Atlantis Submarine???

[cruisinparents]

Is it really worth $97 each? We are a family of 5. Lots of money.:confused:

[jspirit]

Do you know that you can book directly with the same vendor on-line for $79.00? Every little bit helps!

[ICANTWAITTOSAIL]

In my opinion it was not worth the $74 I paid. We did not see a lot and I nodded off at one point. My kids (8 and 12) were not that impressed either because they thought the would see a larger variety of sealife. You had to bend down to see out of the portholes because they were kind of low. Everything that semi-exciting was happening on the opposite side from where we were sitting. The next group was ready so we went back up a little earlier that planned. It was neat to say I have been in a submarine but I don't think I would repeat it. Definately book through them directly to save yourself some money. A word of advice make sure you confirm the correct time to meet island vs ship. We ended up waiting a while for them to open. Also bring a confirmation sheet with the price you were quoted.

[daldog]

Never been inside a sub, but we were scuba diving on some days when that sub was out and could see it going down and coming up from our hotel balcony. At the time at least, it went past the mermaid statue which is in about 50 ft of water near Sunset House's reef (the mermaid by the way, she is quite beautiful - we are in love with her). And I have to say, it was fun for us the first time we saw it, waving at everybody inside - maybe you'll get lucky and see some divers. But on the flip side, it makes such a whine under water and stirs up so much silt when it goes by, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't see much. I would think most of the fish and turtles would take off? I can tell you it definitely reduced the visibility in the area. I hate to be discouraging but I would think if you're really looking to see the reef and sea life, that you'd likely see much more snorkeling or on a glass bottom kayak or something. If your kids are enthused about being in a submarine, well that's something different.

[Smileeface]

In 2001, we did the submarine excursion in Grand Cayman. My girls were 9 and 5 then. The best part was watching the sub come out of the water, boarding it--we were very excited, and the sub is neat to watch. But once you were sitting in front of your small porthole, it was a few oohs and aahs for the first 15 minutes. The colors of the reefs are not seen bright as you see in the pictures; the colors were very muted. You're looking through this small window so your view is very limited, and after a while it all looks the same. If your children are old enough find a nice snorkeling excursion. There's nothing like 360 peripheral vision of swimming fish and sea life. Hope that helps. Enjoy!

[marym933]

My husband and I did the submarine 2 weeks ago. We loved it. We are snorklers, not divers. We saw what the ocean looks like at 107 feet. It is true, due to lack of sunlight at that depth, everything does lack color. We did see some great coral formations, small to medium size fish, 2 turtles and a sting ray. The sub climate is very pleasant, much better than an airplane. It is air-conditioned and pressurized. The actual dive time is about 40-50 minutes.

[dcrose]

We just got back and did this excursion with our two young kids. I am glad we did it and think it is the kind of thing you would only ever do once. My kids thought it was pretty neat going in a submarine and we did see a lot of different fish and a couple of sting rays. I am sure it isn't as exciting as diving but it was worth it for us.

[wieslaw]

In my opinion it was not worth the $74 I paid. We did not see a lot and I nodded off at one point. My kids (8 and 12) were not that impressed either because they thought the would see a larger variety of sealife. You had to bend down to see out of the portholes because they were kind of low. Everything that semi-exciting was happening on the opposite side from where we were sitting. The next group was ready so we went back up a little earlier that planned. It was neat to say I have been in a submarine but I don't think I would repeat it. Definately book through them directly to save yourself some money. A word of advice make sure you confirm the correct time to meet island vs ship. We ended up waiting a while for them to open. Also bring a confirmation sheet with the price you were quoted.

 

Hi,

I am trying to decide if the Atlantis sub or the semi-sub is a better option to see the sea life in Grand Cayman, appears that you did not see as much as you expected...I am wondering if the semi - sub offers more to see ?

Can one just walk up to their 'office' and purchase the tickets if they are not sold out...or do I have to make reservations ahead of time....

 

Wes

[southbayer]

Does anyone know the actual website for this, I couldn't find it ??

[wieslaw]

Try this

 

http://www.atlantisadventures.com/

 

Wes

[Bruin Steve]

We've never been to Grand Cayman before...

