The Spread:
Atlantis, a mega-resort themed to its namesake Lost Continent, plays out the sunken island story throughout a 34-acre waterscape, 11 swimming areas including a seven-acre snorkeling lagoon, and waterslides. Even more impressively, a huge manmade wonder of shark tunnels, stingray and turtle lagoons, and tanks of jellyfish, lobsters, piranhas, and seahorses interlaces the property. The 2,317 rooms are located in Harborside, offering one- to three-bedroom apartment units, or a choice of rooms in one of the three hotels. Royal Towers is the priciest, Coral Towers is the site of the kids’ program, and Beach Towers is more moderately priced. In 2007, an additional 600 suites plus 400 condo-hotel units will debut along with a new 48-acre water fantasyland. Plus, for parents, Atlantis has the biggest casino on the island.

Why Families Love It:
Atlantis is bustling, noisy, and filled with things to do. Your kids, plus your inner child, can’t help but get excited at stepping into a fantasy of wall-sized tanks of schooling tropical fish, lagoons of flapping manta rays, and waterslides—one with a near-vertical drop. The new children’s water village, which debuted April 2006, adds kid-sized slides, water castles, and splash elements for those under 48 inches.

In February 2006, the resort replaced its educational-oriented Discovery Channel Camp with the new Discovery Kids Adventure for ages six to 12, available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday and Sundays during holidays (full day $90 with lunch, or $15 per hour; morning $40; afternoon $45). Borrowing from Discovery Kids programming, the new camp has added relays, seaside games, challenges, more time outdoors, as well as Bahamian dances and crafts to the schedule. Kids also unscramble hieroglyphics, a link to the cable network’s cartoon, “Tutenstein,” and cast a shark tooth, a tie-in with Discovery’s “Kenny the Shark.” At the Atlantis Kids Club, from 9 a.m. to noon ($40), preschoolers three to five do face painting, play Bluebeard’s bingo, create aquariums, and tour the fish hospital. Atlantis Kids Club also has Evening Escape, a themed evening of movies, games, and computer play for ages three to 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday ($50). Reserve ahead for any of the kids’ programs.

Teens congregate at Club Rush, where they check emails, play video games, and watch DVDs. The club is open to ages seven to 12 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and ages 13 to 17 from 8:30 p.m. to midnight.

Special Events & Activities:
With Aqua Tots, five children three years or older, but still under 48 inches tall, are chosen to go with staff to feed small fish.