The Reef at Atlantis

We come at The reef at Atlantis yearly. Weather was perfect. Crowds weren’t bad. Towel availability spotty on some days. Overall, it was a good trip, but they can definitely make improvements.

Everything at The Reef is amazing. The resort has so many exhibits and sea life pools, you could spend all day walking around.

Our family of four (parents and children ages 5 & 7) spent six nights at The Reef Atlantis. Our room was a great size and it was helpful to have the small kitchen and second bathroom with the children. Since we were at The Reef we had access to the additional pool, beach, playground, and restaurants - all of which we used, especially when cruise ships were in and the rest of the resort got ridiculously crowded. We made dinner reservations for each night in advance and had no problem getting the locations and time slots we wanted for our family. All of the food was good and portions large enough to cover lunch the next day in most cases. As a lot of other have mentioned, it's expensive and nothing is included so be prepared to spend. The biggest cost we incurred was at Dolphin Cay - Playtime with Dolphins plus the digital images (not even printed photos) cost us $1,100 for our family of 4 was only about 25 minutes with the dolphins. It was cool - but not that cool!

Just returned from a 6 night stay at the Reef and received so much great info here, so figured I would reciprocate! Family of 4 - Myself, my wife and 2 daughters ages 11 and 9. Our first time there. Stayed in a 1 Bedroom Ocean Suite. We used Desmond McDonald for transportation to and from the resort. Knowledgeable, courteous, helpful and on time. We stopped at the grocery store as suggested by so many. Picked up bottled water, milk, eggs, cereal, fruit, bacon, zip lock bags (for leftover), seltzers, juices, etc. We saved A LOT of money by eating most breakfasts and lunches in our room. Also, our kids are somewhat picky eaters, so it was nice to have food we knew they would eat instead of buying expensive breakfasts and lunches that may have gone to waste. Between the groceries we bought and the leftovers we had from going out to dinner each night, we had plenty of food for breakfasts and lunches. The grocery stores don't have bags, but you can tip a porter to pack all of your stuff in a box for you and bring it to your taxi. Once you check in get your wrist bands right away. This way you won't have to wait in line to do so the following morning and will be free to roam the resort that evening without restrictions. Also, if you know you are going to need any extras for the room (pillows, towels, blankets, etc.) I suggest requesting those right when you check in or even before. It seems like these types of items start to run out as the day goes on, so the earlier you can request them, the better. The property is certainly impressive. It took us all 6 days to see everything (and we probably missed a few areas as well). It might be different on a return trip, but I was glad we didn't plan any excursions because there was so much to see and do at Atlantis. Plus, you are paying the price for the amenities and property, so might as well use them. For the pools and water park, we found it was good to get out there earlier (around 9 am) to get a decent spot that's somewhat in the middle of the property. We found that setting up near the entry/exit point of the rapids river was convenient because you could get to most areas of the property pretty easily and also ride the rapids river to different areas of the water park. There were some slides closed randomly on some days, but honestly there is so much to do there you can just keep moving and go onto the next thing. An important note, at least for my family. All of the major slides have a minimum height requirement of 48 inches. If not over 48 inches, you can not ride the majority of the slides, not even with an adult. We were glad both our littles were over the threshold and talked about how difficult it would be if you had one kid that was over 48 inches and one that was under. Honestly, I would wait until your kids are all over 48 inches to go. Otherwise, they will be real limited on what they can go on. We did the playtime with dolphins and it was a great experience. Expensive, but unique and something my kids really wanted to do. I'd plan on buying the photo package too. One parent can "observe", but you can not get close enough or get the right angle to take good photos. The photos are really expensive too, but worth it. I think they are like $100 for 2 or $200 for all the photos they take. Pricey, but ended up being worth it. We brought our own snorkels and snorkeled right off the beach. We found that the reef/cove beach was the best spot. In between where all the chairs are set up and the "sacred space" where the jetty is. That had the best visibility and most sea life. I'm sure that changes with the wind direction, but that's where we had the most luck. Saw lots of tropical fish, found a few cool shells and saw 3 sea turtles. The beach and water were beautiful. Enough waves for the kids to play in but not so strong that it made you worry. Also, a jellyfish tip - we didn't have much of a problem with them, but when you stop at the grocery store buy a jug of white vinegar. It was like $6 and well worth the preventative measure in case the kids get into the jellyfish bad. We ate out every night and didn't have a bad meal. The suggestion of going to Carmine's on your 1st night is spot on. The portions are gigantic and someone in the family ate leftovers from Carmines for lunch nearly every day. Went to Bimini Road, Fish, Sea fire, Shake Shack - all expensive, which was expected, but good. After exploring all areas of the resort, we were happy that we stayed at the Reef as opposed to the Royal or Coral. While it made for a bit of walking, it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the other areas of the resort once you got back to your hotel. I think this is the first vacation I've been on that I lost weight! We did 6-8 miles of walking a day and our first few days walked to everywhere we went. The last few days we opted to use the complimentary shuttle if we were going to the marina or coral area, as we were all running out of steam. Shuttles run constantly and are very convenient. All in all, a great trip. Made it back home tired, tan and slightly broke, but the entire family had a blast! Oh, use the MPC app when you are leaving. Super easy and saves a ton of time getting through customs at the airport

This was our second time visiting Atlantis. We stayed at the Reef because we wanted the full suite and kitchen. The room was a bit dated and in need of a refresh. In fact the our entire stay could be summed up that way. We felt given the premium pricing for EVERYTHING there and virtually nothing included for the price everything should have been nicer. The water park rides were consistently closed. There is little to no pool/beach wait staff and you have to go get and do everything yourself. There should be way more included activities. We couldn't even get a 1pm late check out. The staff was wonderful and friendly but I felt like we paid for first class resort and got more of an economy one.