Just off Reflection thinking about all inclusive next

[hcat]

We had a very positive experience at a well known all incl. in their concierge club level...they had an offshore island and offered various nearby excursions as well..They had a quiet pool and one more active with a dj. ALL water sports were included and they had an awesome gym....lots of nightime choices.movies,music, parties, and great resaurants...our concierge handled our res

 

Price wise it was somewhat higher than our AQ cruises, but only extras were the spa and any extra tips, shopping. We migh try it again some time..they have generous loyalty perks.

 

Also..fyi...we found Ref more crowded that other S class ships...at the pool and aft bar.so maybe try a diff ship.

Edited January 27, 2016 by hcat

[chisoxfan]

Thanks for the additional comments. Agree that that the ability to take an evening stroll on the beach or trip into town on my schedule would be neat.

 

Agree that the Reflection may not have the best pool/passenger ratio especially since the covered pool is out of the equation for sun worshipers. We loved the Princess Sanctuary only problem being it cannot be prebooked and it is 30x7x2

420 a week for two which is not insignificant to have a dedicated lounger.

 

Hcat maybe referring to a resort starting with M on an island A? I am a Platinum M member and this was a prop I was considering.

[Saltwaterdevotee]

We had an awful holiday cruise on Reflection with 450 kids running wild everywhere, and even though we are Elite with Celebrity we are once again going to consider an All Inclusive as an alternative to cruising. Like you, we have been all over the Caribbean and don't even bother to get off the ship when we dock anymore. We love it when the pools and hot tubs are empty but this last trip with all of the kids ruined our vacation.

 

Since this is not the first time we've soured on Celebrity, we have done some nice AI's but the most notable of all was The Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios. Not cheap and not cooky cutter but just an amazing place to relax on the beach under a huge tree and read a book. It is located on a small, private slip of beach with what they call "Champane Sand". The water is delightfully swimmable and refreshing and there is private security there to make certain that guests are not disturbed. I think there are only about 40 rooms. You can do the inn either with or without meals and there is a drink plan as well. You can also opt to be picked up at the airport and I highly recommend that as well. I would definitely do the meal plan because the food was splendid. If you can spring for it, consider one of the beachfront rooms. You'll see photos of them on the website. We had a second floor room where we sat on the balcony after dining every night. Met really interesting people there. It was just a wonderful week and we hated to leave. The place is positively heaven and very different from the brand name AI's!

[GOLDENBONNY]

Hello, just got back from Western Carib on Reflection and had a wonderful trip outside of some less than favorable end of week weather that caused us to miss Coco Cay (something I was really looking forward to).

We booked an 11 night Reflection cruise for 2018 so my question below is not intended to be inflammatory and raised because of dissatisfaction with X.

Our cruises are designed for an on sea escape. We usually don't leave the ship (have been to many 'standard' Carib ports) and enjoy drinking, eating, and sun worship. I have been concerned on recent cruises (not only on X) at the crowded pool conditions and difficulty securing a lounger in a nice location.

This is almost guaranteed to be a hassle on sea days (won't try and begin the chair hog discussion but they certainly seemed to be in evidence during my cruise). Since this is such a big part of our cruise experience I really began thinking that an all inclusive experience might be worth a try.

Because of my travel I can fly to DR, Mexico, Jamaica, and PR without cost so the additional cost of airfare to an all inclusive location is not really an issue.

I know this is a very subjective question but would appreciate any considered

opinions on this from someone who enjoys and has cruised often and also gone the all inclusive route.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

 

why not? We love cruising but we really have fun in all inclusive. Last time we had beautiful swim out suite in Mexico. No hassle to find pool chair :p Beautiful restaurants, beautiful service. Good evening shows . Give it a try but make sure you do a good search about resort you go. If you have no kids its easy to find nice small luxury resort .

[clubz]

We had an awful holiday cruise on Reflection with 450 kids running wild everywhere, and even though we are Elite with Celebrity we are once again going to consider an All Inclusive as an alternative to cruising. Like you, we have been all over the Caribbean and don't even bother to get off the ship when we dock anymore. We love it when the pools and hot tubs are empty but this last trip with all of the kids ruined our vacation.

