All-inclusive resort or cruise – which is best?
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“Club Tropicana, drinks are free… Fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone,” so sang George Michael in Wham!’s famous 1980s paean to the nascent all-inclusive. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, ‘free’ booze and no bill sounded and looked – if you were anywhere near a pool in Ibiza with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley – like holiday utopia.
Drinks weren’t really free, but the idea that you could pay up-front to eat and imbibe, and be assured that you wouldn’t be presented with a terrifying bill at the end, was a novel concept, particularly for budget-conscious families and sun-seeking partygoers.
It still offers considerable appeal in our cash-strapped times, which may explain why all-inclusives have had something of a renaissance. Cruising offers similar peace of mind and plenty to do with kids clubs, waterslides and Disney princesses on board – though alcohol isn’t always free. During both types of holiday, the entertainment comes to you and you’ll never have to flinch at the prices on the menu.
But which type of holiday is best? Our writer put them both to the test.
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Destination
All-inclusive
Club Med founders Gilbert Trigano and Gérard Blitz, who dreamt up the all-inclusive concept in the 1950s, had beaches and sunshine in mind. But skiers also favoured the all-in pricing model. Europe’s slopes were a win-win for the brand, which opened its first Alpine village at Leysin in Switzerland in 1956 (clubmed.co.uk).
Traditional sunshine strongholds Mexico and the Caribbean – where Butch Stewart picked up the mantel with his Sandals brand – still account for a big slice of the all-inclusive pie, but the net has spread further to include Cuba, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Montenegro, Cape Verde and the Azores. Further afield there are all-inclusive resorts in Kenya, Thailand (mostly Phuket) and the Maldives and Mauritius. Turkish-owned Rixos (rixos.com) has recently opened resorts in Qatar and Doha, while Tui (tui.co.uk) and First Choice (firstchoice.co.uk) offer several resorts in Costa Rica.
Cruise
An average week or 10-day ocean cruise can tick-off several different destinations in one country, or across several countries in one trip. If you have a bit longer, it can take you round the world. Three-month world cruise itineraries cross continents, sail several seas and oceans, visit scores of capital cities and offer hundreds of excursion opportunities.
And let’s not forget off-grid but accessible by water destinations such as the Galapagos, the Pitcairn Islands and Antarctica. River cruises follow the course of most navigable rivers, from the Amazon to the Zambezi. The Mekong, the Mississippi and the Ganges are among their more adventurous destinations.
Activities
All-inclusive
Whether beach or mountain-based, most all-inclusive resorts feature an activities element. Sandals comes up trumps, with free scuba at its Caribbean dive resorts and multiple rounds of golf and green fees at top courses in Jamaica, St Lucia and the Bahamas.
Meanwhile, guests at Rixos resorts in Turkey have free daily access to The Land of the Legends Theme Park in Antalya – which means big savings in peak periods. This Easter, there are also egg hunts as well as giant egg-painting: a week at Premium Tekirova costs from £2,390 for four adults and two children, departing on March 30.
Watersports not your bag? Ikos Oceania in Halkidiki can provide a Tesla Model 3 at no extra cost for one day’s exploration as well as a culture pass to local museums. At Ikos resorts (ikosresorts.com), spa access is free between 8am to 8pm.
If you’re after more than a typical beach holiday, check the activities part of a hotel website to find out what’s included. The adults-only Sanctuary Cap Cana (sanctuarycapcana.com) in the Dominican Republic offers Spanish classes and, at the House of Aia on Mexico’s Riviera Maya (thehouseofaia.com), a ‘personal growth’ programme includes 20 classes, ceremonies and rituals from visiting guides.
If you have adventurous teens in tow, the US offers some interesting options. At the historic Castle Hot Springs in Arizona (castlehotsprings.com) there’s axe-throwing, cruiser bikes, geothermal hot springs and creekside hammocks for lazing in, while, further north in scenic Wyoming, Scott Dunn has stays at Brush Creek Ranch, set in 30,000 acres of sage-bush prairie where you can ride, fish or take to the landscape by ATV (scottdunn.com).
Cruise
With distractions ranging from rock-climbing walls and ropes courses to simulated surfing, via encounters with Star Wars, Marvel and Disney Pixar characters, cruising sets a high bar for activities. And on land, there are excursions – sometimes included – for every type of passenger.