We want to get more of an overview...and, after perusing all of the offered excursions, we opted to go with something called the "Land & Sea":

 

>>This tour incorporates the island's best features above and below the water. Travel in the Nautilus, the most luxurious semi-submarine in the world, and explore the marine paradise of Cheeseburger Reef and the ghostly, ancient shipwrecks of the Cali and Balboa. Our expert narrator and fish-feeding divers make it an adventure to be remembered for a lifetime.

Then step aboard air-conditioned coaches for a memorable tour along the west bay peninsula. A brief stop at the Governor's residence located on Seven Mile Beach, one of the worlds most spectacular, then we're off to visit the world's only green sea turtle farm. Our experienced guides explain all about the tiny hatchlings to the big breeders in their lagoons. You can even pick up a turtle for a photograph. Our next stop is a visit to Hell, so named for its unusual rock formations. At sunset, when the orange sun reflects off the water collected in the pools, it resembles a burning hellfire. This is a favorite stop to mail postcards and have them postmarked from Hell. After a brief stop at one of the island's rum cake centers for an opportunity to sample this island delicacy, you'll return to the cruise ship landing, where you are within walking distance of the downtown shops.<<

 

As you can see, it foregoes the "Atlantis" for something called the "Nautilus"--a SEMI-Submarine (it doesn't really drop completely below the surface of the water)...

I am not sure how this experience compares with the fully submersible Atlantis sub...but it sounds as if it will be enough for US...and, moreover, we want to make those several other stops...and it's only $70 pp...

 

Anyone have an opinion on this one?

[hubofhockey]

I did the Nautilus last year. I snorkled and my wife and kids stayed inside the Nautilus. The snorkeling was great. The excursion was decent. I don't know how much you're going to see in the Atlantis that you won't see in the Nautilus and the Atlantis was half the price. After our excursion, we took a cab to Sea Grape beach so eveyone could get in the water. I would do that again in a minute. This year, we're just doing Sea Grape (by bus or cab rather than paying cruiseline some ridiculous fee) and then going out for lunch at Breezes. I will try to snorkel off the beach.

[wieslaw]

I did the Nautilus last year. I snorkled and my wife and kids stayed inside the Nautilus. The snorkeling was great. The excursion was decent. I don't know how much you're going to see in the Atlantis that you won't see in the Nautilus and the Atlantis was half the price. After our excursion, we took a cab to Sea Grape beach so eveyone could get in the water. I would do that again in a minute. This year, we're just doing Sea Grape (by bus or cab rather than paying cruiseline some ridiculous fee) and then going out for lunch at Breezes. I will try to snorkel off the beach.

 

Hi Ljberkow, what did you see on your excurssion on the Nautilus ?

I am still looking for all the information that I can find from other posters.

I have read the 'official advertising' for the Atlantis very deep sub, the Atlantis sub, the Seaworld Explorer and the Nautilus.....they all seem to advertise the 'best' excurssion that one can have ......they have to advertise the best to sell their products. The prices do vary as well, the deep sub being the most expensive, and the Nautilus the least.

But the actual experience sometimes is different from the advertising.

It is hard to find someone that has done more than one excurssion in the same port on different type of sub or semi-sub....but just reading what others have posted might be heplful for me to choose what I think will be a good value and good and unique experience.

 

Wes

[marym933]

My husband and I did the Atlantis sub in Grand Cayman. Our daughter did the semi-sub. We enjoy our trip and she did too. In the sub you get an idea of what a diver sees 107 feet down. The semi-sub is more what you would see if you were snorkeling.

[wieslaw]

My husband and I did the Atlantis sub in Grand Cayman. Our daughter did the semi-sub. We enjoy our trip and she did too. In the sub you get an idea of what a diver sees 107 feet down. The semi-sub is more what you would see if you were snorkeling.

 

Hi marym, thank you for your input.

Which semi-sub did your daughter use: the Seaworld Explorer or the Nautilus ? I am not sure how much difference is there between them... I think the windows might be different for viewing (looking at some of the pictures) but I do not know if one is better than the other.

 

How much did you see on your Atlantis tour ? were there any reefs ? vegetation? colors ? (I believe some of the colors sort of fade as the sub goes deeper).

 

I have done the Atlantis in St. Thomas and it was a new experience but there was not much color at the lower deepth, everything was sort of gray. I believe Grand Cayman's sea has more to offer (reefs) than what I have seen in St. Thomas - but I will not know that...untill I go there.

On the other hand if there is not that much to see at the lower depth.....then the Seaworld Explorer or the Nautilus might be a better choice and better value......that is what I am trying to establish before I make the reservation.

