• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

Currently at Harborside.

komosatp

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2007
Messages
306
Reaction score
20
Points
378
Location
Washington, DC
We are looking at renting a Harborside unit via RedWeek for this summer. If you rent through an owner at Harborside do you get full access to all Atlantis amenities without resort fees or other surcharges/upchrges?
Yes, full access to Atlantis without additional cost. The one thing you won't get by renting through an owner is internet access. That's part of Atlantis' $50/day 'resort fee'. Harborside owners (or renters from owners) don't pay the resort fee but if they want wifi they have to pay for it, something like $25 a day. You can prepay for 7 days or buy day by day.
Are you entitled to enroll in the meal plans and if yes, ha anybody done do or compared as against a la charge meals?
I think you can buy the meal plan, but it doesn't make financial sense. Its doesn't really offer any discount versus menu prices. And since you have a functional kitchenette at HRA, most people do breakfast in their
unit. The meal plan is priced as if you were going to eat a full breakfast buffet every single morning and a full three course meal every single night. If you take it easy just one meal of the week, you're usually better off paying ala carte.
 

Sea Six

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
4,045
Reaction score
872
Points
349
Location
Marco Island, FL
Resorts Owned
Club Regency - Marco Island
Lagunamar - Cancun
Vistana Villages Key West (2) - Orlando
I think you can buy the meal plan, but it doesn't make financial sense. Its doesn't really offer any discount versus menu prices. And since you have a functional kitchenette at HRA, most people do breakfast in their
unit. The meal plan is priced as if you were going to eat a full breakfast buffet every single morning and a full three course meal every single night. If you take it easy just one meal of the week, you're usually better off paying ala carte.

That was exactly my opinion the one and only time we tried the meal plan. By the end of the week I felt like a pig because we were eating so much more food than normal. And every dinner is appetizer, entree, and dessert. One of the restaurants on the plan was the place (Carmine's) that serves family style, meaning a couple gets enough food for 6. You can't even take it back to your room to eat later because you're always stuffed and going to a different restaurant the next day anyway. I couldn't handle it again. Plus, it limits you to certain restaurants so there may be a few places you can't even go to. So many nice restaurants there I want to be able to see them all.
 
Last edited:

Sea Six

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
4,045
Reaction score
872
Points
349
Location
Marco Island, FL
Resorts Owned
Club Regency - Marco Island
Lagunamar - Cancun
Vistana Villages Key West (2) - Orlando

SandyPGravel

Guest
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
1,148
Points
223
Location
De Forest, Wisconsin
Resorts Owned
Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
Anyone currently or recently at Harborside. We're arriving tomorrow. (It snowed here todayo_O, so not soon enough)

Anything new or exciting to report? Any restaurant closures? We need to pick someplace for our anniversary dinner.

Thanx, Gina
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,738
Reaction score
8,270
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
Do you need a car for Harborside? Are there places to drive and see or do most people stay at the resort the entire time?
 

Sea Six

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
4,045
Reaction score
872
Points
349
Location
Marco Island, FL
Resorts Owned
Club Regency - Marco Island
Lagunamar - Cancun
Vistana Villages Key West (2) - Orlando
NO WAY you need a car at Harborside! The shuttles take you all over the Atlantis property, and if you want to go to Nassau there is a water taxi to the cruise ship area where all the shopping is, or you can just take a cab if you go to Arawak or other areas. The vast majority of your time will be spent right there at Atlantis - the place is HUGE! I also suggest taking the resort van to the grocery store on Monday morning. They give you an hour to shop, then bring you back. I think they charge $8, which will be one of the cheapest things you get there! Everything you buy has a 7.5% VAT, and for food they add a 17% gratuity (even counter service!). For the most part, whatever you buy, add 25%. The BAD thing about the Bahamas is the COST! Harborside is probably our most favorite Vistana Resort, but the food there is $$$$$
 
