All-Inclusive Cruises? (What That Really Means)
When asked why I like to go on cruises, my answer almost always starts with that it is great because it is an all-inclusive experience. But, especially since cruising started up again after the Pandemic, it seems like what is actually included in the cruise fare varies wildly depending on the cruise line and the room booked.
On many cruise lines, your cruise fare includes your room, the taxes and fees, food in the main dining room and buffet as well as drinks limited to water, tea, milk, basic coffee, and juices. On top of that, you will need to factor in the daily gratuities, which can be prepaid, that will go towards your room steward, your wait staff plus others who are behind the scenes. When I am pricing out a cruise for myself or my clients, I almost always go ahead and include the gratuities in the quoted price. It is totally possible to go on a cruise and only pay the cruise fare plus gratuities, which is why it is still an available option. The main reason, I imagine, that most cruise lines don’t include more up front is because the price doesn’t look as enticing. And, most cruise lines know that most cruisers want more than that out of their cruising experience, and so they will pay it later on.
Aside from the cruise fare and gratuities, the typical add-ons that many cruisers consider are the drink package (which can be quite costly), specialty dining (many cruisers feel that mainstream cruise lines have dropped the quality of their complimentary food in order to get cruisers to pay for the specialty dining options), internet for one or more devices, excursions and more. While we got a super cheap rate to cruise on Margaritaville At Sea’s Islander, after we added gratuities, the beverage package, specialty dinging and internet, we were paying about as much for a cruise on one of Virgin Voyages’ ships, which is a much nicer experience.
Knowing your overall budget and what your priorities are will be really helpful for a travel agent to best choose which cruise line and which set up is right for you and your fellow cruisers.
For cruisers wanting an adults-only experience with many inclusions but still need to be mindful of a budget, I highly recommend Virgin Voyages. With Virgin Voyages (they have recently made some changes to their pricing structure- so you have to be careful which fare you choose), all food, internet, fitness classes and pre-paid gratuities (I always add them in) are included. On top of that, if booking at the right time, you might also be offered Free Bar Tab so you can get a lot of your drinks covered as well. Apart from your cruise fare, your main add-ons might only be the excursions or extra cost on-board activities that you book.
Cruisers with families wanting a more inclusive experience should consider booking one of Royal Caribbean’s Star Class rooms on many of their newer ships. Star Class rooms can be quite expensive but, other than having a Genie (their form of a butler) at your service, anyone staying in the room receives specialty dining, the drinks package, internet, access to the suite lounge and sun deck. You can also let your genie know that you would like to go on a tour to the galley or bridge and they can potentially set that up for you gratis. There are whole facebook groups designed around maximizing your Star Class benefits making it very worth it for your family.
Many of the mainstream cruise lines are moving towards a “ship within a ship” concept to provide a more inclusive and luxury experience. Celebrity has the “Retreat” area where you can eat, soak up sun, relax etc and everything is included. Norwegian has the Haven that offers very similar amenities as Celebrity to its guests. MSC, while its main area has gotten very mixed reviews, the Yacht Club is an area that has received high praise for the quality and quantity of everything it offers. While it may seem costly to book a room in these areas, if you were to consider all of the add-ons you might want with a more “regular” room, then you will likely find that it isn’t so bad.
To set themselves apart from these mainstream cruise lines, the luxury cruise lines are not only including a lot more in their cruise fares but they are also including everything at a higher quality. So, yes, you are paying more up front but you are getting so much more and what you are getting is totally worth it.
Explora, which is the luxury cruise line in the MSC family, includes everything for your experience, with the exception of excursions. Every room is a balcony suite and has plenty of space. Instead of having a main dining room, there are multiple restaurants that are all included and come highly rated. Their buffet is more like a food hall where everything is made fresh and served to you. You can participate in afternoon tea at no extra cost. You can even bring on your own bottle of liquor on to the ship, which is usually against the rules on other cruise lines. Not only does Explora include internet but you have complimentary access to the spa’s thermal suite. If interested in trying a luxury cruise line, now is the time as they are still new (started sailing in 2023) and have some great deals.
Silversea is the luxury, more intimate cruise line in the Royal Caribbean Group. Silversea has much smaller ships that can go into more unique destinations. Silversea is known as well for the quality food and even better service. Depending on when and how you book your Silversea cruise, you will either typically get an excursion included in each port or be given a credit to go towards your excursions. Silversea will as well have some great pre- and post- cruise tours that you can add-on.
Viking, (another adults-only option) known for the river cruises but has also expanded to ocean cruises, offers an entirely inclusive experience, even with a complimentary excursion at each port. Beer and wine is included at each meal and the food, which is all included, often varies depending on the ports you are visiting. On river cruises, Viking as well has some great stateroom options as cruisers can choose from the smaller room with a window, to a room with a french balcony, to a bigger balcony to even larger suites.
Tauck Tours specializes in the whole experience from the moment you land to the very end when you will need to head back home. They will pick you up from the airport and will take care of the hassle of everything from getting your bags to each place, to planning transportation and excursions at each port or stop. If looking to do an amazing bucket list experience with or without the family, then Tauck will make sure that your dollar is going to be well spent.
If you are looking to make your next trip a fantastic one, or you are simply tired of getting “nickel and dimed” on your cruises, then I recommend giving one of these truly all-inclusive experiences a try. I would love to help your travel group take on that next big adventure.
