All Inclusive Vacation - Suggestions

RubyRed · #1 01/06/14, 09:36 AM

My daughter is getting married this coming October and they don't have the money to go on a honeymoon, they just bought an acreage.

We were talking last night about maybe his parents and I could go in together and pay for an all inclusive trip somewhere. I have heard they can cost around 1000.00, which isn't bad considering everything is suppose to be paid for in the package. Minus the extra's, that they will have to come up with. So, I am thinking, this will give me plenty of time time save up for their present.

Do any of you have any experience, good or bad with these types of vacations. And, any recommendations?

haley1 · #2 01/06/14, 10:29 AM

The area south of cancun Mexico is called riviera Maya and is probably the most cost effective area and very safe. There are several hundred resorts over about 90 miles worth of beach. Cost depends one were you fly from, I suggest for first timers fly nonstop flight or a chartered flight through several different vacation companies. I would think you could find something very nice from $1200 each and up for 7 days and that also depends on when they would go and usually Tues or wendsday are cheapest. Try apple or fun jet through your local travel agent, they both will have local reps at the resorts a few days a week to help with questions or to book site seeing things. Note if they go to a resort very far south of Cancun the bus ride will be long as they drop off lots of people at lots of resorts, you can get a van with less people thus faster. We booked through cheap carribean this year as thry are a lot cheaper but we are seasoned travelers and know the the ropes
Note passports take 4- 6 weeks to get and think are over $125 now days

Go to travel agents to get books and advise then look up resorts on trip adivser for reviews. English is spoken in this area so that is not a problem
Good luck

treasureacres · #3 01/06/14, 10:45 AM

Cancun is probably the best place for the $$ Don't be afraid to book through Expedia or Travelocity, many times you can find great deals. I will be going to Mexico again in March and we saved a couple hundred dollars apiece by flying out of Minneapolis instead of Des Moines this time and it is a direct flight. We usually do one all-inclusive vacation a year and also a cruise so if you have questions feel free to ask. If you give me dates I could also ask a travel agent that I went through for my sons honeymoon this past fall.

I stayed at this resort last year for a week on a "business" trip and thought it was pretty nice. This is $1073 per person in October with flights out of Desmoines, didn't look at it to closely but this is much cheaper than in the spring.
http://www.expedia.com/Cancun-Hotels...&adultsPerRoom[1]=2&currentFlights=ac10a4f0c4ecf5b6612b73165263c87b ,844cd22acc3866d397b0660062058293&inttkn=ViqZBPQpN G3bSYaX

Raymond James · #4 01/06/14, 03:37 PM

Wife and I drove to New Orleans and took a 5 day Carnival Cruise in February last year. Cabins, fees/taxes, tips and two excursions while in port for under a thousand both of us.

The cabin was an inside cabin that we did not spend much time in anyway. Honey moon it might be different but I doubt they spend much time looking out the window. Bed was small but young and thin newlyweds there should be plenty of room.

Alcohol was extra but all food was provided and they had lots of choices.

From what I could tell go when kids are in school, off peak times , get an inside cabin as window or balcony cost a lot more.

sss3 · #5 01/06/14, 03:59 PM

DD just got back from an all inclusive cruise. They had a great time. She's a Professional Poker Player and won the trip playing poker.

unregistered358967 · #6 01/07/14, 11:32 AM

Devil's advocate here, but have you asked if they want such a trip? They might be happy to have the money to put toward a home on the acerage or something else? And if they're interested in a trip, where would they like to go?

Tricky Grama · #7 01/08/14, 07:42 AM

We LOVED Sandals in Antigua. Won it when I was working.

RubyRed · #8 01/08/14, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less-is-more

Devil's advocate here, but have you asked if they want such a trip? They might be happy to have the money to put toward a home on the acerage or something else? And if they're interested in a trip, where would they like to go?

Yes, they have already expressed to me that they would love a trip, but cant afford one. Because their money goes to the acreage, gorgeous home and so forth. They also want to start a family right away and this might be their only time to really do something like this.

poppy · #9 01/08/14, 07:54 AM

I'd go with Hawaii. Just heard of some family that flew on a plane called Air Force 1 and it doesn't cost a dime. Transportation doesn't get any cheaper than that. Plus, if they get into an argument on the trip, you can leave your spouse there to cool off and she can fly home later at no charge.