Last edited:

andysnovel

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
213
Reaction score
101
Points
404
Location
Clayton, NC
Resorts Owned
Sheraton Flex, Vistana Bella Section, BlueGreen Charleston,SC
I have been to Harborside three times during different times of the year, here is what I have learned.........
1) Make sure you look up Sandra's Taxi(family owned business, so friendly and nice), they are one of the cheapest taxis from the airport to Harborside and on the way to Harborside, for an additional fee, they will take you to a supermarket where the locals shop and there is also a liquor store right next to this supermarket, this way you are all stocked up with food and beverage at the beginning of your stay. They will also arrange a tour for you, you must do the Rum Factory and the Rum Cake Bakery, if you have little kids, they will love the local zoo, Ardastra Gardens, trained flamingos put on quite a show and the little kids love it and they have parrots that the kids feed etc.
2) When you check in, ask to make a reservation at Montagu Gardens Restaurant, which is located across the bridge, they will pick you up and when finished with dinner, take you back to Harborside, at no cost to you, free cab rides, the food is varied and delicious, seafood, steak and the prices are very reasonable and everyone is so friendly. This restaurant made the top ten local restaurants.
3) Murray's Deli/Restaurant, Carmine's are very good value for the buck, NY style deli food and NY style Italian Food, ample portions. Within a few blocks walk, Margaritaville has reasonably priced menu items and live music on the weekends. The Pointe Restaurant and Bar at Harborside.........other than breakfast, very reasonably priced and extremely convenient when you are tired and just want to hang at the resort, especially if you have kids or grandkids with you, their menu is family friendly, pizzas, chicken nuggets....hamburgers etc.....reasonably priced........make sure you visit Ben and Jerry's for their delicious icecream, within a few minutes walk in the little village next to our Harborside Resort or you take the shuttle bus, and get off at the first stop and walk into the village, live music there and many restaurants and shops...........Best Time of the year to visit.....Winter Time, Everything is open, all the attractions and rides and restaurants, if you go in the fall, I noticed all the cheaper restaurants are closed and some of the attractions are closed as well.......there was such excitement in the air in the winter months.........everything is going full tilt............

One more thing, if you have little kids with you, you must do the Dolphin Encounters, it is very pricey but worth it, my granddaughter had a blast, such a good time............
 

SeaDoc

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
349
Reaction score
191
Points
253
Location
Palm Desert, CA
Resorts Owned
Chairman's Club:
2 Marriott Newport Coasts-PLAT;
1 Marriott Desert Springs I-RED;
1 Marriott Timber Lodge - Summer-PLAT;
3 StarElite Vistana: 2 Westin Lagunamar-PLAT
To have full access to all the slides at Atlantis make sure all the kid's height exceed 48" - they are very strict on this...
 

DeniseM

Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
57,668
Reaction score
9,088
Points
1,849
Resorts Owned
WKORV, WKV, 2-SDO, 4-Kauai Beach Villas, Island Park Village (Yellowstone), Hyatt High Sierra, Dolphin's Cove (Anaheim)
We are looking at renting a Harborside unit via RedWeek for this summer. If you rent through an owner at Harborside do you get full access to all Atlantis amenities without resort fees or other surcharges/upchrges?
- YES

Are you entitled to enroll in the meal plans and if yes, ha anybody done do or compared as against a la charge meals?
It's very expensive: https://www.atlantisbahamas.com/dining/diningplans

You will have a kitchen - you can save some money by buying groceries.
 

SandyPGravel

Guest
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
1,148
Points
223
Location
De Forest, Wisconsin
Resorts Owned
Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
Back from Harborside, our last visit was in 2015. VAT is now 12%. I had read last year that "The Current" water ride at Atlantis had changed. Such a disappointment. That was one of my favorite rides at Atlantis. Now it is barely more than a lazy river...and you have to get out and walk around to get back in. More like a 3/4 lazy river!!:( We snorkeled at the Cove Beach. Saw a couple fish, water was nice, beach was nice. We have always visited in November so the water is usually quite choppy. The red flags were out by the Beach & Coral towers. Saw people snorkeling in The Dig, that was new since our last visit. During the day I noticed a lot more personnel asking to see your room key than I had in the past when walking around the resort. We noticed a couple Stuart Cove boats in the Marina. Asked about it. Apparently Blue Adventures is owned by Stuart Cove so they keep a couple boats at Atlantis. Prices for Blue Adventure are higher than for Stuart Cove. We did the Shark Adventure Dive through Stuart Cove. Really liked it.
 

