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my fi and i have also been talking about this for our honeymoon....we're leaning towards cruise because while we both really want to just have a really relaxing, laid back vacation, we think we'd end up getting a little bored just doing the same thing in the same place each day. we had a 5 day vacation last year in charleston, sc that we both felt a little bored with by the end, and we don't want that to happen again on our honeymoon. with a cruise, you don't have to worry about any logistics, and you get to go multiple places.
I voted cruise just because that is what we are doing =) YOu really cannot lose, but we were engaged on a cruise, so it only made sense for us! What kind of honeymoon are you longing for - one with relaxation/luxury, or adventure, or sightseeing...it all depends! =D
It depends how much drinking you want to do. From what I hear, alcohol on cruises = expensive. I want to do day beach drinking at least one day=)
Agree with ET. That's the first thing I thought of. If you enjoy drinking, go with the all inclusive. Drink prices on cruises are astronomical.
I prefer all-inclusive as well because I kind of like to be on my own schedule. I wouldn't like being told when to be back at the ship and such when we stopped at a port. That's just me, though.
i like all inclusives because you can do as much or as little as you want, and you don't have to carry around your wallet. Couples in Jamaica lets you do everything, all the water sports etc for "free", too.
My husband and I have done both and personally we like all inclusives better.
Pros/cons of cruise: You will get to see more than one place, but you might feel rushed. The food is relatively good, but if you like to drink, you're going to run up a huge bar bill. Most lines you even have to pay for soda. There may or may not be a lot of kids running around depending on what line you're on. Again, depending on what cruise you take, you might be required to eat dinner at a certain time. Small rooms, but comfy beds.
Pros/cons of all inclusive: You will only be in one location, but you can usually book trips off the resort for $. Drinks & food are no extra cost for the most part...this means you might be more likely to run into some drunks. The shows generally aren't as entertaining or as high quality as a cruise. Bigger rooms, nicer bathrooms. You can book an adult only all inclusive, but it might be more expensive. Overall more expensive than the cheapest cruise.
We ultimately chose an all inclusive for our honeymoon because we wanted to be around only adult, drink lots of alcohol and just sit on the beach and do nothing. We did leave the resort once to do a snorkeling trip, which was awesome. I guess it depends on what is important to you!
I'm not a fan of cruises because I feel too trapped and like the others have mentioned, drinks costs a fortune. A cruise and an all-inclusive resort are two very different options and you just have to evaluate what is important to you and what you enjoy the most. For me, I prefer to be on land. I would go with an all-inclusive, especially if you are trying to keep costs down.
We just went to an all inclusive and I loved it. It was so relaxing, the food was good, the drinks were free, and it was pretty cheap to take excursions (we did a day trip that was a 1 hr boat ride down the coast, then snorkeling, ocean kayaking, and a jungle trek. Only $85 each!).
I'm a huge fan of the all-inclusive resort. It includes everything...how can't you go wrong?! Our fear with booking a cruise for honeymoon or any other time is the bar/beverage bill we would have to pay at the end of our vacation. I just don't want to be bothered with worrying about how many drinks we're 'buying'. At an all-inclusive it's already paid for...drink away (if you drink, that is).
We went to an all inclusive in the Bahamas last month for 5 days for much less than $3,000. The whole trip, including airfare was about 1,500. We stayed at Breezes, which is much less expensive than Sandals. It depends on your taste though. From what I hear Sandals is "nicer" and caters more to couples, where as Breezes just seemed to be there for everyone to have a good time haha. Though we did meet lots of couples that were there on their honeymoon.
All-Inclusive - No Contest!
In addition to not having to settle an outrageous bar tab at the end of your cruise, staying at an all-inclusive usually means there is a strict no tipping policy! Most cruises encourage you to leave generous tips for your maid(s), waiter(s), and other staff. Not so at an all-inclusive!
I am liking this thread because I never realized the costs of the drinks on cruise vs. all-inclusive because we really don't drink! Good to know to advise others =)
If you like to drink, go with the all-inclusive. FI and I can spend 1000 on just alcohol on the cruises we go on, plus they nickel and dime everything like games, special restauraunts and the spa prices are pretty expensive too. As for the all inclusive, check out AAA if you have it or Costco Travel. I was looking at Sandals and found some deals that came to about 2300 for both of us including airfare. Also, some of the cheaper islands tend to be on Jamaica or in Mexico if that helps.
I voted all-inclusive. I'm not a fan of cruises. I feel very constricted and there are just people everywhere and lines for food and screaming children and all that nonsense. I can't deal with that. Not my idea of a relaxing, romantic honeymoon.
