# At Harborside now.  Fabulous!!



## WINSLOW (Jun 2, 2015)

At Harborside now.  Fabulous!!

Staff is great & very friendly.  Had a few (minor) problems with the unit & they responded literally within 2 minutes each time. The unit smelled like vomit upon check in, then the  ice maker wasn't working, then we asked for blankets. Each time they were fast to send someone up to fix the issues. Still don't know how they got the smell of vomit out of the room so fast.

Wireless internet is working at the Harborside pool as well as the other pools & in room.  I brought my travel wireless router like I have before here & this time it wouldn't work in the room for some reason.  The Internet was $136 for 6 days which is high but would be fine if you could use more than 4 devices, especially when you have 5 people with you.  

Harborside pool is nice & warm as is the other pools but I think the ocean is even warmer, like bath water. 

Not everything is open right now as it's not full season yet.  They have the pool with the small lazy river by Coral Tower closed.

On a side note, we asked our taxi driver about Baha Mar. According to her they have had 6 failed Grand Opening Dates. The Bahamian Government has told them not to announce another Grand Opening Date until after they open.

She said that the developers imported their own Chinese workers and the developer didn't want the Bahamian Government doing any scheduled inspections (which there was an argument over). 

When the Chinese workers hadn't been paid for 3 months last year they started sabotaging the buildings by not gluing the water pipes together.  Construction continued, the rooms were almost finished & by the time the Bahamian Government was finally allowed to do an inspection they failed the (plumbing ) water Inspection as all the pipes burst and flooded & damaged everything.  
Then it just escalated from there.  

Again this is from our taxi driver, but she went on to say that the development of Baha Mar wanted all towers & buildings done at the same time before opening instead of building by building like Atlantis did so it's taking longer. Might be 2016 before it opens although I read somewhere that they say September of this year. 

The casino is supposed to be really large & it's supposed to have fountains in the front like the Ballagio (designed by the same designer). Anyway that's not even open yet. You'd think they'd finish that to try to make some money?

Just thought I'd give an update


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## rrazzorr (Jun 2, 2015)

Great update, thank you; looking forward to our trip in July.


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## drpayne (Jun 2, 2015)

Nice report!  We are going at the end of the year and I would be interested in knowing more about not being able to get your router to work in the room.  Is it a hardware device?  I have purchased a Netgear Trek device just for this purpose and would be greatly interested to hear if you are able to resolve the issue.

Thanks,
Don


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## rrazzorr (Jun 2, 2015)

for what its worth, I've used Apple AirPort Express in the past at Harborside, but it sounds like they've beefed up their wireless capability that allows multiple devices and I imagine the price of hardwire and wireless connection is essentially the same. Rather steep though.


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## SMHarman (Jun 2, 2015)

WiFi across the resort is a Rukus system that gives a robust WiFi signal nearly anywhere. 
That $136 is a lot lower than the data roaming charges.


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## Ken555 (Jun 2, 2015)

SMHarman said:


> WiFi across the resort is a Rukus system that gives a robust WiFi signal nearly anywhere.
> That $136 is a lot lower than the data roaming charges.




And is a lot more than it was just a few years ago. Of course, it's Harborside where everything costs more than it should.


Sent from my iPad


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## WINSLOW (Jun 2, 2015)

Yes, the Rukus wifi box is in the room. Internet works great, but in the past I've been able to plug in a Zoom travel wireless router in the room to be able to get more devices on it (at least for in room), but this time it's not working I've tried plugging it it on the side of their Rukus box itself and also tried unplugging the Rukus box and plugging it in directly into the wall. Both times it says I'm on line but nothing works.

$136 is a lot lower than data roaming, but when there is 5 people and you all have iPads & iPhones it'd be nice if you could add more devices. Just to be able to text each other while out & about. (Right now we're all caring around our iPads as that's what we initially signed on with, if we'd realized ahead of time I would have had everyone sign on with their iPhone). We've tried to add a 5th device and a message comes up that there is an error each time. I don't know if you could be able to pay an additional $136 for more devices because it's not giving me any options to pay again.


