Anyone Do an All Inclusive Instead of Cruise?

[DMH15]

The key is to research to find the right IA.

 

I am the opposite of you. Except for Norway cruise I did a lot of AIs and then got hooked on cruising.

 

But I have enjoyed both. It is just that element of "being on rhe water" that appeals to me.

 

 

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[mrsomalley]

I've done 2 AI in Punta Cana. While I wouldn't recommend those particular resorts, they were the most relaxing vacations of my life. I have also done an AI in Riviara Maya. Now that was excellent!

[Arubamoose]

We've done several AI's in the past - Sandals, Breezes and a few in Cancun. We also own many weeks of timeshare in Aruba.

 

My older kids have enjoyed the vegetative state of a land based beach vacation but they still love cruising best. Much more to do!

[rbelfi]

On our honeymoon, my wife and I went to Sandals in St. Lucia. The island and resort were absolutely stunning and we had an unforgetable honeymoon. Perfect for wanting to relax from the stress of just planning a wedding last summer.

 

That being said I still very much perfer crusing as there was not much of a night life past 10pm and we are both in our early/mid 20's.

 

Depending on your needs or wanting to change it up every once in awhile going the all inclusive route can be fun. Though cruising with NCL will always be my favorite way to vacation!

[getaway4fun]

Well- I am planning my 2015 vacation and DH thinks we should skip cruising one year and try an all inclusive resort maybe in DR. The boys will be 13 and 15 by then and not sure if they would be bored at one place. They love cruising as do I and not sure if I want to steer away from my favorite activity in the world- cruising on NCL. What has been your experience?

 

We have done several AIs (Cozumel Palace, spent 7 days at the Aventura Spa in their hurricane evacuation shelter during Hurricane Wilma, and AIs in Italy, Greece and Spain) and have enjoyed our time, but the food has not compared with the variety that we get on our cruises. Some of the Palace resorts have multiple restaurants, but Cozumel Palace only has 3. The evening entertainment has been somewhat lacking at all of the places that we have stayed. We try to go to Cozumel once a year so that my DH and DS can dive to the hearts content, which means they are gone the entire time we are there. DD and I hang out at the pool. There are a few excursions that you can do that are very similar to what is offered off of the cruise. And certainly you can go off resort and go to the beach. Cozumel Palace has snorkeling off of the pool area so DD and I did manage to extract ourselves from the sun loungers and go snorkeling. Not a lot to see, though. If I had my choice, I would choose a cruise over an AI. That being said, I wish that the UBP was available for us to purchase over Spring Break. Our bar bill is the largest line item on our final bill so going AI does seem to make the final bill a little more tolerable.

 

I love my holidays so I am really quite happy to be going anywhere and anytime! I agree with some of the other posters, do some homework and then have a family meeting to see if your DSs and DH are interested in doing something different. You may find that they too find cruising to be their favorite activity! :D

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Geri- we are looking into the Hard Rock.

 

 

If you gamble. Let me know I can give u the name of my host

 

 

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[CasinoCruzGirl]

After I don't know how many cruises we took the kids and their friends to the Hard Rock in Punta Cana last summer. The food on NCL is MUCH better than anything at the Hard Rock but the all-inclusiveness of the Hard Rock made it a much better deal when travelling with 7 18-20 year olds.

 

 

 

I did feel the need to book the Dawn after we got back to help recuperate from that "vacation".lol

 

 

 

That being said, I just booked the Hard Rock again for this June taking 10 kids with us this time:eek:

 

 

I also had my son (21 and 3 friends from college) with me which is why the all inclusive for drinks was much more beneficial. Plus I got such an amazing rate I couldn't go wrong

 

 

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[Kimf]

I love AI's! Not that I am a huge drinker, but it is nice to order drinks when ever you want without having to think about your end of the trip bill racking up. It is also nice to have more space. I do like cruising too - but I am a pool person and my favorite thing to do on a warm weather vacation is to lie by the pool and read a book. It is hard to find that space on a cruise with pools so small. With that said, after 6 years of AIs for spring break, we are going on a cruise this year as my 11 and 13 year old were getting a little bored with the AI route. It really depends on the place you pick though and activities available for the kids. We had to change hotels at the last minute last year and ended up at a property I probably would not have picked to start with due to less kid friendly activities. Most places also have excursions you can sign up for to leave the property, just like cruises.

 

Good luck - your vacation is what you make of it!

[Cruising4]

We've done AI in Mexico (Gran Bahia) and in the DR (Ocean Blue). My kids prefer a cruise hands down.

 

For DH and I, or an adult trip the AI wins.

 

I also feel better about giving the kids more freedom on a ship than when at an AI. Perhaps it's the false sense of security of the ship?

[Quincella]

We did an AI last year for the first time. The resort was beautiful, the food was excellent, the people were nice, but we were bored after a few days.

 

We could/did leave the resort to explore the island, but I missed sitting on my balcony watching the world go by. It just wasn't the same for me. Our last cruise was only 3 months prior to the AI.

 

We'll be back on a ship next month, but we are considering the same AI for later this year. We'll just go for a shorter time. Maybe 3 nights or so.

[jdvmd]

Looked into an all inclusive for our family as well as some other families for spring break and the prices were ridiculous. Booked a cruise instead.

[Waterloomarc]

Airfare has always pushed me back towards the cruises. We drink but not enough for it to be a factor. AI's become more enticing every year as with our vacation schedule cruise itineraries are quickly becoming "same old same old" since we really can't venture away from the standard 7 days. I also find picking one a little intimidating, in that with a cruise you pretty much know what you're getting within a cruiseline. But there's a helluva lot more AI 's to choose from that can be all over the map.

 

 

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[LrgPizza]

We've opted for beach resorts that were not all-inclusive for several vacations, too. That way we are free to explore various restaurants and nightlife options without feeling like we were tied to our own resort. This is the option we chose for both of our trips to St. Thomas and for our trip to Tortola.

 

It is a completely different experience to visit a cruise destination when not part of a cruise. It's like a different world when ships are in port vs. when there are none.

[danh78]

I've done both, and I think both are good.

 

AI - more pool space, access to beaches, less crowded, rooms are bigger, quieter. Like others have said, the drink part is great, depending on where you go though the food offerings might be a lot less than a cruise. For instance, I went to one in Jamaica, you had the buffet, and 3 specialty restaurants. You got to go to the specialty's depending on how many nights you stayed at the resort. But another in Mexico, I would say the food offerings were almost as wide as the Epic.

 

Cruise - more activities, bars/restaurants to choose from, you see multiple places. I really enjoy spending time on my balcony during sea days where you see nothing and all you hear is the ocean.

 

We've done 2 cruises, our next vacation will be probably be an AI

[disfan13]

we've done both - I always thought I would get board at an AI resort - no way. Very relaxing and if you do it right you can't beat the service. Loved relaxing for a week.

 

I have lots of clients who take cruise and AI vacations.

[disfan13]

[quote name='Waterloomarc']Airfare has always pushed me back towards the cruises. We drink but not enough for it to be a factor. AI's become more enticing every year as with our vacation schedule cruise itineraries are quickly becoming "same old same old" since we really can't venture away from the standard 7 days. I also find picking one a little intimidating, in that with a cruise you pretty much know what you're getting within a cruiseline. But there's a helluva lot more AI 's to choose from that can be all over the map.


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This is when you need to find a good TA who specializes in AI's and can give you their personal thoughts as well as a compilation of client reviews.

[cynt]

Try it at least once. We've never been on an AI but our go to vacations on land our Disney World, Vegas or Hawaii. It just depends what we're in the mood for when we start planning. Hawaii is our splurge. We don't do an AI. There are just too many great restaurants and things to do on any Hawaii island than to be locked into one resort.