It’s not just families who benefit. Swan Hellenic (swanhellenic.com) has teamed up with Deepak Chopra to offer wellbeing voyages, while adult-only ships offer films under the stars or in theatres, lectures from wildlife experts and historians, opportunities for citizen science, celebrity speakers, casinos and activities ranging from dance lessons to art and photography classes. Virgin (virginvoyages.com) also puts on DJ sets and pool and dance parties. And let’s not forget the main event – a new place to explore every day.
Children’s clubs
All-inclusive
Newer resorts have really lifted the bar. At its properties along Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, Rixos rolls out the red carpet for families with a Rixy Kids Club that has cooking and pottery lessons as well as football and dance academies. At Rixos Sungate, where the kids’ club is set around a splash park in a forest, children can learn to code using Lego robotics.
At Ikos Resorts’ collection of luxury properties in Spain and Greece, kids’ clubs are run in line with UK Ofsted standards. Meanwhile, Tui’s family-friendly resorts come with kids’ clubs and a seven-day line-up of activities including creative sessions. Mini Club Med offers trapeze lessons, introductory water-skiing, horse-riding, cooking classes, games and nature discovery activities. For older kids (11-17), there’s film design, DJ sessions and dedicated areas in which to hang out.
If you’re travelling with very small children or have ambitious activities in mind, check the small print: like lots of childcare for babies and toddlers, Petit Club Med and Baby Club Med both cost extra. Motorised water sports often incur a fee at all-inclusives while some resorts impose limits on the number of windsurfing or other tutored lessons.
Cruise
Cruise ships do a stellar job when it comes to children’s clubs, with all ages well catered for. Most resort ships divide clubs into four age groups and some, including P&O Cruises (pocruises.com), offer free babysitting. Royal Caribbean (royalcaribbean.com) has an adventure science lab for budding junior scientists as well as baby and tots programmes for those aged six to 36 months. Celebrity Cruises has a STEM at Sea partnership with The Frost Science Museum (Equinox and Edge-class ships; celebritycruises.com).
P&O Cruises is particularly well set up for those with kids in tow, with round-the-clock children’s clubs on its family-friendly ships and family-oriented shore excursions. MSC Cruises (msccruises.co.uk) has baby, mini, junior, young and teen clubs. The latter offers Xbox and PS4 tournaments, a Drone Academy, flash mobs and dance offs. Disney Dream (disneycruise.disney.go.com) has some imaginative offerings too, including the Jedi Training Academy and the opportunity to hang out with characters from the Toy Story trilogy.
Food and drink
All-inclusive
You get what you pay for. If that’s sun and sea and a good four-star family resort, expect two or three bars and a standard buffet: a week at the Iberostar Bellevue in Montenegro costs £1,562 in mid-May (iberostar.com). Pay a bit more and you’ll be rewarded with more imaginative menus. At Ikos Porto Petro in Majorca, five à la carte restaurants serve meals inspired by Michelin-starred chefs (from £2,470pp with Sovereign; sovereign.com).
Ikos also has curated “dine out” programmes that encourage guests to eat at local restaurants – including a rustic tapas joint in Estepona, an agriturismo in Ibiza and a buzzy beachfront spot in Marbella. Sandals (sandals.co.uk) has similar in Curaçao and Nassau. Caribbean all-inclusives generally offer three or four restaurants – and maybe a pop-up beach venue or barbecue night.
Cruise
Think cruise, think buffet, right? Wrong. Standards are high, with new ships offering a plethora of cuisines, dining styles and venues along with healthy options and dietary alternatives. You’re as likely to find vegan muffins and bee-pollen at the breakfast buffet as a Full English.
Silversea and Virgin have ditched the buffet altogether. Partnerships with chefs including Marco Pierre White and Eric Lanlard (P&O Cruises), Relais & Chateau (Silversea; silversea.com), Jacques Pepin (Holland America Line; hollandamerica.com) and Thomas Keller (Seabourn; seabourn.com) have also made a difference. Crystal (crystalcruises.com) has a Japanese restaurant masterminded by Nobu while wine presenter Olly Smith helms the Glasshouse on some P&O ships.
Silversea, Holland America Line and Oceania (oceaniacruises.com) are highly regarded among foodies and Regent Seven Seas (rssc.com) offers some stylish settings while Celebrity’s newer ships have roof-top gardens and over-the-sea dining. Fine dining can cost extra, depending on the ship, but expect to pay around £15 on top for three courses, which might just include one of the finest steaks you’ll ever eat.
The vibe
All-inclusive
It’s a broad-brush summation but for something established, refined and ‘old-school’ romantic – think castaway beaches, palm fronds gently buffeted by warm trade winds, knock-out views and honeymoon havens – the Caribbean is a safe bet. The likes of Jumby Bay (oetkercollection.com), Spice Island Resort (spiceislandbeachresort.com), Necker (virginlimitededition.com) and Curtain Bluff (curtainbluff.com) are famous for a reason.