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## WINSLOW (Jun 2, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> it's Harborside where everything costs more than it should.
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Yea, no kidding. We got sick of the too sweet tropical drinks and just ordered 2 vodka & cranberry drinks at the Blu Pool which came to $34 for 2!!  For just a plain vodka & cranberry!  Their mixed rum fruit drinks are only $10 something each, should of stuck with that. 

The Lagoon Bar & Grill was just open on the weekend & was closed today & yesterday, but the tunnels underneath were open. 

By July I would think everything would be open which is nice as you don't have to hunt to see what you should to do each day.


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## lily28 (Jun 3, 2015)

Is the Cartoon Network obstacle course still there? We want to try it again when we go in July.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 3, 2015)

WINSLOW said:


> The Internet was $136 for 6 days which is high but would be fine if you could use more than 4 devices, especially when you have 5 people with you.


We thought $110 for 6 days was excessive back in 2012.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 11, 2015)

lily28 said:


> Is the Cartoon Network obstacle course still there? We want to try it again when we go in July.



It will be there.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 11, 2015)

WINSLOW said:


> Yea, no kidding. We got sick of the too sweet tropical drinks and just ordered 2 vodka & cranberry drinks at the Blu Pool which came to $34 for 2!!  For just a plain vodka & cranberry!  Their mixed rum fruit drinks are only $10 something each, should of stuck with that.
> 
> The Lagoon Bar & Grill was just open on the weekend & was closed today & yesterday, but the tunnels underneath were open.



The restaurants open/close on a rotating schedule. 

$34 for two drinks....wow. This is why we bring our own drinks or bring miniatures to "spice up" the virgin drinks.


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## okwiater (Jun 11, 2015)

The prices can definitely be eye-popping especially once you add the mandatory 15% gratuity and 7.5% VAT. However, we have generally received good service and excellent food and drink quality. Anyway, it's easier to convince yourself that you've gotten a good value once you've had a couple of their frozen alcoholic beverages... they are quite potent.


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## RALnGA (Jun 11, 2015)

If you need to use a GRILL while at Harborside just call the Marina and ask to borrow theirs ...While at Harborside a few months ago they brought a gas grill to an empty boat slip and in a few hours a Yacht pull up and the men aboard cooked on it that night ... First time I'd seen that there....Maybe grills for Harborside will be next...
I think Bar Har is scaring them into being more laxed on some of their rules even though they say it will not affect the Atlantis...


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## suzannesimon (Jun 11, 2015)

The lack of grills and ovens are my only complaints with Harborside.  I was even thinking of bringing an electric roaster or electric grill when we are there Thanksgiving.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 11, 2015)

That was our biggest complaint, too.  The timeshares there are pretty average (perhaps even below average, especially when you factor in the fairly limited kitchens and lack of grills).  But despite that, the water park is so over the top that it makes up for it.  But if they had nice kitchens and grills, it would rock even more.


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## gigi1313 (Jun 13, 2015)

What is Cartoon Network obstacle course? Is there a charge for it?


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## PamMo (Jun 13, 2015)

They set up a Cartoon Network obstacle course in the lagoon, plus this year they've added a super soaker maze on the beach. The obstacle course is really fun - and a lot harder than it looks! There is no additional fee to do the course, but you need to make reservations. It runs June 19 - August 22. 

http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/cartoonnetwork


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## gigi1313 (Jun 13, 2015)

Wow! Sounds like a blast! We arrive 8/21, so I will try for 8/22 ressies!


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## wptamo (Jun 13, 2015)

Hiya,
I see that harbour side is tradedthru II, not RCI... I'm just in RCI
Is it an easy resort to trade into? 
Can you trade into it with SFX?


