All Inclusive Resort or Cruise

There are many pros and cons to both all inclusive resorts and to cruises.  We have stayed at all inclusive resorts in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.  We are Unlimited Vacation Members of the Amstar resorts and although each resort is different; the quality is pretty consistent.  We have tried other all inclusive resorts to see and experience the difference but there were many things that we did not like.  For example, with our membership we get an automatic upgrade to the best category room available.  We love this because we can book the cheaper room but always get an ocean view preferred club room.  Our resorts have 24 hour room service and often come with dummy waiters so if its late at night and you don't want to answer the door; it's all good.  Another very important feature of our resorts is that you don't have to make reservations for the restaurants.  This is extremely important to us because we often don't know what we are in the mood to eat until that evening.  We like to have choices, many choices.  We stayed at an all inclusive that required you to make reservations for dinner before you even arrived for your vacation.  Needless to say, we were not happy about this and ate at the buffet restaurant every night.  The service was noticeably different at this all inclusive resort.  Wifi is always included in our club resorts.  At other all inclusive resorts you may only have wifi in the room or only available in the lobby.  The entertainment is top notch and the alcohol is top shelf quality.  Cheap alcohol is not good and can make you sick.  Be mindful of this when on vacation at all inclusive resorts. 

Cruising has it's pros and cons and definitely differs from company to company.  We have cruised with Royal Carribean, Norwegian, Princess, and many times with Carnival.  Often we choose our cruise based on the itinerary, length of cruise, and price.  This year we become platinum members with Carnival.  So exciting!  Although Carnival has downgraded many of its amenities through the years from when we first started cruising with them; they are often the most economical, the crowd is young, and they have tons of fun activities and Broadway like shows.  Other cruise lines nickle and dime you, cater to a much older crowd, and don't have variety in their entertainment.  We have cruised these other companies because of the itinerary; a new island that may not be in the Carnival cruise itineraries. We always have a blast but we also notice the differences right away.

We often mix up our vacations between cruises and all inclusive resorts and depending on how tired we are we may opt for a relaxing stay at a resort instead of a cruise.  But we enjoy cruising the best.  We love to unpack once and move around island to island on a fun vessel with nonstop action.  This then gives us a glimpse of the islands we may want to visit for a longer period of time on a future vacation.  We also enjoy playing in the casino, dancing, and BINGO!  You can do as little or as much as you want on a cruise.  I highly recommend going on a cruise.  It is the most affordable way to see the beautiful islands of the Caribbean.  We go on our next 7 day cruise in September!  Woot! Woot!  Stay tuned for the September blog entry for a description of my favorite cruise itinerary of all time!