BUCKET LIST TRIP TO ATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND

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Originally Posted by Hurdleking

Greek you need to rethink this....not even close to a bucket list place. There are better all-inclusives and better gambling excursion deals .....IMO Atlantis has always been overrated....breezed through there early on.....way too expensive and not as many things to do or places to eat as you would expect for the price.....the local guy is right on.....

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I am having serious 2nd thoughts now Hurdleking. Muchos Gracias for input.

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

I have heard mixed things about Atlantis, though I've never been there.

Reportedly it's worse during the PCA because the staff knows the place is full of 18-year-olds, and basically anyone young isn't shown much respect.

But even during non-PCA times, the general consensus I've heard was, "I kinda expected it to be better."

Also, I've heard the water there is cold (!!) at certain times of the year.

Regarding "6 hours of rated play", you should find out the minimum bet required. You should also make sure that the rules/payouts of the game you plan to play aren't awful.

A "basic rules" 6-deck blackjack game has a house edge of 0.64%.

By "basic rules", I mean: Dealer hits on soft 17, double any 2 cards, double after split, no resplit aces, split up to 4 times, no surrender, blackjack pays 3:2.

Then it comes down to hands per hour. You want as few as possible. This means playing at a full table. With 6 people at the table, they usually only deal 60 hands per hour. With just you and the dealer, it's 209 per hour! And of course, you need to add to that, because some hands you will be betting double, triple, quadruple, or more, due to doubling/splitting. So it's actually bets per hour which is important, not hands per hour (though the numbers will be fairly close).

With 3 players at the table, you average 105 hands per hour. So let's say for argument's sake that you play at a table that ranges between 3 and 6 players (including you)... and you get in 100 bets (not hands) per hour.

That means you will have bet $2500. That's an expected loss of just $16. Multiply that by 6 hours, and your expected loss is $96. Obviously that's easily worth 4 nights at Atlantis. Of course, you will be gambling, and there is plenty of variance here, so your losses could easily run into the 4-figures after 6 hours.

And what if the rules are worse? That could also be a problem, such as the 6:5 blackjack.

But if you can get 4 free nights for being rated at $25/hand or less, and if you can verify that the rules are standard or very close to it, go for it.

Just be realistic that Atlantis itself will be somewhat of a flawed experience.

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Thanks Druff. We don't play much BJ--prefer poker and slots. Based on all the negative responses, a new plan is in order.

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Originally Posted by PLOL

Be careful where you go when you get off Atlantis-land. Much of the main island is ghetto. I had the cabbie take me through the bad parts of Nassau, and it's pretty bad (and it gets bad very quickly). And speaking of cabbies, they will take some unthinkable chances with your life (which I actually quite enjoyed. I like having a thrilling cab ride). Whereas crime in the US has been going down just about everywhere every year for quite some time, in the Bahamas it has been getting worse every year.

From the official state department website (which regularly updates what's happening in various countries that US tourists visit)
"The criminal threat level for New Providence Island is rated as critical by the Department of State. New Providence Island has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public, with a spate of more violent criminal activity between 2009 and 2013. The U.S. Embassy has received multiple reports indicating tourists have been robbed at gunpoint or knifepoint in tourist locations in the downtown areas of Nassau, to include the cruise ship docks and the Cable Beach commerce areas; several of these incidents occurred during daylight hours. Burglaries, larcenies and “snatch-and-grab” crimes happen in Nassau and U.S. citizens have been victims of these crimes as well. The U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as in casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of rape in the Caribbean"

"Armed robbery remains a major criminal threat facing U.S. citizens in The Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a message citing concerns about the increased number of armed robberies in Nassau. A U.S. citizen was fatally shot in Nassau in May 2013 during an armed robbery. Between January 1, 2013 and July 16, 2013, there were 573 armed robberies, 193 robberies, and 1,201 house break-ins"

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...e-bahamas.html

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Sounds like Atlantic City two streets removed.

