How much time is really needed to enjoy Atlantis water park, and aquarium?

[rts62001]

Will be at the island the end of August.   Royal's excursion is 5 hours for the Atlantis water park.   Traveling with a 17, 15, and 8 year old who love water slides.   This would be a big hit, but I am concerned 5 hours is not enough time.  The ship docks at 11am and leaves at 7pm.   Even if we go to Atlantis on our own day pass, we would only have 6 or so hours.   What experiences do you have, is 5-6 hours good, or do you feel ripped off, and could have spent more time?

 

Appreciate the advice.

[mjkacmom]

I do t think it’s worth it, and we’ve done it twice. Think of it like WDW, you want to be there when it opens. We got there at 9, grabbed a couple of chairs, got the lay of the land, were in line when the slides opened at 10, enjoyed then for a few hours before big lines, then used the pools, went to the beach, toured the digs, and were done by 4 or do.

[Liverpoolfan181]

We have been numerous times and plan to head there in January on our next Caribbean cruise.  Does Royal offer shuttle service to Atlantis? Coming back from Atlantis we hit a lot of traffic, I would ensure you allow ample time to leave Atlantis and taxi it back to the pier. If transportation is included then that may be to your advantage to not have to worry about timing. If you had all day in Nassau, I would say go on your own for sure. In regards to whether you can conquer in a day or not- that's all personal as to what you wish to explore once there. 🙂

[lazydayz]

I would recommend you do it independently.  Otherwise too much time wasted waiting on everybody, then they want to give you a tour, etc., then same for coming back.  I would taxi there and back.  You could check out getting a room at Comfort Suites, which has access to all of Atlantis and may be cheaper than buying wristbands directly from Atlantis.  I think five to six hours is plenty for the water park and aquarium,  but with a five hour tour from Carnival, you could easily waste an hour or more with coordinating the tour participants.