Quote:
Originally Posted by augie_
also, has anyone used the "free" trip to atlantis? i read the fine print and the free trip looks like it will cost about $200/day minimum, even if i make it to 40k Tier points by the end of the year
Just got back from Atlantis. Went with the Mrs. Got upgraded to a villa which was pretty awesome. Overall, its a super well kept location, and it was fun to see a $500 min BJ table full of players constantly night over night... made me wish they had poker there.
Probably spend a total of $1100 on airfare, plus another $500 or so on incidentals and food. So if you do the math, it runs around ~$300/day all in.
Lost a pair of 1k sunglasses, which wasnt cool.
That said, the Aquaventure waterpark is ginormous. People coming in from cruise lines were getting charged $200 a half day, where the people who taxi'd in from other resorts nearby got charged $129 for entry, plus another $17 dollars for a small locker. The slides requiring the floating tubes are by far the most fun... but also the most dangerous. There was one of the slides called "The Drop" which wasn't even the highest one, but it was shutdown on 3 of the 5 days i was there. Needless to say, day 4, i went down "The Drop" and i literally launched a kid who was stuck on part of the slide because the water jet wasnt working. I came sliding down (200+ lb asian guy), and i bumped his tube with mine, and he literally went air borne and across the crest of the slide to a spot i couldnt see anymore. I heard 2 large thumps.. one his skinny 12 year old body, and the other one his head followed by a lot of screaming and crying. The best way to describe it was ragdoll physics. He didnt see it coming and neither did i... but i was going down at a pace... maybe roughly 30 mph. They closed the ride right after that.
We didnt get to use all of the casino experience pass, which included 4 free drinks, round of golf (for 1), a dolphin encounter (for 1), unlimited passes for 2 to aquaventure, and a round of sushi and sake at nobu.
Got to check out nassau, goto downtown, left a few yelp reviews.
If you eat on a buffet on premise, goto mosaic. it will run around $65 a head, but by far best place to go. it's probably one of the cheaper options on the resort so long as you dont mind eating like once or twice a day.
Prices on the resort are expensive. Like monkey math expensive. Yet, the people there didnt bat at eye. I hate to say it, but i think it was one of the first time i was at such a large resort where i felt like i was the poor broke joe. Poor broke joe being someone with a decent tech job. The caliber walking about were definitely from the top 1% of the world or atleast felt that way.
The people breakdown is follows:
89% == the 1% of the world
10% == people there for bachelor/bacheloretty parties.
1% == people like me, who took advantage of the diamond offer.
Few tips/notes:
1) goto starbucks for your free daily dasani waters. (2 per day, though they give you all coupons up front, so you could use at liberty). While you pick up the two, ask for ice water since Starbucks is one of the few places on the bahamas who has a water filtration system (free!). Also, starbuck prices are around like 30% higher than anywhere else i've seen, but are also one of the LOWEST on the resort. A key lime tart ran $7.25 which i was glad to pay for. Sandwiches they normally have run around $8 each.
2) jewish deli on site is probably the next cheapest place to eat, and i found myself going here twice in my 5 day stay. A triple club sandwich (the atlantean club) will run you $17 dollars + tip + vat ~ $19 dollars all in. It comes with chips, but ask for fries -- its a no charge upgrade.
3) EVERYTHING you charge to your room or buy on the resort has a 15% mandatory tip on top of a 7.5% VAT. Doesnt matter if no one "serves" you, its still 15% tip. After speaking to the local staff, they dont get the tips. It just goes to parent company. If you're chummy enough, there are ways to get things for less than resort prices, as long as you dont mind greasing the local staff. You need to be subtle about it though, and have the right friendly attitude as their jobs, though some are crappy, are still one of the few on the island and therefore they are not willing to bend too much out of line.
4) you'll see suggestions on trip advisor with people saying that you can walk across the paradise island BRIDGE to get to main land nassau. I looked at that bridge a few times, and even without the Mrs in tow, I would say...hell no. unless you want to look like a sweaty mess. Also, right across the bridge isnt the most safe place to be... looks sort of non-touristy, which means run down relatively speaking.
5) I went there on a budget with my fiance. not a real budget but i kept things under control (or I tried to at least). Expect to spend a minimum of $500 just to keep yourselves fed and entertained.
6) Free movies at the theater was pretty cool. Enjoyed that alot.
7) Do you play pokemon go? Bring your device. There are a ton of pokemon. a TON.
8) free wifi included in the resort is pretty good. it rarely cut out if at all. Reception wise, it blanketed most of the resort, with the exception of a small section of hallway between the theater and the villas.
if you have more questions, ask.
I might even start a thread on the whole atlantis thing in one of the other forums, if there was interest.
All in all, it was a fun little get away. Would I go back? I dont think so... mainly because no poker. But if there was poker, i'd be more than happy to play above my bankroll means, by atleast one or two steps.
Last edited by fuxxnuts; 09-12-2016 at 06:50 AM.
