Part 2 of our Atlantis review. This one covers everything we actually did at the resort with Riley (8) and Reggie (5).
Spoiler: Some of it was worth every penny. Some of it... well, I'll let you decide.
The Pools
Royal Pool vs Zero Entry Pool
There are two main pools. We spent most of our time at the Royal Pool.
Adam's Top Tip: Around 4pm, the sun gets blocked by the hotel building at the Royal Pool. Move to the Zero Entry Pool – it still has sun.
The Zero Entry Pool had bigger kids, more activities (basketball in the pool), and better afternoon light.
Free Ice Lollies
Staff walk around with free ice lollies all day. The boys might have had two or three each. Nobody stopped them.
Water Warning
Water poolside is expensive. Large bottle: £10-12.
Hack: Take the water bottles from your room, stick them in the fridge, and take them down. Ask housekeeping for more. Stock up.
Even with full board, water wasn't included outside mealtimes. For a family of four, it adds up fast.
Kids Play Areas
Play areas near both pools:
- Slides kids can go on alone
- Giant chess and checkers
- Football nets on the beach
- Table tennis
- Volleyball
Full disclosure: We saw all of this. We played basketball and table tennis. The rest? The boys were too busy in the waterpark.
Kids Club
I didn't want to use it at first.
Reggie (our 5-year-old) has a thing where if he cries or hurts himself, he holds his breath until he passes out. Terrifying. So I was nervous about leaving him.
But: It was included once per day with our package. We tried it.
Result: The boys went twice. They loved it.
There's an activity sheet showing what's happening each session. One day they brought in an eagle for the kids to see. Morning and afternoon slots available.
Younger kids and older kids have separate areas. Gaming consoles and Apple Macs for the bigger ones.
100% recommend.
The Arcade (Wave House)
Good fun. Fair pricing (not gouging you).
Tip: Buy a card and top it up. There was an early bird offer when we went.
Bowling
The one that got away.
Every time we tried, 4-5 people were ahead of us. We were always on tight timelines before dinner, and the boys were shattered afterwards.
Tip: Book in advance. Don't wing it like we did.
Aquaventure Waterpark
Best waterpark we've ever been to.
If you're researching Atlantis, you already know about this. It's phenomenal.
Getting In
Option 1: Get wristbands from guest services. Walk through the hotel, look for the guest entrance (to the right of the turnstiles) – mini fast-pass.
Option 2: Take the buggy shuttle from the Royal Pool. They'll drop you right at the waterpark.
Keep your wristband on for the whole stay.
Layout
Three main towers with rides. Height restriction for most rides: 1.3 meters.
Reggie was slightly shorter, so some rides were off-limits. Check height restrictions and base yourself near appropriate rides.
There's a brilliant kids area with slides they can do independently.
Towels
Don't bring towels – there are towel huts everywhere. Grab one, drop it on a sun lounger.
Safety
Dubai is the safest city we've ever travelled to. We left bags with phones and belongings everywhere.
The GoPro Story: I dropped my GoPro in the river rapids. Days of footage on it. Waded back against the current in a panic. A guy had found it and handed it to a lifeguard. Got it back, footage saved.
That's the kind of place this is.
We went three times in ten days. Could have gone more.
Jet Ski
Cost: 750 AED (~£150-160) for one jet ski
You don't jet ski inside the Palm – they take you by boat outside to near the Burj Al Arab.
Riley's Moment
Riley was holding on for dear life. I slowed down. The trainer came over, took Riley onto his jet ski, and let him drive it himself while filming on our GoPro.
We still talk about it. That trainer made the whole experience special.
"Go and play," he said. And I did. While he made our son's day."
Kayaks
Cost: Free with our package (early morning slot)
Casual. Fun. Me and Reggie in one kayak, Sara and Riley in another.
Riley accused Sara of not pulling her weight. He wasn't wrong.
Dolphin Experience
We did the Dolphin Dip & Play – waist-high water, suitable for Reggie at 5.
Cost
~£178 per person (we got 5% off with our package)
The Experience
30 minutes. Two trainers with us. Educational – they taught the boys about dolphins, their background, facts. Not just "do this, take a photo."
You could tell the trainers genuinely cared about the animals. The boys picked up on that.
Amazing experience.
The Photos
Here's where it gets painful.
A photographer is in the water the whole time. Afterwards, they sit you in a booth with all your photos on screen.
You get one free photo (maybe). The rest? When you have dozens of family photos with dolphins, you can't whittle it down.
I spent over £600 on a photo book.
Saying that out loud makes me want to be sick. But we also got a USB with digital versions. And the book is beautiful quality.
Do I regret it? No. Is it extortionate? Yes.
Helicopter Ride
We went with Falcon Heli Tours. Helipad is connected to the hotel.
Cost
~£800 for exclusive ride (just our family)
Process
- Book via website/WhatsApp (super easy)
- Arrive, safety briefing
- Wait ~20 minutes
- Safety belt on
- Up you go
Headsets on – pilot talks to you, you can talk as a family. He engaged the boys throughout.
Photos
Photographer snaps you getting in. I braced for extortion.
Surprise: Reasonable pricing. ~£50-60 for all digital photos.
After the dolphin photos, this felt like a bargain.
Activity Cost Summary
| Activity | Cost | Worth It? |
|---|---|---|
| Aquaventure Waterpark | Included | ✅ Absolutely |
| Kids Club | Included (once/day) | ✅ 100% |
| Kayaks | Free (early morning) | ✅ Fun |
| Jet Ski | ~£150 | ✅ Memorable |
| Dolphin Experience | ~£178pp | ✅ Amazing |
| Dolphin Photos | £600+ 😬 | ⚠️ Extortionate but no regrets |
| Helicopter | ~£800 | ✅ Once-in-a-lifetime |
| Bowling | N/A | ❌ Couldn't get in – book ahead! |
Currency Conversion Tip
Sara struggled with AED to GBP. My method:
Divide by 10, times by 2.
1,600 AED → 160 → 320 → £320
(Or just divide by 5. But Sara preferred the other way.)
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This trip cost us a fortune. Worth every dirham. It's why we ended up moving here. 🐬