Have you been to Atlantis? With LO(s)?

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Have you been to Atlantis? With LO(s)?

By daniellemybelle Dec 30, 2015

Have you any of been to Atlantis in the Bahamas? With toddlers? My brother has chosen that for his graduation trip so we are starting to plan for this upcoming summer.

I am especially interested in the activities for kids because Sadie will be 3 months shy of 3 years old, which is when it seems all the children's programming begins. I think we are going to go for about 4-5 days.

I don't intend to plan excursions or anything since it seems like there is so much to do, so any suggestions of the best free/included things that are worth doing would be great.

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15 comments

looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Dec 30, 2015

I've visited but never stayed, I think it's a great choice because the pools are simply awesome and there are some things that are included in the price, like the underwater aquarium, which is $$$ if you're not staying.
dolphin
pomegranate / 3768 posts

Dec 30, 2015

We took DD when she was 2 and had a great time. She LOVED the aquarium! We went every day. They have a ton of slides and water activities by the pools too but she was too young to go on them. She loved just splashing around the kiddie pool though. We definitely want to go back!
misolee
persimmon / 1345 posts

Dec 30, 2015

We went (before kids) and def would like to go back with my LOs some day. If you stay on the property, the water parks are free and there was so much to see (aquariums), ride, and various different pools so you don't get bored.
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

Jan 5, 2016

@looch: @misolee: @dolphin: Thanks! I am so excited - I think she is going to love it
SeptMomma12
pear / 1849 posts

Jan 23, 2017

@daniellemybelle: Did you end up going to Atlantis? We're going in April with our 4yo and almost 2yo. Any tips?
looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Jan 23, 2017

@SeptMomma12: We ended up visiting in March of last year...I guess we hadn't even planned it when that post was written!

My biggest tip is to consider the location of where your room is to the pools you want to visit...they're very spread out, but each hotel block has a kid friendly option. We stayed at the Beach Tower, which has access to a zero entry pool, a kids pool and a lazy river (closed during our visit). They also have a kids arcade, a build a bear thing, a movie theater and a kid's racing car track, my son was a bit young for that, but it was fun nonetheless. We didn't leave the resort the entire time we were there, there simply wasn't a need! The downside to that hotel block was that the buffet was closed, (seagrapes) so we had to walk to the other locations for dining. If I had known, I might have selected differently.
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

Jan 23, 2017

@SeptMomma12: Yes! It was amazing! We loved everything about it We stayed at the Royal Towers and it was awesome both in terms of accommodations and location.

It was honestly really easy to be there with LO who was 2.5 at the time, but we also were with family so we had built-in babysitters. It's a bummer that almost all their programs for kids are 3 & up and they are very strict about that. Still, there is so much to do! The kids' pools and slides are great, and obviously the aquarium and all the different places to check out animals were huge hits.

It's no secret that Atlantis can get expensive because it is not an all-inclusive resort. We very rarely bought food for LO. Instead, we ordered groceries online when we got there and I always packed her snacks/meals.

We found the whole resort to be very walkable, but having the stroller was still a must for sure. LO took her nap in the stroller almost every day which allowed us to stay out at the pool or beach. My parents often would stay with her while she napped so DH & I could ride water slides.

The casino is unbearably smoky at all times of day, so I would avoid walking through with LOs if you can!

And um, don't go to the comedy show, ha.
SeptMomma12
pear / 1849 posts

Jan 24, 2017

@looch: @daniellemybelle: Thank you so much ladies! We're looking at the Royal Towers but haven't officially made a decision yet. Did you do a meal plan? Also, do you think a stroller is necessary for a 4.5 year old to get around? I'm wondering if we're okay with the umbrella stroller for DD, or if we'll want the sit and stand so DS has a spot.
twodoghouse
honeydew / 7230 posts

Jan 24, 2017

Commenting to follow along with this thread. We've been talking about doing Atlantis this summer with DH's fam. My kids love swimming and aquariums so I figured it should be a fun place for them!
looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Jan 24, 2017

@SeptMomma12: I would actually consider bringing a stroller to carry your stuff, even if your kid is walking!

We did not do a meal plan and we kind of suffered for it. We ate a small breakfast at the Starbucks on site, and for lunch, we typically ate from one of the takeaway restaurants. We did the buffet for dinner twice, one night we got pizza, and another we ate at Virgils, but if I could do it all over again, I would have brought more food with us.

I would have brought cereal and shelf stable milk for breakfast, maybe some cereal bars. Then I like to bring crackers and those pre measured peanut butter pots (or a jar, that works too). This way, we could just eat breakfast in the room and be done with it.
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

Jan 24, 2017

@SeptMomma12: We didn't do a meal plan because from our research, it is not really a money saver. We saw a lot of long lines for the buffet restaurants (on the meal plans) and were glad we skipped it. We would eat breakfast in the room (something small that we got from the grocery delivery), lunch by the pool (not on the meal plan), and dinner was usually one of the casual places. We went to Nobu one night which was great!

Definitely bring the sit and stand!
SeptMomma12
pear / 1849 posts

Feb 1, 2017

@daniellemybelle: @looch: We decided not to do the meal plan, so we can eat anywhere. Any restaurants you'd recommend for dinner with the kids? I really want to do Nobu (we've been to the one in NY and it's amazing!), but I don't know how I feel about using Atlantis babysitters....

Also, how did you guys get from the airport to the hotel? What did you do about car seats?

Thanks again for all your input!!
looch
wonderful pear / 26210 posts

Feb 1, 2017

@SeptMomma12: We used a van service that was provided as part of the package we booked. My son was 5 at the time and I felt okay using the van seat belt...if I had to do it over again, I would have used a backless booster, to be honest. On the way back to the airport, we used a taxi, because my husband was getting nervous that the van was late.

As for restaurants, as I wrote above, we leveraged the buffet with great success. Several of the restaurants I was interested in were no children and my son isn't the type to be okay with a sitter he doesn't know.

I liked Virgils, the atmosphere was cool because we got a table that was right up against the window. On the other side was an open air pool with sharks in it so my son was fascinated by that. Another night we got pizza and ate it outside by the super fancy boats. That was cool, my son and I are really into people watching.
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

Feb 1, 2017

@SeptMomma12: We actually saw a group with a very well behaved LO at Nobu! It was fairly early in the evening. He was maybe 18 months old or a little older? And I mean he was SILENT, haha. LO would not have been! But that's an option if your kiddos are super good We were lucky to go with family and have built in sitters.

We didn't have any BAD food but I didn't think anything was AMAZING either except Nobu. All the poolside food was fine, just okay. We went to Bimini Road, Carmines, Murray's Deli, and the Village Burger Shack, and they were good and kid friendly. Carmine's was the most "formal" but along the lines of an Olive Garden or what have you. The portions are HUGE so you can literally order one entree and be totally good for two adults and two kids.

We took taxis both times. We brought the car seat on the airplane and just put it in the taxis. It is a pretty long trip but LO was so worn out she slept the whole way back to the airport at the end!
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

Feb 1, 2017

@looch: We did also pizza a couple times (lunch & dinner) and the marina area was fun for LO. There was a lot of people watching for DH & I as well

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Have you been to Atlantis? With LO(s)?

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