Cruising vs. All Inclusive Resort

I haven't done either yet. I'm going on my very first cruise in a couple of weeks and I'm excited. However I've always been intrigued by the AI deals as well.

Can anyone thats done both give me some opinions and what you found to be the pro's and con's of both please? I'm not a big drinker so the unlimited alcohol isn't a deciding factor to me for AI.

Thanks,

Heath

I find that cruising gives you tremendous value for your dollar.

You get to travel and see many ports of call and you get great service and lots of shows and other entertainment.

To me you can't beat it.

Keith

With the possible exception of drinks, cruising is, in fact, far more "all inclusive" than so-called all inclusive resorts. While the ship lacks the beach which is the usual major attraction of an A/I resort, it will probably stop near several beaches to offer that aspect as well.

We have done both. Our preference is Cruising. With the All Inclusive, you go to 1 destination, and most stay at the AI to get their moneys worth. We have been to 2 AI resorts, they were 5 golden apple through Apple Resorts. (highest is 6 golden apple). Locations were Riviera Maya and Puerto Vallarta. IMO, the food wasn't near as good at what is on a cruise ship. The entertainment is almost non-existent. If the weather is bad, you are stuck there.

On a cruise, you unpack, and the ship will take you to many destinations. If the weather is bad one day, hopefully it will be much better the next day. There are many different types of music, entertainment and things to do on the ship. You can visit many destinations in one vacation as opposed to visiting only 1 destination.

Of course, asking this on a cruising forum, most responses will be in favor of cruising. You may also want to check out TripAdvisor for a different aspect.

I have done both and frankly I find the AI more relaxing . The resorts usually have a few restaurants , lots of water activities and entertainment . I like cruising but if you are a beach person it is easier to just get up and hit the beach not have to worry about getting off the ship , taking a cab & having limited time at a beach.

I have done both types of vacations.

Both cruises and AI have buffets, room service, specialty restaraunts shows,lots of daily activities, day tours available, spas, bars, music groups.

Both have great serivce and staff that you get to know during your stay.

Cruises of course have different ports of call and itineraries the world over.

Most AI are a one place destination, whether, beach, mountains, islands etc.

Most AL are priced as a package: air and resort for one price which includes beverages of all types.

Cruises also have beverage packages to puchase in addition to cruise price.

Enjoy your cruise.:)

We have done both (more then 65 cruises and 4 AIs) and our normal preference is cruising because we love being at sea and many places (6 continents and over 100 countries) we can go on ships. Choosing is simply personal preference. AIs are very relaxing since you can simply veg out at a single location, stroll to the beach or pool every day, enjoy unlimited drinks and lots of food. Cruises can give you much more adventure (think of Istanbul, Rome and Santorini on a single cruise) but are also more hectic. My advice is plan to try both while you are young and then make your own decisions based on personal experience.

Hank

I've done both and enjoy both very much.

Cruising has it's excitements with casino, dance clubs, and shows. Upside, you get to visit different countries and experience different cultures. Downside, the visits are short.

AI's have their own excitement with dance clubs and shows. Upside, you are there longer which gives you an opportunity to learn and experience different cultures. Downside, you're stuck in one country and one resort. Another dwonside for is is that most of the AI's we go to don't have casinos.

One thing I've learned by doing AI's???

If the only time I had ever visited Jamaica was by cruiseship?? I'd feel like most cruisers and never want to go back. By experiencing Jamaica via an AI, I learned that Jamaica is a very wonderful island with fabulous people and culture. Along with great food and drinks.

Cruising and AIs are completely different vacations.

If we go on an AI, which I'm trying too book for after Christmas (!), we want to relax. You can take excursions, but it's a much slower pace. Yes some people drink to excess, but there are lots of places that have most people asking responsibly.

If we take a cruise, we are looking for a higher energy trip, with lots of different places to see in a short time. Someone has already talked about how you can't really judge a country by a short visit while in port, but it can give you a feel for a place. For example, on our last cruise we fell in love with Belize and would definitely book a land trip to go back. OTOH, Roatan just wasn't to our liking, which surprised us as we had tentatively planned a land trip back for this year.

I also find AIs to be easier to budget, since cruising has many extras such as up charge restaurants, excursions etc. At an AI, it is very easy to stay on the resort, leave tips for the staff and that's it.

We tend to alternate between AI/land based trios and cruising, that way we get the best of both worlds :)

This is the kind of awesome information I was looking for, thanks guys... Please keep the info coming. When we went to Hawaii with my wife's family several years ago I discovered that I really enjoy snorkeling. I'm hoping to do a lot of that while we're in port on our cruise.

I have been going to 1-2 AI resorts a year for probably last 7 years. I love it. They seem to be getting more expensive so in 16 days I will be going on my 1st cruise. I hope to really enjoy it. My biggest concern will be feeling like I need to be doing stuff on the ship or excursion in port. At the AIs it's amazing how fast sitting on the beach chair for 7 days goes by.

I will let you know when I return. I leave Nov 5 on the Carnival Ecstasy.

I concur with many of the others who've responded to this. I think an AI is more relaxing. The scenery doesn't change every day. It's a much slower pace. The free alcohol is nice, which probably helps the relaxation element.

I have found that once I'm there, I spend less at an AI than on a ship. On our last AI trip to Mexico, I think I spend $12. Cab fare to town, my wife forgot her loofa, a coke and some cookies. That's it.

On one of our first cruises, we easily spent more on excursions than on the cruise itself. We're not big excursion people any more, having visited most of the islands, but it's hard not to want to at least take a cab to a nearby beach while on a cruise or do a snorkeling trip.

We enjoy both but they're very different.

I vote cruises. You get to different spots, see different things. I like the dance shows on a ship, and the comedians.

