All Inclusive vs. cruise for Entertainment

[navybankerteacher]

On 6/4/2021 at 1:10 AM, lissie said:

..

 

Why would you fly some where and never leave the resort - seems an odd holiday to me. 

If you are halfway through a New England winter, flying to someplace warm, with a good beach, good food, and perhaps some decent entertainment for a week is not so bad. 
 

I’ve done that once  (in Jamaica). - where leaving the resort is not a good option - but certainly prefer St. Maarten or St. Barth’s — where there are lots of “off-campus” things to do —— which makes the whole AI experience  unnecessary and, frankly, not so attractive.

[evandbob]

We've done many an AI land vacay and usually have left the resort for different island tours or excursions. Not every day, perhaps 2 out of the 7,  or 3 of 10.  Snorkel, ruins, fishing and island circumnavigation are some of our typical activities.

 

Some Mexican AIs might have fire dancers performing, similar to a Polynesian or Hawaiian show.  Otherwise, I can usually forego the M.Jackson impersonation or whatever, same as I don't usually attend cruise ship theater productions. 

 

Perhaps the strangest entertainment we experienced was the steel drum band on Shirley Heights in Antigua on Sunday evening, something a cruiser couldn't attend.  As we were eating dinner, the rather large ensemble started up, and perhaps as the ganja they smoked kicked in, they went off on a jazzy psychedelic improv that lasted longer than a Grateful Dead jam.

 

There isn't a right/wrong here, just do what you are comfortable with. To each his own!

Edited June 6, 2021 by evandbob

[ldubs]

17 hours ago, SuiteTraveler said:

In fact there is an AI with entertainment that could easily outrank any entertainment on a cruise ship and that is Hotel Xcaret.  It is the number one AI in Mexico and staying there includes passes to all of their parks as well.  Food is as good as if not better than most cruise ships as well, the spa is amazing and the rooms...well they are pretty fabulous, too!  https://www.xcaret.com/en/hotel-xcaret-mexico/

 

I was thinking I would find AI's in general a little too confining.  Kind of like too many sea days on a cruise. But this place you linked I think I could force myself to enjoy.  😀

[karinad]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

I was thinking I would find AI's in general a little too confining.  Kind of like too many sea days on a cruise. But this place you linked I think I could force myself to enjoy.  😀

I've never been to Mexico at any of the AI resorts. We've visited through excursions from the ship and always enjoyed the area. From what I've seen it looked like the better area to be was in the Playa De Carmen area. I don't think you'd find the AI's confining at all. All the resorts we've been to are gigantic with usually many places to eat. We were always very impressed by the gorgeous, tropical grounds that we enjoyed walking around and hardly running into another person. Like I said, we had no experience in Mexico and not sure if they are more crowded. We do try to book ones that are adults only.

[Mike981]

22 hours ago, SuiteTraveler said:

In fact there is an AI with entertainment that could easily outrank any entertainment on a cruise ship and that is Hotel Xcaret.  It is the number one AI in Mexico and staying there includes passes to all of their parks as well.  Food is as good as if not better than most cruise ships as well, the spa is amazing and the rooms...well they are pretty fabulous, too!  https://www.xcaret.com/en/hotel-xcaret-mexico/

 

This looks like a great option, unfortunately for us it wouldn't work because they allow children. My wife runs a daycare and needs her break from the kiddies.

 

5 hours ago, evandbob said:

There isn't a right/wrong here, just do what you are comfortable with. To each his own!

 

Agree 100%

[SuiteTraveler]

7 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 

This looks like a great option, unfortunately for us it wouldn't work because they allow children. My wife runs a daycare and needs her break from the kiddies.

 

 

Agree 100%

Mike, the spa section is adults only!  And they are opening 2 more hotels this year which are ages 16 and up only. Xcaret is so huge, you can easily go somewhere and be completely alone.  

[Mike981]

Thank you SuiteTraveler! Love that name!!

[rkacruiser]

On 6/5/2021 at 10:33 AM, ontheweb said:

-DW enjoyed the BBC documentaries.

 

Some, I enjoyed.  There was one that I think produced by BBC where live music was played during the performance.  Never have gotten to see that.  But, I was told by fellow guests that did experience it that it was quite good.

 

Don't care for "Big Screen" movies as the main evening entertainment.  But, I do miss the small theater venues that often did show movies that I had not seen and enjoyed the opportunity of seeing them.  

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, karinad said:

I've never been to Mexico at any of the AI resorts. We've visited through excursions from the ship and always enjoyed the area. From what I've seen it looked like the better area to be was in the Playa De Carmen area. I don't think you'd find the AI's confining at all. All the resorts we've been to are gigantic with usually many places to eat. We were always very impressed by the gorgeous, tropical grounds that we enjoyed walking around and hardly running into another person. Like I said, we had no experience in Mexico and not sure if they are more crowded. We do try to book ones that are adults only.

