Cruise or All-inclusive?

lrob425 · November 2010

We are having trouble deciding on a honeymoon. We don't want to sit on the beach all day; we want to go do stuff - kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, etc. So we thought about a cruise, and we found a great one. But, after all the stress has died down (we're also renovating a house and will be moving in right before the wedding), we might just want to sit on the beach, so we don't necessarily want to have pre-determined excursions everyday.

Any ideas or experience on this?

Capital_T · November 2010

I just booked HM to Cancun Today for my wedding next month (Dec. 4th!) I know, we should've done this sooner.

Anyways, we booked flight and all inclusive hotel (which basically means a couple nice things included and meals included that's it) through cheapcaribbean.com and for the both of us was right about $1800!

I recommend checking it out at least, our first choice was Puerto Vallarta on the pacific side but there were no available flights.

bellebride116 · November 2010

I like cruises the best... you get to see more places... you can choose to sit on the beach all day or book an excursion... it's a nice mix!

hz80408 · November 2010

We HMed in Riveria Maya at Secrets Maroma...all of the things you mentioned as reasons to choose a cruise were excursion options in Riveria Maya!

Chasity08 · November 2010

I would definitely do a cruise. While you get better picks of excursions by planning them ahead of time, you CAN pay on the cruise to go on excursions (on the one I did anyways). You just went the day before and picked an excursion and paid for it right there. Granted, they could be picked over because a lot of people book in advance, but it's something to look in to. That way you can decide "well, tomorrow I feel like going and doing something so I will" or "tomorrow I just want to relax by the pool all day" and then you can! HTH! =]

ehathewa · November 2010

I liked our cruise...

but excursions and booze are not included in the cost. Those can add up fast!

megandjay · November 2010

All-inclusive gets my vote. I am not a huge cruise fan, and with drinks and excursions and extra surcharges they end up costing the same.

MyWedding13 · November 2010

I vote for the AI option. I am not a huge cruise fan either, as I like being on land. If you stay at a resort, you can always plan excursions. Almost every resort has snorkeling and scuba lessons, and you can book a ton of excursions.

sunshine_day_dreams · November 2010

I too would choose the AI option. You do get to see a lot of places on a cruise, but you never really get to experience any of the places you visit. You only dock for a few hours, so you get to do one, or maybe two, things in each place. I like to slow down, have the option to sit on the beach or go out and explore and get to know a place and the people who live there. I would also take into account how much you drink - booze isn't included on a cruise. I agree with other posters as well - all of the excursions you listed as a reason for a cruise are offered at pretty much any AI resort you would choose.

alithebride · November 2010

it depends. there's no yes or no for this. you need to explore the destionations of the cruise and the AI and see which meets your needs more.

Biotechick620 · November 2010

Have you been on a cruise before? If you handle the ships movement or any rocking than I say go for the cruise! You get to see a bunch of different places and you can certainly just lounge on a beach or on the ship. We've been on a few and loved them. There's always just that chance that you can have one rocky night.

rissaland · November 2010

Find an all inculsive cruise with optional activies that you can do if you feel up to it. They may be hard to find but they are out there

sweetie1184 · November 2010

I definitely vote AI. I like cruises, however even though you going to multiple places, you never REALLY get to experience them. You dock in the touristy places and for the most part, anything you have time to experience is just like being in Florida. You have like 6-8 hours on land and that's it. Also, like other people said is the alcohol. Each drink is like $7-$10. It's like $6 for ONE beer. Adds up really fast.

[Deleted User] · November 2010

We've done both.
We did not like cruising as we felt to rushed and it was over priced. Hoenstly, we feel as though you get more bang for your buck with an AI. A pp hit it on the head with booze and excursions can add up fast on a cruise.

We cruised on Carnival which is one of the cheapest cruise lines. We had a suite which was nice but nothing fancy. Our cruise for 8 days (5 total were at sea and only 3 days were we on any islands and for a sort time at that) and it was $5000 once we added in the booze and excursions.

For our hm we went to Sandals Grande St. lucian. We had a penthouse concierge suite The room,airfair and excursions was $5500. Less days than the cruise but more island time.

Personally, we'd rather spend the money, stay and explore one island and have all the food and booze we want than to feel rushed (on cruises your only in port for a limited amout of time) and have to worry how much extra money we are spending.

naomikb · November 2010

I went on a cruise last summer and enjoyed the balance of activities and doing nothing. We basically had alternating days - one day in port, one day at sea, one day in port. It worked well for us. And if you are feeling tired and don't want to get off the boat in port, you can stay on the ship. Or you don't have to go on a planned excursion, you can just get off the boat and wander around, do some window shopping or go to a beach. Just take a thorough look at the itineraries you are interested in to see if they give you a good balance of port & sea days that suits what you want.

And ditto PPs, the drinks added up fast. There was also lots of pressure to upgrade while on board - go to the spa, buy drink cards, buy coffee cards, buy their photos taken by their photographers, etc. so be sure to build that along with daily tips for housekeeping/waitstaff and excursions into the cost you expect to pay. We spent at least $500 pp extra in drinks/tips/excursions.

dshrawder · November 2010

Definitely not a cruise... if you want the option to do things whenever, an AI would be better. I just got back from a cruise and I've been on several, but the days at sea I just go crazy because you do not have the option to do other things like hiking, kayaking or just laying on the beach... you're laying on the deck. It's just a little different... we also got stuck at sea for an extra day due to a hurricane They are both good deals, so you really cannot go wrong with either.

Best of luck!!

Biotechick620 · November 2010

In regards to the cruise, you don't have to spend crazy amounts of money on alcohol. I know with Carnival you can order alcohol pre-trip that will be waiting for you in your cabin when you arrive. FI and I bought a giant bottle of grey goose for only $60 and mixed it with either OJ or fruit punch mix.

There are tons to do at ports without being in a touristy area. We used CruiseCritic.com and through studying up on previous cruisers reviews we found AMAZING all-day island adventures.

SuperFudge00 · November 2010

I'm against the cruise unless you are okay with being on "Ship's Time"

strlzfan11 · November 2010

A few things to ask yourselves-

1) Are you big drinkers (more than 3-4 drinks per person per day)?

2) Do you want to spend your time by yourselves or are you open to socializing with other people?

3) Do you want to be busy most of the time or do you want a lot of down time to just relax?

If you plan on drinking a lot I'd suggest the AI. Drinks on a cruise can add up quickly if you're not careful.

If you are open to socializing with other people (other couples & families) and want to keep busy then I would suggest the cruise. If you select a cruise with a few days at sea you can spend them in your cabin and still have that feeling of being alone.

amdelao · November 2010

I would suggest looking into Palace Resorts they have resorts all over Mexico and one in P. Cana that are All-Inclusive and offer excursions. Besies ofering excursions they currently have a $1,500 resort credit that can be used for golf, spa and even excursions so it's the best of both worlds in my opinion. Here is the link: www.palaceresorts.com/palace-passport?articleId=25220">http://www.palaceresorts.com/palace-passport?articleId=25220. They even have honeymoon packages that include things like couples massages, etc.

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