# Harborside at Atlantis...Meal Plans??



## iluvwdw (Jan 20, 2006)

Hi, all.  I am sure this question has been asked before (maybe even by me!) but my trip is getting closer and I need to start planning.

For all of you who have been to Atlantis or Harborside, do you get the meal plan or not?  We have been three times before and have never gotten the plan, but I am considering it for this trip.

If you have gotten a meal plan in the past, which one did you get?  Do you think you saved money by getting the plan??  Were you happy with the choices of restaurants on the plan?

THANKS FOR ANY INFO ANYONE CAN GIVE!


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## bigfrank (Jan 20, 2006)

*look at my post*

Here Also since I just got back 2 days ago you are welcome to call me. Send me an email and I will send you my number.


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## iluvwdw (Jan 20, 2006)

bigfrank said:
			
		

> Here Also since I just got back 2 days ago you are welcome to call me. Send me an email and I will send you my number.



Thanks, Frank!  Did you get the gourmet meal plan??  How much money do you think you saved at the end of the week?

See, I have two little ones (DS is 4 years old and DD will be turning 1 the day after we get home from Atlantis!).  I don't think I can handle going to a gourmet restaurant every day with the little ones. I don't want them to have meltdowns in the middle of dinner and have everyone look at me funny.      I was considering the Modified American meal plan for that reason.  What are your thoughts??  Am I better off paying OOP or would I come out ahead?


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## bigfrank (Jan 20, 2006)

Yes I took the GRP, I am just going out now to see a play in Manhattan, Send me an email and I will email you my number. I can tell you more about it than I can by posting.


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## sdbinks (Jan 20, 2006)

*meal plan*

We were there last July with an 8 year old and a 5 year old and purchased the standard meal plan.  I liked it because we had already pre-paid so the sticker shock wasn't there when we had to pay.  I have never sat down to see how much we saved, but I do think we did as a family of 4.  My kids are picky eaters and it didn't make sense to go gourmet.  They loved the Marketplace.  Enjoy!


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## toxicesq (Jan 23, 2006)

We just got back from 5 days at Harborside, and for the first time in 7 visits to Atlantis (this was my first time at Harborside), we did not purchase the Gourmet Dining Plan.  I've always taken it in the past, and recommended it to others.  But at this point it has gotten very expensive--up to $92/day in 2006--and I'm not sure that it will suit everyone.  It may still save you money if you plan to go to the buffet breakfasts every morning and to one of the more expensive restaurants for dinner every night.  But if, as I do, you travel with someone who doesn't want to get up for breakfast every morning (the buffets close at 11 a.m.), or if you do not care for a large buffet breakfast every morning, you will not be realizing much of a saving.  Remember that at certain restaurants--Dune, Cafe Martinique, Carmines and Nobu, they give you only a $65 per person credit towards dinner.  Add that to the approximately $24 that the buffet breakfast costs, and you're not saving any money for that day's food.  You will do better, and actually save some money, at some of the other restaurants, for example the Bahamian Club, which doesn't have the dollar limitation, and is very good.  And the meal plan doesn't cover alcoholic beverages or the mandatory 15% gratuity that is based on the cost of the food you order. 

So this time, we ate at Nobu and Carmine's and did not spend anywhere near what it would have cost us, per person, under the plan.  And it was a relief not to have to drag my kid out of bed for the breakfast that I'd "paid" for if she didn't want to go.  And one night, when we felt like something simple for dinner, we could go to the Atlas Grill and Bar in the casino without feeling like I wasn't getting my money's worth on the dining plan.

My advice would be to figure out in advance where you are most likely to be dining to make sure that it will be beneficial to you.


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## pcgirl54 (Jan 23, 2006)

I agree about the meal plan and getting up and out the door for breakfast at Atlantis. That's the main reason when we calculated costs that we winged it instead and ate where and when we wanted.
For us to get up,get ready and go on the shuttle to the resort from Harborside would be a real pain everyday adn we were without kids. One would feel obligated if they spent all that money.
I love breakfast the best of all three meals but am glad we ate at the two little places in the plaza or ate in our room in the morning.


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## bigfrank (Jan 23, 2006)

toxicesq said:
			
		

> We just got back from 5 days at Harborside, and for the first time in 7 visits to Atlantis (this was my first time at Harborside), we did not purchase the Gourmet Dining Plan.  I've always taken it in the past, and recommended it to others.  But at this point it has gotten very expensive--up to $92/day in 2006--and I'm not sure that it will suit everyone.  It may still save you money if you plan to go to the buffet breakfasts every morning and to one of the more expensive restaurants for dinner every night.  But if, as I do, you travel with someone who doesn't want to get up for breakfast every morning (the buffets close at 11 a.m.), or if you do not care for a large buffet breakfast every morning, you will not be realizing much of a saving.  Remember that at certain restaurants--Dune, Cafe Martinique, Carmines and Nobu, they give you only a $65 per person credit towards dinner.  Add that to the approximately $24 that the buffet breakfast costs, and you're not saving any money for that day's food.  You will do better, and actually save some money, at some of the other restaurants, for example the Bahamian Club, which doesn't have the dollar limitation, and is very good.  And the meal plan doesn't cover alcoholic beverages or the mandatory 15% gratuity that is based on the cost of the food you order.
> 
> So this time, we ate at Nobu and Carmine's and did not spend anywhere near what it would have cost us, per person, under the plan.  And it was a relief not to have to drag my kid out of bed for the breakfast that I'd "paid" for if she didn't want to go.  And one night, when we felt like something simple for dinner, we could go to the Atlas Grill and Bar in the casino without feeling like I wasn't getting my money's worth on the dining plan.
> 
> My advice would be to figure out in advance where you are most likely to be dining to make sure that it will be beneficial to you.