 

Thanks.  The earlier link to Xcaret along with what you shared make the idea of an AI more appealing.   We are OK around children and OK with adults-only too.  

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Some, I enjoyed.  There was one that I think produced by BBC where live music was played during the performance.  Never have gotten to see that.  But, I was told by fellow guests that did experience it that it was quite good.

 

Don't care for "Big Screen" movies as the main evening entertainment.  But, I do miss the small theater venues that often did show movies that I had not seen and enjoyed the opportunity of seeing them.  

 

I enjoy the afternoon movies on sea days in the big theaters.  I've found that many of the small dedicated theater spaces lacked leg room for my 6'-4" frame.   

[karinad]

I was just on Expedia looking at the choices for AI's in Playa De Carmen. There is such a variety of them that the reviews say "fabulous". They all look beautiful! The rate for October, for example for 6 nights are about $1400. for 2. There are quite a number of Adults Only, too. I don't know about anyone else but we aren't nuts about buffets, especially for dinner. Some of the reviews, even on the ones that said it was fabulous, remarked that the food could be better. I did follow the link for the Xcaret Hotel and it does look beautiful! It's a little bit more than we want to spend, though. Maybe they'll run a special!

[getting older slowly]

Thanks all, this term AI  is used a lot on CC 

 

This thread has finally given me a true picture of what you classify as  all-inclusive...

 

My take is that in  America the term AI generally means  a Large Resort where the price include pretty much everything.

 

Where down here the idea of all-inclusive is a boutique place less that 20 rooms and total luxury.

 

And by the posts the question Cruise vs AI,  is like a ship which goes no where....

 

Don

 

[lenquixote66]

On 6/6/2021 at 6:53 PM, ldubs said:

 

I enjoy the afternoon movies on sea days in the big theaters.  I've found that many of the small dedicated theater spaces lacked leg room for my 6'-4" frame.   

On my last cruise ,Anthem of the Seas ,movies were shown during the day outside ,making it easier for me being 6’5 .

[karinad]

5 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Thanks all, this term AI  is used a lot on CC 

 

This thread has finally given me a true picture of what you classify as  all-inclusive...

 

My take is that in  America the term AI generally means  a Large Resort where the price include pretty much everything.

 

Where down here the idea of all-inclusive is a boutique place less that 20 rooms and total luxury.

 

And by the posts the question Cruise vs AI,  is like a ship which goes no where....

 

Don

 

Yes, AI for me means that once you pay for your vacation, unless you take tours that aren't included with your package, you won't have a bill slipped under your door on the last night of your vacation. The AI's that I've been to the liquor is premium and all you want. The same with food. Water sports are pretty well included and other activities. If you like a beach vacation then this is for you!

[sanger727]

12 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Thanks all, this term AI  is used a lot on CC 

 

This thread has finally given me a true picture of what you classify as  all-inclusive...

 

My take is that in  America the term AI generally means  a Large Resort where the price include pretty much everything.

 

Where down here the idea of all-inclusive is a boutique place less that 20 rooms and total luxury.

 

And by the posts the question Cruise vs AI,  is like a ship which goes no where....

 

Don

 

it doesn’t have to be a ‘large resort’. There are some will 100 or fewer rooms, but 20 would be awfully small. 
 

When Americans discuss AIs they are discussing resorts, generally located in the caribbean, where your room, meals, alcohol, and some entertainment is included for one price. Sometimes a few excursions are also included. And the resorts also sell excursions. 
 

they can range from carnival equivalent to crystal equivalent in terms of food, luxury, and service. On the lower end there will be a buffet for breakfast and lunch plus a buffet option for dinner each night and you may get a few nights in ‘a la carte’ restaurants. On the higher end there are a la carte restaurants for all of your meals featuring a variety of types of cuisines, Butlers, beach butlers, etc.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

it doesn’t have to be a ‘large resort’. There are some will 100 or fewer rooms, but 20 would be awfully small. 
 

When Americans discuss AIs they are discussing resorts, generally located in the caribbean, where your room, meals, alcohol, and some entertainment is included for one price. Sometimes a few excursions are also included. And the resorts also sell excursions. 
 

they can range from carnival equivalent to crystal equivalent in terms of food, luxury, and service. On the lower end there will be a buffet for breakfast and lunch plus a buffet option for dinner each night and you may get a few nights in ‘a la carte’ restaurants. On the higher end there are a la carte restaurants for all of your meals featuring a variety of types of cuisines, Butlers, beach butlers, etc.

I think we should also add that there are also many AIs along the Pacific Coast in various parts of Mexico such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan,  Los Cabos, etc.  You can also find them as you move further south in Costa Rica.  These are often operated by the same companies that have them in the Caribbean.

 

Hank

[George C]

I do love sandals resorts much better food than mdr, but we did same resort 3 years in a row , they had a really good piano player/singer but several of the keys didn’t work, I would think after a couple of years they would fix it, I prefer sandals during the day but because of entertainment cruises have many more options at night.