Glade Runner · #10 01/08/14, 08:15 AM

+1 on the cruise thing. Just shop for the price you want to pay and then they'll have to be disciplined on the extras which can really add up.

gimpy · #11 01/08/14, 08:25 AM

I did an all inclusive cruise to The Bahamas once...once, and never again.

The food was excellent. Everything else was terrible. First off, it was not all inclusive like they claimed. Tips were required and posted expected amounts whereas the travel agent claimed that that was all included in the purchase so we didn't bring much cash and there was a $50 fee to use an ATM.

If you didn't tip and they knew who you were, your luggage got tossed off the ship.

There was nowhere to get away from the smoking. In the supposedly non-smoking parts of the ship the employees were there smoking.

The employees were constantly harassing you to buy stuff.

The, "special price," through the cruise for island excursions was double what you'd pay if you got off the boat and went to the business yourself and paid.

homstdr74 · #12 01/08/14, 08:35 AM

How about renting a B&B for them someplace in the fall color area, like Vermont or Maine? That seems more like a honeymoon place than a cruise on a boat that holds an entire city full of people.

Raymond James · #13 01/08/14, 08:47 AM

I agree there things to do off the shop that are free or lower price than going thru the cruise line.

My sister and brother in law often get a taxi t the pier or walk to a beach. They bring there own snorkel gear and blanket/towels.

Some locations you could take a bus to a museum or other attraction and then walk back visiting shops or just looking around.

As to smoking cruise ship I was on there was no smoking in any passenger area. I did observe a few crew standing on the lowest deck at the back of the ship smoking then quickly returning to work.

The cabins , dinning areas , pool no smoking or the smell of anyone having smoked in the past.

There are "tips" service fees that are mandatory which is why I would tell you the price is with taxes, gratuities included. The cruise line tells you what the required tip is ( I o not recall but it is a set mount per person per day) I prepay it and consider it just a part of the cost.

I took some cash to use off the ship but put everything on ship purchases of alcohol, gift shop, real tips on the room charge. Pay the room charge with a check, credit/debit card or cash at the end of the trip.

Sorry you had bad experience.

SteveD(TX) · #14 01/08/14, 09:07 AM

I'd also recommend the Mexican Riviera area. Our last all-inclusive was in Playa del Carmen and it was great. Lots of stuff to see and do including Aztec ruins, etc.. Cozumel is also good - be sure to go on a guided run through the jungle on 4-wheelers. Plus the snorkeling is great. Hawaii is not known for all-inclusive resorts but if you plan it out and do some research, it can be fairly affordable.

gimpy · #15 01/08/14, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymond James

As to smoking cruise ship I was on there was no smoking in any passenger area. I did observe a few crew standing on the lowest deck at the back of the ship smoking then quickly returning to work.

The cabins , dinning areas , pool no smoking or the smell of anyone having smoked in the past.

There are "tips" service fees that are mandatory which is why I would tell you the price is with taxes, gratuities included. The cruise line tells you what the required tip is ( I o not recall but it is a set mount per person per day) I prepay it and consider it just a part of the cost.

I took some cash to use off the ship but put everything on ship purchases of alcohol, gift shop, real tips on the room charge. Pay the room charge with a check, credit/debit card or cash at the end of the trip.

Sorry you had bad experience.

For us at least 85% of people were smoking, and I mean chain smoking, Everywhere, except the dining room and people were only allowed in the dining room during meals. I even mentioned to the travel agent about my allergy to smoke and he assured me it wouldn't be an issue. I had to sit on the top deck in the wind to be able to breathe and it was a December cruise.

We prepaid tips because I didn't want to carry a wad of cash, but were expected to pay again on the boat.

I will never trust another travel agent. On top of that for $150 a night in what was supposed to be a 4 star hotel in The Bahamas, there should have been hot water and electricity. Their, "heated pool and hot tub," was shut down and cold for the season and full of algae. Apparently there there was a car accident just before our arrival and a cab ran into the pole that had the transformer that served about 10 blocks around the hotel. Their utility workers don't work on the weekends. The accident happened on Friday. The crew didn't fix it before the end of the work day and had the weekend off. They didn't finish Monday. Literally, as we were leaving Tuesday morning the electricity came back on.