 

Since this is not the first time we've soured on Celebrity, we have done some nice AI's but the most notable of all was The Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios. Not cheap and not cooky cutter but just an amazing place to relax on the beach under a huge tree and read a book. It is located on a small, private slip of beach with what they call "Champane Sand". The water is delightfully swimmable and refreshing and there is private security there to make certain that guests are not disturbed. I think there are only about 40 rooms. You can do the inn either with or without meals and there is a drink plan as well. You can also opt to be picked up at the airport and I highly recommend that as well. I would definitely do the meal plan because the food was splendid. If you can spring for it, consider one of the beachfront rooms. You'll see photos of them on the website. We had a second floor room where we sat on the balcony after dining every night. Met really interesting people there. It was just a wonderful week and we hated to leave. The place is positively heaven and very different from the brand name AI's!

We went 2 years ago on Reflection on the week of March 17th there were 650 kids. What a nightmare running crazy we found out its FL spring break. Last year we went the first week of February and this year the last week. All we can do is hope it wouldn't be so bad if the parents would watch them it was a zoo.

[Texed]

We had an awful holiday cruise on Reflection with 450 kids running wild everywhere,!

 

I guess we were very fortunate. We were on Reflection for Christmas/New Year's, and we had no children problems. Wonderful cruises. :)

[BobbyD]

To start, we have been to three AI and had a great time at all three. But, we much prefer cruising. One big difference is the entertainment. We really enjoy the entertainment on a cruise and the entertainment is not quite the same quality on land. Perhaps we're spoiled! I can't imagine having a bad time on an AI but certainly do your homework. There are many levels of quality and just know what you're getting.

[grimace95120]

A lot of great detail provided by many on the pros and cons of both vacations. I'll just add my one personal differentiator. We've spend most of our vacation time at AIs, running the gamut from our poor student days in a 2 star in Cuba ( uggghhhhh ), to our favorite adults only 5+stars in Mexico etc.

The one common thread in all of these, regardless of price point is that drinks on a cruise ship have usually been of better quality and execution than I have ever gotten at even the most expensive AI. I'm a gin martini drinker, and make no bones about being a fanatic when it comes to the execution of what I believe to be the finest cocktail in the world.

No AI has lived up to my demands in execution, but Celebrity has come very very close.

I have no issues with staying put on a ship or on a beach, matters not to me. Give me my Kindle and a chair and I'm happy.

Just my boozy two cents :)

Edited January 28, 2016 by grimace95120

[Alsmez]

We went 2 years ago on Reflection on the week of March 17th there were 650 kids. What a nightmare running crazy we found out its FL spring break. Last year we went the first week of February and this year the last week. All we can do is hope it wouldn't be so bad if the parents would watch them it was a zoo.

 

I would love to see Celebrity designate a portion of its fleet in the Caribbean as "Adults Only" during the month of March, so that people who want to cruise without children have a viable alternative. We haven't had kid problems on our Celebrity cruises to date, but we are very careful not to cruise during spring break season. Personally, I think it could be a great marketing tool and very much in line with their "Modern Luxury" theme.

[clubz]

I would love to see Celebrity designate a portion of its fleet in the Caribbean as "Adults Only" during the month of March, so that people who want to cruise without children have a viable alternative. We haven't had kid problems on our Celebrity cruises to date, but we are very careful not to cruise during spring break season. Personally, I think it could be a great marketing tool and very much in line with their "Modern Luxury" theme.

 

I would be in for that. I have children and grandchildren but when I'm on vacation without kids I don't need them running around. The problem we had was they were running and jumping in the pool landing on people and no parent said a word. I had to go ask a parent to control her child. I couldn't find someone from Celb around the pool to say anything to.

[mvaughan]

Hmm. Wonder how many kids are going to be on my cruise on March 19???

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Algebralovr]

I haven't got far enough yet to evaluate costs but I suspected that AI's are at the minimum competitive with cruises but of course so many variables here.

Interesting that you mentioned smoking. I know X has a liberal policy and I never considered this but for the first time was made aware on our Reflection cruise (we are non smokers except for my occasional cigar). Several mornings with our balcony door open we were hit with strong smell of cigarette smoke nearby which made us close the door. At Sunset bar we noticed how half of the seating area was for smokers.

