I referenced the enormity of the Atlantis Bahamas complex in my earlier review. But wow, this place is gigantic!

Walking through it all would be a nigh impossible task. There’s a free shuttle bus to get around the various towers. Most places are a 5- to 30-minute walk, depending on which tower you stay, and how quickly you walk.

The Atlantis is a city unto itself. It would take several weeks to experience the dozens of bars and restaurants, swim in all the pools, and walk around the beaches of Paradise Island. So go into it knowing you won’t see everything. But do sketch out a rough idea for what you’d like to see and do.

I had a Casino Experience Pass included as part of my 4 free nights, and that set us on a course to exploring the Atlantis.

Bahama Breeze Index

• Part 1 – Review of My Free Room at Atlantis Beach Tower, Nassau
• Part 2 – Exploring the Atlantis Resort in Nassau
• Part 3 – Wanderings in Nassau

Using the Casino Experience Pass

The Casino Experience Pass included:

And the daily resort fee includes:

I had to pick up the pass inside the casino. I was advised to keep track of it because it is NOT replaceable if you lose it – and you need to present it each time you redeem.

The system is quite low-tech: they simply check the box and cross off each item as it’s used.

When I checked in, the desk agent gave me enough vouchers for 2 free bottles of water each day of my stay. Do NOT drink the water in the room – they are $7 each. Instead, pick up water from around the resort and take it back to your room.

From the Casino Experience Pass, I did everything except the golf.

And from the resort fee, I didn’t go to the fitness center or movie theater. And I didn’t take casino lessons or use the shuttle. I did use the excellent wifi, got all my free water, and drank the coffee in the room.

Olives, Nobu, and Seafire restaurants

Nobu and Olives are near each other inside the casino.

We sat down at the bar in Olives, showed them our Casino Experience Pass and ordered 2 Sky Juice martinis. They were delicious and sweet and boozy!

So right off the bat, we saved $30 with the pass.

Then we went directly after to Nobu and got our sushi and sake sampler.

We were pretty hungry by that point so I didn’t get pics. But wow. This might be some of the best sushi I’ve had anywhere. And the sake was wonderful, too.

In fact, it was so good we ordered a couple more rolls and just paid for it. I highly recommend the Bahamian roll!

And at Seafire, located in the marina, we just got a couple of glasses of wine.

I estimate between the 4 drinks, the sushi sampler, and the sake, we got around $75 in free food and drinks from the Casino Experience Pass.

Dolphin interaction

Note this only includes admission for one person. It’s an additional $150 to add another.

Yes, that’s a lot. So I gave it to Jay for his birthday and sat nearby to watch. They are very thorough – and part of the proceeds go toward preserving marine life in the Bahamas.

There’s an orientation where they get you fitted in a wetsuit and explain what to expect and how to behave during the interaction. They they tell you a little about dolphins and how some of them ended up in the Bahamas – many were rescued from hurricanes or other natural disasters.

The fitting and orientation took about 30 minutes.

Then, you get nearly a full hour of being with a dolphin.

You learn their name (our group got Electra), their personality, the tricks they like, and get to pet them quite a lot – and feed them!

They don’t rush you out at all – they were very patient about answering lots of questions. It was a good time, even as an observer. It may be worth paying for if you’re there for a special occasion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQaYIaMFinQ

They also limit the size of the groups to about 8 to 10. And you have to schedule your interaction in advance – you can’t just show up.

But the small group size means you get lots of time with your dolphin. They are gorgeous and intelligent animals. This was definitely a highlight for us.

And of course, you can buy a photo afterward for $25. We were chumps and took the bait. The photo (above) did turn out high-quality. And they’re available right after your interaction as you… exit through the gift shop. Ah, consumerism. It’s everywhere here.

The casino

This place is damn crazy. There are peeps coming off docked cruise ships, from the surrounding islands, and from within the Atlantis. It’s huuuuge and has everything you can possibly imagine, from slots to poker to blackjack to you name it.

If you’ve been to any Vegas casino, you’ll know what to expect: tons of carpet, free drinks everywhere, dim lighting, opulent decor, and tons of flashing lights and urgent music.

Multiply the typical Vegas experience by like, 20, and you can begin to approximate what Atlantis is like.

I’m not much of a gambler, but I stuck a $20 into the penny slot machines and played for a while. I lost it all, of course, but got a drink or two out of it so I figure it was worth it. 🙂

This is the only casino in the Bahamas, and it’s quite a destination unto itself. If you stay at the Atlantis, you’re bound to walk through it a time or two. The spectacle alone is worth it.

Around the property

• Link: Atlantis Bahamas Resort

The commitment to theme is amazing. You will find all manner of things marine and crustacean.

I definitely recommend walking between the towers using the network of trails outside. The landscaping is beautiful. And you get a sense of how enormous the whole compound really is. Not to mention the ocean air and glimpses of fish, turtles, and all sorts of cool views.

There are several swimming pools. Each has plenty of spots to lay out. The resort is big enough that you don’t have to claim a spot. And many of the pools have a kid side and adult side delineated by a rope where the water begins to deepen.

I was able to get a secluded spot each time I went to the pool. There are many places to grab a drink or snack by the pools, although you will pay out the nose for it.

I brought in a bottle of ginger beer spiked liberally with Bahamian rum and no one said a thing to me – yay for saving money!

Also note sunscreen on the island is expensive – like $20+ for a little tube. So if you have a long stay or a big family, it might be worth paying for a checked bag and filling it with sunscreen.

The sun, even in December, was bright and powerful. We paid for a tube of sunscreen because losing $20 hurts a lot less than 3 days of sunburn. You’ll also want it for walking around during the day because the sun is ever-present. So be sure to factor that in.

Aquaventure

Link: Aquaventure

Need to drop a quick nod to Aquaventure.

I’m not big on parks – the lines and general crowding usually zaps the 10 seconds of fun. But the lines here were non-existent to the point where you can go down your favorite slides again and again.

The biggest things to note are… go when the cruise ships are gone. It gets crowded when they’re docked. So go when you see them trickle out.

And there aren’t any lockers or places to store your things. I saw a lot of people leaving their stuff on a beach chair with a towel over it, which obviously isn’t the most preferable method.

But, it’s what we ended up doing. No one bothered our stuff (unless you want a half-drank bottle of ginger beer and a wet shirt), but I’d advise against taking anything valuable with you like cameras, phones, etc. Unless someone can hold them for you while you ride and then pass it on while they go up.

Also, the slides end nowhere near their entrances. To get back to your starting point can take a while when you’re wet and barefoot.

This part of Atlantis is 141 acres, so definitely plan to spend a long time just getting around. It’s fantastic, though. I had a lot more fun here than I expected.

Admission is included in the daily resort fee – this alone makes it more than worth it!

Bottom line

I could go on and on about Atlantis in the Bahamas, as it’s so huge. I had a blast here. And used the Casino Experience Pass included with my 4 free nights as a jumping-off point for exploring the grounds.

They’re massive, so have a rough plan for what you want to do.

All the food we had on-site was fantastic. Everything from amazing sushi to breakfast sandwiches – all tasted high-quality and fresh.

Allow plenty of time to get around – the walks are epic and the distances can feel vast if you get into a hurry.

But if you take it easy and give yourself plenty of time to marvel at the sheer enormity of this place, you’ll have an excellent time.

I’m glad I visited – and hopefully this is a good overview for how to get started.

If you’ve stayed here, how did your experience compare?

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