Cruise vs. AI

I always thought they were very much the same when I look at a Caribbean vacation, but now it seems that cruises are much much more.

I don't look at the low end AI's, but only 5 Star resorts that are highly rated on sites and reviews.

On first Caribbean cruise (since 2009) in 2 weeks and adding the cost I was surprised just how much more the cruise is when all is said and done (and we are on a low priced Celebrity cruise). Heck we are flying to Miami, not Mexico or Caribbean island too and the flight portion, which we booked separately is more vs. hen included in the AI price.

Not huge beach fans, though last year we had a great 4 day in Jamaica.

Now when I add up the price the cost is almost the same as the top end AI's like Sandals.

And as said with all the threads about the down hill descent of Celebrity, vs. all the 5 star reviews of AI's on Tripadvisor, yes it does give me pause.

You can take the plunge and give a comparison and thoughts upon your return from the AI... then we will be in the know about your preferences and experience and decide on that too.

You can take the plunge and give a comparison and thoughts upon your return from the AI... then we will be in the know about your preferences and experience and decide on that too.

I have been on many X cruises before. I know the differences. I am concerned about the food to be honest with all I've read as that to me is the difference maker.

I do think the food on cruises for the most part are much better along with the service in the restaurants (MDR) and expect that to continue.

The gym I know is much better and I always tell those travelling with children that they have to look at a cruise as the kids clubs don't compare.

Entertainment is better too on the cruise.

Conversely you have bigger rooms in resorts (yes a space thing), pools & beaches. Lush gardens & properties too.

I have been on many X cruises before. I know the differences. I am concerned about the food to be honest with all I've read as that to me is the difference maker.

 

I do think the food on cruises for the most part are much better along with the service in the restaurants (MDR) and expect that to continue.

 

The gym I know is much better and I always tell those travelling with children that they have to look at a cruise as the kids clubs don't compare.

 

Entertainment is better too on the cruise.

 

Conversely you have bigger rooms in resorts (yes a space thing), pools & beaches. Lush gardens & properties too.

I probably don't class Sandals as a good all inclusive. We have done seven or eight of them for 14 nights at a time and having stopped we find that there is much better in the market for less money.

We would typically do an AI in February and other beach type holidays at other times. The last time we did that was in 2012 and we have cruised at that time in the Caribbean since then and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I probably don't class Sandals as a good all inclusive. We have done seven or eight of them for 14 nights at a time and having stopped we find that there is much better in the market for less money.

 

We would typically do an AI in February and other beach type holidays at other times. The last time we did that was in 2012 and we have cruised at that time in the Caribbean since then and thoroughly enjoyed it.

What is a good AI brand? Sandals is priced at the very high end of all AI's.

You stated you are Not Huge beach fans. Most AI are built around a beautiful beach, not close to anything else to do. We have found that now that cruises offer free drink packages as promotions we don't have to worry about alcohol costs on a cruise. If you play golf some AI include that, which is a good reason to choose AI.

We used to go to all-inclusive resorts and we decided we like cruises much better for the following reasons:

1. I like air conditioning and an absence of bugs. At the resorts I have been at, the room, shops and a la carte restaurants were the only places with air conditioning. If you don't enjoy the heat, you're stuck in your room. On a cruise, I can walk on the deck at night without being eaten alive by mosquitos, and can dine in air-conditioned comfort for every meal. This is a big plus for me personally.
   
2. I've been at 5-star resorts with nice a la carte restaurants, but the food did not compare to Celebrity food, and at the resorts, if you didn't make a reservation for dinner, you'd end up eating at the buffet.
   
3. Although you can certainly take tours from an all-inclusive resort, there's usually a limited number of places to see within a decent driving distance, particularly if you're staying for two weeks and don't want to just sit in the sun all day.
   
4. I have very seldom enjoyed the entertainment at resorts and the main show timing is generally later than I prefer.
   
5. Most of the all-inclusives that are marketed around here are in locations I really don't have much desire to spend time outside of the resort (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, etc.) On cruises, for the same price, I can visit Grand Cayman and Aruba and St. Lucia. Five-star resorts on those islands are generally more expensive than a Celebrity cruise.
   

The main advantage for an all-inclusive is the size of the room; if you spend a lot of time in your room, you're going to have to book a suite to have the same amount of space on a cruise. However, on a cruise, there are many comfortable places to spend time in comfort; I never feel the need to just hang out in my cabin.

We went to a nice all-inclusive last winter, and although the resort was beautiful, I was bored. We did a one-day tour which was very interesting, but there was nothing else offered that really appealed to us. Even if the food had been great, which it wasn't, I would still have rather been on a cruise.

All in all, as we are happy with a standard verandah cabin, I think cruising is cheaper for us than a 5-star resort in a location I would enjoy visiting. For those who primarily enjoy laying in the sun all day, an all-inclusive may be a better fit.