Wes

[marym933]

She did the Nautilus as part of a package that went to Hell and the Turtle Farm.

 

On the sub we saw a couple of turtles, sting ray and assorted small and medium sized fish. There was a barracuda on the other side of the sub that I missed. The colors do fade out the deeper you go. There is a lot of coral - fan, brain, stag, etc. We went over the Cayman wall that is 22,000 feet deep. The water just got very blue there.

 

We have snorkeled before and thought this would be something different.

 

The picture taking was pretty good. The sub had a spotlight that the captain turned on frequently. I'm sorry, I'm new at the boards and haven't figured out how to upload picture yet.

[hubofhockey]

Hi Ljberkow, what did you see on your excurssion on the Nautilus ?

I am still looking for all the information that I can find from other posters.

I have read the 'official advertising' for the Atlantis very deep sub, the Atlantis sub, the Seaworld Explorer and the Nautilus.....they all seem to advertise the 'best' excurssion that one can have ......they have to advertise the best to sell their products. The prices do vary as well, the deep sub being the most expensive, and the Nautilus the least.

But the actual experience sometimes is different from the advertising.

It is hard to find someone that has done more than one excurssion in the same port on different type of sub or semi-sub....but just reading what others have posted might be heplful for me to choose what I think will be a good value and good and unique experience.

 

Wes

 

Sorry for getting back to you so late. I remember snorkeling near cheeseburger reef. The nautilus went past a couple of wrecks. I wish I could remember some of the other sites we went past. The kids had a good time and I liked the snorkeling.

 

A picture of cheeseburger reef that i found on the net.

 

 

MaryM, to get a picture in a post, you need to go into advanced view and double click on an icon that inserts images. to fin that icon, put your mouse over all of the icons and they tell you which one is insert image (it's near the right).

[wieslaw]

Thank you marym and Ljberkow for your responses and advice.

I looked at most of the posts that I could find and I also looked at the brochure Cayman Activity Guide ( there was some information about many water 'activities / sport' and some information about the submarines and semi- submarines).

I just booked the Atlantis XI hoping that it was the proper choice for us.

The tour is just about double in price what the semi-sub tour would be...but I hope that we can see more of the coral reef at the deeper water so maybe it will be worth the money spent.

I know that the initial cost of the sub is a lot higher than the semi-subs...so they have to charge more to pay for it.

 

Thanks again for the information provided.

I enjoed the picture - thanks.

 

Wes

[queenbluebee]

Weislaw-- Any updates? We are thinking of taking the submarine in December? Want a few more reviews before actually deciding.

[KandCsailing]

We did the Atlantis sub in St. Martin and really enjoyed it. It went down to 90 feet and the crew was great. We saw a shark and lots of different fish and corals, but this was just after a hurricane had been near by so it was not as many as usual. We had to take a smaller boat out to the sub. It was near a small island with a steel lighthouse. It's most likely a once in a lifetime thing for us, but we are not divers, so I may do it again for a Hawaii cruise to see a different ocean.

[KandCsailing]

Photos of Atlantis excusion in St. Thomas.

[wieslaw]

Weislaw-- Any updates? We are thinking of taking the submarine in December? Want a few more reviews before actually deciding.

 

 

Hello queenbluebee,

 

you are asking about "Any updates ? " I guess there are some.

I did book the Atlantis XI ( mostly for the benefit of my visiting family from Poland) for a tour on April 27, 07 . I did the booking on line and also I printed some discount coupons for the sub - the discount coupons will apply to the regular price but it will be a little less than the online price ( which is lower than the price offered by the cruise ship).

The Atlantis office is very short walking distance from the pier where the tender lets off the 'cruisers'.

My experience was very similar to the one which I had on the previous Atlantis tour in St Thomas - but being on the sub the second time was not as big of a event for me as the first dive.

My family tought it was just great to see the sea and the coral reef at the depth of about 100 feet. There was not many fish to see but there were some. Similar to the dive in St. Thomas there is very little color. The daylight at the deeper waters changes its spectrum and some colors just do not show up. The night dives according to the sub's guide are the ones that show all the true colors - they use strong artificial light and the true colors are there.

I do recommend to take the tour on the sub at least once - even that the colors are not there ( night would be better if you stay there overnight).

 

I will try to attach couple pictures that were taken from the window at about 80 ft depth.

 

Wes