Sea Six

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
4,045
Reaction score
872
Points
349
Location
Marco Island, FL
Resorts Owned
Club Regency - Marco Island
Lagunamar - Cancun
Vistana Villages Key West (2) - Orlando
In addition to the VAT, they also add a gratuity (I think 17%) to all food orders. THIS INCLUDES take out and counter service, where you might not normally tip, along with table service. There you go - just add 30% to any price you see for food.
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,738
Reaction score
8,270
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
Would 4 or 5 days be sufficient for this location? or is a full week needed? e.g. a week at Disneyworld is needed because there is so much to see, but 4 - 5 Days for Disneyland is sufficient. How does this resort compare?
 

GrayFal

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,049
Reaction score
2,097
Points
699
Location
The Hamptons, NY
Resorts Owned
Marriott Bluegreen SVV Morritt's Seaside Former WSJx5
Would 4 or 5 days be sufficient for this location? or is a full week needed? e.g. a week at Disneyworld is needed because there is so much to see, but 4 - 5 Days for Disneyland is sufficient. How does this resort compare?
Coming from NY I find 5 days enough. But it is a quick direct flight from NY. All depends on your travel times.
 

andysnovel

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
213
Reaction score
101
Points
404
Location
Clayton, NC
Resorts Owned
Sheraton Flex, Vistana Bella Section, BlueGreen Charleston,SC
The last two trips to Harborside we did 6 nights, more than enough. 5 nights should be fine........especially if you want to keep the eating out expense down. If you are paying a lot for airfare and traveling a great distance, then try for at least 5 or 6 nights............
 

komosatp

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2007
Messages
306
Reaction score
20
Points
378
Location
Washington, DC
VAT is now 12%.
I hate paying taxes just as much as the next guy, but a 12% VAT really isn't that far from typical in many tourist destinations.

For comparison, here are the various tourism sales tax rates you pay in the capital of the USA:
  • 10% - Restaurant meals, liquor for consumption on the premises, and rental vehicles
  • 18% - Parking motor vehicles in commercial lots
  • 14.8% - Hotels (transient accommodations)
https://cfo.dc.gov/page/tax-rates-and-revenues-sales-and-use-taxes

And at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, you pay a 6% sales tax, a 3% occupancy tax, and 6.5% to its Historic Preservation Fund.
I had read last year that "The Current" water ride at Atlantis had changed. Such a disappointment. That was one of my favorite rides at Atlantis. Now it is barely more than a lazy river...and you have to get out and walk around to get back in. More like a 3/4 lazy river!!:(
Barely more than a lazy river??? What Happened??? Have they shut the waves off and/or closed the rapids parts of The Current???

The change from being able to ride continuously to having to exit and give up your tube was concerning to me at first, but I've found it really isn't that much of a hassle. I found it to be decent compromise in the interest of allowing guests to have a single place to wait to be certain of getting a tube in a timely fashion. As an annual visitor, I knew where to go to find the empty tubes, but I also know cruisers in particular often had to wait ridiculous amounts of time to get a tube.
 

SandyPGravel

Guest
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
1,148
Points
223
Location
De Forest, Wisconsin
Resorts Owned
Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
Barely more than a lazy river??? What Happened??? Have they shut the waves off and/or closed the rapids parts of The Current???

I liked the ride because when you got into the narrow section ("the current" after the power surge of water) big waves would propel you along. You can see where the water line was before the ride changed, it is a huge difference. Now, IMO, you barely float along. I noticed that a lot fewer people were on this ride. The section that was shut down had hundreds of tubes in the queue. I used to float around the circuit a couple times, I didn't stay on the ride for hours, this time once around was enough.

As for the VAT, maybe the comparison prices you quoted are similar. The prices were already high, then they added 7.5% VAT, then VAT was increased to 12% on top of the mandatory 17% gratuity. It's probably because I don't live in a high cost major metropolitan area that I find the prices extreme.
 