The Bahamas is not worth visiting. There's nothing there that you can't do or get in the US and in the US you don't need to go through customs. Also everything there is imported and so twice the cost. You don't get harassed by people wanting you to hire them to do inane things..."You need to hire me to braid your wife's hair!" I can braid my wife's hair if she wants it braided.

If you want duty-free, go to any airport. If you want casinos, they are all over the US. If you want a warm beach, there's the southern coasts. If you want a string of shops all selling the same souvenirs that serve only as dust catchers with no real purpose other than looking at, go to Gattlinburg.

Now to be fair, a friend of mine makes a yearly trip to the Caribbean and says that The Bahamas are the Caribbean armpit and if you want to go to that region go to one with, "Saint," in it's name.

unregistered358967 · #16 01/08/14, 09:53 AM

Hedonism?

okiemom · #17 01/08/14, 12:45 PM

we didn't go on a honeymoon. we stayed around to visit with all the relatives who came in from out of town. think big family reunion. dh was new at his work and didn't have time off yet as well. we went a year later when we were not so tired and stung out. what a great time we also had some money saved. just a different viewpoint.

treasureacres · #18 01/08/14, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimpy

For us at least 85% of people were smoking, and I mean chain smoking, Everywhere, except the dining room and people were only allowed in the dining room during meals. I even mentioned to the travel agent about my allergy to smoke and he assured me it wouldn't be an issue. I had to sit on the top deck in the wind to be able to breathe and it was a December cruise.

We prepaid tips because I didn't want to carry a wad of cash, but were expected to pay again on the boat.

I will never trust another travel agent. On top of that for $150 a night in what was supposed to be a 4 star hotel in The Bahamas, there should have been hot water and electricity. Their, "heated pool and hot tub," was shut down and cold for the season and full of algae. Apparently there there was a car accident just before our arrival and a cab ran into the pole that had the transformer that served about 10 blocks around the hotel. Their utility workers don't work on the weekends. The accident happened on Friday. The crew didn't fix it before the end of the work day and had the weekend off. They didn't finish Monday. Literally, as we were leaving Tuesday morning the electricity came back on.

The Bahamas is not worth visiting. There's nothing there that you can't do or get in the US and in the US you don't need to go through customs. Also everything there is imported and so twice the cost. You don't get harassed by people wanting you to hire them to do inane things..."You need to hire me to braid your wife's hair!" I can braid my wife's hair if she wants it braided.

If you want duty-free, go to any airport. If you want casinos, they are all over the US. If you want a warm beach, there's the southern coasts. If you want a string of shops all selling the same souvenirs that serve only as dust catchers with no real purpose other than looking at, go to Gattlinburg.

Now to be fair, a friend of mine makes a yearly trip to the Caribbean and says that The Bahamas are the Caribbean armpit and if you want to go to that region go to one with, "Saint," in it's name.

I have been on over 15 cruises and NEVER had the experiences you have had with the smoking. If you pre-paid tips why did you pay again??? Excursions not booked on the ship are cheaper, but the ship will not wait for you if you are late getting back from one not booked through them. If that happens, and it does happen a lot, it is your responsibility ($$$) to get to next port. How long ago was this and what cruiseline? As far as the Bahama's go, I don't think there is any place in the US that has the consistent weather and beaches, at least from November to April. Stay at the Atlantis in Nassau if you ever go again.

gimpy · #19 01/08/14, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treasureacres

How long ago was this and what cruiseline? .

Princess Cruiseline in the late 90's

simi-steading · #20 01/08/14, 03:50 PM

I did my first cruise two years ago.. never again... too many people, too many rushed times when in port, captive audience when on the boat always having things forced at you to buy.. especially pictures. I've got a long list of dislikes concerning that trip..

With that said, I did really like Aruba where we stopped as one port.. and I really enjoyed snorkling at another, but those things just didn't make being a captive audience (bank roll) worth it as a whole..

I'd rather have a stack of cash and a car... hit the road and go where I want at my pace..

Funny though.. Others love it and will tell you about the last 20 cruises they had been on... I didn't get it....