Feb 22 2009
Pros and Cons of All-Inclusive Vacations
My recent trip to Morocco was an all-inclusive vacation—for what averaged out to about $100 a day, my vacation package included seven nights in a 4-star hotel (although their idea of 4-star and ours do differ), breakfast and dinner every day, the flight to and from Munich, and transportation to and from the airport to the hotel. It was a pretty good deal since flights alone were running around $350.
As mentioned, I enjoyed the trip very much, but my traveling partner and I spent some time discussing our vacation choice and whether we would have done things differently. I’ve traveled on all-inclusive vacations before and have found clear advantages—and disadvantages—to choosing that type of vacation. Here are those pros and cons; return tomorrow for some special things to consider when selecting an all-inclusive vacation:
Advantages
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Prices are usually much cheaper than paying for each part individually.
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All details are taken care of—less time and effort are needed to spend on researching the best hotels and restaurants and how to get to the hotel from the airport.
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Most all-inclusive vacations are to large resorts with several amenities, including many that are family-friendly such as pools, 24-hour reception desks, kids’ programs, and day tours.
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You’re pretty much guaranteed to be staying in the “tourist quarter,” which means people who speak your language, a safe and secure area, and lots of choices for souvenir shops and restaurant.
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You may meet other people on a similar package and make new friends.
Disadvantages
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Limited choices in food and beverage—it’s almost always a buffet and almost always similar each day.
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Depending on your destination, the type of vacation you’re looking for, and the length of your vacation, you might feel trapped staying in the same city and same hotel for the entire time.
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Choices of participating hotels, and sometimes even destinations, are limited—you can’t find these deals for everywhere you want to go.
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You’re pretty much guaranteed to be staying in the “tourist quarter,” which means everyone there is looking to make money, not much is authentic, and you’re nowhere near getting a local’s perspective.
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You may meet other people on a similar package and be stuck with new “friends.”
Other pros and cons of vacation packages that I’ve left out? Leave a comment below.
Are you considering an all-inclusive vacation package for your next vacation? Check out the post on Monday, February 23rd for some vacation tips.
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I generally avoid them - I did once in Fiji - but felt like I’d been to the resort not the country! I think you can make them work for you - the important thing is to walk away and not follow the crowd. i booked a stopover in Singapore for a night which included transfers -the queue was long and the bus was 30 minutes away - we jumped on the train and paid a bout $2 and arrived before the others had left the airport! It amazes me how people on packages behave like they left their brains at home- I hope you didnt eat at the buffet ever night but took off downtown and found something more interesting?
We definitely didn’t eat in the buffet the whole time–in fact, we stayed in other hotels in other cities during the week. Even with that added cost, it was still a better value than booking each part separately. They certainly aren’t for everyone!