I've been on well over 125 cruises and 3 AI's. If it's to the Caribbean, if you love, love, love the beach, go to an AI. I LOVE traveling by ship and prefer a ship. When we go to the Caribbean, more often than not, we don't get off and the best time to be on the ship is while everyone else is ashore. I find an AI is more restful and relaxing than a cruise and it is a bit more conducive to "down time". I enjoyed our AI's, but still prefer a cruise. And if you're not a big drinker, don't book the penthouse suite, and don't go crazy with all of the on board discretionary spending on a cruise, a cruise is still a better value.

Cruises are a great way to sample lots of cities/islands. You get to travel while you sleep. If you're not interested in exploring a place for days then cruises are a great choice.

However, I have been to Barbados twice now on a cruise and still feel like I've never had enough time to really experience it the way I'd like... so we are considering an AI there instead. There are just so many places I want to go and visit and explore and it can't be done while on a cruise.

We like both, but as others have said, it's a completely different experience. A cruise is a very convenient way of seing a different place almost every day, whereas the AI is a place where you can unwind by at the beach or depending on the location you can party till the early morning. Also, at the AI you have more flexibility, you can take a longer tour and just grab a bite to eat when you return at the resort, without having to pay attention to departure times.

So I'd say if you are (1) young and want to party and drink at the resort before hitting the nightlife of your destination (2) are exhausted and just want to unwind at the beach rather than touring a different place every day, go for the AI.

If you enjoy to explore a new destination every day and get bored if you're stuck in the same place for your entire vacation, go for the cruise.

One more thing to consider is the amount of alcohol you usually drink. Cruise AI packages can almost as expensive as as the complete stay at an AI resort, depending on the season and the dastination, so in case you're a heavy drinker, you'll be better off with the AI.

I find AIs more relaxing too, usually they are pretty spread out and well landscaped and you get a feeling of peace. To me, cruise ships are a lot busier and more hectic. And obviously, your room at an AI is likely to be much more luxurious than a cruise ship cabin.

Plus, I love the beach and it's wonderful to be able to sit out there while the sun sets and totally lose track of time. With a cruise, you have to be back on board way before that.

There are also activities that I like to do at AIs which aren't really available while cruising, tennis comes to mind. I find the food and entertainment to be pretty comparable. Depending on the location, AIs can also have an edge for service.

But, for seeing lots of new places, cruising is obviously the way to go. Just depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for, IMO.

I agree with those who have said AIs are more relaxing. And it seemed to me like the AIs are less about trying to constantly sell you extra stuff (at least ours didn't)

But cruising you get to see more. And you're on a ship, which to use is always part of the allure (no pun intended). :)

We like both and continue to book both.

This is the kind of awesome information I was looking for, thanks guys... Please keep the info coming. When we went to Hawaii with my wife's family several years ago I discovered that I really enjoy snorkeling. I'm hoping to do a lot of that while we're in port on our cruise.

Many AIs offer unlimited snorkeling and water sports (kayaking, sailing, etc). In our opinion this was one of the best things about an AI... you don't have to pay $50+ a person to snorkel every day.

I vote for cruise. The atmosphere and activities onboard are so much nicer. The crew makes you feel genuinely cared for, with things like decorating your dinner entree, warm "good morning"/"good night" greetings, energetic staff starting line dances, and dedicated points of contact for various issues you might encounter (i.e. maitre d' for food and tables, cruise director for activities, hotel manager for your cabin, etc). And there seems to be a sense of camaraderie among passengers, due to the psychological aspect of all being "in the same boat"; it made meeting new people very easy.

On an AI, in my experience, I was pretty much left to fend for myself (that's not bad, but just saying). Still, the "cared for" aspect as pretty much limited to "here's your room, here's the ocean, here's the food, have a good time and don't hurt yourself". And there was no camaraderie; people spent most of their time with whoever they came with.

The daughter has this problem next year ....her new boyfriend came back last week from a 2 week all inclusive from Ibiza with his family & he hated it he wanted to come home after 4 days :eek: although i suppose getting sun stroke didn't help at first :rolleyes: but he hates heights & has lold her he won't leave England again :confused: & as she loves to fly & go abroad a dilema has turned up ...so i am trying to hint about cruising for them with a no fly ..she just doesn't want to cruise because we cruise , well i have a year to percuade them that cruising may be for them & to give it a go :D

We did an All Inclusive once. It was in Jamaica -- and we were nt impressed with the resort. The place had only restaurant. Everything was buffet -- and the same food every day. And drink were not included.

We got bored with the same beach -- did take a couple of tours.

On a ship -- more choices for food. Visit different ports.

It's like asking if blondes or brunettes make better lovers. Some are good and some are not.:)

But I'll take either one.

It's the quality of the individual - Cruise or the AI that is the thing of importance

There are also land-tours and individual travel. Each type of vacation has pros and cons.

After many years, I would suggest individual travel more when you are younger and more active, although two of our friends in their 60s have driven to Miami (for a cruise) and are planning to drive though all the National Parks in the Northwest on their way to Seattle (for a cruise).

Enjoy your trip, whichever you try, but try them all.

Great question! We've done a few sandals places - they were beautiful, food was very good at the restaurants you could go to but the buffet part was just so so and it wasn't Cuba or DR where the food is often just OK. Frankly I got bored of the same beach/same pool every day and it was a long way into town. I like it that the ships come into the downtown area usually, you can go to any beach you choose for little money or enjoy the downtown. As well I like how you can arrive at the homeport a day early, then board at 11ish, giving you actually a 7 day holiday. We often throw in an excursion on the disembarkation day, then take a later flight too. In an AI you really get only 6 days. I think the cruise is a better bang for your buck. We can go on 3 cruises for the price of 2 AIs.