I could see (for the first time) an issue if you had a heavy smoker near your balcony.

 

Actually, we sail on X because of the STRICT smoking policy! It is the only cruise line that doesn't allow ANY smoking indoors - like the casino or a bar - and they don't allow any smoking on the stateroom balconies.

 

If you noted cigarette smoke in the mornings on your balcony, I hope you called guest relations and requested that Security take a look. Their first step is a warning, second step is a fine (cleaning fee) and they reserve the right to kick someone off the ship who cannot follow the rules.

 

Personally, I think they need to institute the fine with the warning, since it is in writing when you first board.

[motherchic]

We went to our first AI in Mexico last Spring. It was wonderful. We went with all our grown children; there were 9 of us and a baby. We plan to go again. We had a ball. Enjoyed the ocean and pool all day long. Drank and laughed allot.

But, if we are traveling, just the 2 of us, then we prefer a cruise. When cruising, if you want to find or meet other passengers to visit or talk with; we think it is easier.

[smtcan]

I am back to this thread to comment on our experience at an AI resort. First of all, I must admit that we were visited by the upgrade fairy and invited to move to an adult only resort which would have cost us $300 pp more than the one we had selected. Even at the higher price it would still have been cheaper than a seven day cruise in a balcony cabin with air fare.

 

We are very impressed with the service at this resort. It is equally as good as any we have experienced on a cruise. The food is good, cook to order steaks, chicken, and fish at the buffet, and one night lobster was included. A la carte restaurants are free, and we can book as often as we like. We were not too impressed with the Brazilian restaurant although others loved it, but the Italian and French were excellent.

 

Drinks in the lobby bar are fine, those at the pool and beach use lower level spirits. Internet is included and speed is good. All indoor areas are air conditioned, but it is nice to sit outside for meals. We have no problem with bugs, maybe it is not the season for them, and only once have we been troubled by a smoker who sat at our table by the pool and lit up a cigarette without asking if we minded. There seem to be very few smokers here.

 

Tips are included, and we see no evidence of servers looking for extra. We will leave something for those who have looked after us so well when we leave on Tuesday.

 

I don't think I would want to spend more than a week at any AI, but after this experience I think we have taken our last Caribbean cruise. We still love cruising, and will continue to explore interesting places from a cruise ship, but this is such a relaxing way to spend a few days away from the Canadian winter that we will probably return next year.

 

Sheila

[SusieV]

I've got a comparison review in my signature from 2009. We went to a lovely 4.5 star resort in Mexico. And it was nice... but it just wasn't cruising.

 

I've never gone back to an all inclusive since.

[CruiserRob]

In addition to our cruises we have been to may AIs and enjoy both types of vacation. In particular we have had great times at adult chains including Iberostar Grands, Secrets, and Excellence. They have many good restaurants and top shelf alcohol at all bars:). We have met many interesting people at the swim up and lobby bars.

 

Robert

[smtcan]

Susie

 

I read your review of Aventura Palace and generally agree with it. We were there a few years ago - in fact it was the last AI we went to and it put us off AIs until now.

 

As I said, we are extremely happy with this Dominican Republic resort. Celebrity Constellation sailed past our window the other day, and we didn't wish we were on her.

 

House wines are drinkable here, but not exciting. There is a reasonably priced 'premium wine list', most around $20-30 with no gratuity added. These are middle of the road wines, not fine wines, but probably equivalent to the $40+18% on Celebrity.

 

Sheila

[Jade13]

We had a very positive experience at a well known all incl. in their concierge club level...they had an offshore island and offered various nearby excursions as well..They had a quiet pool and one more active with a dj. ALL water sports were included and they had an awesome gym....lots of nightime choices.movies,music, parties, and great resaurants...our concierge handled our res

 

Price wise it was somewhat higher than our AQ cruises, but only extras were the spa and any extra tips, shopping. We migh try it again some time..they have generous loyalty perks.

 

Also..fyi...we found Ref more crowded that other S class ships...at the pool and aft bar.so maybe try a diff ship.

 

 

What Island or location?