Bahama Drama, A Cautionary Tale

I just returned from the famed spring break trip to the Bahamas, an annual rite for some entitled high school seniors. This year it was a trip with a twist – parents decided to go along with their kids in an effort to assure their safety.

Though my older children had taken similar trips and I had read Principal John Klemme’s article warning against it, I thought that if I was on the scene to supervise, my daughter could enjoy her break and I could be sure that she enjoyed it my way. Not wishing to make an example of my daughter by denying her a break with her friends, I put aside my reservations and booked the trip. However, I now realize that it's impossible to protect a teen in the Bahamas, whether you're on the scene or a thousand miles away at home.

When I set eyes on the Atlantis I was stunned. I had never seen an island resort of this scale and was awed by the expanse. A cross between Las Vegas and Disneyworld, splashed with aqua features and floor-to-ceiling fish tanks, Atlantis offered a stunning array of options. If gambling was your thing, there was a dazzling casino directly off the lobby. An underwater explorer? Go downstairs to see collections of sharks, stingrays, jellyfish and tropical fish. An epicurean? There’s island outposts run by Nobu, Mesa Grill, Carmines and even a restaurant from Jean- Georges. A thrill seeker? Climb up the Power Tower and hurl yourself into the deep Abyss.

Tasteless, tacky and inauthentic it is, but once you find the lost land of Atlantis you can easily get lost in the maze of attractions.

And the parents did try it all. Blessed with gorgeous weather we arose the next morning and embarked on the serpentine paths to find a place to sit. As there were few direct routes, we found ourselves walking in circles, dead-ending at gurgling hot tubs and spending precious minutes trying to get from one pool to the next.  The Moms spent the day sunning while the Dads were drawn to a nearby golf course and the casino. We spotted the men a few afternoons after they had emerged from the blackjack tables, their pockets bulging with bills. At the beginning I didn’t even notice all the water slides and rides as the architects have cleverly submerged “the lazy river” below grade as it snakes through the property. Though I heard screams from the Mayan Temple, it never registered that those were the voices of the riders.

One afternoon, one of the Dads roused my friend and me from our lounges to encourage us to try one of the rides. Reluctantly we got up and waded into the “river” to grab a raft. In minutes we were shooting down the rapids, forward and backwards, screaming in fear and delight. Through a maze of dark tunnels and tidal waves we toured the entire property and enjoyed the sun.

Initiated into the world of water attractions we decided to try something more daring and timidly clutched our rafts and ascended the Tower of Power. Up and up we climbed, getting shakier by the minute, especially when we reached the top of the stairs and saw the terrifying angle of the chute. With nowhere to go but down, and not wanting to be called a wimp, I boarded my raft and heeded the instructions of the Bahamian operator at the top. “Grab the handles, cross your legs, and keep your butt up.” With that, my friend and I flew down a 90-degree shoot in a double raft, airborne at times, and we quickly found ourselves twisting and turning in a dark tunnel. Ultimately we plunged into a pool of water, floated down and the fun continued. At one point, we were shot up a long ramp, powered by rushing water only to be hurled downward at terrifying speeds again.

Screaming at the top of my lungs, I could not remember getting an adrenaline rush like that ever before. I was hooked.

What happened to the kids? There were hundreds at Atlantis from all over the country, with and without parents. From what I saw, neither the water rides, nor the shark tanks seemed to hold much allure for the teens. Many seemed focused on drinking …whether it was planning the nights’ events, securing the liquor, plotting to get into the club or sleeping off the previous night’s hangover. Surrounded by myriad attractions and pleasures I was surprised that the power of a drink could trump it all. They often stayed out late, slept late and spent the rest of the day recovering from their hijinks. Though I tried to convince my daughter to avail herself of the daytime attractions, evening activites were much more compelling.

While the adults were busy acting like kids, the kids were making an attempt to be grown-up. We discovered the joy of the rides and enjoyed the fitness classes, walks, the dolphins and the ocean. The kids stayed up all night pushing their limits. Though most of the high schoolers on break in the Bahamas made it through the week without incident, there were scary reports of a drug bust, and students who drank too much and ended up in the hospital.

All in all did this model work? Should you take your kids on a spring break? In my view, unlimited alcohol and an unsupervised vacation is more freedom than 17 year-olds can handle. Though the days passed quickly, at night I found myself in my room sick with worry that my daughter would have a bad encounter with a strange man in the casino or get drunk and lured away from her friends at the bar. How would I locate her in this vast facility? With thoughts of Natalie Holloway in mind I wondered how I had endorsed this vacation. Putting aside the potential dangers, I realized that by paying for this vacation, I was enabling and encouraging this five-day binge.

The most terrifying slide at Atlantis is called the "Leap of Faith.” On the last day, as a veteran of “The Surge” and “The Drop”, I thought I could take that leap. I waited on line for a half hour and asked the photographer to take my photo before I took my final jump. With wobbly knees I sat down to go and peered down the chute. In a flash I realized I couldn’t do it. I scrambled back on my feet and retreated to a less terrifying slide.

In retrospect, taking my daughter to the Bahamas for this bacchanal was a leap of faith – and if I had to do it again, I would not take the risk.