

Any other comments or suggestions regarding the excursion or Atlantis? It will be me and my 5yo son.

 

 

Thanks!

[MzItaly79]

anybody?

[goodvig]

On the tour through RC it states that you get can "take a self-guided or guided tour of the Ruins Lagoon, a re-creation of the sunken streets of mythical Atlantis and The Dig, a replica of an archeological excavation site at their leisure"....are either of these the aquariums or something different?

 

Can you use the beach afterward?

 

Any other comments or suggestions regarding the excursion or Atlantis? It will be me and my 5yo son.

 

 

Thanks!

 

Okay - it appears you are an Atlantis "newbie"...if you go - prepare yourself - for both the good and the bad.

 

First - the Dig is the large aquarium and it is fantastic! My daughter (now 9) would go through this everyday of her life if she could - it is very impressive and you really should go to the website and read more about it. http://www.atlantis.com We did the tour from the cruise ship and we were able to use the beach afterwards. They will kick you out of the pools if they notice your "cruise" wristband-it happened to us.

 

With that being said - the folks at Atlantis are not the nicest people in the world - especially to the cruise ship folks that they can't make a lot of money on (Just my opinion based on two "tours of duty" from a cruise ship) It took over forty minutes to get a smoothie and a Mai Tai from the beach server...and that was fast. If you really want to do Atlantis the way is should be done (and your son would meet the height requirement) AND you can afford an extra couple hundred dollars - book the cheapest room at the resort you can for the day you will be in port...this will allow you access to all pools, slides, lazy river rides, etc...We did this the second time we visited and it was sooo much better. We justified the extra cost by dividing it by the four of us and forgoing a cruise line excursion - we only ended up paying an extra $35 per person over what we would've paid onboard for the cruise ship tour.

 

Hope this helps some.

[libertybelle41]

The Atlantis is an amazing place, in fact so amazing (IMO) that we just book that on a seperate vacation and spend the week.

[MzItaly79]

Thanks for the help! :)

 

My son is a bit short for the water rides (majority at least) and I really can't afford to book the room anyway since i'm paying for my parents to cruise with us. so for now we'll be happy with the dolphin encounter, the dig and the beach for a bit. Thanks for the warning about people at Atlantis being not so nice.

[daisysheridan]

"book the cheapest room at the resort you can for the day you will be in port...this will allow you access to all pools, slides, lazy river rides, etc...We did this the second time we visited and it was sooo much better."

 

What a GREAT idea!!

[barbarah33]

I haven't ever run across any troubles with the staff at Atlantis not treating me well at all. And yes, I have both gone there off of cruise ships - through a tour and just on my own in a cab, as well as having stayed there for a vacation. I love Atlantis and think it's a wonderful resort to spend a day, weekend or week at. My only word of 'warning' would be that it is expensive. There are certainly no bargains to be had there but if you are used to resort prices it won't be a shock at all.

Enjoy your vacation.

[MzItaly79]

Ok I think you have talked me into just booking a room for the day. It's not that much more expensive and I'm sure it would be more fun for him!

 

Couple more questions...If i book through the hotel do i catch a cab there and back? Anyone remember how long of a ride it was and the fee?

 

Is the resort really as big as it looks on the map? Looks like alot of walking?

[bajathree]

You want to rent a room at Comfort Suites right across the street from Atlantis.....they are usually the cheapest and allow you full use of all attractions at Atlantis. If you are AAA member they usually also have a discount for that also....I just rented a room there tax and all for $190 for a family of 4 while I was on my SOS cruise Labor day weekend. Just a heads up there are usually add-ons to the regular room rates, so read the fine print carefully to avoid surprises.

 

This is all on the up and up as people do it all the time....as a matter of fact when checking in I tell them to go ahead and just check me right out so i don't even have to go back.

[barbarah33]

Booking a room for the day is probably best and I am sure you'll all have a wonderful time. Yes, the resort is as big as it looks and if you want to 'see it all' there is a TON of walking to do; but it's well worth it. Even their signs are cute; make sure to pay attention to the ones asking you not to feed or pet the fish; they are all different. :D

 

Catching a cab is the easiest way to get to and from the resort. It will depend on traffic how long it takes; if there are a lot of ships in port that day then traffic can really back up. If you don't hit any snarls it's about 10 minutes - just make sure to tell the cab driver that you are checking in so he drops you off at the correct entrance vs. the casino door where most 'visitors' go. It can be a long walk to simply check in if you go to the wrong door.

 

Enjoy!!

[MzItaly79]

Called Atlantis and they told me my best value would be to get a day pass - which includes everything (except the room) for me & my son and parents can get a visitors pass for the Dig since they don't want to do any of the water stuff.

 

He also told me that a cab ride is $4 from the port to Atlantis.