We AI before we started to cruise. We booked quality resorts in several parts of the world and loved them. We were really into snorkling at the time and focused on resorts where you could snorkel off the beach or had a snorkel boat available. We chose destinations where we could also do some sightseeing. We had a great time!

The problems we started to encounter was a degree of 'sameness'. We also found we wanted less time swimming and more time strolling around. A lot of the better resorts were further from local areas....We enjoyed the restaurants and bars at night but didn't particularly want to sit in them every day.

We now feel in cruising we have the best of both worlds. We have a floating all but inclusive resort (with drinks package), but sightsee so easily. We stroll around different ports....still enjoy an odd beach trip.

Try an AI and see what you think. I am sure at some stage we will do another. Just think about the resorts location and sightseeing opportunities so you don't get bored!

With relation to all the 'Celebrity is going downhill' posts take that in the context that we are all more likely to post a problem or a negative than perhaps the positives! Our last three, very different X cruises have been excellent, so good we have three more booked!

As said I would choose a cruise over an AI. I like beaches and in Jamaica we had a great time and swim and the water was warm and fun.

We then were in Cancun (with kids 18 & 21) and no one went near the beach or the water and was disappointed with what was one of the highest rated AI's there.

I know the difference, but as said the price creep caught me by surprise.

We tried our first AI resort last December and loved it. We stayed at Couples Swept Away in Negril, which gets very good reviews. Previously, all our Caribbean vacations had been on cruises with RCI and Celebrity.

We enjoyed the AI so much that we cancelled our 2016 cruise in favour of returning to a different resort owned by the same company.

We just felt that overall the AI was a better value for our money. Transfers to/from the airport and all gratuities were included. The resort also offered a lot of activities/excursions which didn't cost extra (snorkeling, catamaran tours, shopping tours, glass bottom boat rides, scuba diving, golf, etc.). There was no extra charges for premium drinks or dining in any of the restaurants/cafes. The food at the resort was just as good (and in some cases better) than anything we had on a cruise. We had a $300 resort credit which we used at the spa.

We will still continue to cruise; however, we will now consider AIs more than we had in the past.

What is a good AI brand? Sandals is priced at the very high end of all AI's.

Sandals marketing is better than the product. Have a look at Excellence Resorts. 7 or 8 restaurants. Good miles better, drinks top shelf and cheaper.

We tried our first AI resort last December and loved it. We stayed at Couples Swept Away in Negril, which gets very good reviews. Previously, all our Caribbean vacations had been on cruises with RCI and Celebrity.

 

We enjoyed the AI so much that we cancelled our 2016 cruise in favour of returning to a different resort owned by the same company.

 

We just felt that overall the AI was a better value for our money. Transfers to/from the airport and all gratuities were included. The resort also offered a lot of activities/excursions which didn't cost extra (snorkeling, catamaran tours, shopping tours, glass bottom boat rides, scuba diving, golf, etc.). There was no extra charges for premium drinks or dining in any of the restaurants/cafes. The food at the resort was just as good (and in some cases better) than anything we had on a cruise. We had a $300 resort credit which we used at the spa.

 

We will still continue to cruise; however, we will now consider AIs more than we had in the past.

Yes we were @ Couples San Souci and loved it. Food (at least dinner) was on par, though not the rest of the day. Martinis no where near as good as the Molecular Bar, but loved the frozen drinks.

Great little alcoves to hide and hangout and the place was empty that week so we enjoyed some pools to ourselves:D.

One BIG difference is that with a fixed location you only visit that area, while on a cruise you may go to several locations.

We have always been AI beach vacation people, been to Jamaica twice at Couples, Punta Cana twice, and Cuba. We typically spend most of our time at the beach and don't do much else.

We just finished our first cruise, an 11 night western Caribbean on the Equinox. We loved it and found it better than any AI vacation we have ever done. The quality of the food was better, drinks better, entertainment was better, and the number of things to do was incredible.

As far as cost goes I found the airfare, cruise fare, and the BBB promo cost came out to the same as an AI vacation to Couples Jamaica. Keeping in mind that we usually go to Jamiaca for 7 or 8 nights and the cruise was 11 nights, it actually came out cheaper per night. What can, and did, drive the cost up was the number of excursions. We did an excursion at each port, so 6 in total. That added up to a fair amount of money but was cOmpletely worth it. We booked almost all of our excursions privately which saved some money.

I did this comparison for our upcoming cruise on summit in Jan. Originally planned to stay at AI but the food seemed so-so and the wines were $8-10 bottles at home. We looked at sandles couples zoetry dreams secrets all seemed the same lots of marketing flash but when you dig into the meals and the wine selection it didn't add up.

