Cruises VS Resorts

You meet two kinds of vacationers – the ones who love to cruise, and the ones who prefer their all-inclusive resorts.

These are some of the reasons you will hear most given often by those who vacation year after year at resorts as to why they never want to cruise:

• I just want to lie on the beach, read a book and sun bathe;
• The drinks are free;
• I meet new people and make friends. Sometimes we meet at the same resort every year;
• It can be so romantic ( or so relaxing, or so much fun);
• I have gotten to know the area where I vacation; and
• It’s less expensive, isn’t it?

To which a cruise lover will always respond:

• If I want to lie on the beach every day, I still can, depending on the itinerary I choose, but it will be a different beach every day. And I can sun bathe and read a book by the pool on sea days too.
• If  having an unlimited supply of free drinks were important to me, I would reserve with an all-inclusive line or watch for a free drinks package offer.
• I meet all manner of folks from all over the world. Sometimes we stay in touch too.
• A cruise ship caters to varied experiences too – all on the same ship. You can have romantic dinners and late evening strolls on the deck. You can relax in the spa and be pampered, borrow a book from the library, or take in a course or a lecture. And there’s non stop activity on board to join if you wish from early morning exercises in the gym to dancing the night away in a nightclub, or enticing Lady Luck in the casino.
• I prefer to see all kinds of different countries – experience the changing landscapes, languages, people and histories.
• As far as expense, there are very expensive resorts just as there are more costly cruises, and the same goes for less expensive ones.

If you look at the argument closely, both vacation destinations are resorts, only one is at sea. This is becoming more and more apparent with the advent of the larger ships in the Royal Caribbean line. That said, cruisers rarely revert to being land-resorts-only vacationers. The land resort cheering team usually has not experienced a cruise.

But, as with any vacation “package” be it resort or cruise, you should really look at the value received ( and that includes the total “experience” of the vacation) for the money spent. That is only one area – albeit a very important one – where utilizing the services of a travel professional is golden.

This article first appeared in The Travel Bucket. Photos courtesy of pixabay.com