Toes in the water

Well, my worries about Tropical Storm Emily came to naught and we had a fantastic vacation in the Bahamas.  We planned the trip about 8 weeks ago when we realized John had the week off and that it would be our last chance for a vacation before Will starts kindergarten.  We initially planned to do a cruise, but found that Atlantis was actually a better deal (thanks to one night free, free kids meals, free adult breakfast, and an airfare credit--aren't you ready to go, too?) so we booked it instead.  Unfortunately, flying instead of cruising did require us to get passports for the kids.  I just have to show you their passport photos.

Here's Will, happy traveller:

And here's baby sister, suspicious traveller:

I was a little worried Anna's photo might get her selected for some "special screening."

We left last Tuesday.  Since we wouldn't be traveling by car on the island, we left the car seats at home.  I was really worried about our inability to restrain Anna during takeoff/landing, but she did great--just yelled, "Whooooaaa!!" during takeoff, but no tears.

Here she is, studying the safety brochure.  I think she's ready for the Exit Row!

Nassau is only a 50-minute flight from Orlando, which I think is the perfect duration when flying with small children--just enough time for games and snacks, not enough time for boredom to set in.

We got off the plane and promptly entered the slowest moving line in Immigration.  We were the last people on the entire flight to get our passports stamped, but we finally made it legally into the country--just in time to miss the shuttle bus to Atlantis.  So we waited outside in the driving rain for the next one.  At this point, I was kinda wishing we'd chosen a Carnival cruise instead.  However, we eventually made it to the resort, where the sun was shining and not a rain drop in sight.  

While we invariably have bad luck in choosing which line to join, we often have very good luck in getting free room upgrades--and that good fortune showed up on this trip.  We booked the cheapest room in the main building, but at check-in were informed that they were running short on double rooms.  Would we be willing to take a more spacious king bed room with double balconies, a rollaway, a crib, and a walk-in closet the size of my freshman dorm room?  Why, certainly!

Balcony #1, harbor view:

And balcony #2, ocean view:

Ahh...time to relax:

Did I mention there's a water park?

One of the aquariums visible from our balcony--it contained a huge manta ray (we guessed it's "wing span" had to be at least 10-12 feet, and it was easily visible from our room, 18 floors up):

We headed straight for the pools:

Visiting one of the aquariums:

Will and a really big fish--a grouper?

In the "king's seat" (so named by Will) between the casino and the shops--this was almost a family photo, but Anna pitched a fit about something, so we took the photo without her.  She was standing over to the side in tears, in case you're wondering what Will was looking at:

The kiddos and me (in one of my "Flirting the Issue" skirts--great for vacation):

The Predator Lagoon--full of sharks, piranhas, and barracudas, oh my!

That's a big one!

Will in the tunnel--thank goodness for thick barriers:

John wishing he had a fishing pole:

The resort has several hotels on it--this is the main one.  See that middle level on the left side?

Now see that top pink balcony?  That's where I got to drink my morning coffee. :-)

We spent some time at the beach on Day 2:

Love that clear water--if I'm gonna swim near sharks, I want to be able to see them coming!

Both kids drove us a little batty in the hotel room, until we remembered we'd brought the electronic babysitter:

Anna flashing a cheesy grin at dinner at Bimini Road restaurant:

A Junkanoo parade commenced in the street outside, and one of the festive paraders came inside.  Anna was fascinated by his outfit and followed him through the restaurant.  She kept pointing at his headdress and saying, "Pitty hat" (pretty hat).  He sat down and she ran to sit in his lap for a picture:

We couldn't believe that our child who is scared of everything wasn't scared of that costume!

Day 3 started with a pedicure for me, and then we all headed to the pool for some water-slide fun.  Here's Anna with her hair all slicked back with sunscreen:

John took the kids to watch a feeding at the aquarium while I was having my pedicure, and on the way back they found a little hermit crab.  Will named him "Mr. Crab" and set him up in a nice little house fashioned from Anna's snack cup:

Will said, "Look! I think he really likes me."

We spent the day doing the kiddie water slides, and then Anna and I took an afternoon nap while John and Will went to a "Stingray Experience"--they fed the stingrays and then snorkeled alongside them for about an hour.  Will was so excited to tell me about it when he returned--we have no photos but Will drew quite a few pictures of stingrays to show me how many there were. :-)

That night, we took the kids to Mesa Grill--we would never risk such a dining experience in New York or Vegas, but the restaurant said that kids under 6 were okay to dine prior to 6:30 pm, so we decided to take our chances.

