Cruise or All-Inclusive Resort? How to Know Which Vacation You’ll Actually Enjoy More

Cruise or all-inclusive?

I get asked about both all the time, and unfortunately, I’m going to give you the world’s most travel-advisor answer:

It depends.

I’ve vacationed both ways. I book both for clients. And I genuinely love both.

But they’re very different vacations.

If you tell me, “Alyssa, I am exhausted. I want to get somewhere warm, turn my brain off, read my book by the pool and not think about anything for a week,” I’m probably sending you to an all-inclusive resort.

If you tell me you want to see several places, try different activities, explore new destinations and still only unpack your suitcase once?

Now we should probably start talking about cruises.

Neither vacation is better. The question is: Which one is better for the vacation you need right now?

And yes, right now matters.

Because as much as I LOVE a cruise, if someone handed me a free vacation tomorrow? Life has been a little crazy lately. Give me a few days at a beautiful all-inclusive, my Kindle, a pool and a spa appointment. I’m turning my phone off. 😂

Ask me again six months from now and I might be ready to get back on a ship.

Choose the All-Inclusive If You Really Need a Vacation

If your number-one goal is to relax, an all-inclusive resort is hard to beat.

You arrive. You unpack. And that’s home for the week.

There’s no pressure to wake up early because the ship pulled into port and you only have eight hours to see everything. You don’t need to study a daily schedule to figure out what’s happening. If your biggest decision that afternoon is beach or pool, you’re doing it right.

That doesn’t mean you have to sit in the exact same lounge chair for seven days.

This is actually one of the biggest misconceptions I hear about all-inclusive resorts:

“But won’t I get bored?”

You certainly could if we send you to the wrong resort.

Different resorts offer very different experiences. Depending on where you stay, you might have activities, entertainment, water sports, fitness classes, multiple pools, spa treatments and excursions available outside the resort.

And you can absolutely leave the property.

Want to snorkel? Visit ruins? Take a catamaran cruise? Go ziplining? Explore the destination? We can build that into your trip.

An all-inclusive doesn’t have to mean seven straight days of doing absolutely nothing.

Unless, of course, that’s exactly what you want.

Then I fully support your decision.

Choose the Cruise If You Want to Explore Without Constantly Packing

This is probably my favorite thing about cruising.

I can unpack my suitcase once and wake up somewhere different the next morning.

Depending on the itinerary, one vacation can introduce you to several destinations without the logistics of changing hotels, dragging luggage onto trains or arranging transportation every few days.

That’s a pretty great deal for someone who wants to travel but doesn’t necessarily want to deal with all the moving pieces that usually come with a multi-destination trip.

And once you’re back onboard, there’s still plenty to do.

Shows. Live music. Pools. Trivia. Restaurants. Spa treatments. Activities. Or absolutely nothing, if that’s what you’re feeling.

You can make a cruise as busy or as relaxed as you want.

But I do think there’s a certain type of traveler who gets more excited about cruising: the person who wakes up in the morning and thinks, “Where are we today?”

My sister is that person.

Give her a beach day or two and she’s perfectly happy. Give her seven straight days of sitting on that beach and she’s going to start asking what else we’re doing. 😂

She wants to explore. She wants to see something she hasn’t seen before. She wants to come home with stories about all the different places she visited.

If you read my article about whether you’re a vacationer or a traveler, she’s definitely my traveler.

But Wait…Aren’t Cruises All-Inclusive Too?

Not exactly.

This is one of the differences I think is important to understand before comparing prices.

A cruise fare generally includes your accommodations, meals in included dining venues, entertainment and many onboard activities. But depending on the cruise line and fare you choose, things like alcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, shore excursions and gratuities may cost extra.

Some luxury cruise lines include considerably more in the cruise fare. And some mainstream cruise lines offer packages or upgraded fare options that bundle drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities or other extras.

At an all-inclusive resort, your accommodations, meals and beverages—including alcoholic drinks at many properties—are generally bundled into the price, along with a selection of resort activities and entertainment. Exactly what’s included varies by resort, which is why I always want to look at the specifics rather than assuming every “all-inclusive” includes the same things.

So if you’re comparing a $5,000 cruise with a $5,000 all-inclusive vacation, we need to look at what you’ll actually spend, not just the number on the first quote.

What About the Food?

I’m refusing to declare a winner here.

Sorry. 😂

I’ve had great food on cruises and at all-inclusive resorts, and there are absolutely cruise lines and resorts that are known for having stronger dining than others.

That’s one reason I don’t like blanket statements like “cruise food is better” or “all-inclusive food isn’t good.”

Which cruise line? Which ship? Which resort?

If food is a big part of your vacation, tell me that. It should influence what we choose.

The same goes for drinks, entertainment, pools, beaches, nightlife, kids’ activities, excursions and even the overall atmosphere.

This is why matching the traveler to the right property or cruise line matters so much more than simply deciding “cruise” or “resort.”

Which Is Better for Couples or Groups?

Both.

Helpful, right?

But really—both cruises and all-inclusives can work incredibly well for couples, friend groups, families and multigenerational trips.

One reason I like both options for groups is that you don’t have to spend every second together.

Someone can go to the pool. Someone else can book an excursion. Another person can disappear with a book for three hours. Then everyone meets back up for dinner.

That’s a much better group vacation, in my opinion, than expecting 10 people to agree on what they want to do every minute of every day.

The better choice comes down to the people going.

Does your group want to explore several destinations?

Cruise.

Does everyone desperately need some sunshine and downtime?

All-inclusive might win.

Do half of you want activities while the other half wants to relax?

Now we need to look more closely at the specific cruise ship or resort, because either one could work.

So…Are You a Cruise Person or an All-Inclusive Person?

Maybe both.

I definitely am.

And I don’t think you have to pick a team.

Sometimes I want the excitement of waking up in a new destination, getting off the ship and exploring all day.

Sometimes I want my biggest accomplishment to be finishing my book before my spa appointment.

The better question is:

What do you need from this particular vacation?

Do you need rest?

Adventure?

A little of both?

Do you want to explore several destinations, or really settle into one?

Do you want a schedule full of options, or do you want permission to completely ignore the clock?

That’s where I’d start.

Because choosing the right vacation isn’t about deciding whether cruises or all-inclusive resorts are “better.”

It’s about figuring out which one is better for you, right now.

And if you’re still not sure which one that is? That’s a pretty good reason to talk to a travel advisor who happens to really like both.

Ready to Start Planning?

Submit a Good Trip travel inquiry and tell me what you want your next vacation to feel like. We’ll figure out the rest from there.

https://www.goodtrip.biz/bookwithalyssa