Thanks...
Paul


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## tomandrobin (Jun 13, 2015)

PamMo said:


> They set up a Cartoon Network obstacle course in the lagoon, plus this year they've added a super soaker maze on the beach. The obstacle course is really fun - and a lot harder than it looks! There is no additional fee to do the course, but you need to make reservations. It runs June 19 - August 22.
> 
> http://www.atlantisbahamas.com/cartoonnetwork



And we arrive the 20th!!!!


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## LobsterHunter (Jun 13, 2015)

suzannesimon said:


> The lack of grills and ovens are my only complaints with Harborside.  I was even thinking of bringing an electric roaster or electric grill when we are there Thanksgiving.



I know some people will laugh about taking kitchen appliances, but we took this T-Fal Optigrill http://optigrill.t-falusa.com/ (it's $149 @ Bed/Bath and less if you use your 20% coupon) for our 10 day trip last summer with 7 people.  It fit in our roller carry on bag & we used it to cook almost all of the frozen meats we took (steaks, pork chops, hamburgers, and bacon) as well as some veggies.  Sure got a lot of envious looks from people walking by and seeing/smelling us grilling on the balcony.  We will definitely be taking it along on our next trip to Harborside as well.  The only disadvantage is that as soon as you start grilling, the flies start coming from out of nowhere.


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## alexadeparis (Jun 13, 2015)

wptamo said:


> Hiya,
> I see that harbour side is tradedthru II, not RCI... I'm just in RCI
> Is it an easy resort to trade into?
> Can you trade into it with SFX?
> ...


Not considered an easy trade in II because it has Starwood priority. Some of the studios or 1 bedrooms in hurricane season may make it through the Starwood priority, but generally considered hard to get even if you have Starwood priority.


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## alexadeparis (Jun 13, 2015)

LobsterHunter said:


> I know some people will laugh about taking kitchen appliances, but we took this T-Fal Optigrill http://optigrill.t-falusa.com/ (it's $149 @ Bed/Bath and less if you use your 20% coupon) for our 10 day trip last summer with 7 people.  It fit in our roller carry on bag & we used it to cook almost all of the frozen meats we took (steaks, pork chops, hamburgers, and bacon) as well as some veggies.  Sure got a lot of envious looks from people walking by and seeing/smelling us grilling on the balcony.  We will definitely be taking it along on our next trip to Harborside as well.  The only disadvantage is that as soon as you start grilling, the flies start coming from out of nowhere.



I have a similar product called the Cuisinart griddler deluxe, it has reversible, dishwasher safe griddle plates, one side smooth, one ridged. Makes great steaks, chops, chicken breasts, and even pancakes, but I can use it indoors. Is the Tfal only for outdoor use? I would consider bringing mine to Harborside. Now that I have been there once I know what I would do differently, which means never using the convection oven again!


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## gigi1313 (Jun 13, 2015)

tomandrobin said:


> And we arrive the 20th!!!!



Awesome! We will see you there!
I called re: reservations to the obstacle course and was told they could not be made in advance, had to be made day-of, so we will hope to get Sat 8/22!


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## lily28 (Jun 13, 2015)

the obstacle course gets booked up quickly.  When we are there last July and arrived on sunday, the earliest reservation we could get was friday.


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## gigi1313 (Jun 13, 2015)

lily28 said:


> the obstacle course gets booked up quickly.  When we are there last July and arrived on sunday, the earliest reservation we could get was friday.



Interesting because they told me it was only available to book day-of, so no matter when we get there, we have an equal chance to book that Saturday (our first full day and the obstacle course's last day!)

I may call again... And again!


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## Quimby4 (Jun 15, 2015)

tomandrobin said:


> And we arrive the 20th!!!!



June or Aug?
We will be there this Sat, June 20th!!


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## heckp (Jun 15, 2015)

gigi1313 said:


> Interesting because they told me it was only available to book day-of, so no matter when we get there, we have an equal chance to book that Saturday (our first full day and the obstacle course's last day!)
> 
> I may call again... And again!



