Cruise vs All Inclusive

[WanderlustNZ]

I hope it’s okay to ask this question here, as it’s not RCCL specific, however I am keen to ask advice from people with experience in family-friendly cruise and resort-style holidays, so thought this might be a good place to ask.

I am currently booked to do a cruise on MSC Seaside booked in a yacht club suite. While I love cruising and I think the yacht club perks looked great, I’m having some serious second thoughts due to ports and decor that don’t really appeal. I am now weighing up the alternative of a Mexican All-Inclusive. Of particular appeal at present is the new Hotel Xcaret since it includes off-site activities in the price.

Anyway, I was wondering if people have any experience, or even any thoughts, about the two different experiences? I have never done an all-inclusive before and I have never been to Mexico.

I’ve crunched the numbers, and know where I stand price wise. But it’s those feelings you get from both experiences that I’m particularly interested in. e.g. I love that feeling of being on a cruise, being gently rocked to sleep and then waking up in a new location.

Open to thoughts.
Thanks in advance.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I should add that I am travelling with my husband and my son who will be 11 at the time of travel.
We’re all foodies, so a tasty meal packed with flavours is important to all of us.

 

[starvenger]

I did Beaches Ocho Rios in 2016. Lots of fun, although if we're being honest I like cruising better. Still, wouldn't hesitate to go back to an all-inclusive.

Things I liked:
- All-inclusiveness. There were a few potential upcharges (such as dinner on the beach, going to Dunns River Falls, or buying photos) but by and large you truly didn't have to pay more than the sticker price, as it included gratuities. There is of course the unlimited drinks, which is nice, and because it's already bundled in you don't feel the need to "get your money's worth", as it were.
- The beach. I think this is the main appeal of a traditional resort. Xcaret, perhaps not so much (I'm looking at their site as I write this. Wow!). There is something about hopping out of bed, putting on beach clothes and strolling out onto the sand to lounge around.
- Pools. Obviously the pools are bigger and as a result, not as packed. If you like to swim, a resort has the space to allow you to do that.
- Beaches has a mini-waterpark. Kids loved that.
- Dinners were essentially freestyle dining, no reservations. There's good and bad to that, obviously, but we liked eating early so we always got a seat. Which was fortunate, since there were 10 of us.
- Rooms. These are obviously much bigger. We still didn't spend a whole lot of time in there, but it was nice to have a proper king sized bed and lots of room to maneuver around.
- Internet included. This is perhaps a bit unfair, as I don't mind unplugging for a week of cruising. But being connected meant being able to communicate using our preferred chat tool (Whatsapp) instead of using magnetic whiteboards on our doors.

Things I didn't like:
- All-inclusiveness. Bear in mind that this means that the kids can drink almost anything they want as well. And a couple of virgin daiquiris will cause a massive sugar high.
- Kids club. No issue with the folks that worked the club, mind you, but there really wasn't a whole lot of kids using the kids club at the resort, meaning that the programs were often smushed together. I know that this happens on smaller boats, but I'd gotten used to the age separations. It might be a bit harder to make friends at a resort.
- Entertainment. One night, we had a magician that reminded us of Gob Bluth (Playing "The Final Countdown" did not help). To be honest, I don't think the resort entertainment will ever measure up to what you get on a cruise. But you definitely need lowered expectation there.
- Dining options. Beaches OR has 4 "specialty" restaurants, plus a buffet, crepe place and a bbq place. Xcaret has many more options, so I think you'll be good there.

Things that I am indifferent about:
- Golf. Bit of a difficult thing to do on a boat. I know some boats have simulators, but it's not the same.
- Nightclub. We never went, because the kids tired us out.
- No casino. I will go to the casino if there is one, but it is not something I need to have.

So really, a lot of things to like about the resort experience. It's not a cruise, but you should not expect it to be. But like a cruise, if you relax, take it easy, and go with the flow, you will enjoy yourself.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thank you Starvenger for your long, considered answer. You made great, helpful points.
I think your last point, about not expecting a cruise-like environment and going with the flow, is particularly good. Choice is a great thing, but when you weigh up your options too much (like I have been doing), you start looking for something that doesn’t exist.

 

[Crusader10hky]

I have not been to an all-inclusive, so my info is second-hand. My philosophy is that I like to see different places and I like the combination of relaxation and variety/excitement that comes with a cruise. My family usually stays at a domestic beach condo for a week or so and it is much slower paced. However, we feel safe to cruise around town and sample the local fare. I think I would actually get claustrophobic if sequestered to a single resort campus. The other word of warning that I have received from friends is your are subject to the local weather and the local water supply. On a boat you have a very active water treatment facility working for you all the time.