Last edited:

buzglyd

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Messages
3,697
Reaction score
2,187
Points
449
Location
Carlsbad, CA
Resorts Owned
HGV Lagoon Tower
HGV Carlsbad Seapointe
Gaslamp Plaza Suites
SVV Bella
I'll be going in May for 5 nights. We like off season because the lines are shorter for all the slides.
 

komosatp

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2007
Messages
306
Reaction score
20
Points
378
Location
Washington, DC
You can see where the water line was before the ride changed, it is a huge difference. Now, IMO, you barely float along.
Did you ask anybody about the change you noticed? From your description, it sounds to me like the wave machine was down. In my annual visits over the past 10+ years, there have been times when the waves weren't on. And that sounds like what you experienced.

In my visit in April 2018, the waves were as big as they've ever been....my 7 year old son discovered the joy of getting dumped out of a tube when a big wave comes, and he's now a strong enough swimmer that I don't have a heart attack when he falls out.
 

LisaH

TUG Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
3,963
Reaction score
656
Points
598
Location
SF Bay Area, CA
We were there in May 2017 and although we had to get out at the end of the ride, the waves and current were just as big and rapid as I remembered from a few years back. Could the lack of big waves you experienced be just temporary?
 

SandyPGravel

Guest
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
1,148
Points
223
Location
De Forest, Wisconsin
Resorts Owned
Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
We were there in May 2017 and although we had to get out at the end of the ride, the waves and current were just as big and rapid as I remembered from a few years back. Could the lack of big waves you experienced be just temporary?

IDK if it is temporary, the employee(life guard) we talked to when we were going through the ride agreed that the ride used to have more water volume. He pointed out the high point on the wall near his perch point.
 

SandyPGravel

Guest
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
1,710
Reaction score
1,148
Points
223
Location
De Forest, Wisconsin
Resorts Owned
Westin St. John Plat+
2 BR-VGV
Westin St. John Plat
2 BR-BV
Did you ask anybody about the change you noticed? From your description, it sounds to me like the wave machine was down. In my annual visits over the past 10+ years, there have been times when the waves weren't on. And that sounds like what you experienced.

In my visit in April 2018, the waves were as big as they've ever been....my 7 year old son discovered the joy of getting dumped out of a tube when a big wave comes, and he's now a strong enough swimmer that I don't have a heart attack when he falls out.

Maybe that's the case. The life guard didn't say it was temporary, just pointed out where the water used to go. I hope that was the case, really used to be my favorite ride.
 

komosatp

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2007
Messages
306
Reaction score
20
Points
378
Location
Washington, DC
Maybe that's the case. The life guard didn't say it was temporary, just pointed out where the water used to go. I hope that was the case, really used to be my favorite ride.
Slight tangent: I've always wondered when/how Atlantis will close the river system for maintenance. I wonder if it was designed to stay open while elements were replaced, or if they'll have to close it for an extended period (weeks or months). I don't think I've heard of an extended closure in the 11 years its been in operation (On my vacation in March 2007, the river system and power tower slides had just soft-opened a few days earlier).

If you think about how many water pumps, wave generators, and water escalator machines they have been operating in that decade, you'd think there'd have to be times they close the entire thing to do heavy duty maintenance. In the 17 years I've been visiting Atlantis, I've seen every pool be closed and emptied for a re-surfacing, but haven't seen the same thing for the current.
 

Sea Six

TUG Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
4,045
Reaction score
872
Points
349
Location
Marco Island, FL
Resorts Owned
Club Regency - Marco Island
Lagunamar - Cancun
Vistana Villages Key West (2) - Orlando
IMG_1132.JPG


I've seen the little Lazy River closed. No doubt The Current will need to be resurfaced sooner or later.
 

CalGalTraveler

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
9,738
Reaction score
8,270
Points
498
Location
California
Resorts Owned
HGVC, MVC Vistana
Thanks for the info on Harborside. It sounds like we can do everything at Atlantis in 5 days.

Since we are flying from California we would spend at least a week to 10 days in the Caribbean. What do you suggest as a good next stop for 3 - 5 days? e.g. Miami, St John, Barbados, Aruba, or other? I am asking in terms of ease transfer flight schedules and cost from Nassau.
 
Top