Atlantis Bahamas

[daveh0]

I'm heading to Atlantis soon and just trying to get some last minute intel. Has anyone been there recently? Some questions:

1. how challenging is wheeling from 1 end of the resort to the other? I've been told it can be walked in under 15 minutes along the beach walk. Is that relatively flat?
2. do the stairs going up the the water slides have railings? I can walk a bit with crutches but obviously won't be bringing them on the slide with me so a railing to hold on to (rather than a friend's shoulders) would be ideal
3. does the accessible shuttle run on any sort of schedule? I've heard it's a crap shoot. I've also heard that when it does run, it's extremely infrequent... almost non-existent.
4. what are the accessible rooms like in the Beach Towers? I have stayed places (mostly outside the US) where the accessible rooms were of quite a bit lower quality compared to the rest of the rooms in the same class. And I've stayed in places where the accessible rooms were the the 1st renovated and quite a bit nicer. Just trying to get an idea of what i'm in for.

Any other tips for accessibility or otherwise are welcomed. Thanks!!

[endo_aftermath]

The hurricane's eye track was about 100 miles north of Nassau, but it would still be prudent to get confirmation that the facility is in good shape.

[daveh0]

I'm heading to Atlantis soon and just trying to get some last minute intel. Has anyone been there recently? Some questions:

1. how challenging is wheeling from 1 end of the resort to the other? I've been told it can be walked in under 15 minutes along the beach walk. Is that relatively flat?
2. do the stairs going up the the water slides have railings? I can walk a bit with crutches but obviously won't be bringing them on the slide with me so a railing to hold on to (rather than a friend's shoulders) would be ideal
3. does the accessible shuttle run on any sort of schedule? I've heard it's a crap shoot. I've also heard that when it does run, it's extremely infrequent... almost non-existent.
4. what are the accessible rooms like in the Beach Towers? I have stayed places (mostly outside the US) where the accessible rooms were of quite a bit lower quality compared to the rest of the rooms in the same class. And I've stayed in places where the accessible rooms were the the 1st renovated and quite a bit nicer. Just trying to get an idea of what i'm in for.

Any other tips for accessibility or otherwise are welcomed. Thanks!!

So I'm back from my trip and figured I'd fill in my own blanks in case this info ever becomes of any use to anyone else.

#1 - it is NOT flat by any means. It's a rather confusing route to find the right ramps and elevators whether you stay inside or out. Without assistance from the people I was with, there's no way I would have lasted a day pushing on my own. I'm a quad tho... ymmv.

#2 - some of them do, some of them do not and some of them do but only for certain sets of stairs. The stairs to get up to the "BIG" tube slides and "The Abyss" were the worst of all of them... only about 5 steps with a railing or ledge... the remaining 50 or so were just wide open and required holding onto others' shoulders for me

#3 - i never even saw the accessible shuttle, not could anybody tell me where it was or when it might come

#4 - I was told i was confirmed for an accessible room in the Beach Tower. Upon check-in at the Coral Tower (apparently the Beach Tower doesn't have check-in capabilities.... so I was told), they old me they were "upgrading" me to a room there (which is more expensive than the Beach). Stupidly, I was so excited about the upgrade, I didn't bother asking if the room was accessible. It wasn't. It had plenty of room and an ocean-view balcony, but my chair didn't even fit through the bathroom door. Since I can gimp around on my feet a little, spent so little time in the room as it was and didn't feel like going through the whole process of explaining to them, I just stuck with that room. But if you need a full accessible bathroom, make sure you confirm that 100% with them up front. In hindsight, I should have asked for the fully accessible room as I believe they would have upgraded me to an even nicer tower. It was fine, but 1 thing... I keep saying "upgrade" in quotes because the Beach Tower was actually closed for renovations. So there was no upgrade even though they have you believe the opposite. I find that to be a bit deceptive, but no harm no foul in my case. For other people the bathroom thing could be very problematic if you confirmed an accessible room ahead of time and they don't have one to give you when you arrive. I don't even know WHAT you'd be able to do in that situation.


Tip #1: bring spare tubes and your own tire changing kit. I got a flat on the last day with no spare tubes on me. Their on-site mobility company was very helpful, but all of their chairs have solid tires so they don't carry tubes or tire levers or anything. They did bring an air pump up to see if maybe it was just a slow leak. They referred me to a bike shop in town. the do rent the hospital/airport kind of chairs, which is what I had to go with for the last day for $20/day and scooters for I think $60/day

Tip #2: if you're researching the resort online, you'll undoubtedly come across their accessibility pamphlet which makes it seem like they have beach wheelchairs all over the place that you can use to get in and out of the water (pool or beach). The truth is that you have to rent them by the day @ $80/day. So unless you're ok doing that, plan on another way to get around on the beach and in and out of the water.