The island is poor. The only apparent income comes from tourism. I can take the muggings, robbery & rape (all of which probably have a 1:1 correlation to alcohol)

The thing that always kills my day is the constant hustle on the street. I lack the asshole chromosome and the endless polite declining is stress I can do without.

Look, if you haven't traveled much and have a subsidized vacation at Atlantis - do it. Explore a little, hit a local beach outside of the resort. Always a bunch of beachside little bar/food shacks. Just to get a taste of island.

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Originally Posted by mwh72

Take a cruise out of Miami.

Lots of them stop there.

Spend one day there first before you decide if it's for you or not. They have a nice aquarium.

I think the one that I was on that stopped in the Bahamas also stopped in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St Maarten.

I would do it again.

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Duly noted Sir. Thanks

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Originally Posted by PLOL

Be careful where you go when you get off Atlantis-land. Much of the main island is ghetto. I had the cabbie take me through the bad parts of Nassau, and it's pretty bad (and it gets bad very quickly). And speaking of cabbies, they will take some unthinkable chances with your life (which I actually quite enjoyed. I like having a thrilling cab ride). Whereas crime in the US has been going down just about everywhere every year for quite some time, in the Bahamas it has been getting worse every year.

From the official state department website (which regularly updates what's happening in various countries that US tourists visit)
"The criminal threat level for New Providence Island is rated as critical by the Department of State. New Providence Island has experienced a spike in crime that has adversely affected the traveling public, with a spate of more violent criminal activity between 2009 and 2013. The U.S. Embassy has received multiple reports indicating tourists have been robbed at gunpoint or knifepoint in tourist locations in the downtown areas of Nassau, to include the cruise ship docks and the Cable Beach commerce areas; several of these incidents occurred during daylight hours. Burglaries, larcenies and “snatch-and-grab” crimes happen in Nassau and U.S. citizens have been victims of these crimes as well. The U.S. Embassy has received reports of assaults, including sexual assaults, in diverse areas such as in casinos, outside hotels, or on cruise ships. The Bahamas has the highest incidence of rape in the Caribbean"

"Armed robbery remains a major criminal threat facing U.S. citizens in The Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a message citing concerns about the increased number of armed robberies in Nassau. A U.S. citizen was fatally shot in Nassau in May 2013 during an armed robbery. Between January 1, 2013 and July 16, 2013, there were 573 armed robberies, 193 robberies, and 1,201 house break-ins"

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass...e-bahamas.html

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Holy crap PLOL I think you put the final nail in the coffin for this trip. I don't have enough time left to be worrying whether or not we will survive unscathed on this trip. I hadn't even thought to check on shit like that. IAm in your debt.

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Originally Posted by Daly

http://www.beach.com/hotel-profile-r...nassau-bahamas


This is where I go when I do day trips to the Bahamas.

Long story short all of cable beach was bought by the Chinese a few years back and they have sunk millions into the area (and bought the prime minister a new executive mansion).

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That place looks cool too.

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Originally Posted by Sanlmar

The thing that always kills my day is the constant hustle on the street. I lack the asshole chromosome and the endless polite declining is stress I can do without.

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I'm built the same way, but there's a lot of gas station hustlers in Houston. After a while you sort of build a resistance to it. Saying no and not feeling shitty about it is a learnable skill.

Once you've got it, it's easy to shoot down telemarketers and Jehovah's Witnesses. Sometimes it even feels satisfying.

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Originally Posted by SrslySirius

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Originally Posted by Sanlmar

The thing that always kills my day is the constant hustle on the street. I lack the asshole chromosome and the endless polite declining is stress I can do without.

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I'm built the same way, but there's a lot of gas station hustlers in Houston. After a while you sort of build a resistance to it. Saying no and not feeling shitty about it is a learnable skill.

Once you've got it, it's easy to shoot down telemarketers and Jehova's Witnesses. Sometimes it even feels good.

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Gas station hustlers in Houston.

It's vacation.

