Inclusive Resort vs. Cruise?

[MonstarNomNom]

Hello everyone! I wanted to start a poll to see if you guys might be able to help me. My fiance and I are trying to figure out what to do for our honeymoon next year, and are having a hard time deciding between a cruise or an inclusive resort. I think we are slowly starting to edge toward a resort since they seem to be a bit more budget friendly(especially if we want to drink!).

I would love to hear about any experiences you have had and where you have gone! It would be enormously helpful I cannot wait to hear from y'all!

[CadePony]

I can't decide, because both sound so very good. xD Hopefully everybody else on the Arena will help you make a final decision.

[LadyMoondancer]

I went on a cruise once and it was a lot of fun.  But I don't think I'd do it again.  I don't think they're very environmentally friendly.  I'm pretty sure they just dump sewage behind them?  Also, the one I was on had TINY TINY rooms unless you wanted to pay major $$$.  The bathroom in particular was like a broom closet.

[Juliepants]

Any idea on which part of the world you'd want to go?

Jules x

[kaoskat]

Resort. I know of far too many recent horror stories about cruises and I don't care to be stranded at sea with everyone sick for weeks, don't want to have any interaction with pirates that aren't part of a Disney theme park, don't care to be molested or robbed by the crew, and then there's always that sinking thing....... 

[Roccoriel]

I'm not sure if this is useful or not, but depending on where you go and how much food and especially alcohol you consume, sometimes a non-all-inclusive resort is cheaper.  My husband and I like a glass of wine with dinner, but some of the all inclusive resorts seem to assume you're going to drink a lot at each meal and at the pool and at the beach and basically all day long, and charge accordingly, so it wouldn't have worked out very well for us, but if you like cocktails, it is likely a good deal.  We also like to eat a lot of local food from wherever we are, which isn't always available at the restaurants at all-inclusive places.  On the other hand, food and water are safe in Costa Rica (the last time we were presented with this quandary), but if I were going to somewhere where that wasn't the case, I might give an all-inclusive more consideration.

As far as sight seeing, I guess cruise vs. resort depends on whether you want to see a little bit of a lot of different places or a lot of one place. 

Whatever you do, have fun!

[shelvesofwhimsy]

Oh so exciting!
So I went to an all inclusive resort when I was 14 (lol), and I must say it was quite fun. We stayed at a Beaches resort in Curacao, which was beautiful but very poverty stricken. The resort was nice, and it was awesome having as many free strawberry virgin daiquiris as I wanted. And ice cream sundaes. The beach was pretty nice too. But exploring the island was a bit depressing, although we did see some cool stuff.

2 years ago I went on a Disney Cruise and it was AMAZING. It was so worth the extra bit of money. The food was amazing, the shows were great, and there was a whole area for Adults Only. Our room was also pretty nice for only having a porthole. The islands we visited were also pretty nice.

I think of the two I would hands down choose the Disney cruise, since they do have such high standards and good reviews. There were 2 other couples our age that we hung out with, so we weren't the only childless group lol. I think it honestly depends on how much you'll be drinking

[Dainty]

Inclusive resort. Find one with wet bars in the pools

[Juliepants]

That's why I was asking about which part of the world. I have never been on a cruise, but I actually prefer non-all-inclusive holidays, but taking plenty of spending money to eat out with. It depends what kind of thing you like really. The last all-inclusive holiday I went on was in Egypt and I would not recommend it. But I went all-inclusive in Fuertaventura aong time ago and that was great! So I think it depends on where you are. I have done non-all-inclusive holidays in Portugal, Italy, Majorca and Bermuda, all of which were fabulous. We love going to eat out!!

Jules x

[MonstarNomNom]

Thank you so much for all of your input! It is seriously so helpful and I greatly appreciate it Keep them coming! ;D

Juliepants, We have to stay within the tropical areas near the US sadly. If we could afford it, believe me we would be doing some serious worldly travel to the UK or something. Sadly, we just don't have the money for it Your trips sound like they were amazing! I would love to go to Italy one day.

