Comments on: 5 reasons to choose all-inclusive deals on a luxury cruise

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 08 May 2013 21:30:25 +0000

Guys watch out with “all inclusive” cruises because between tipping and booze and “premium” meals this could easily add up to more than what you paid for the trip.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:01:51 +0000

Here goes…have you EVER cruised in your life?

1. Everything other than Booze is included in any cruise. There are some options to pay for certain dining experiences now, but you can eat as many icecreams as you like 24/7 for no fee. Yes all inclusive pax want to drink as much free drinks as possible to reclaim value – you say 5 is the benchmark – therefore is the price of all inclusive vs non all inclusive $35? Or is it several thousand?

2. No fear of purse loss? What??? No cruise ship uses cash. They are all on an Onboard Credit System where you room key is your bar tab. And if it gets stolen you can challenge it onboard or at home with your credit card provider. Nobody carries a bag of cash.. even 40 years ago they didn’t because they ARE ON A CRUISE they have a cabin.

3. Shorex on a ship uses local resources at an inflated rate, from 2x to 4x what you would pay a local operator (for exactly the same tour) by paying for one at 4x every day you are forcing yourself to binge like you did on the Pina Colada and to squeeze the value out of the trip you KNOW cost too much you will drag yourself out of bed with a cheap hangover to do a ‘free’ tour.

4. Tipping is now a set amount per diem. You pre pay, typically $12 per day on your onboard account (linked to your creditcard/room key – don’t need a purse I promise).

5. The same organization and worry. There is no difference. Cruise lines are highly organized operations and will take care of you.

The writer of this post is trying to sell a more expensive cruise so he can make more commission from it.

There are reasons to cruise on the high end, and it is a shame that a person selling this doesn’t know them.

Cheers,

Matt

By: Judith Works

Judith Works — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:11:55 +0000

My husband and I have cruised extensively on many different types of ships. We have decided that all-inclusive is by far the most relaxing. The atmosphere feels different from those ships where you are presented with a chit every time you turn around – even to the extent of paying for bottled water to take on tours. We have talked to many of the staff who tell us that they prefer these ships, perhaps because of different clientele. We do always have an envelope for those who go above and beyond the normal high standards.

By: Donna Hull

Donna Hull — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:52:41 +0000

I have sailed over 200 days on small ship luxury cruises. All-inclusive is the only way I cruise. Tipping is not expected and it is not “stiffing” the help. All-inclusive lines discourage the tipping, encouraging guests to contribute to a special “cruise fund” for staff if they really want to acknowledge a staff member. Also, staff members appreciate being mentioned on comment cards as it leads to promotions for them.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:36:42 +0000

Not sure that the staff on all inclusive cruises would agree with the not tipping point! From what I’m aware, a lot of cruises have suggested amounts that you should tip daily to certain members of staff; rather than a percentage of a meal and so on.

I’m pretty certain that the staff on all inclusive cruises get just as poor wages as those on regular cruises, so it really isn’t fair to suggest people stiff them based on the fact they get a ‘free’ dinner.