 I tend to agree with you but I also feel that you are being forced to eat more or the most expensive on the menu. The more you spend the more you will pay in both the taxes and tips. 
BTW When we ate at Nobu a week ago there was no $65 credit. so we rang up a $600 bill with out even knowing since we gave our waiter the OK to bring out there signiture dishs. I wonder if they received so many high bills that they impleamented the $65 credit for Nobu. Did you see this writen some where?


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## toxicesq (Jan 23, 2006)

Frank, the $65 limit at Nobu is on the Atlantis website:

"A $65.00 credit per adult and a $32.50 credit per child can be applied toward dinner at Carmines, Dune, or Nobu. A $65.00 credit per adult can be applied toward dinner at Café Martinique." 

I guess since it opened on January 14th they hadn't yet gotten their act together.  Looks like you got a great deal.


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## bigfrank (Jan 23, 2006)

toxicesq said:
			
		

> Frank, the $65 limit at Nobu is on the Atlantis website:
> 
> "A $65.00 credit per adult and a $32.50 credit per child can be applied toward dinner at Carmines, Dune, or Nobu. A $65.00 credit per adult can be applied toward dinner at Café Martinique."
> 
> I guess since it opened on January 14th they hadn't yet gotten their act together.  Looks like you got a great deal.


That was not the case when it first opened. When I checked out the woman said that there were a high bills coming in from the restaurant. Good thing they implemented the $65 charge/credit after I paid my bill.


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## JeffW (Jan 23, 2006)

If you are going to the effort of staying in a timeshare (which ususally means you bought a timeshare at some place), wouldn't you at least want to eat some meals in the room?  Between the full kitchen and table for 6 (at least in the 1br deluxe unit), there's certainly plenty of room.

  I'm not sure what most people eat for breakfast, but that would be an obvious meal to eat in for.  It's not like you need that many things for eat: cereal would just be cereal and milk, maybe some fruit; eggs could be eggs, bacon, bread, butter, etc.  Dinners (even lunches) you can get a variety of entrees, which is often part of the fun of eating out.  There's only so many different ways you can have eggs or french toast, and paying $10-$15 to experience them in the Bahamas doesn't seem the best use of money.  There were a couple of markets around Harbourside for the price of one breakfast, you could probably stock up on breakfast and snack items for the entire week.

  I think once you stay in for breakfast, you lose almost all savings the meal plan might provide.  When we went last January I was glad we didn't buy the plan, because we would have lost money on it.

Jeff


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## reddiablosv (Jan 23, 2006)

I just got back from the Atlantis as well, saw Big Frank while we were there.  I have done the gourmet meal plan in the past, but this year we decided to try eating "off campus" for some of our meals.  What I learned is that you can spend a lot of money on the local resturants as well as as the resort resturants.   In particular, a nice dinner for three at Graycliffs ran $350.  Poopdeck $190.    The one resturant I will recommend as an outstanding value off campus is Lucianos of Chicago.  An excellent dinner there cost less than breakfast at the Atlantis!   Next time I visit the Atlantis I probably will sign up for the gourmet meal plan again.  Ben


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## Dani (Jan 23, 2006)

I've been to the Atlantis many times and have never used any of the eating plans.  I find that I can get a relatively inexpensive breakfast either at Harborside, Murray's Deli at the Atlantis, or I will make my own.   I usually eat lunch poolside or at the very scenic,casual outdoor restaurant whose name escapes me by the Coral Towers.  As a result, dinner is the main expense for me and does not usually cost me enough to justify using the meal plan.   I like to eat off-site at least two or three times while I'm there.  I always go to the Poop deck for dinner, and will usually go to Johhny Canoe's in Cable Beach at least once for dinner.  Other than that I will go to either Anthony's Caribbean Grill down the road (service however was very poor the last time I went) or one of the restaurants in Hurricane Hole a little further down the road.  The Italian restaurant was pretty good there.

  Now that they have Carmine's and Club Martinique, I will go to both the next time I am there.


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## bigfrank (Jan 23, 2006)

JeffW said:
			
		

> If you are going to the effort of staying in a timeshare (which ususally means you bought a timeshare at some place), wouldn't you at least want to eat some meals in the room?  Between the full kitchen and table for 6 (at least in the 1br deluxe unit), there's certainly plenty of room.
> 
> I'm not sure what most people eat for breakfast, but that would be an obvious meal to eat in for.  It's not like you need that many things for eat: cereal would just be cereal and milk, maybe some fruit; eggs could be eggs, bacon, bread, butter, etc.  Dinners (even lunches) you can get a variety of entrees, which is often part of the fun of eating out.  There's only so many different ways you can have eggs or french toast, and paying $10-$15 to experience them in the Bahamas doesn't seem the best use of money.  There were a couple of markets around Harbourside for the price of one breakfast, you could probably stock up on breakfast and snack items for the entire week.
> 
> ...


 

Jeff Unless you have been to the Atlantis I do not think you would say you want to eat in the room. I agree that most of the times I stay at a TS that I want to eat breakfast in the room.
  First off at the Atlantis there really is no supermarkets to stock up on. Coffee in a small shop cost $12 for about 6 oz. Plus when you are in most likely one of the best resorts in the world I do not think you want to be in the room. 

Ben I was hoping we could have ran into each other the next day. I want to take a picture and give you that Cigar. BTW did you see Chuck Wepner there. I got to speak to him and take pictures along with getting an autograph.


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## bigfrank (Jan 25, 2006)

I wrote my review of the Harborside and just submited it here on tug. You can view it Here now if you like.


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