Book early. We were there last July and as soon as we got there we tried to book but the only day available was 7 days later, the day we were leaving :annoyed:


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## suzannesimon (Jun 15, 2015)

heckp said:


> Book early. We were there last July and as soon as we got there we tried to book but the only day available was 7 days later, the day we were leaving :annoyed:



I believe someone posted on TUG last year that you can usually get into the obstacle course if you just show up without reservations.  Apparently a lot of people reserve but don't show up.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 16, 2015)

gigi1313 said:


> Awesome! We will see you there!
> I called re: reservations to the obstacle course and was told they could not be made in advance, had to be made day-of, so we will hope to get Sat 8/22!


 
Moday? 8/22? 

I will be signing up ASAP too. 

Last time, you could sign-up the a few days before.....just had to be a registered guest.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 16, 2015)

suzannesimon said:


> I believe someone posted on TUG last year that you can usually get into the obstacle course if you just show up without reservations.  Apparently a lot of people reserve but don't show up.



There is a stand-by line too, to fill the space of the no-shows. That is how we got to go twice during the week.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 16, 2015)

Quimby4 said:


> June or Aug?
> We will be there this Sat, June 20th!!



We will be arriving Saturday around 12:30-1:00 in Nassau. 

See you around the hot tub one evening.


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## tomandrobin (Jun 16, 2015)

gigi1313 said:


> Interesting because they told me it was only available to book day-of, so no matter when we get there, we have an equal chance to book that Saturday (our first full day and the obstacle course's last day!)
> 
> I may call again... And again!



from the website....

Reservations are required and are limited to one reservation per guest, per day.

To make a reservation or for more information, call extension 41.



You have to be a guest onsite to make a reservation.


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## Quimby4 (Jun 16, 2015)

tomandrobin said:


> We will be arriving Saturday around 12:30-1:00 in Nassau.
> 
> See you around the hot tub one evening.



Great!! 
We are traveling with 8 adults and 7 teens from S. Calif


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## tomandrobin (Jun 16, 2015)

Quimby4 said:


> Great!!
> We are traveling with 8 adults and 7 teens from S. Calif



7 Adults, 1 teen, 1 pre-teen and 21 month old.

Looks like we'll both have a herd for the week. Our normal travel group looks like yours, but this year has been cut in half do to other obligations.


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## Weimaraner (Jul 6, 2015)

We arrived here for the 4th of July festivities and Atlantis really did an awesome job: beach concert by R5, an amazing fireworks display and huge carnival with crafts, games and carnival foods like homemade lemonade, cotton candy, pies etc. We had delivery from Foodstore2go and have to say the locally made cheese croissants I ordered were to die for. I want to know where to get more...yum. I did see a couple people get grocery deliveries from Soloman Fresh Market. I haven't taken the Harborside grocery shuttle but do remember a suggestion to bring a small rolling suitcase to help with bring back bottled wated and other heavy items. Everyone has been so friendly. My 8yo is enjoying the Kids Club- she loved it on our last visit about 3 years ago and has been asking me to take her back to the place with the life size doll house. They have some Cartoon Network sessions for the kids where they take the kids to the obstacle course and the new Nerf Supersoaker splash zone. I counted at least 7 life guards stationed at the obstacle course. The only disappointment is we walked over to use the Coral Reef lazy river and it looks under construction. My dd isn't in to thrill rides so I haven't taken her on the rapids although I'm sure many 8 yos probably love it.


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## suzannesimon (Jul 6, 2015)

That Lazy River has been off-line since at least Oct 2013 since I was there the last time.  However, the TUGGERS here talked me into "The Rapids" and it was a lot of fun.  It is not that scary and I'm a wimp.


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## tomandrobin (Jul 6, 2015)

suzannesimon said:


> That Lazy River has been off-line since at least Oct 2013 since I was there the last time.  However, the TUGGERS here talked me into "The Rapids" and it was a lot of fun.  It is not that scary and I'm a wimp.



Strange.....We were at Atlantis 6/20-6/27 and the lazy river was working.


