My family likes to go on cruises. We have sailed with Princess, Carnival, and Disney.
We went to an all-inclusive resort when we couldn't find a good cruise option in Mexico.
The trip cost us half the price of our last cruise for a suite on the beach.
My family likes to go on cruises. We wanted to go to Mexico but weren't happy with the prices and availability. One of the best vacations we've ever taken was at an all-inclusive resort.
We first considered a cruise when we wanted to take our children on a vacation.
We have sailed with Princess, Carnival, and Disney before.
We decided to book a six-night all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen because we were dissatisfied with the pricing and availability options for the amount of nights we wanted to travel.
The Royal Haciendas All Suites Resort & Spa is close to the airport and has good reviews.
We wanted to explore Playa del Carmen in Mexico further after visiting Cozumel, Mexico, on a previous cruise, so we began looking at pricing and availability of resorts in the area.
We chose the Royal Haciendas All Suites Resort & Spa because of its close proximity to the airport and affordable price of $5,487 for all six of us, including all activities, food, drinks, taxes, and fees.
I was swayed by the hotel's positive reviews before I booked. It had a 4.5 out of 5 rating from past guests.
We decided to go to an all-inclusive resort instead of a cruise vacation due to the beachfront location. It was a great travel decision.
The first thing we noticed was that our room was bigger than we're used to on cruises.
My family of six need to book two rooms on a cruise ship. It always feels cramped when we stay in more than one cabin because each room was usually 200 square feet.
All guest rooms are suites, and we booked a two-bedroom suite that felt palatial in comparison to a cruise cabin.
Our room was over 1,600 square feet with a living area, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, two balconies, and a hugejetted tub on a private terrace overlooking the ocean. Two Murphy beds were pulled down from the wall of the living room which also had a sofa bed.
It was very comfortable for my family because of the many sleeping arrangements.
There were no people at our resort.
We went to the grounds after we checked into our rooms. I thought it would be busy because we were at the hotel at the peak of summer.
I found that the property's large size made it easy for guests to spread out and not feel crowded. When cruising, I usually have to weave around other guests at the resort, but from the beginning, I didn't have to.
Pool chairs, beach cabanas, and seating at entertainment venues were never rushed to be saved as we have had to do on cruises. I saw a lot of empty pool chairs. We didn't have to wait for a table to eat.
We were at the resort for seven days and only had to wait for another family to finish playing billiards.
Our favorite part of choosing a hotel was the multiple resort pools.
My family complains the most about how limited the pools are on cruises. On all five cruises, there were only two pools for adults and one for kids.
Everyone on the cruise ship gets to use one pool. My daughter started calling the pool people soup because it felt so crowded.
The Haciendas resort has several pools and hot tub. Two large lagoon-style pools and one pool for kids were used. When we were done with them, the ocean was also on the property.
Water slides were one of the only aquatic offerings on cruise ships. We liked the AquaDuck water slide on the Disney Fantasy and the AquaDunk on the Disney Magic.
There were a few small slides, but only in the kid's splash pad.
The spa at the resort was larger than I've ever seen on a cruise ship. It costs less and offers more services than I have seen on cruises.
Though my wife and I like to get a couple's massage on our cruises, I think the cruise ship spas are a lot smaller than our resort spas.
There is a spacious waiting room, his and her's wet areas, a steam room, sauna, and jacuzzi, a dozen body wrap services, eight facial options, drainage treatments, foot relief, natural fish, and more.
The resort's spa services are cheaper than on our cruises. Our couple's massage at the Disney Fantasy cost more than $300, while the same treatment at the resort cost less.
The kids' club at our resort was similar to a cruise ship's.
We left our kids at the hotel's kids' club when we wanted to go to the spa.
The staff was friendly and kept an eye on our kids. They allowed them to play in the kids-only splash zone while they were at the resort.
If our kids stayed in the kids' club, I would have liked it more. It made me uncomfortable not knowing where our kids were at all the time. I was a bit uneasy as a parent though it was exciting to my kids.
There's no worry of a child getting lost on a cruise ship because the single entry method of kids' clubs is closely monitored and secured.
We had no issues with the resort's children's club and our children liked making crafts, exploring different stations, and asking to go back several times.
The dining options at the resort were more flexible than we've seen on cruises.
We have only ever had two options for dinner in the main dining room, eating early or late.
Our resort's dining was very flexible.
Guests were free to come and go as they pleased.
We chose from two restaurants and a pizza place. My family frequented a Japanese hibachi restaurant at the resort. Some meals at these restaurants incur an extra charge, though they weren't required.
We had drinks and snacks at the pool.
Everyone in my family liked the food, and I thought the quality was better than most cruises I've been on, except for Disney, which I think was on par for flavor and quality.
I wanted to tip at every meal. Every server brought us a check that showed a zero balance for the meal but included a line where I could write a tip to my room and I did.
I like the way cruise lines handle tips, where guests pay a single amount to be divided among all the staff, or they tip each crew member individually.
We found the entertainment and recreational opportunities at the resort to be better than on cruises.
I think the recreational activities at the resort are more flexible than on a cruise ship.
There is a huge gym with aerobics and yoga classes, as well as billiards, outdoor table tennis, an aqua park, volleyball, corn hole, bikes, golf, horseshoes, snorkeling, basketball, ladder ball, tennis, and an on-site diving center. Families were able to make a variety of crafts together.
On a daily basis, the resort posted activities such as kayaking, bingo, group games, and movie nights. All of these activities did not incur any charges.
Many of the onboard activities came with long lines and felt crowded.
The expansive space of our resort made it possible for us to participate in the activities we wanted without having to plan ahead or rush.
I didn't have to worry about sea sickness or port cancellation.
We've done well on most cruises we've been on, but one time we had to lay down in our staterooms because of rough waters.
On one past cruise, we had a full day at Disney's private island of Castaway Cay canceled when the ship captain said the water was too rough to dock.
We didn't have to worry about that when we were at our Mexican resort.
We've taken resort excursions on cruises, but they had more options.
Ziplining, horseback riding, and swimming with dolphins are just some of the excursions the hotel guests can take at an extra cost.
We decided to hire a local company to take us on a private tour of the ancient city of Tulum. Our guide showed us the significance of what we saw. We were taken to the theme park Xcaret with dining, shopping, and animal encounters.
Our guide took us to Chichén Itz, where we saw the massive stone pyramid. We went to a cenote where we dove off small cliffs and explored the water.
Our guide stayed with our group, got us to and from everything on time, and the price included tickets for all venues, meals and drinks, so we didn't have to worry. The excursions we booked on our own were cheaper and less crowded than the ones we've booked through cruises and we didn't feel pressured to only pursue excursions offered by the resort.
It felt like a lot of passengers were vying for the same excursions in the same time period on cruises. I didn't experience the same rush at the hotel as I did at home.
The cost of our all-inclusive resort was less expensive than our most recent cruise.
The cost of our all-inclusive resort vacation was less than what we paid for our last cruise.
Our full stay, including round-trip, non-stop airfare from Salt Lake City to Mexico, plus our suite and all resort activities, food, drinks, taxes, and fees came out to be $5,487.
We paid for a seven-night Disney Cruise on the Disney Fantasy in September of 2019. We had to pay $9,566 for two staterooms for the six of us. The price did not include the extra airfare we paid for the entire family to go on the cruise.
When it makes sense, my family will still go on cruises. I think I will find better deals at all-inclusive resorts.
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