Cruising vs All Inclusive: What Defines Your Next Travel Adventure?

Before long, we were hooked on the all-inclusive vibe. Within this past two years, we had the pleasure of experiencing the vibrant culture of Mexico, admiring the El Castillo pyramid at the Chichen Itza, and ultimately be mesmerized by a captivating resort we booked at Punta Cana Dominican Republic. Days spent on end indulging in tropical bliss and invigorating excursions. Fun was inevitable, food experience magical, and overall experience, sensational!

Yet, if both cards are at hand and you have to play but one, which one shall it be? Experience 5-star luxury at a tropical all-inclusive resort, or immerse in the thrill of cruising the open seas? Are you planning for your next travel adventure? Here are a few points to consider before you do so you’ll know what to expect on your future travels.

Cost vs Value

All Inclusive Resorts
For budget conscious people, going all-inclusive is the ideal way to spend on your vacation. What you pay for your hotel stay includes all the food, drinks and gratuities during the length of your stay. Which means that you might have a higher upfront pay, but also have the luxury of indulging while on vacation without having to worry about extra cost.

What is typically included:
a. Food – buffet areas, snack bars, specialty restaurants, room service
b. Drinks – hard liquor, wine, beer, mixed drinks, specialty coffee, soft drinks, fruit juices and smoothies, even the ones in your hotel room refrigerator
c. Gratuities (Note: You can always leave a little extra for exceptional service)
d. Complimentary local tours

What is typically not included:
a. Resort-wide WiFi connection
b. Spa and massage services
c. Excursions
d. Airport Transportation
e. Shops and boutiques
f. Souvenir photos

Tip: Always take time to research what is and is not complimentary with your resort stay. Each resort has a different set of guidelines that you would like to review prior to booking.

Cruising
With regards to cost on a cruise ship, the key word here is customizability. How much you’ll end up spending on your cruise vacation is totally up to you. To start off, you have a low upfront cost when you purchase your cruise ticket. Then, you add your cruise extras based on what or how you want to spend your days on the cruise ship.

What is complimentary:
a. Food – buffet, main dining area, snacks
b. Drinks – water, standard coffee, iced tea, sugary fruit juices

Optional Cruise Addons:
a. Dining packages for specialty restaurants
b. Beverage packages – covers alcoholic drinks, mixed drinks, fresh fruit juices, premium coffee and tea, soft drinks and bottled water
c. Excursions
d. Spa and massage services
e.Fitness classes
f. Laundry and ironing services (Note: Electric irons are not allowed in your stateroom because of potential fire hazard)
g. WiFi connectivity
h. Souvenir photos

Non-Optional Cruise Costs:
a. Automatic gratuities
b. Embarkation port transportation

Accommodations

Disclaimer: Point of comparison is between rooms of similar price points. There are lavish VIP rooms found in all inclusive resorts, and luxurious suite rooms in cruise ships as well. Generally, comparable accommodations are a lot more expensive on cruise ships simply because of the relatively limited real estate they can work with.

All Inclusive Resorts
Most rooms in all inclusive resorts are comparable to suite rooms in prestigious hotels. Beautiful spacious interiors, modern bathroom fixtures, large screen TV, king sized bed, and at times your own personal Jacuzzi. First hotel we went to had a fully stocked refrigerator with snacks, soft drinks, beer and miniature liquor bottles.

Cruising
Rooms in cruise ships are products of creative interior design and engineering. In comparison, rooms are more compact and minimalistic. Smaller interior rooms somehow remind me of camper bedrooms where much thought is placed towards maximizing its limited square footage. Bathrooms are designed the same way.

Notes:
a. Some cruise ship staterooms may have limited number of plugs to accommodate all your electronic devices.
b. Cruise ships have suite rooms to accommodate more passengers. These rooms are by far more spacious and luxurious than regular staterooms and can even come with onboard credits you can spend on the cruise.

Excursions

We love excursions! Snorkeling ranks first on my book, even though I sink like a rock and have to wear two life jackets on our recent snorkeling adventure at Pearl Island Bahamas. Stupid waves! Still, the tantric appeal of watching prismatic marine life and corals manages to draw us back to plan on our next one.