We definitely want to drink! Haha being our honeymoon, we want to get properly sloshed And not break the bank doing so! So it is sounding like the all inclusive resort is going to be our best bet. Haha Dainty, I definitely want a nice wet bar! They look like a blast shelvesofwhimsey, I would love to do a Disney cruise one day before I die! They look so fun ;D

[Princess Lala]

First off.... CONGRATS!!! Honeymoons are always a blast to plan! More exciting and less stressful than the wedding heehee!!

Resort!!!!!!!! Cruises are fun, but they are honestly a little boring until you reach your destination. Plus you WILL feel the waves still rocking you on the boat after your trip is over! xD I personally love that feeling, but for people who arent accustomed to living out on the ocean it makes most people sick. Plus the off chance it rains during the boat trip ack its the worst.  Id say pick a resort right on a nice white sand beach for a week!!!! If you stay like say, in a hotel or beach resort you can wake up early to watch the sunrise on the coast with your new hubby and look for shells!!! Totally romantic!!! 

[Skeen]

Inclusive resort. Find one with wet bars in the pools

I like the way you think. 

I'd choose inclusive resort too. 

[StarFaerie]

Cruise for me because I love the emptiness and serenity of the sea day after day. So beautiful. I could spend my whole life on a ship never in port. And I'm not a big drinker anyway.

[DazzleKitty]

I have never been to an all inclusive (my brothers have and I have heard all about it), but I've been on two cruises. One was a bad experience because I caught the flu on it and was very sick. Not the cruise line's fault, but it really put a damper on my vacation. The accomodations are not very comfy for someone who is super sick.

They both have their pros and cons. With the cruise you get to see more places depending on where it docks. And some cruises now actually include alcohol in their ticket prices. Did you know that? So now some cruises are totally inclusive!

For me, personally, I like vacations where I am stationary. When you dock on a cruise, you have to make sure you are back at the ship in time or the boat leaves. I don't like time constraints like that. It freaks me out. I like being able to be leaisurely about things on vacation. When you are stationary, you can go to the beach whenever you want and I like that. No just on docking days.

Also, there are a lot of people on cruises and sometimes the crowds get to me. Too many people annoy me.

I'd personally go for an all inclusive at a resort. It's just as budget friendly as an all inclusive cruise. You don't have to worry about being places on time, there are likely less people to contend with, and you can go to the beach whenever you want. You can do whatever you want. You aren't as limited as when on a big boat.

[kCherry]

Disney World!!!!!! That's where Mattman and I went for our second honeymoon last year and it was SO awesome! We want to go back for out 25th and see how many people still scoff at us; we had a bunch of people look at our Anniversary buttons reading "20 Ears" and ask if we married at 12. hee It was fun telling folks that we weren't quite as young as we looked but also that they weren't too far off.
 

Seriously, though, if you two are young-at-heart, I would highly recommend all-inclusive at Disney. It's a wonderful experience. I would recommend it to anyone who loves children. (I would NOT recommend it to anyone who does not like children! LOL ) The staff is amazing, the food is Wonderful if you do your research and make reservations in advance; some of the nicer restaurants book up to 6 months in advance and fill up very quickly! Alot of people think WDW is just for kids, but they obviously have never taken the 'Round the World' beer challenge at Epcot! LOL

  We've taken one cruise for our 10th Anniversary and... well, we weren't crazy about Carnival just because of the fast, party pace, which isn't quite our style anymore. We spent one day at stormy sea in a rocking boat which made Everyone on board sick. That was unpleasant, to say the least. But, we saw places that we wouldn't have seen otherwise and enjoyed the experience all-in-all.

  You guys will have a wonderful time regardless of where you go just cause you'll be together!! We took our honeymoon in 1994 at Panama City Beach. There was very little to do there in April, but we spent the majority of the time in the hotel room anyways. Have fun planning!! I'm sure ya'll come up with the perfect spot for you both!