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## okwiater (Jul 6, 2015)

suzannesimon said:


> That Lazy River has been off-line since at least Oct 2013



It was working in November (Thanksgiving 2014).


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## komosatp (Jul 6, 2015)

tomandrobin said:


> Strange.....We were at Atlantis 6/20-6/27 and the lazy river was working.





okwiater said:


> It was working in November (Thanksgiving 2014).


It was also running in April.


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## MichaelColey (Jul 6, 2015)

I'm wondering if any of you might be confusing "The Current" (the not so lazy river) with the "Lazy River Ride" (a small kiddie lazy river between the Coral & Beach tower)?  I think the Lazy River Ride has been closed for quite a while.


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## suzannesimon (Jul 6, 2015)

MichaelColey said:


> I'm wondering if any of you might be confusing "The Current" (the not so lazy river) with the "Lazy River Ride" (a small kiddie lazy river between the Coral & Beach tower)?  I think the Lazy River Ride has been closed for quite a while.



That's what I experienced.  The Lazy River was closed, but The Current was great fun.


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## okwiater (Jul 6, 2015)

MichaelColey said:


> I'm wondering if any of you might be confusing "The Current" (the not so lazy river) with the "Lazy River Ride" (a small kiddie lazy river between the Coral & Beach tower)?  I think the Lazy River Ride has been closed for quite a while.



No. Both "The Current" and the "Lazy River" near the kiddie pool were open in November.


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## suzannesimon (Jul 6, 2015)

I was convinced when we were there that some of the attractions were shut down because it was low season.  A lot of the restaurants were only open on the weekends and there were a lot of the amenities that were not available.


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## Helios (Jul 6, 2015)

Both were open at the end of January 2015.


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## Weimaraner (Jul 6, 2015)

I did some investigating and asked a couple staff members about the lazy river by Beach and Coral. I was told it was temporary and they shut it down "a few days ago" for repairs, usually in low season (Not sure why they did it for 4th of July). Said it would be open in "about a week" which I translate to mean "after you leave" since things seem to take longer in the Caribbean  my 8 yo did the obstacle course and loved it. She did the Cartoon Network session at the Kids Club and came home with a goodie bag stuffed with CN swag and a cute photo of her a a CN character. I think I have her convinced to try the Current section of the other river. 

Just wanted to mention we did get the luck of the draw of a room with one of the worst views at Harborside...and yet it doesn't really matter because we're at Atlantis. I'm always a "view" person and have heard that HRA just isn't one where views abound. So no worries about views...you will enjoy!  and if you are lucky enough to have a view of ultra luxury yachts or Royal Towers then consider it icing on the cake.

Daily temp has been 90 degrees and water feels like bath water. Doesn't feel too hot on breezy days. I think I could live here


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## lily28 (Jul 29, 2015)

*Cartoon Network obstacle course*

We arrived at Harborside on Monday.  The earliest time we can get for the Cartoon Network Obstacle course is Friday.  It closes on Wednesday and sunday


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## RALnGA (Aug 12, 2015)

*Baha Mar*

Just read this on Baha Mar web-site I don't know when it was posted ...

On June 29, 2015, Baha Mar Ltd., the developer of the Baha Mar resort, announced that, in order to complete construction and open Baha Mar as soon as practicable, Baha Mar Ltd., and entities associated with it, are voluntarily undertaking the process of Chapter 11 under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The Baha Mar Board of Directors has determined that due to the financial consequences of the repeated delays by the general contractor, and the resulting loss of revenue, the Chapter 11 process is the best path to provide the time to put in place a viable capital structure and working relationships to complete construction and successfully open Baha Mar. The voluntary Chapter 11 filing has been made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.



We are committed to doing all we realistically can to move Baha Mar forward to be completed and opened successfully. We are confident that once opened, Baha Mar will be a world-class destination resort that will attract guests from around the world and serve as a key economic sparkplug in The Bahamas.

We have provided resources on this website for our stakeholders and will update this as we move through the process.


RAL


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