Before dinner--modeling Vogue 8380 (I made a maxi-dress version which may never get worn again, but it was kinda perfect for a tropical vacation):

I have lots to say about the construction of that dress, but I'll save it for Flickr.

Anna and I went ahead to the restaurant to get on the waitlist (truth be told, Will was in a little time-out before dinner).  Anna-girl, watching for the boys:

Anna's first fine-dining experience,  waiting for her cheese quesadilla:

The kids were terrible!  Anna refused to sit in her seat, so John and I alternated walking around with her outside.  Will sat in his seat just fine, but didn't eat a thing.  He picked at his macaroni and cheese (Bobby Flay's version was penne with bechamel and shredded cheddar and--horrors--black pepper), but refused to eat it after spotting a speck of pepper.  He then surveyed our table (my delicious chile relleno with eggplant and manchego cheese, John's equally yummy pork tenderloin and sweet potato tamale) and the neighboring tables, and then announced, "Mommy, nothing in here looks good for me to eat."

Clearly, Bobby Flay needs to work on his appeal to the preschool set.  John and I enjoyed our hastily gobbled meals, however.

Afterwards, the kids made up for it by posing for some pretty cute photos:

Awww...they do love each other!

They loved the modern minimalist vibe of the Cove hotel.  Or maybe they just liked that fountain:

Monkey see, monkey do:

That is water spilling out of the top of that marble block.  They were soaked in minutes:

I called this the poor man's double stroller--this system worked great, although I think they exceeded the stroller weight limit by about 20 pounds:

Since we had no time to try a Mesa Grill dessert, we headed over to the Marina Village for a guaranteed kid-pleaser.

Ben & Jerry's--yum!  I even discovered a new flavor, Late Night Snack.  I think it's my new favorite.

Last day of vacation!

Anna's top was a gift from Grandma, a souvenir from a cruise she took.

We took the ferry over to Nassau and went shopping in the Straw Market and along Bay Street.  We mostly window-shopped, but Will picked up a wooden crab in the straw market.  We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then took a cab back to the resort.  Both kids wanted to sit in the back of the van:

On the final day, John and I took turns watching the kids so that we could each go on the water slides.  One of the downsides of Atlantis is that children have to be 48 inches tall to ride on the majority of the water slides--Will is big for his age but is still only 45 inches tall.  He was so disappointed to realize he couldn't go on the tube rides, and John and I were pretty disappointed, too.  A more mature set of parents would have just accepted the situation and stuck to the kiddie rides, but John and I are not that couple.  So instead, I took the kids souvenir-shopping while he went on the scary slides, and then he took them to a movie while I enjoyed "The Abyss," the "Serpent Slide," and some other tube ride that ended with a ride through the shark tank (in a tunnel, of course!).  Awesome!

Afterwards, we headed to one of the beaches for a sad little task.  We warned Will the entire week that we would not be able to bring a live crab back to the US, so that evening we returned Mr. Crab to the beach:

Will said, "I think he's going to miss me."  Maybe he will. :-)

One final wave to Mr. Crab:

We also took a last trip to the Predator Lagoon to say good-bye to the sharks:

Royal Towers at night:

Overall, we really enjoyed Atlantis and I think it's not a bad choice for small children.  I think I've been spoiled by Disney World and it's welcoming atmosphere for families of small terrors--while there were a lot of families at the resort and tons of kids by the pools, we did get some not-so-friendly looks from kid-free couples while going through the hotel and in some restaurants.  One older gentleman made a pointed remark about children being allowed out so late when we were walking back to our room at 10 pm.  I was upset about it--we let the children take late naps during the heat of the day so we could stay late at the pool and avoid the largest crowds at dinner--but John thought it was pretty funny because I'm usually a bedtime nazi.  Maybe one day I'll develop some thicker skin, instead of feeling the need to defend my parenting skills to some random grumpy man.

The hotel is also not terribly stroller-friendly (or wheelchair friendly?)--we had a hard time finding elevators and ramps outside.  We could have functioned without the stroller, but Anna took quite a few poolside naps in it so I'm glad we had it, even though we ended up carrying it up and down several staircases.  I think the resort is probably best for families with kids in the 8-15 yo age range--old enough to do all the water park activities as well as the kid camp activities (there are lots!), and also old enough to behave in some of the nicer restaurants.  

I'm not complaining--just wanted to present a balanced view in case I influence anyone's vacation choices.  We got exactly what we wanted--a fun and relaxing family vacation--and I would love to return in about 5 or 6 years (or whenever Anna reaches 48 inches in height!).  :-)

PS...even more pictures on our Shutterfly site (see link at upper right corner, email me if you need the password).