All Inclusive Resorts
If you adore excursions, going all inclusive is the way to go. Even though excursions are not normally part of your all inclusive package, here are a few reasons why they’re better paired with all inclusive vacations.

a. Schedule Flexibility – since you have more days to plan and schedule your excursions, you can pick and choose exactly how and when you’d like to enjoy them.
b. More Options – more days can also mean more options to choose from. Feel free and do your research ahead of time and know which ones you’d like to do.
c. Lower Cost – you are more likely to find better deals on excursion bookings if you go all inclusive. In some cases, you can even bundle and get better deals.

Cruising
Here’s the golden rule when it comes to doing excursions on a port of call: Be back on time or be left behind.

With that being said, you are limited to excursions you can do on certain days within a very specific time period. Generally, cruise excursions also run a higher price than the ones you can book at all inclusive resorts. Plus, fewer options.

Here’s a few tips when booking excursions on a cruise:
a. Book your excursions through the cruise line. This way, you will know for sure which ones work with your cruise schedule. You will also be notified if there are any changes to the meeting time of your excursion.
b. It’s okay to do some sightseeing after your excursion. But don’t forget to be back on board at least 30 minutes before the announced back-on-board time.
c. Bring either your passport or driver’s license. Some ports would require this document before getting back on board your ship.

Notes:
There are enough things to do on a cruise ship that will keep you entertained, even if you didn’t book any shore excursions. Some of the larger cruise ships even have rock climbing walls, zip lines, laser tag, water slides, skydiving simulators, surf simulators, electric go karts, and other amazing activities that will impress even the most avid adrenaline junkies.

Food and Drinks

Whether you’re in an all inclusive resort or a cruise ship, food and will always be bountiful. There are a few key differences which I will gladly break down.

All Inclusive Resorts
Food: Foodie or not, before you book your resort, always take the time to find out the number and type of specialty restaurants they have. Generally, specialty restaurants offer better food than buffet selections. (Note: Some specialty restaurants may require prior reservations. You can always call the concierge to find out)

Drinks:First, the good news. All drinks are inclusive to your stay at the resort. Alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, fruit juices, specialty coffee, even fruit smoothies. However, some of the alcoholic drinks may have been watered down. Some resorts do have an optional VIP package that allows you to enjoy premium liquors and spirits in addition to many perks and upgrades.

Cruising
Food: Complimentary dining is available either buffet style or a la carte. Food enthusiasts can always step up their dining experience by trying out specialty restaurants on board.

Tip: Specialty restaurants do cost extra. To keep cost down, you can always purchase dining packages before your trip.

Drinks: Complimentary drinks are available but many of the beverage options are only available if you purchase beverage packages. Be sure to check out the different options and decide which one provides the best value based on your preferences.

Destination Exploration and Sightseeing

All Inclusive Resorts
If you like to explore and immerse into the vibrant culture of your travel destination, going all inclusive will always be a better option than cruising. There’s a whole world outside the resort that is waiting for your little trotters to march into.

Some ways to immerse a little:
a. Take public transportation and visit local hotspots
b. Ask the concierge for tips and recommendations
c. Attend local festivals
d. Dine and sample local cuisines
e. Ask a local (trusted) friend to show you around

Cruising
In a cruise, you have a tight schedule especially during port days. You have a few hours to do some excursions, look around, take pictures and get back on time before your ship leaves.

Tips:
a. Research – find out ahead of time where you want to go and what you want to do
b. Make plans – browse transportation options that fits your time and budget

Conclusion:

Whether you booked a cruise or a stay at an all inclusive resort, you’ve made the right choice. How you want to spend your time while on vacation is your call. If you want to go all inclusive and just sit by the pool all day, or go on a cruise and lounge in your stateroom balcony, go for it.

As newbies to the world of cruising, what we can share is this: Give it a try. The cruise ship itself is an adventure of its own. With so many things to do, places to explore, specialty restaurants to try, wonderful experiences to indulge, plus alluring entertainment options to choose from, you will undoubtedly enjoy every minute of it. If seasickness is a concern, using a prescription scopolamine patch has worked exceedingly well for us.

The world is a beautiful place with so many places yet undiscovered, boundaries unconquered and cultures unexplored. So travel as much as you can, as far as you can and as long as you can. Life is not meant to be lived in just one place.