All Inclusive Resorts or Cruises - To Sea or Not to Sea? That is the Question.

When you debate what type of vacation you want to take, think about what your goal is for your trip. Do you want fun in the sun, total relaxation, to see several places, explore one place, adults only, time with the children, all included food and drink, or to buy your drink package separately? The answers to these questions will help you determine the answer to the ultimate question, to sea or not to sea.

We enjoy both vacations to all inclusive resorts and cruises. However, these two vacations are totally different types of getaways. If you want an adults only, fun in the sun, everything included get away with all the food and drink you want, an all inclusive resort vacation is for you. When we just want to get away with no children and no schedules, when we just want fun in the sun, all inclusive vacations are for us. We love to go somewhere where we can lounge on the beach, enjoy all the food and drink we want without having to pay extra and enjoy an adults only atmosphere. All inclusives such as the Secrets Resorts which are our favorite, allow you to just relax. There are no particular schedules to remember unless you want to and there are not multiple ports and constantly overcrowded restaurants. All inclusive resorts are good when you just want to relax. We have stayed in all inclusive resorts in many locations across the Caribbean. We typically lounge on the beach a number of days and then go on excursions a few times to see the island and meet the local people.

On the other hand, cruises are more scheduled and more fast-paced. Cruises are great when you want to see multiple places during the course of a week or so and you are not really looking to just relax on the beach. In contrast to all inclusive resorts, drink packages and snacks are usually at an extra cost on cruises. You can expect there will be children around and fewer if any places to have quiet moments alone. A cruise is what you want when you want to see more, do more, be more active. We recently went on a cruise and in a week, we visited three islands we had not visited before. We left from San Juan and cruised to Aruba, Curacao, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts. We had been to St. Thomas previously but the other three islands were a new experience. We went on excursions on each island and truly enjoyed them all. We had to be more scheduled on the cruise than we are when we visit all inclusive resorts. However, we wanted to see new places, do new things, and expected to have limited beach time. A cruise is definitely an adventure. You see a lot in a short period of time and the days at sea provide for some relaxation if you want to use those days in that way. It is a great option for a different vacation choice.

So, in order to answer the question to sea or not to sea, you need to know what type of vacation you want to experience. All inclusive resorts and cruises provide two very different options and are not mutually exclusive so enjoy the vacation of your choosing. Safe travels!!