I love going on cruises, and I also love staying at all-inclusive resorts! In some ways, it's like choosing a blue between lapis, azure, and cerulean (if you know, you know). Each one is the "perfect vacation" on its own, but there are a few pro's and con's to each that might help you decide which is better for your specific trip.
Cruises:
Cruises are synonymous with floating resorts that take travelers to multiple destinations. One of the primary advantages of a cruise is the opportunity to explore different locations without the hassle of having to coordinate multiple bookings and frequent packing and unpacking.
Related link: All my favorite cruise blog posts.
All-Inclusive Resorts:
On the other hand, all-inclusive resorts are centered around the idea of ultimate relaxation. These resorts typically include your room, meals, drinks, and activities all included in one price, letting you enjoy your vacation without always needing to reach for your wallet. All-inclusive resorts focus on a laid-back escape.
Related link: All my favorite all-inclusive blog posts.
Destinations and Itinerary
Cruise
The big draw for cruises is that you can visit a lot of places in a short amount of time, because most cruises go to a different port a day. This can make it easy for you to check several countries off your bucket list in just a week. However, the biggest downside for this is that you're usually only at a port for 4-8 hours a day. So while I can technically say I've been to Jamaica, I was only actually there for about 6 hours. And unless you go on an excursion, you'll spend your entire time at the port. Cruising can be a great way to get introduced to new countries, but you don't always get the full experience of the country in such a short time on a cruise.
All-Inclusive
On the other hand, an all-inclusive resort gives you at least the opportunity to see more of the country you're in, but you're probably limited to just that one country. When we went to the Dominican Republic, we took a helicopter tour around the island and loved getting to see different parts of the country. But, sometimes you just don't leave your resort. Each time I've been to Cancun so far, I've never left our resort. Regardless of whether you leave your resort or not to go explore, you'll likely end up experiencing your country for longer than a cruise just by the sheer nature of staying overnight.
Activities and Entertainment
Cruise
One thing cruises are known for is their on-board activities. The biggest ships have TONS of activities-- think surfing, high-dive performers, Broadway-level shows, ice skating, movie theaters, rock-wall climbing and go-karting. Even medium-sized ships will usually have some waterslides, putt-putt, obstacle course, and an arcade. And that's just the "adventure" activities. There's always something happening on a cruise! Bingo, trivia, game shows happen throughout the day. There's also usually areas with board and card games, billiards, and live music. At the pool, they usually have a DJ set up during the afternoons and the cruise director will surely have a belly flop contest and a dance-off at some point.
All-Inclusive
All-inclusive resorts usually have their own activities, just more toned down. Resorts tend to be more of a "I'm just here to relax" vibe, so that's what you can expect to find. The Grand at Moon Palace has been the one resort that had a TON of activities for everyone. But, usually they'll have some night parties or day parties around the pool, cooking or cocktail-making classes, maybe a kids-only area for elementary through teens age, maybe an arcade, and sometimes some water activities like kayaking or snorkeling in front of the resort. If your resort doesn't have a lot of activities, they'll usually have some off-resort excursions you can book through the resort, like the helicopter ride I mentioned earlier, or our resort in the Dominican also helped us get day passes to a local water park that was a lot of fun.
Accommodations
Cruise
What's a big selling point for cruises is you get a different view every day from your room (unless you have an interior cabin). You get the opportunity to watch the sunrise and sunset over the ocean at sea days, and you get a beautiful new scene at each port day. One drawback for cruisers is that even if you splurge for a suite on board, your room will still be smaller than your typical hotel room. My favorite cruise room is a balcony so you can have the benefit of the warm ocean breeze in the privacy of your own room.
All-Inclusive
All-inclusive resorts have great options that can include swim-up rooms which have their own private pools, or ocean-facing rooms with huge windows that overlook the beach. Some resorts have balconies on every room, and more and more resorts are putting bathtubs on the balcony for a really great view. We've even stayed in a beach-access room, where you literally walk out of a sliding glass door in your room and onto the beach.
