Getting to the Atlantis Aquarium?

[first_timer_08]

I've booked my parents on RCL's EOTS July cruise. They are both 70 and would like to relax and not get too adventurous. For their stop in Nassau, I heard just doing the Atlantis aquarium is good enough. What is the best way to do it? Should they take a ship excursion or get down, hail a cab and buy a ticket for the aquarium? People say the latter is faster, cheaper and better :). Is it easy to just hail a cab and buy tickets? I don't want them to be figuring out things once they get down!

 

Thanks!

[Donny-Joe]

I've booked my parents on RCL's EOTS July cruise. They are both 70 and would like to relax and not get too adventurous. For their stop in Nassau, I heard just doing the Atlantis aquarium is good enough. What is the best way to do it? Should they take a ship excursion or get down, hail a cab and buy a ticket for the aquarium? People say the latter is faster, cheaper and better :). Is it easy to just hail a cab and buy tickets? I don't want them to be figuring out things once they get down!

 

Thanks!

 

There are going to be tons of cab vans just outside the welcome center. They'll generally charge $4/person plus tip to take passengers to Atlantis. They tend to wait until they have a full van, but that usually takes just a couple minutes. They'll drop folks at the Coral Towers entrance, where there's a ticket booth just to the left of the entrance. Your folks will need to show their cruise ID to prove they're on a cruise, and will be able to get aquarium passes (called "Discover Atlantis" passes) for around $40/person. It's a neat aquarium, and the tickets include a guided tour. Whether it's worth $40 or not is debatable. It's unique and pretty, but not as extensive or educational as something like the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the New England Aquarium. But pretty much everything you do in Nassau is more expensive; it's vacation pricing.

 

Some of the passes sell out during peak periods, but it's pretty unlikely that the aquarium passes will sell out. And if they do, they probably don't want to visit anyway, as it'll be a zoo. If they don't buy a pass they can just walk around the Marina Village, which is an outdoor shopping and restaurant plaza right there adjacent to the Coral Towers, do some shopping, have a meal or beverage. Or they can go in and see the casino and visit a few shops attached to the Coral Towers lobby.

 

In any case, they can easily pick up a cab back to the ship at the Royal Tower entrance if they get a pass for the aquarium. There's a bell stand and there are pretty much always cabs waiting. The fee is again $4/person back to the cruise terminal.

 

If they don't get the aquarium pass, they can't get into the Royal Tower, but they can pick up cabs from the Marina Village or the Coral Tower. They might need to ask at the Coral Tower desk if they don't see cabs waiting.

[DaNana]

Below there is a lot about Atlantis on the Nassau Bahamas string. Would be good to check it out. They talk about getting the tickets for Atlantis on the cruise ship.