I was going back & forth between the 2 (and actually decided on neither but that's not the issue) and I think I would personally do a cruise. I havent been to an all inclusive but have been on a cruise. Ive heard that at all inclusives the drinks are not strong at all and that the restaurants can get old real quick. When I went on a cruise we packed booze in our suitcase (sneak it in) plus you can carry on 1 bottle of wine pp. There are also TONS of diff places to eat so I always found something I liked. This way you're getting to see many different islands/locations so you'll never get bored :)
Just my personal opinion - hope it helps!
We took a 7 day cruise starting in Puerto Rico, then we went to St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Kitts and then back to Puerto Rico for a couple of days. We had such an awesome time and to see 7 different islands in 7 days for $1000 for two people is a smoking deal. We smuggled our alcohol on board their prices are crazy for drinks. But I would highly recommend a cruise.
I think for the amount of money I want to spend. I think I might have to go with an all inclusive.
I don't consider myself a drinker but FH is. And hearing that someone spend $1000 on alcohol on a cruise. Scares me!
We went through a wonderful travel agent and easily were able to afford a $3000 trip to Sandals in Jamaica (Dunn's River Villagio). We bumped up our level though when we got a generous gift towards the HM. If $$ is a worry, definitely do AI. FI went on a cruise once, enjoyed himself a bit too much (those shipboard credit card things you use for drinks) and got his bill when they docked... $1800! Granted it was right out of college but those things add up. You don't want to feel cheap on your HM.
I prefer all-inclusive. On my first (and only cruise) I was hit by the realization that I easily get seasick. While I enjoyed the travel, if you're going to cruise you want to make sure that your cruiseship docs at really good times, otherwise you'll arrive at the port while the main part of town is closing and you won't be able to enjoy yourself. I also found that we really underbudgeted for the cruise, since alcohol was not included in the expense.
For a honeymoon, I would say all-includisve since you will know you've spent everything you're going to need to spend and can just drink or have activities as you desire.
we are actually going to break up the honeymoon into 3 trips...so we don't get bored. We are going to go to Hawaii (most likely) so we will fly to California for a day or two, visit family and friends, then head to the Island. ON the return trip, we're going to go to NY stay in a fabulous hotel for 2 nights, catching a show and then taking the train home. It was a good compromise for us and a way to spice up the trip.
Farfromordinarybride-
Really, you got seasick. I have very bad motion sickness. I can't go on a boat without taking drugs. I can't watch any of the Bourne movies because the filming gives me a headache.
I heard from a bunch of people that being on a cruise totally different because of the so called "stabilizers". Also, I heard you get used to it. (Although, considering how bad my motion sickness can be, maybe i won't get used to it.)
Thank you so much for telling me this. I might not want go on a cruise.
We are considering the same options and have a similar budget. Right now I'm leaning towards an all inclusive. I've been to Breezes in the Bahamas and really loved it. We didn't participate in any of the day tie entertainment but spent evenings at the piano bar on site. We went out downtown one night and it was rediculously expensive, huge cover charges and drinks were like $12 so we were glad we had picked an all inclusive. We also did a snorkling/lunch/booze cruise off the resort which was a lot of fun (no alcohol until after snorkling). We went in 2004 but it was about $700pp including flights from boston for 4 nights which i found to be good value when I spoke to someone staying at a neighboring hotel who had spent $500 on food and drink in 4 days!.
I voted all-inclusive. I would feel trapped on a cruise and I hate being nickel-and-dimed on vacation. We are looking at two all-inclusives: 1. in Riviera Maya Secrets Maroma Beach and 2. Cozumel's Wydham Aura Grand Bay. We are leaning toward Cozumel because we want to dive and snorkel and the hotel is a "boutique all-inclusive" with only 77 rooms and no buffets.
Thank you so much for posting this! My FI and I too were trying to decide what to do. I think I would prefer the AI since we both like to have an occasional drink and do not want to pay out the wazoo at the end of the trip. Any recommendations for affordable AI in Mexico? We only want to go for 3-5 days, thanks!
All inclusive. I would feel rushed on a cruise. I've been to the Dominican Republic to an all inclusive resort for a week it was great. Rooms were clean..I did as much or as little of the activities as I wanted to..there is a club if you want to go dancing at night right in the hotel..tons of food..you can't go wrong. With a cruise you have to fly to your port of call if it isn't near you, which means you spend more money to get to the ship instead of just flying to your destination and getting to your room right away.
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I've never been on a cruise before but FH has.
We would like to go somewhere in the carribean but if the price is right, we would go to mexico or hawaii. Any where with lots of sun and a beach and relaxation. Maybe have some activities.
We have about $3000 to spend on our honeymoon. The less money I spend will be better.
What do you think?
Cruise or All Inclusive?
I saw the sandals site but I have a feeling I won't be able to afford going there.
I'm thinking to spend between 5-7 days.