Next month we are going to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas for a friend's wedding. I was wondering if anyone has been there before and has any insight on it. Thanks in advance

1. We are wondering if we should take a taxi to and from the airport or use the shuttle service that Atlantis offers (I believe the shuttle costs $30 round trip per person).

2. Places to eat. We are wondering if anyone has done the meal plans that Atlantis offers. If the food is good, how much it cost, and if they thought it was worth it.

3. If anyone has done excursions like swimming with dolphins. Again, how much and was it worth it.

Any other tips people can offer would be great.

1) Use the shuttle. Some cabs are sketchy in Nassau.

2) Don't eat at Atlantis unless you want overpriced mediocre food.

3) Tours and excursions are fun. Don't book them through Atlantis, they'll bend you over on their prices. Book directly through the company and don't tell them what hotel you're at until you get a price if it comes up in conversation somehow.

Honestly, only stay at your hotel and enjoy the amenities that are already payed for. Anything purchased at or through Atlantis is overpriced and crappy quality. Atlantis is a giant tourist trap.

We did the dolphin encounter last Nov. on an excursion from a cruise ship. We could not do the swim because my son was not old enough. It is pricey, but if interacting with dolphins is something you want to do, then I think it is worth it. The dolphin lagoon is lovely and we had a great time! There are other dolphin interactions in Nassau (we had the choice of two); I chose the one at Atlantis simply because the travel time was shorter and we were not scheduled to be in port for very long.

We were also able to walk around the grounds and view the aquariums, and they are themed very nicely. I was impressed with the aesthetics of the resort. We would have liked to visit the water park, however, since our time in port was very short I did not want risk bad weather or long lines at the attractions.

For transportation, we used:
www.cherylbahamastaxiandtours.com/about.html
We also had the driver stop on the way to Atlantis to pick up bottled water and beer. There is a store on Paradise Island and the prices are comparable so you can probably just do that. Pack a soft-sided cooler as you can take those to the beach/pool.

For an excursion, we took Flying Cloud on a Sunday trip. It was nice. We had our own masks and snorkels but we did not take them but should have.
www.flyingcloud.info/

We only at at Atlantis for lunches on a few days. They have lunch specials pool side. We did eat at Virgil's BBQ at Atlantis on the first night there. It was not bad for BBQ not from Texas and the sides were good. They had large portions. We ate every other evening off site. there is also a Dunkin Donuts that is walkable from Atlantis for breakfast.

We were in Nassau in December. While we didn't stay on Paradise Island, I can recommend some excursions. Stuart's Cove will pick you up and drop you off. They have snorkeling and scuba diving. It was a lot of fun. Flying Cloud will also pick up and drop off, and it was absolutely amazing. They took us to a really neat area to snorkel. It was a good amount of time on the boat as well, and the crew members were the nicest. The Flying Cloud was the highlight of our trip! Both are highly recommended! We also did a city tour with Majestic tours that was pretty good and included stops at historic places, a rum distillery, and the rum cake factory. Again, pick up and drop off services.

1. I have been to Atlantis twice from the airport and taken the shuttle both times. It is fine, but they can be a little slow to get you loaded and you might have to make a stops at one of the other sections of Atlantis depending out their route. It is really not a big deal, but if you are impatient or in a hurry, a cab may be the way to go.

2. We did not do the dining plan.

A buger fries and a coke is about $10 at one of the fast food places near the pools. The burgers are theme park qaulity, so not great but edible.

The breakfast buffet at Seagrapes is about $30 if I remeber correctly. I think lunch is a comparable price. Their food was ok, but not awesome. Kind of reminded me of eating at a buffet at disney world.

We had dinner at Bimini Road and it was good. I wasn't buying but I think it was $20 per person.

Johnny Rockets is just as good as in the States and probably $15 per person.

Marina Pizzeria is OK and a good value.

Anthony's Grill is across the driveway from Atlantis and they have pretty good food for a little more reasonable prices. http://www.anthonysparadiseisland.com/
There is also a little grocery store, liquor store, and a couple of souvenir shops in the same complex as Anthony's.

I went with little kids both times so we really did not eat anything fancy.

3. We swam with the dolphins at atlantis. It was ok, I think the kids really liked it. I went offshore fishing on both of my trips with chubasco charters and had a great time.
http://www.chubascocharters.com/

IMO, Atlantis is a great place to take young kids if you want a safe beach vacation with water parks. It really is a tourist trap for couples. You are going for a wedding, so that doesn't really matter. The drinks are expensive, like $5 per beer and daquiri's are about $7.

we booked a snuba excursion from atlantis...it wasnt too expensive and ended up being a cool way to explore some nice reefs w/ out having to be scuba certified

we ate at the little restaurant/shopping center right down the road from the resort...atlantis was fun for the 2 days we were there, then we went to cape santa maria on long island and enjoyed the uncrowded and absolutely pristine beaches

We went for a week last summer. Amazing time, amazing place.

We did a meal plan for 2 out of 3 meals per day. I'll be honest. My parents paid for that so I have no idea the value, but the food was, IMO, very good. The meal plan definitely got it for cheaper than what they charge you if you just pay. I was very happy with the food though.

The entire property is amazing. We took a shuttle from the airport. We had requested a car seat because we were with a baby, and that part was pretty comical. They did arrive with a car seat, but there was no way to secure it.

For excursions, all we did was snorkel/snuba. Very cool. We also did dolphin stuff on the property. That was awesome as well. The water park and pools occupied most of the rest of our time.

The customer service was somewhat lacking, and we had some struggles along the way with that, but I think it's just a cultural thing. We also took advantage of the free movies at night, the casino, the library, etc.

All in all, to me, it was paradise. I'm dying to go back. I'd rather pay for their meal plan than worry about trying to get into town or fend for myself. It's vacation. The barbecue place on property was very good (and the servings were HUGE), as was the NY style deli. Both buffets were good, I thought. IIRC, the per meal price on the buffets was somewhere in the $40/person range, but like I said, I think there was a significant price break on the meal plan.

We also had a 5 year old with us and she did a couple of the kids activities which were pretty good.

[This message has been edited by watty (edited 2/27/2014 1:01p).]

Bumping old thread..

Is using http://www.cherylbahamastaxiandtours.com/about.html still a thing or are there other recommended transportation from airport to hotel. 3 adults, 3 teens going..

We did a day trip to Atlantis just after the hurricane hit there 6 years ago. We stayed off island elsewhere in Nassau but wanted to check it out.
Spent a day at the waterpark, walked around the grounds and went to the aquarium. Had a great time.
Agree we would have spent a lot more money if we had stayed and eaten there.