At Feeling Beachy Travel, we love both. We love all traveling, especially if there is a beach involved. Although overall I personally prefer all-inclusive resorts to cruising, it is not a large margin, and they each have their pros and cons. If you love vacation and the ocean as much as we do, you can’t go wrong with either option, but we will give you our pros and cons for each; however, which option is best for you really depends on your interests – are you wanting to see as many places as you can as quickly as you can or do you just want to pick a spot and relax?
Cruising Pros:
Destinations, Destinations, Destinations. We want to see the world. We want to see all of the beaches. With cruises, we can visit multiple countries in one trip. Do you want to see the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Bahamas in one week? A cruise can do just that.
Entertainment: The entertainment crew is fantastic, friendly, and fun. They are there to keep you…well, entertained. Cruises offer different games like trivia, dance contests, and corn hole competitions. You can attend line dancing classes to learn things like the Thriller or All the Single Ladies dances. There is karaoke for you to watch or participate in. Between the hot tubs, the pools, the basketball courts, the casino, mini golf, and the dance club, there is almost always something to do. Every night they have full production, live music shows.
Food. You will definitely not go hungry on a cruise ship. Our families love the 24 hour pizza and ice cream availability. You can choose to eat at the buffet or sit down and be waited on for breakfast and dinner. There are several options for lunch, including a buffet, a burger joint, BBQ, and Italian. The larger the ship, the more options there are. Carnival Cruise Lines has some of the best in the main dining room at night.
Affordability. If you don’t drink or gamble much, a cruise is very affordable and quite a bit cheaper than an all inclusive resort. Cruises include all of your food, your accommodations, and most of your activities.
Fun for the Kids. My kids thoroughly enjoyed the kids camps on the cruise ships. They can play board games or video games, make crafts, participate in scavenger hunts, make friends, and more.
Cruising Cons:
Expenses. The food is included but the alcohol isn’t. That alone wouldn’t be so bad but the alcohol is quite expensive at about $10 per cocktail. Soda isn’t included either. It can really ad up. Cruise lines generally have specialty restaurants, which are not included. If you want to eat at one of the specialty restaurants, plan on dropping $50 or more for dinner. C
Not Enough Time. Yes; you get to stop at a few different ports and see multiple destinations; however, you don’t get enough time at the ports. I never feel there is enough time to explore, swim, shop, and do an excursion. I find myself stressing about getting back to the ship on time.
All-Inclusive Resorts Pros:
It is All-Inclusive. Alcohol, soda, food, and most activities are included, so you don’t have to carry a purse, a wallet, or a card on you. Although most motorized water sports aren’t included, non-motorized water sports, like kayaking, hobie cat sailing, and snorkeling are included. Some resorts are more all inclusive than others, but we can help with that.
Relaxing. You can wake up and take your time – no worrying about the limited port time. You can go to breakfast first or hit the beach first. You can grab a cup of coffee or go swimming in the beach or the resort pool. You aren’t stuck on a ship. If you want to venture out and visit shops, you can. You want to sit at the resort all day and all night – go ahead. You want to venture out for a bit and come back when you’re ready – go ahead.
Entertainment. The entertainment crews are awesome! They make the trip exciting. They d.j. music, dance, play games, host volleyball games, and more. They laugh, talk to the guests, and run contests.
Fun for Kids. Some resorts have water parks, most family resorts have kids camps with activities, and some have separate kid pools. Our kids love the resorts. There is always something for them to do. Sometimes they just want to hang out with us and swim and that is fine, too.
All-Inclusive Resorts Cons:
Often times the resort food is not as good as the cruise food, but there are generally so many options, you can always find something you like. Some resorts can be a bit pushy with time-share tours It is all about choosing the right resort. Don’t worry – we can help with that.
Conclusion:
Both types of trips are wonderful. They are both fun and get you to the beach. Whatever you’re looking for, we can help you choose the trip that is right for you.
