A Day At Atlantis
Lisa Parsons, Vacation Experience Architect4.16.20
There are many options for Cruisers with a port stop in Nassau, Bahamas. On our most recent Royal Caribbean Cruise we decided to visit Atlantis, Paradise Island. Please note that we did not purchase this through Royal Caribbean. We are seasoned travelers and are well capable of navigating in foreign ports.
Atlantis is an expensive excursion, but it is certain to give you an amazing experience! We started our day bright and early, departing the ship at 8am. We were able to obtain a taxi immediately for the 15 minute ride, making sure to find the price before stepping into the car. It was $4 per person plus tip (in US Cash). The cab ride over the bridge to Atlantis was smooth sailing. Our driver explained we would want to depart back prior to 3pm as traffic greatly increases at shift change (3pm). It was important that we get back to the port on time so as not to miss our ship’s departure.
We had reserved two experiences directly through Atlantis. We arrived at the Coral Towers entrance, checking in at the outside Atlantis Adventures Tour Center at 9am. We received our bracelets for the day and proceeded through the resort to Dolphin Cay.
Playtime with Dolphins was our first experience! We were directed to a locker area to change into wetsuits.. They provided a short briefing of the rules and safety features before heading to the beach area! There are a few types of Dolphin Encounters, this was one of the shorter ones, allowing us to pet our dolphin and help it perform a few tricks. We were in a group of about 20 people in shallow water. Perfect if you are not a strong swimmer.
My son had Swimming with the Sea Lions on his bucket list, so I had scheduled this right after the Dolphin Playtime. Here we were able to go behind the scenes at Dolphin Cay and really interact with two different Sea Lions.
Of course there are photographers at all points taking pictures. When you are done at Dolphin Cay, they have a designated photo/souvenir shop where you can sort through digital images. We opted to save time over money and just purchased the digital downloads of all pictures.
From here we made our way to the Aquaventure Water Park. My kids are generally on the cautious side, but they braved the Serpent Slide and fell in love with it. It is a brilliant set up, we were able to watch them come through the shark aquarium each time, while relaxing in the shade. We also all enjoyed the Rapids River, a long and fun tube river ride.
After 3 hours it was time to head back across the bridge to Nassau. I made sure our last stop was through “The Dig”. This is where you will find many amazing marine species within the replica Mayan Ruins. I’m looking forward to the next visit to view this in more detail.
At the Royal Towers entrance, we were quickly able to get into a shared shuttle back to port. Once we arrived there, we still had time for a quick stop at Del Sol and to check out a few other Nassau shops.
It was a very busy day, but we were back on the ship and ready for dinner at 6pm with many memories to share!
I look forward to helping you with your future travel plans. Contact me at Lisa@WishesFamilyTravel.com or 248.342.4642 Full Disclosure: The Royal Caribbean Cruise was purchased at a discounted rate, but the Atlantis experience were purchased at regular consumer rate.
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