All-inclusive travel, whether aboard a cruise ship or at a resort, definitely has an appeal. There are a limited number of hidden costs (though you never fully escape them) and you can hopefully approach your vacation more assured of close to how much you will have spent in the end – certainly a help to budget predictability. However, there are drawbacks to all-inclusive cruising as well. Keep reading to learn about both the pros and the cons of booking an all-inclusive cruise vacation.
First, what does all-inclusive actually include?
Typically, all-inclusive means that your food, entertainment and sometimes alcoholic beverages are all covered or paid for while you’re onboard the ship. For some cruise lines, “all-inclusive” also extends to shore excursions, child care, spa treatments and other extra services. Just don’t count on too many of those other already-covered “extra services.”
So, what are the benefits of all-inclusive cruises?
The greatest advantage of a cruise that includes it all, as perceived by most travelers, is the ability to fully estimate the cost of a vacation, including food and drinks, before you even begin to book it. This feature is especially helpful for families who are working under a tight budget and need to know very close to how much it’s going to cost to feed, house and entertain three kids and two adults for, say, eight days.
A second benefit is the ability to enjoy your vacation without hauling your wallet around, worrying about handling or losing traveler’s checks, or wondering if your MasterCard will be accepted on the ship. All-inclusive trips, including cruises, will either include most items for which you would ordinarily need to pay or allow you to set up an account for any incurred extra charges.
Sounds great, but what are the disadvantages of all-inclusive cruising?
Typically, the most frequent complaint from all-inclusive cruise travelers is the feeling of being “locked in” to a pre-defined and fairly inflexible schedule of events. Often, a cruise ship will have set dining times, specific buffet menus, or limited and highly organized entertainment options. Some travelers prefer to have a choice of restaurants, no set meal times, free and casual entertainment options and the ability to indulge in as many or as little shore excursions as they want.
Another disadvantage to all-inclusive cruising are the hidden costs. Little items like tips, alcoholic beverages (if they’re not included), extra shore trips, small snacks, room service, casino play, or spa treatments can all add up quickly – taking your “all-inclusive” and affordable vacation way over budget. Remember, it’s easier to sign up for a bunch of little bills when you’re thinking that the whole trip is already paid for. Budget travelers need to be especially careful of this common “all-inclusive” pitfall.
So, which type of cruise vacation should I choose?
There are benefits and disadvantages to all-inclusive cruising. The type of vacation you select depends on you – your style of vacationing, your budget and what you want to experience from your upcoming vacation.
Posts Tagged ‘All Inclusive Cruises’
Cruise Ships: Benefits And Drawbacks Of All-Inclusive Cruise Travel
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009All Inclusive Cruising Versus Full Board
Saturday, November 7th, 2009Many people still believe that cruising is a pricy holiday choice, but when you consider everything that’s included, it really can work out to be excellent value for money.
Along with comfortable serviced accommodation, the cost also includes your meals which are available around the clock, evening entertainment plus use of modern ship facilities such as the gym. So does that cover everything? Not quite.
It’s sometimes easy to forget the “extras” you will be paying in addition to the cruise fare. Shore excursions, drinks, gratuities, port transfers not to mention your spending money are all going to up the bill and need to be considered.
The majority of cruise lines sell their cruises on a full board basis, i.e. all meals included, but do not include drinks. There are a few exceptions, such as Island Cruises and Thomson Cruises. These 3-4* cruise lines offer a number of free upgrades to an all inclusive tariff on selected sailings. Places are very limited, and once the free places have sold, they will charge to upgrade to this option, if it is still available.
But wouldn’t it be nice if everything was included, I’m talking gratuities, unlimited drinks from fancy cocktails to champagne, a complimentary mini bar in your cabin and all shore excursions.
You may be surprised to find out that this option is almost a reality.
Ultra luxury cruise line Silversea offers the closest you can get to a fully inclusive cruise package.
Their fleet offers 4 beautiful ships each carrying no more than 400 passengers for an intimate experience. When you sail with Silversea all gratuities and drinks are included, but in addition, transportation to and from the ports to the main attractions are complimentary.
Obviously, sailing in a suite onboard an all inclusive luxury ship is going to cost more than your regular cruise, but, if you usually travel in a suite on a 4* ship, surprisingly, this option may work out to be better value. For around £3400 per person you could enjoy an all inclusive, 7 night Mediterranean cruise, in a suite with balcony onboard a 6* luxury ship. If you don’t require a balcony, this cost can drop to around £2500 per person. In comparison, a similar cruise with a 4* cruise line based on a top suite could roll in at as much as £3800 per person.
If you still like the idea of an all inclusive board basis (and who wouldn’t) but have a budget that won’t quite stretch, there are still options out there for you.
Royal Caribbean for example offer their cruises on a full board basis, but, teas, coffee, lemonade, iced tea and fruit juices with breakfast are complimentary. Furthermore, soda packages can be purchased which enables both kids and adults to enjoy unlimited brand soft drinks at a very reasonable daily rate, plus, for those who enjoy a bottle of wine with their meal, they sell various packages which will also save you a few pounds.
For daytime cocktails – you are on holiday after all – look out for the cocktail of the day which will be on offer at a reduced price. However, in addition to this cost of course, you still have a service charge of 15% to pay on top of each bar bill, plus gratuities.
So, what really is better value? To work this out you need to calculate how much you are likely to be spending on drinks, the accommodation you want to travel in, and the gratuities you will need to pay. Then you can work out the difference in cost and decide if you want to pay the extra to experience an ultra luxury cruise.
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