We also looked at places like little dix, caneel bay viceroy resorts for a more comparable experience but when I added it up with food, taxes and additional airfare getting to some of these places - 7 nights in a royal suite with the prem bev package was a way better value by several thousand dollars and we get to see some islands that we haven't been to yet. We added 6 nights at the buccaneer in St. Croix post cruise with the romance package which was very reasonable.

However when we looked at French Polynesia we came to the opposite conclusion and opted for the overwater bungalows as opposed to a cruise.

We enjoyed Sandals..Gr Bahamian...concierge level

Easy air connection, transp to hotel..luggage deliv to room....

Slightly higher priced than an AQ cabin but was truly all inclusive except shopping , one or two upsell dining venues and spa...

Included premium alcohol, a variety of dining options, tavern, etc...all excellent. Easy res thru concierge ...

A quiet pool for reading, sun and relaxation and a fun pool, with dj, music, activities.. all watersports including snorkel and scuba..

Fabulous spa, fair prices, great products

Fully equipped gym..ocean view

Reggae party, nightime dancing, movie, shows, events.,,,

Large balcony ocean view room, jetted tub, full bar in room...excellent service,...

They also offered a free ferry to a private offshore island....beaches, loungers, palapas pool, restaurant, gardens, pathways..,.. also other excursions if desired (extra cost)...watched the cruise ships sail into port

Good return customer perks...

Happy Staff...interesting mix of guests by age and countries...

We enjoy cruising but plan on more of a mix in the future....

After our first cruise, we thought we'd like an all-inclusive resort because we loved the sea days best--the interactive activities, the entertainment, the food options, etc.

Unfortunately, we visited an AI in Cancun in bad weather. There was NOTHING to do. All the activities were poolside--the trivia, dance lessons, karaoke, silly interactive stuff and the evening entertainment. We assume this is the case--there wasn't a schedule of activities posted anywhere but by the pool, but none of it happened because of the weather.

I would love to find a resort that is like a week of sea days, because sometime it's hard to find a cruise that fits exactly the window of time we have available, and resorts are more flexible.

We must "cruise" different than you do...The cost for the two of us is much cheaper than it would be for AI...at least compared to what our friends paid for there last AI vacation...I would say it was twice what we spend on cruise...but again, we are pretty "basic" cruisers.

We stayed at AIs for a number of years, mostly Sandals but others as well. For the past few years we've cruised, so far only HAL and Celebrity. We've been considering going back to an AI, but need to give it more thought.

We've stayed at Sandals in St.Lucia several times and enjoy being able to stay (sleep) at one but use the facilities of all three. The free shuttle that runs all day and evening means that we can enjoy dining in all of the the restaurants as well as enjoy different beaches and water sports.

A big bonus at all of the AIs we've chosen is the free scuba and snorkelling. Diving in the shadows of the Pitons or other dive site every day for a couple of weeks is great! Excellent boats and dive crew as well.

Bottom line is that I'd recommend taking a cruise to anyone who has only stayed at AIs, and vice versa.

I love this issue. AI vs Cruises! We have done both (years on cruise ships and 5 AIs). So, if we are comparing a week in a decent AI somewhere in the Caribbean or Mexico versus a week on a cruise ship there are singularities. We would generalize that there are more options for things to do on ships versus staying on the property of most AIs. And the cruise has the advantage of taking you to multiple places. On the other hand, we are beach folks and love waking in an AI and walking a few steps to the beach. So when comparing the 7 day trip....we think they are both great options...which is why we do both.

But there is a lot more to cruises then 7 days at a few Caribbean/Mexican ports. We have cruised to ports on 6 Continents, and far more then 50 countries (about 100 countries when we count land trips).

Hank

Sandals marketing is better than the product. Have a look at Excellence Resorts. 7 or 8 restaurants. Good miles better, drinks top shelf and cheaper.

The Excellence Resorts are fantastic as are the Secrets Resorts! We've been to both and would go back in a heart beat!

Mo

We do both. This January it will be a five star AI instead of a cruise.

Spent a week over Christmas 2014 at an all inclusive in Holguin Cuba and had a great time. :D

Came back to Montreal and took a jet to Miami for a terrific 14 day cruise on the Eclipse.

The food was AWAY better on the Eclipse, but the week in Cuba cost less than just the air to Miami and back....

Both have their place

Yes they .do. We tend to try and organise a B2B now to make as much use of our flights, spend a few days in Miami beforehand. We usually do the Eclipse 14 night cruise and try and tie in a 7 nighter on either the Reflection or the Silhouette dependant on what works best timing wish for us. A few days in Miami start and end makes a nice break.

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The Excellence Resorts are fantastic as are the Secrets Resorts! We've been to both and would go back in a heart beat!

 

Mo

Like! And Agree! But we still have the scars from the Mosquitoes at the Excellence Punta Cana.

Hank