In Boston & frankly most of Massachusetts a simple "hello" on the street simply is just not done. You don't see those sort of hustlers on the street. They have no shot. So I have little chance to hone my game.

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Originally Posted by Sanlmar

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Originally Posted by SrslySirius

I'm built the same way, but there's a lot of gas station hustlers in Houston. After a while you sort of build a resistance to it. Saying no and not feeling shitty about it is a learnable skill.

Once you've got it, it's easy to shoot down telemarketers and Jehova's Witnesses. Sometimes it even feels good.

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Gas station hustlers in Houston.

It's vacation.

In Boston & frankly most of Massachusetts a simple "hello" on the street simply is just not done. You don't see those sort of hustlers on the street. They have no shot. So I have little chance to hone my game.

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I wasn't really applying it to Bahamas, but sort of veering off topic to say it doesn't have to feel stressful. But I can certainly understand why you wouldn't want to deal with that on vacation.

The gas station thing is weird for sure. They typically give you a sob story about needing gas money or bus fare due to unusual circumstances. I've seen a few try to provide documentation to prove they're not a bum. In that way it's pretty similar to the Borovetz scam.

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Originally Posted by IamGreek

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Originally Posted by Hurdleking

Greek you need to rethink this....not even close to a bucket list place. There are better all-inclusives and better gambling excursion deals .....IMO Atlantis has always been overrated....breezed through there early on.....way too expensive and not as many things to do or places to eat as you would expect for the price.....the local guy is right on.....

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I am having serious 2nd thoughts now Hurdleking. Muchos Gracias for input.

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So my mom goes on a trip to some relatively high end destination with her two sisters every year.. They rotate but each year one of them gets to pick the destination, Aunt Shirley is such a fucking snatch btw.. Anyway, not too long ago one of them chose Atlantis for their annual trip. There is now a picture somewhere in my mothers house of the 3 sisters (Lenin, Stalin & Hitler) posing in an Atlantis swimming pool with a dolphin.. Place is a soulless tourist trap for people to donk it up..

Not a bucket list destination imo..

In general I am anti-all-inclusive because the food usually sucks (or is mediocre).

Good food is important to me on vacation. I can eat lots of shit at home and not really be bothered by it, but when I go on vacation, I really like to have nice meals, and all-inclusives just don't provide that. Since the food is unlimited and included, they don't want to spend a lot on it or try too hard to prepare it well.

Cruise ships also suffer from this problem, but most offer "specialty restaurants" for a small upcharge, which are fairly good. I eat in those every night when I cruise, and never set foot in the main dining room.

In some "nature" destinations, such as national parks, the food is always going to suck, and that's the price you pay for the remoteness of the location. The remote areas of Utah are absolutely horrendous when it comes to food, for example. But if you're going to go to a resort, it kind of sucks when your meals aren't good.

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

In general I am anti-all-inclusive because the food usually sucks (or is mediocre).

Good food is important to me on vacation. I can eat lots of shit at home and not really be bothered by it, but when I go on vacation, I really like to have nice meals, and all-inclusives just don't provide that. Since the food is unlimited and included, they don't want to spend a lot on it or try too hard to prepare it well.

Cruise ships also suffer from this problem, but most offer "specialty restaurants" for a small upcharge, which are fairly good. I eat in those every night when I cruise, and never set foot in the main dining room.

In some "nature" destinations, such as national parks, the food is always going to suck, and that's the price you pay for the remoteness of the location. The remote areas of Utah are absolutely horrendous when it comes to food, for example. But if you're going to go to a resort, it kind of sucks when your meals aren't good.

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Ya I agree. I want someplace where the food is awesome. Are there any Caesar's places you would recommend outside of Vegas where the weather is warm and the accomodations are nice?

OK guys thanks to all for your input. Now hit me with some places that are nice, warm, excellent food, and have poker and slots in or out of the country excluding Nevada.

I'd like to go to Turks & Caicos some day. Heard it's expensive but beautiful & doesn't have all-inclusives which you'd think would improve the food options.