Dining Experiences
Cruise
Cruises are known for their food! Almost all cruises will have a standard buffet that has long hours, a formal dining room for nightly dinners, breakfast room service, and lots of specialty options throughout the ship with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options. The cruise will require you to choose when you book your cruise whether you want reservations for early dining, late dining, or a "flexible time" dining. Just because you've made this decision doesn't bind you to eating in the formal dining room each night, you can always eat somewhere else on the ship. While almost all of this food is included for free, it's common for cruises to have specialty restaurants on board that aren't free (but check to see if they are free for lunch). However, you will have to pay for your food and drinks ashore on port days, unless you book an excursion that has these included in the price. For drinks tap water, milk, lemonade, tea, and plain coffee are generally free. You can have the option to buy a soda package or an alcohol package, or you can pay-as-you-go.
All-Inclusive
What's great about an all-inclusive is that it really is all-inclusive. Meals and alcohol are all included in the price. Sometimes you might have to pay extra if you want top-shelf liquor, but usually you can just walk up to any bar and grab a drink without the need to make a purchase. Similar to a cruise, some resorts also have specialty dining where the meal costs extra and certain wines are purchase-only. You also usually will get breakfast room service included at your resort as well. Bigger resorts with multiple restaurants will usually require you to make dinner reservations, so just keep that in mind. Lunches are typically a buffet option or a more casual lunch restaurant option.
Budget Considerations
Cruise
Cruises are weird because you can make the trip really cheap, or expenses can add up quickly. Obviously inside rooms are cheaper than rooms with a window, and those rooms are cheaper than a balcony room. But Wi-Fi is an extra charge per day if you want access to the internet while you're at sea (most cruise apps will allow you to instant message other cruisers through the app for free though). Like I mentioned before, anything other than a standard drink will cost you, and if you go the drink package price, that also charges you per day. While going to the port at each stop is free, meals and excursions off the boat will be another extra cost. Games on the cruise like Bingo or Deal or No Deal will cost if you want to participate. Really, you're paying for the experience of the cruise.
All-Inclusive
Resorts tend to be cheaper overall. Wi-Fi and all drinks tend to be included in the price, and many resorts offer free activities. Usually, your biggest expenses will be paying for transportation from the airport to the hotel and back (hotels are usually about an hour away from the airport due to beach locations). If you chose to leave your resort, you'll have to spend some money while you're out and about.
Travel Companions
Cruise
Cruises really shine for families and large groups like family reunions or even weddings. Because a cruise offers SO MUCH to do, it can be the perfect vacation solution! Think of someone in your group, and there's probably a section on the cruise made to cater to their demographic. My husband and I enjoyed our childless cruise for our 2nd anniversary just as much as we enjoyed our 3rd anniversary cruise with our daughter around. Most cruises will also have an adults-only section that is usually one of the quieter locations on the ship.
All-Inclusive
Most all-inclusives are family friendly. We've even stayed at resorts that have a special kids-only waterpark or pool where kids can play and scream, and a lot of resorts also have an adults-only pool that is secluded and quiet. If you want a kids-free resort, that won't be hard to find either. Some adults-only resorts are more for partying, while others are known to be more quiet, so you can pick which one fits your vibe.
How to Choose
It's hard, honestly! My husband and I are actually taking an anniversary trip without our daughter to an all inclusive in April, and then brining our daughter with us on a cruise in May. We chose the all inclusive for our kid-free trip since that's the option that has the free alcohol so we can just get drunk on a beach and take a nap under the sun without having to worry about a 1 year old running into the water. It also was significantly cheaper than the cruise since we'll end up spending money on excursions, Wi-Fi, and alcohol for a cruise.
We chose to do the cruise with our daughter because it just has more options of things to do in the day. It can feel like 90% of the activities that a resort offers all day is just being at either the pool or the beach, which gets old fast for a toddler. A cruise, on the other hand has several decks full of activities that we can take our daughter to when we need to wear her out, and each port stop is it's own adventure in itself.
I think the main deciding factor will be a cost-entertainment analysis. You can definitely chill all day by the pool at either a cruise or a resort, and then go chill all day at the beach on either a cruise or resort. But, a cruise will have more options for what you can do if you're bored of chilling.
