We called Atlantis first thing this morning to see if we could visit their aquarium. Usually only hotel guests, Atlantis Marina guests or Cruise Ship guests are allowed to participate in the attractions, but on the phone they told us they do sell a limited number of day passes on a first-come first-serve basis. The clerk stated that while they weren’t currently very busy, tonight several cruise ships were slated to arrive and the availability of day passes would likely be extremely limited thereafter.

So we called Leano from GetMe Ride, and he agreed to provide transportation to Nassau and back. When he arrived, we got a great surprise in that he brought a new co-worker with him: his 6-week old pit bull puppy, Brownie! What a soft sweetie. Paula thinks that all ride services should offer puppies for the passengers to play with.

Atlantis was truly a different world than the rest of Nassau and the neighborhoods around Palm Cay that we have seen. First of all, it is located on Paradise Island, just to the north of Nassau, which you can approach by car via a bridge or by sea. It is incredibly ornate and has an almost Disney World-type feel (if Disney World had a big casino). There are hotel rooms and small apartment-type accommodations, a marina for really huge high-end yachts, multiple pools, some with bars in the middle of the pool, and all sorts of watersports. Dolphin encounters, ray encounters, a waterpark, the place is just huge. Security is very much in evidence, and as you walk from one part of the complex to another you are asked to show your room key or in our case, our plebian day pass wrist band. The hotel portion is lined with expensive shops and restaurants. One dinner menu offered NY strip steak for $72.00 and this was not the most expensive offering by any means.

The aquarium pass allowed you a self-guided tour. As the aquarium was divided up into several different sections scattered throughout the complex, we were able to walk all around the facility, including the casino and the marina, and take in much of the flavor of the place.

The aquarium was very satisfying. We saw sea turtles, many different types of rays, spiny lobsters, and all manner of sharks and reef fish. One of the unique features of this set-up was that many of the viewing areas existed below “ground” level. You would descend stairs into a faux coral grotto into which viewing glass had been inserted. When you exited that section you then had the option of walking around the top of the exhibit and viewing the same creatures in open areas of water at “surface” level, where the pools, beaches, and casual eateries were located.

Atlantis was beautiful, but the visitor who arrived by cruise ship and saw only Paradise Island would receive a distinctly different impression of Nassau than the one we had from our mainly on-foot explorations in previous days. Both are worth experiencing. But prepare to spend big if you stay in Atlantis. After several hours and 3 miles of walking around Atlantis we walked over the bridge in a light drizzle to Eastern Bay St. This is the main thoroughfare along this portion of the coast and is familiar to us from past rambles. We once again window-shopped in marine stores, and bought a few more lures. At this rate, we will have to catch and eat fish for quite some time before we break even on the gear we’ve acquired.

We’d hoped to visit the Montgue section, where freshly-caught fish and conch are sold, but it was getting late and another rainy mile to that market locale, so we decided to leave that for another day.