Atlantis!!

We're still waiting for winds to lay down while in Nassau. Ho Hum. Again, the winds have been consistent at 20-25 knots with higher gusts. We're rocking pretty much in the slip, but not a hindrance. It is good to get off the boat though. So......

On to Atlantis, the premier destination resort on Paradise Island, just across the harbour from New Providence Island and Nassau. They offer day passes ($110 each) for cruise line passengers and others. For this flat fee, we had a full day's use of all the facilities, including the world-famous aquarium, restaurants, pools, beaches and water park. Rick and Lynnie joined us for a day of Aquaventure. First:

The Aquarium

The aquarium is a massive archaeological dig that surrounds most of the entire facility and was constructed to replicate the lost city of Atlantis. Seawater is pumped in and the brochure says that 10,000 fish species are living there. It is spectacular! One can view the entire aquarium from the sides by looking through walls of floor-to-ceiling 6" glass panels; from above by walking the perimeter of the facility and looking down; from underneath through glass tube tunnels; and, via water slides in the water park that whisks riders underneath (also through glass tube tunnels). There is an eel section, a predator section (sharks, barracuda, etc), a jellyfish section, a lobster section and on and on. But most of the fish live all together. Everything from sharks, rays, lion fish, reef fish, grouper, etc are there. Truly a sight to see. Here are some shots of the aquarium that really do not do the facility justice, but will give you an idea. (Please overlook the misspelled labels, thanks.)

The Grounds

No detail was left out. This facility was painstakingly designed and built to replicate Atlantis. The beautiful walking paths through palm trees, the many swimming pools of "gin clean" fresh water, the manicured beaches, the restaurants, hotel towers and all out buildings held the "Atlantis" theme throughout. And, all the employees, no matter what their job, were friendly, accommodating, helpful, respectful and fun. Just walking the grounds and joking with these customer service folks was a blast. Take a look at some of the pics of the grounds.

The Water Park

I did not want to risk getting the camera wet, so we have no pictures of the water park activities. Let me just say that, The Wisconsin Dells, the water park capital of the US can't hold a match to this place. There is a mile long inner tube ride through rapids, falls and currents. Along the way, one can get off the "river" and take rides on the water slides. Some rides are used with the tube and others are just body slides. The first slide was a tube slide. We walked up the stairs and inside of a Mayan-appearing pyramid to the top of the slide. Here we descended on our inner tubes inside pitch black water slides making hair pin turns at high speeds and throwing us out at the bottom in a pool of water. There were several like this. On one ride, it dropped you about 200 ft into a glass tube that crossed under the aquarium's predator tank. So, as you slowly rode the currents to the end, you could see sharks swimming beside and over you. FANTASTIC!

But Norm most enjoyed the "plunge". After 3 or 4 courage-building Bahama Colada's Norm had to try it. This was a body slide where you lay feet crossed and in front of you, arms crossed on your chest and head slightly raised off the surface. "Geronimo", an 85% vertical fall of about 200 ft on a ribbon of water that, again, spit you out at light speed into a warm reservoir of deep water. As Tammy says, "WICKED COOL"!! One more visit to the restroom to change his pants and Norm rejoined the others for a nightcap! Sorry about the pictures, but hopefully you can sense the exhilarating experience it was.