Spent four days at the Atlantis with my wife and 11 month old son and we had a good time. Overall we thought the resort was great.

I thought the service level was pretty good, especially for the Caribbean where I am generally used to getting subpar service by US standards...everything seems to be slower in the Caribbean. Our room was pretty standard, and a good size. They had a great set of water slides, a bunch of different pools and at least two beaches. Also, a really amazing aquarium, one that I would be happy paying admission to see in the US. I thought the food was good--they had a good collection of restaurants and even the snack bar fare was above average. Another good thing about the Bahamas is that there is no language barrier, and they use US currency. But there are some downsides that people should be aware of.

The place is an absolute zoo: I didn't mind the fact that it was crawling with kids because I had a baby of my own with me. In addition to the kids they tend to have activities in near the pool such as bingo and trivia which features an emcee blaring over a PA. So, if you are looking for a relaxing vacation, one where you can sit by the pool and chill, this is probably not the ideal place for you.

Getting Around: It is definitely kid friendly, with the waterpark, kids club, kiddie pools, etc, but it is not very baby friendly. I say this because I found the biggest headache was getting around the resort with a stroller. There are stairs everywhere, and very few ramps. I got a great workout carrying my son in his stroller everywhere. I can't imagine someone getting around the resort in a wheelchair.

Prices: I heard about the astronomical cost for things before I went, but even as someone that lives in Manhattan I was stunned by some of the prices. When on vacation you just go ahead and pay what they charge, but you should know what you are in for before you go. We have eaten at Carmines in NY and the one here, and it seemed that the mark up at Atlantis was about 60-70%. Probably the most outrageous example was the $9+ liter bottle of water.

Dinner: You better make sure you have reservations well in advance if you want to eat at any of the good sit down restaurants. We went to Carmines right when it opened one night and were told that there is a 60 minute wait despite the restaurant being 2/3 empty at the time with no one else waiting. We had a reservation another night for Chopstix and heard the couple ahead of us get turned away despite the restaurant being half empty at the time. Usually when on vacation I like to see where the day (or night) takes me, but you definitely have to plan ahead here.

Operating times for the pool: This was a minor issue, but the pools didn't open until after 9am and they closed at 5 I think. Normally, I wouldn't care, but with a baby we were up at 6AM, and ready to head down there. The waterpark slides didn't start running until at least 11am. It would have been nice to get a few rides in a little earlier before the pool got crowded and the lines got really long (usually a ~20 min rate per ride).

This was by far the best hotel I have stayed in to date. The activities were endless, rooms were spotless, beach and pools extravagant! I can't even put into words how much I truly enjoyed my stay at the Atlantis. The nightlife was terrific, bars, clubs & casinos. Hotel staff was friendly and there was never a dull moment.

Just got back from a 5 day vacation staying at the Royal Towers. We had two rooms for my family. Myself, husband, 3 children ages 12,10 ,7 and my parents. I had read so many negative reviews and was hoping we made the right decision for our family. We all LOVED it!! From the 7yr. old to the grandparents everyone enjoyed themself. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The water rides, pools and beaches were beautiful. Yes, the food was a little on the pricey side but we expected it .As far as food prices go, it was very much like our trips to Disney or New York City. The best part is, everthing is right there. From swimming with the dolphins,to water rides, a movie theater, interactive marine shows, shopping or just relaxing by the many pools or beaches. I would suggest getting your towels early and placing them on your chairs just to have a place to call home base. We would do this every day so we would have a place to put our beach bag, shoes etc. while going on the rides or walking around. The only negative is I wish we stayed longer!

After reading all the negative reviews I was skeptical about our vacation. But once we got there we had no issues as reported by some of the reviewers. Our check-in took 5 mins, we had a terrace room booked and we requested complimentary upgrade to the ocean view if avaialble. This was given to us w/o any extra $$. Staff was very friendly and more than willing to help. We never had any issues finding a chair by the pool, we used to get to the pool by 10am and still find a good spot to sit. We never tipped anyone extra neither did we see anyone asking for an additional tip. Our room was always cleaned before we got back and there was never any issue with the toilet. We had to call service twice (once for the safe and once for the coffee maker) and they were there within 10 mins. West towers are closer to the pools and rides. So overall we had a fabulous time and will certainly go back. yes, the food is VERY expensive but just about every reviewer has said that and you just have to deal with it. Here are some of the tips that helped us:


1> The grounds are huge and you will do a lot of walking. If you have kids take a stroller with you. My 4 yr old refused to walk in the evenings because he was exhausted after playing all day in the pool

2> Take lots of snacks from home.

3> The grocery stores close at 5 so get to the market before that. There is a liquor store outside the Beach Tower (10 mins walk from Royal) where you can get cheaper beer ($5 for 3 cans as opposed to somthing like $8 a beer by the pool) and water

4> Take a collapsable cooler from home

5> Carmine is expensive but affordable for bigger groups and if you order sensibily. A pasta dish (pasta with broc and sausage) will cost 44 bucks but we could not finish it (2 adults and 1 child).

6> Get your pool towels in the AM, sometimes they run out of towels by the afternoon

7> Take your own snorkeling gear, they will give you the life vest for free

8> Nothing great about the straw market and the food in the surrounding restaurants wasn't cheap so it was a waste of $30 on cab money

9> Shark Bites Express (pool side) has good lunch selections and it was not expensive ($30 for lunch for 3 ppl).

10> Remember Tips are included for everything, make sure you check the bill

11> For Breakfast, Platos (sp?) at the resort has same prices (or even cheaper) as Murray's Deli. Better eat there than take a long walk to the marina.