[sanger727]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

I think we should also add that there are also many AIs along the Pacific Coast in various parts of Mexico such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan,  Los Cabos, etc.  You can also find them as you move further south in Costa Rica.  These are often operated by the same companies that have them in the Caribbean.

 

Hank

Sure. In my head I was including that in the ‘caribbean’. It may not technically be. I don’t live close to the west coast so I never go to pacific coast locations so never really think about those as being a distinct area.

[Hlitner]

26 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

Sure. In my head I was including that in the ‘caribbean’. It may not technically be. I don’t live close to the west coast so I never go to pacific coast locations so never really think about those as being a distinct area.

Going a bit off topic, we have been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past 15 winters (we call it our 2nd home and love the region) but we happen to live in the east coast area.  Everyone we know here only thinks of east coast Mexico (i,e Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Merida, etc) and have little clue about Mexico's Pacific area (and Sea of Cortez).  For us, the Cancun area is a place to go for a week at a resort while Pacific Mexico is where to go for many weeks/months or even a 2nd home.   It is estimated that there are now over 1 million American expats living in Mexico and most of them are NOT on the east coast.  In the PV area (Bay of Bandaras) we estimate there are about 50-60,000 Americans and Canadians many of whom think of Mexico as their 1st or 2nd home.  I tell friends that eastern Mexico is a great place to visit but the west if a great place to live.

 

Hank

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Going a bit off topic, we have been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past 15 winters (we call it our 2nd home and love the region)

 

Just curious and if you do not wish to respond, that's OK.  Are you fluent in Spanish?  If not, does that pose challenges for someone living in such an area?  

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Just curious and if you do not wish to respond, that's OK.  Are you fluent in Spanish?  If not, does that pose challenges for someone living in such an area?  

Neither DW or I speak Spanish and we are not even that good at "Spanglish"  :).  In the PV area this is not really a problem since most of the Mexicans who deal with tourists/gringos speak/understand some English.   PV is certainly far from a perfect resort area but we have fallen in love with the area, its wonderful people, the restaurants, culture, etc.  DW and I have decided we cannot adequately explain this to most folks, but there are 10s of thousands of we gringos that understand :).  We could choose to live anywhere in the world during the winter months, and PV is where we want to be.  I have heard similar passion from some folks who love living in Costa Rica.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We have spent winters in Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand/Vietnam/Malaysia. 

 

Never experienced a language issue that could not be easily overcome.  Only ever had a challenge once.  In a small B&B in rural Chile. Even then we were able to get by just fine thanks to our wonderful hosts.

Edited June 9, 2021 by iancal

[Mike981]

On 6/6/2021 at 7:09 PM, karinad said:

I was just on Expedia looking at the choices for AI's in Playa De Carmen. There is such a variety of them that the reviews say "fabulous". They all look beautiful! The rate for October, for example for 6 nights are about $1400. for 2. There are quite a number of Adults Only, too. I don't know about anyone else but we aren't nuts about buffets, especially for dinner. Some of the reviews, even on the ones that said it was fabulous, remarked that the food could be better. I did follow the link for the Xcaret Hotel and it does look beautiful! It's a little bit more than we want to spend, though. Maybe they'll run a special!

 

It has been my experience that often with these types of resorts you can find a Preferred TA that can get you a better deal.

 

On 6/8/2021 at 9:49 AM, Hlitner said:

Going a bit off topic, we have been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past 15 winters (we call it our 2nd home and love the region) but we happen to live in the east coast area.  Everyone we know here only thinks of east coast Mexico (i,e Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Merida, etc) and have little clue about Mexico's Pacific area (and Sea of Cortez).  For us, the Cancun area is a place to go for a week at a resort while Pacific Mexico is where to go for many weeks/months or even a 2nd home.   It is estimated that there are now over 1 million American expats living in Mexico and most of them are NOT on the east coast.  In the PV area (Bay of Bandaras) we estimate there are about 50-60,000 Americans and Canadians many of whom think of Mexico as their 1st or 2nd home.  I tell friends that eastern Mexico is a great place to visit but the west if a great place to live.

 

Hank

 

Several years ago our family rented a house that was an hour or two south of Ixtapa. What an absolutely lovely area! We have done a lot traveling as a family and that trip is in the top 3.

 

[karinad]

5 hours ago, Mike981 said:

 

It has been my experience that often with these types of resorts you can find a Preferred TA that can get you a better deal.

 

 

Several years ago our family rented a house that was an hour or two south of Ixtapa. What an absolutely lovely area! We have done a lot traveling as a family and that trip is in the top 3.

 

Thank you for the suggestion with going to a TA for AI deals. With our cruises I always book through a discount cruise company and never directly through the cruiseline. I haven't gone to a TA since our last Sandals vacation in the year 2000!

[Mike981]

Absolutely! I wish you a wonderful trip and fantastic memories!!