Nassau Bahamas Atlantis Sept 24 - Oct 1st, 2011

Atlantis

Nassau, Bahamas




Sept 24th, thru October 1st, 2011



Bob, Debe, Aiden, Diana, Trista, & Taye


A 6:00 a.m. flight with two 4 year olds starting our trip. But they were troopers and had their bags of FUN to keep them busy. Our first flight went well and was the longest. The second flight was on a very small plane with one seat on one side and two seats on the other side. We arrived into Nassau ready to have fun.

Flying into Nassau you could see the gorgeous shores with turquoise water and white sand beaches. But also, you could see the wall of water heading our way. The landing was a little uncomfortable with a quick drop, increase in speed and then safe landing.

Looking out the window you can see a tropical storm was hitting the island. And since we were on a small plane and could not pull up to the gate, we had to sit on the tarmac waiting for it to pass over. After what seemed like a very very very long time, American Airline employees came out to the plane with umbrellas so we could get off the plane a few at a time. In the next photos you will see what our arrival looked like.


But we were finally there, The Atlantis Resort, which includes a time sharing named Harborside Resort. The Harborside sits across the marina from the Royal Towers of the Atlantis - all on Paradise Island.

In the above photo, Aiden stands on the balcony of the time sharing unit with the Royal Towers in the back ground. The below photo shows Aiden and his cousin Taye hanging onto the railing at the Royal Towers with the Harborside Atlantis in the distance behind them.


The Harborside Resort does have its own huge pool along with a smaller baby/toddler pool and large hot tub. There is also a snack bar at the pool and a restaurant called The Point where you can have lunch. It is fairly reasonable.









Beside the Harborside you can see the two huge bridges that bring you over to Paradise Island and back into the main town. Within walking distance of the Harborside Resort you can walk to the ferry and take it over to the straw market area for some shopping or eating in town. There is a fee for this though. The last time we did it the cost was $6 round trip.

Harborside Resort also has several of these shuttle buses which are used to take you to and from the resort over to the Atlantis buildings. (Royal Towers, Coral Towers, Beach Towers and/or the Cove)

Most people go to the Royal Towers which is where you will find the Dig. It is the huge aquarium that houses all types of fish. You can check the daily schedule to see feedings of the different fish. As you go thru the Dig viewing the species of fish, you come to an area that you can touch a few types of salt water fish. The kids loved that. On thru the Royal Towers you find more pools and the huge waterpark that the Atlantis is known for. Between the Royal and Coral Towers is the Casino and outside many more aquarium tanks that hold several species of shark, stingrays, turtles, starfish and more pools.

















But the favorite place for the little ones was at the kids waterpark. They spent a lot of time right there, waiting for that bucket on top to dunk the water all over them.




Even though the Atlantis has many buildings I have mentioned, the most famous building is the Royal Towers. That is because the bridge that connects the two towers of the Royal is know as the Micheal Jackson suite since he rented it most of the time. The Royal Towers is also the building that is seen on all the brochures about this resort.
The kids enjoyed walking around the grounds between the Coral and Beach Towers. Here you can see them on the rope bridge that crosses over the hammerhead shark aquarium. We also found the Lost Kids area but our little ones were never lost. They knew their way around the place after a couple days.
Walking between the Royal and Coral Towers on the inside you will find the above big chair that is a favorite for photos. But this chair also marks the beginning of the casino and the kids couldn't really stop while in the casino. Going the opposite way of this chair you find many high end stores to shop at. Going on thru Coral and towards the Beach Towers you will find more shopping, restaurants, and the Atlantis Theatre that is free to watch top rated movies. We do spend a lot of time there. They usually play a "kid" friendly movie at 5 p.m each day along with two other movies around the times of 7 and 9.




Between the Royal Towers, Coral Towers, and Harborside Time Sharing you will find the Marina itself, filled with large yachts and the Marina Village. This night we made it in time to see a parade. Our favorite thing is to walk around the marina, looking at the big yachts, do some shopping and stop at Ben and Jerry's for an ice cream. The little ones loved that. The Marina has many high end shops and restaurants so the prices are a little higher than we like.


With a shuttle ride over to the Cove Building, it was off to the Cove beach for some fun in the sand. The boys really loved being at the beach and playing in the sand. The beaches at the Atlantis are beautiful with its soft white sand.











At the Atlantis waterpark you have so much to do. I have writtten several blogs written about the Atlantis since we have been there a few times. So I won't keep repeating myself. But these first few photos are at the Shark tank. You have the option of going thru the shark tank on either of the two slides. One you can see in the below photo, which ends going thru the shark tank. The other is via innertube. In the second photo you will see my niece Trista as she floats thru the shark tank on her tube.
Hidden away in the below building, called "Power Tower," are several water slides. These slides are the state of the art slides that go up and down like a roller coaster with the power of the water. Expect to leave these slides with bruises all over you. But oh what fun. The building has two levels with a couple slides on the second level and a couple slides on the top/third level. You can get to these slides thru the stairways at the bottom or just get on the Rapid River and ride your tube until you come to the sign "Rapids or Power Tower!" And a conveyor belt will take you, along with your innertube right up to the second floor without ever getting off you tube. But if you want to go to the third floor, ride your tube up to the second floor then make your way out of the water into the stairway and up one floor. Very easy.
Since the little kids were not tall enough to go up to Power Tower, we always chose the "rapids." But don't think it is an easy ride. Just another adventure on this wild and crazy "not lazy" river. Expect to spend hours just laying on a tube, never getting out of the river. Without going up to the Power Tower you still have many things that will take place. Tidal Wave, tunnels spraying steam, rapids, waves, whirlpools, and a conveyor belt that carries you up into another area of the river. A very unique experience. (to see more photos check for blogs in 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006 at the Atlantis Nassau)




Finally our trip is coming to an end. Some beautiful days filled with lots of fun. But, our last day would end just as the first of the trip. Yes, thunder, lightning, and rain. Visiting during hurricane season does mean some rain days - so you just take the good with the bad. But usually they last about a hour or so and don't ruin your day. This day it went on and on. And the final result - the water park shut down for awhile and the walkways flooded. So the kids didn't let the rain and flooding ruin their day. They took advantage of it. ;)

Every trip to the Atlantis we visit the Arawak for some great fresh fish. This trip, we decided to try another place. Just at the foot of the bridge, that crosses from Paradise Island/Atlantis, you find these stands below. Yes, the locals have small venues set up where they cook pretty much the same as at the Arawak. Pretty much the same food, same price but Arawak is set up much nicer. Bob and Trista walked over the bridge and brought us back dinner of fish, fries, beans/rice, and of course, conch fritters. Nassau is famous for their conch fritters.


Above are just a couple shots of tops of the buildings at the Royal Towers. And below, we take a night shot of the Royal Towers as we know that our time there comes to an end for this trip. So lights off to us.











What a trip with generations of family. A husband and wife, sisters, mother and daughter, cousins, aunts, uncle, mother and son, and grandparents with grandsons. You have to love the memories from these type of trips. And so glad we did it. Thanks for joining us, thru this blog, in enjoying our time of family and fun with our travels.


THE END