Atlantis

[Host Lisa]

It's been 4 years since the last time that we were at Atlantis (when my daughters were 10 and 3 and a half) so it's possible that things have changed but we didn't find a lot to do in the evening. What we tended to do after dinner was go for a walk down to the marina and shopping area to get an ice cream cone for the kids (and Starbucks for me). Most nights we also ended up walking through The Dig to view the aquariums. There is also a theatre showing recent Hollywood movies where you can get some popcorn and watch a flick. Hopefully someone who has been there more recently can provide more current information on what there is to do with young kids in the evening.

Lisa

[family travel story]

Originally Posted by Host Lisa

It's been 4 years since the last time that we were at Atlantis (when my daughters were 10 and 3 and a half) so it's possible that things have changed but we didn't find a lot to do in the evening. What we tended to do after dinner was go for a walk down to the marina and shopping area to get an ice cream cone for the kids (and Starbucks for me). Most nights we also ended up walking through The Dig to view the aquariums. There is also a theatre showing recent Hollywood movies where you can get some popcorn and watch a flick. Hopefully someone who has been there more recently can provide more current information on what there is to do with young kids in the evening.

Lisa

Sounds like it is very low-key for kids after dark. I wounder if there is any kids club activies like you would find on a cruise ship, so mom and dad can have some alone time, after a day with family fun in the sun.

[Host Lisa]

There is a kids club but we didn't bother using it when we stayed. I just had a quick look at there website and they call it "Kids Adventures". There are morning, afternoon, and evening adventures available - lots of themed activities like cooking, performing, interactive games etc. The bad news is that, unlike the kids club on a cruise ship, you have to pay for your child to spend time there. The hourly rate is $25 and the evening adventures which are 6:30-10:30 are $60. With those prices I don't think most people would be dropping off their kids every night unless they were serious casino gamblers. Take a look at their website for all the details about the kids programming.

Lisa

[family travel story]

I think after going on a number of cruise vacations, we as well as our DD has gotten use to having time for kids to play with other kids, as well as family time. However, even on a cruise ship the most we pay is $6 per hour and that is only for service after 10:00 PM. I think that $25 per hour is just too much money and I can not justify those fees. I wounder how many other people would pay that? I say this only because I would be worried that my DD would be the only one in the kids place at night.

[Host Lisa]

My guess is that parents who want to gamble in the casino are willing to pay those prices as they don't have the option of bringing their kids along with them. We aren't gamblers (didn't even go near a slot machine the last time we were there) so I don't really see the appeal of it but the gambling is an important part of an Atlantis vacation for a lot of adults.

My kids have only used kids clubs on cruise ships (we always seem to be too busy to think about it when we are staying at hotel/resorts) but I have always had the impression that the kids clubs on the ships are much more widely used than those on land. I think the fact that parents don't have to pay an extra fee for their kids to use the facilities makes them much more popular. We did pop into the kids club to have a look when we stayed at a resort over Christmas because my younger daughter who quite likes the cruise ship programs wanted to see what it was like. There were only a couple of small children there and she decided she just wasn't interested.

I would maybe consider the program at Atlantis if there were a number of kids participating and only for a particular activity that my daughter was interested in like the cooking classes. However, she would have to understand ahead of time that it was a one-time only adventure and that she wouldn't be going back every day like she does on a cruiseship. So it would be more like signing up for a special class than having a place to go and hang out and play with new friends.

Lisa