Again, second hand info. Here is your grain of salt .

 

[shoney]

We prefer all in lnclusives over cruises. We like the larger more comfortable rooms. We feel very confined on a ship. Claustrophobic really. We also don’t like the scheduling of the port times.
We feel a resort gives us much more freedom and space You can come and go as you please I want to be on the beach when I want to. I also like the bigger pools.
Also the meal times seem to be much longer. Ex. Breakfast from 7 to 11. Lunch from 12 to 5. Dinner from 6 to 10. I find the windows on a cruise to be much smaller making for a much more scheduled feel.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We love cruising but usually choose the cruise based on the itinerary/ports. If you don't love the ports, then choose a different cruise! The best thing about cruises is waking up in a different country every day and getting a taste of all the local culture. When we find a place we want to go back, we'll make a separate trip to spend more time there. I don't get the point of an all-inclusive resort. We have done it for a day or two, but don't go to another country to stay inside resort walls the whole time. I know some people love it, but it just isn't our thing. We live 15 minutes from a beach with some really nice resorts--I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars to fly to another country and do the same thing I could do just down the road.

There is some fun stuff to do around Xcaret and Playa del Carmen. Do you plan to go out and explore, and would you feel safe doing so? If so, it could be a blast. I would probably worry too much about taking my kids there to travel around and explore what would make it worthwhile. It is really up to you the kind of vacation you want. Personally, I would be perfectly happy living on a cruise ship. The tiny cabins don't bother me--especially since someone comes in to clean it every day! I sleep better on cruises than in my own bed at home and love nothing more than sitting on a balcony staring at the wide open ocean. The sea days spent lazing around the ship and chill beach days are like being at an all-inclusive resort to us, but we intersperse these with busy days exploring different ports. We enjoy the cruise ship entertainment--even the cheesy shows. It is fun watching other people have fun, and we can go from the slot tournament to a mixology class to an art auction in one afternoon and still get in a nap before dinner! My favorite thing about being on the ship is not having to plan every minute. No stressing about figuring out restaurants and transportation and activities each day. Just read the guide and decide which activity you want to do next, or none at all. I also love the excuse to unplug and leave the phones locked in the safe--especially now that our kids are getting older and DD seems to be addicted to her phone.

Finally, for anyone who does decide to take a cruise, check out the Chef's Table. All of the cruise lines we have sailed had it except Disney. This is an amazing opportunity for 5 star dining with a small group (usually about 12 guests total) at a fraction of the cost you would usually pay on land. We have enjoyed the Chef's table on both RCCL and Carnival multiple times and these are among our best dining experiences ever! Absolutely amazing and often the highlight of our cruise.

 

[starvenger]

I don't get the point of an all-inclusive resort. We have done it for a day or two, but don't go to another country to stay inside resort walls the whole time. I know some people love it, but it just isn't our thing. We live 15 minutes from a beach with some really nice resorts--I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars to fly to another country and do the same thing I could do just down the road.

I think that is one of the key notes here, and I completely get your perspective as a result. I live in Toronto, and while I can go to a beach in the summer, it's on a lake where the water is warm(ish) 1 month out of 12. It would take us a while to drive to a locale with a nice beach and warm water. So for my situation, if one of my primary purposes is to go out to a beach and lounge there/play in the ocean or sea for a week, and actually swim in a pool, then a resort or hotel provides more value than going on a cruise where you won't be doing that at your leisure.

We enjoy the cruise ship entertainment--even the cheesy shows.

Believe you-me, when it comes to entertainment, a cheesy cruise ship show will look like a Tony Award winner compared to resort shows.

My family usually stays at a domestic beach condo for a week or so and it is much slower paced. However, we feel safe to cruise around town and sample the local fare. I think I would actually get claustrophobic if sequestered to a single resort campus. The other word of warning that I have received from friends is your are subject to the local weather and the local water supply. On a boat you have a very active water treatment facility working for you all the time.

We've done the "live like a local" thing here in Ontario (borrowed a timeshare), and abroad in Hawaii and Barcelona (airbnb). Loved it. Obviously these are places where we felt it "safe" to not keep ourselves confined to a single resort. But when you go to a Cuba, or DR, or Jamaica, these are places where you might think about where to stay a bit more, and whether you want to be placed in a walled campus setting.

