Going for 3 days with 14 & 12 yr old, parents and grandparents. Expect to eat our meals at the resort due to short time frame. Should we get the meal paln? If so which one? Thanks!

Are you big eaters or not?
If you're a light grazer it's hard to get your money's worth.

I stringently object to any meal plan anywhere that forces you to purchase the meal plan for the entire length of your stay.....You arrive Day 1 and you miss breakfast, You depart Day 5 and you miss dinner....And that is what Atlantis requires.......I have friends who chose the Grand Plan ($79 per person per day)...they were frustrated because they found their choices limited...(No, you can't have the chatueabriand, you are on the MealPlan and that is not included...)I do not object or shy away from all inclusives, but Atlantis is not AI...just my take and I hope that helps....S

We used the Gourmet dining plan and were very glad we did. You are not excluded from any items on the menu, you are given credit. I have ordered lobster from 5Twins, and the plan was applied, so I don't understand what they are talking about. I have never been told you cannot order this or that. I have found it is not about quantity, but quality at Atlantis. Everything is very expensive. since you have a big age range, maybe the Gourmet plan is not good for you, but the other plan is. I would not exclude it.

And you are charged by the day, so it balances out. If you are there 5 days, you get dinner the first night and breakfast the last day - again above poster does not amke any sense!

I have found that the plan actually saves money, IMHO. The website does not give prices, but let me tell you they are high. We love Fathoms, we always order the seafood tower appetizer, which is $75.00 and is for 2 people (cold lobster, shrimp, clams etc...) That is covered on the meal plan. I would not consider us to be "big" eaters, but we like good food. Shellfish, grilled fish, steaks etc are more expensive than a buffet meal, not necessarily "more" food.

Atlantis is not known for GREAT food, but I have found the gourmet restaurants to be pretty good. The entrees are not what I would call huge portions. They are notmal sized meals. But to get the better food you have to eat in the better restaurants. To eat in the better restauants, you have to spend more $$. Better does not mean bigger at Atlantis.

Sandyfeet - I'm not sure when you were there last but I just returned a couple of weeks ago. There are definitely items that you can not order with the meal plan. The menu at the Bahamian Club specifically excludes the seafood tower that you referred to in your post (the $75 one). I didn't go to Fathom's so I don't know if it's the same (but I don't know why they would treat the two restaurants differently).

That's strange.......We were just there this past May.

Maybe they changed it because it was not working to their advantage $$ wise. With the gourmet meal plan, we ordered what ever we wanted and whatever $ would be deducted off the bill and we would pay the balance. We did have drinks and wine. Its hard to tell because when you check out you still have to pay tax and grat on what you ordered.
I guess its 6 of 1 half dozen of the other. They get your $$ no matter how you slice it!

The first time I stayed at Atlantis I got the gourmet meal plan. On subsequent stays I chose not to get the meal plan. We actually spent LESS money WITHOUT the plan. We usually do not eat a big breakfast, so we brought some breakfast bars with us and had them. Then we had a nice lunch and a nice dinner. If you usually eat an appetizer, entree and dessert at every meal, then get the plan. If not you'll be eating way more than you want just to get your money's worth. Also, your tax and tip are based on what your meal would actually cost--not the price of the plan for the day. It really adds up.