The Maldives attracts a discerning international clientele while, in Europe, there are affordable package resorts where screaming kids are well tolerated. At the stylish new kids on the block (think Ikos and Grecotel Luxme; grecotel.com), Poppy and Miles only scream in the privacy of the rooms however.
Skiers are too busy skiing, too knackered or too busy partying to care about trifles like the vibe. If in doubt opt for Club Med, where most people speak French.
Cruise
It varies enormously across ships. River ships are tranquil, geared to sightseeing and generally follow an up-early and early-to-bed routine. Large resort ships can feel like theme parks, with entertainment into the wee hours; smaller ships go out of their way to leave passengers alone and provide impressive libraries and spaces for quiet contemplation. Viking (vikingcruises.co.uk), Silversea and Seabourn excel at this. Then there are the tall ships such as Sea Cloud (seacloud.com) and those in the Star Clipper fleet (starclippercruises.co.uk), where you’ll spend most of your time on deck watching the wind make the sails dance.
Some liners take a ship-within-a-ship approach, with exclusive areas, pools and services – at a cost. MSC has the Yacht Club while Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com), Royal Caribbean and P&O have premium areas with pools and separate menus. Cunard (cunard.com) has the Grills Suites.
If you’re after a more intimate, house-party atmosphere (complete with Surrey types, ex-boat owners and ‘non-cruisers’), opt for a yacht-style cruise ship from Ponant (uk.ponant.com), SeaDream (seadream.com), Scenic Eclipse (scenic.co.uk) or one of a handful of Windstar ships (windstarcruises.com).
Hidden costs
All-inclusive
Do question the headline price, especially if booking via a third party. In January 2024, a Which? survey of 2,000 holidaymakers revealed key omissions from some operators, including soft drinks. Those who booked with the cheapest provider, lastminute.com, were forking out an extra £367 per week on average for extras.
Operators take different approaches to inclusions. BA Holidays says: “Expect your holiday to include flights and accommodation, all three meals and snacks in between. Drinks are included too but expect house wine and local spirits unless otherwise stated.” EasyJet’s small print states: “What’s included in the all-inclusive package varies vastly between hotels. When booking your holiday be sure to look at the board description.”
Premium restaurants often cost more, but at the Oaks IBN Battuta in Dubai for example (where a week costs from £989pp through loveholidays.com) the price includes à la carte restaurants and in-room breakfast. In all cases the two-clicks-away small print was clear. Read it. If in doubt, use the chat function, talk to a travel agent or pick up the phone.
Cruise
All cruises include accommodation, dining, entertainment and access to pools and the other fun facilities, but Wi-Fi, drinks – alcohol and soda – and tips and room service might not be included. Tips are automatically added to cruise bills on a per passenger, per day basis. Expect to pay for service on spa and beauty treatments and bar drinks.
If you plan on drinking every day, pay for a drinks package (there are alcohol-free packages, too). Celebrity Cruises alcoholic drinks packages start at around £55 per day and Cunard’s soft drinks package starts from around £8.50 per day. Princess Cruises’ Wi-Fi, tips and drinks bundle costs £50pp per day (princess.com).
Though you’ll still pay extra to tip for beauty services, some truly all-inclusive lines also include Wi-Fi, limitless premium drinks, a free mini-bar, most service fees and some excursions. Some also include airfares and a pre- or post-cruise hotel night. Take a look at Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Viking, Crystal and Seabourn.
Which wins?
The all-inclusive concept has evolved – there’s no room for holiday snobbery in 2024. If all you want is a hassle-free place to relax by a pool or on the beach and forget about daily expenses, this is as good as it gets. But if you intend to stay longer than a week or haven’t been to the destination before, do some research. You may tire of the same sand, sun loungers and restaurants while venturing out to drink and dine makes little financial sense.
If you’ve a thirst for new places, a cruise offers all of the above plus the bonus of a new port of call most days – without the need to unpack. You’ll never get bored of the changing views and, as for feeling claustrophobic, you can disembark every day (though you don’t have to). Plenty of ships overnight in port, so you can dine ashore too.
Cruises score bonus points for once-in-a-lifetime experiences too. Unless you own a boat, how else do you experience the romance of a dawn arrival in Manhattan, a sunset sail out of Sydney or your first glimpse of porpoising penguins in the Galapagos?