It is a good point about the water though. But chances are that, if you do your research (as I know we all do) and look at the reputable resorts, there generally isn't too much of an issue when it comes to water. As for weather, you are more vulnerable to local weather conditions versus being on a boat, but simply being on a cruise does not grant you immunity from the weather. On DCL Fantasy we got hit with 2.25 days of rain - 1 sea day, 1 day in Cozumel and after we left Falmouth. Not to knock DCL, but there was a noticeable lack of anything to do during those days compared to what Royal has when it's raining (we experienced half-days of rain here and there over 3 cruises). Point being - don't assume that you can always run away from bad weather on a boat, and Royal is better prepared activity-wise for rain days than DCL, imo.

 

[nkereina]

We've done two Caribbean cruises and two all inclusives - one in the Bahamas and one in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta). They both have pros and cons, but I prefer all inclusives just a touch more I think.

With all inclusives, it truly is all inclusive - we rarely spend money on anything because we rarely leave the resort. Some will disagree, but we don't find Mexico to be the safest place so we don't like to go offsite. We have spent money on spa treatments and of course souvenirs, but not much else.

We also like being able to sleep in and lounge at all inclusive resorts. On cruises, I'm glued to the cruise compass afraid I'm going to miss a fun activity or sale. And I'm constantly clock watching to maximize our time in port. You're definitely on more of a regimented schedule on a cruise, IMO. We like laying by the pool or on the beach with no obligations at a resort. We spend more time together, doing our own activities like reading or playing games, rather than relying on shows or activities that the cruise line puts on.

Lastly, the check in and check out process is just easier at an all inclusive. Our last cruise was in April, first time on RCCI, and we found the process a touch chaotic and overwhelming. With an all inclusive, you can select flight times that work for you and come and go at your leisure.

 

[TLM2015]

I have done both cruises (one Alaska on Disney, Caribbean on NCL, and a one day on Princess) and all inclusive (Hyatt Ziva in Puerto Vallerta). @starvenger summed it up really nicely all the reasons that I like all inclusives too. I like the laziness and being able to wander out to the beach and over to the pool and more than anything I love the lack of upselling things. Where we stayed was a bit small with only I think 3 pools and 4 restaurants, buffet, and cafe, but the views and the relaxation was worth it. This was our (husband and DD, 5)time in Mexico and we left the resort and roamed around the city. I felt relatively comfortable going around the city and didn't feel unsafe. Going to Xcaret is on my list of places to visit so I would vote to go to the all inclusive over the cruise.

My husband on the other hand prefers to cruise since you move from place to place. Staying in one place for a week he found kind of boring.

I think that is probably the largest question, do you want to be in one place for a whole week or would you prefer to move around? With that hotel and location, if you are going to leave the resort and go to Xcaret and look at ruins in the area, then staying in one place may not be a factor but otherwise, it may get boring.

The downside I have found, and what keeps me from cruising, is the upselling that goes on. When I went on Disney, admittedly 5 years ago and back when you were allowed to bring on your own liquor, there wasn't much upselling, beverages were included, and my DD enjoyed the kids club (she was 3 at the time). The other lines I've been on I haven't enjoyed as much, between the not as great food and the upselling, and since I am priced out of DCL, I don't think I'll be doing too much cruising, after buying airfare to the cruise then the all included price of the cruise (fees, gratuities, and additional cost) I'm less likely to do it again. I live in the Pacific Northwest so unless I"m going to Alaska or taking a Carnival cruise out of LA it's all pretty much flying somewhere.

 

[starvenger]

Lastly, the check in and check out process is just easier at an all inclusive. Our last cruise was in April, first time on RCCI, and we found the process a touch chaotic and overwhelming. With an all inclusive, you can select flight times that work for you and come and go at your leisure.

Definitely something to that, since at a resort people are leaving and arriving at different times every day, whereas a cruise has only 6 or so hours to get thousands of people processed and on board, and the last two cruises, the bottleneck was with the security screening - thanks to online check-ins, the actual process of getting your cards was rather quick and painless.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Thank you so much everyone for your responses and apologies for my tardy reply.

It’s been a busy month of serious research, but decisions have finally been made.

In the end, we cancelled the cruise and booked another cruise instead - a 14 night Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Reflection.

I still think Hotel Xcaret looks amazing and I’ll be keen to try it one day, but the ports on the Celebrity cruise also look amazing and are providing me with the pre-excitement that the other cruise wasn’t. Plus, per day, it was the cheapest option.

I understand the sentiments of previous posters who worry they will feel a bit bored and trapped within one location by doing an all inclusive. However, ironically, part of the reason I swayed towards the cruise over Hotel Xcaret is because I was worried that all the activities at Hotel Xcaret would have us trying to cram in too much.
I should have mentioned that prior to the cruise, we are doing 3 intensive weeks elsewhere and these last weeks of our trip are intended to be the much slower, relaxing ones.

Either way, thanks everyone for your thoughts. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer.