Honeymoon: All-inclusive resort vs. cruise.

Never done either, but I would choose an all-inclusive resort. There's port fees and taxes associated with cruises that I wouldn't want to worry about. I also get vertigo when I'm on boats, so I'm a little biased too

I also think it depends on you guys and what you enjoy. If you're happy laying on the beach all day, the resort is probably your best choice. If you're more adventurous, you might like the cruise more since you can go on various shore excursions. If I were you, I'd start looking up specific activities to see what appeals to you more. FS and I are doing a cruise so we don't have to decide on activities now. Ooooh, keep in mind that booze isn't included on cruises, but food is.

We're going to Aruba. All-inclusive from Sunday-Saturday for $2800, including insurance. We live in PA, so I'm sure airfare is more for us.

So here is my pro and con list for both IMO

Cruise Pros:Great for seeing lots of places, very relaxing, and getting great food at a good price.

Cruise Cons:The places the cruise takes you tend to be nothing but tourist traps and occationally (depending on the schedule) you only have a VERY limited time to visit them. The cabins tend to feel a bit small unless you can go for the upgraded rooms but I'm not sure that would fit in your budget. The on board shows would like to pretend they belong in Vegas but often fall short of the mark.

*make sure to discuss with FS about what you both want with the cruise whether it be relaxing or adventurous many cruises specialize in those catagories.

AIR Pros: Beauty everywhere you look, don't have to pay for drinks or the buffet food, typically very nicely furnished rooms with beautiful views, most have spas, and some water activites are free.

AIR Cons: AIR's tend to be crammed together along the beaches but typically the beaches are sectioned off. So if you want relaxation and there's a "party" resort next door sometimes noise can be an issue. The basic activites are free but anything that's actually fun (IMO) you have to pay for. If you want to tour the local area make sure you go with the packages provided by the resort, although they can feel very touristy and not authentic, exploring on your own can get confusing and expensive.

We are going to do a 7-10 cruise... We decided this for 1) cost reasons and 2) it gies us several fun excursions to do together ... scuba diving, tourists attractions, sea adventures, etc... I think we would get bored together at an all inclusive... the cruise would give us excitment and fun! I cant wait!

I just recently went on a cruise from Florida to a few islands. While its a very nice vacation, its a little less than private for a honeymoon. There are a lot of families with children, you are always around other people and depending on the room you get it can be a little cramped. Some rooms are very nice tho.

We booked our honeymoom for St. Lucia (Sandals) and I've heard great things! The rooms look fabulous and you can decide if you feel like doing something as they have pool, beach or adventure trips or you can just stay in the room together. As some are adult-only I feel like its better for a honeymoom.

Also, I was told that if you ask a taxi how much for a tour of the island you get a much better view then a pre-set tour. Just a little side note.

Lauren -- You're getting some good advice! Cruises and All-Inclusives are both good honeymoon options, and you have to do a little soul-searching to find out exactly what you and your FS are most looking for in this trip -- relaxation, exciting destinations, plentiful food/drink, entertainment/activites, etc. For a good starting point, here's a blog post that compares the two: http://www.anniesescapes.com/all-inclusives-vs-cruises/

Whichever way you end up leaning (resort or cruise) I would suggest that you work with a travel professional to help match you with the RIGHT experience for you. Best of luck!

I'm going on a cruise only because I felt being secluded to one place for so long would be boring. We booked a VIP Balcony Penthouse Suite...It was a little under 3500.

My FS and I went to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, and loved every minute of it! I highly recommend Excellence Playa Mujeres.

Dear Lauren U, I would like to suggest to you a cruise in the Caribbean, just think all the wonderful places to visit: The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and others. Shop around, the cruise line have wedding couple specials.

@Shauna- We were at a resort for 9 days, and we didn't get bored at all. Some of these resorts are big, and they have a lot of activities. We also booked a day tour to a Mayan ruin. We also liked playing in the water, beach, and laying under a palapa. It was very romantic.

Hmmmmm @jass.... I might just have to compare a little more! haha... you went to mexico? what part?

@Shauna- This resort is located half hour north from Cancun. I know when you mention Cancun to people, they think party city, yes, but not where this hotel is located. It's far from other hotels, and there is nobody to bother you on the beach, or trying to sell you things like I have heard in Cancun area. It's very honeymoonish resort. It's adults only. We are going back there for our honeymoon!

Oh and some water activities we enjoyed right off the beach were parasailing, and driving waverunners! They were both extra and not part of all-inclusive, but worth every penny.

Cruise that's what we are doing. In 7 days we are going to 5 different ports. You are not stuck in one place. Cruises are very affordable. You will have some change left out of you $3000.

Don't let the low up front pricing of cruising let you think that cruising is more affordable than an all-inclusive resort. The goal of the cruise lines is to get you on the boat and then get all of your money while on the boat. My average client if they were to add up all their expenses on a cruise and the cruise cost itself, that price is usually equal to or more than a week at an all-inclusive resort.

Cruises are also very structured and don't offer much privacy. When you fly to an island you have 7 days to experience the island and resort at your own pace no one telling you when and where to do things or eat meals. Also from a privacy standpoint at a resort there are far less people around you and most tend to be adults only so you won't be dealing with any children. All inclusive resorts typically include drinks, gratuities, watersports, landsports, all of which you will pay a hefty penny for onboard a cruise ship. If you want a worry free trip, all-inclusive is the way to go!

Hubby and I did the cruise thing. Ported out of Baltimore to Bahama's and would do it again and again and again in a heartbeat. We LOVED LOVED it!!!!

I have not done the inclusive resort thing, so I cant comment on that.

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Our Cruise: Our cabin was not the smallest/cheapest, but was no smaller than a hotel room that you'd get in a chain. There is so much to do on the cruise that you are hardly in your room in the first place. There is everything from comedy acts, shows, bingo's, dance clubs, karaoke, how to's (fold towels), and other odd things like "hairy chest contests", "bean bag tosses", "ping pong contests", "men vs women", "dating games", "newlywed games", "line dance lessons". The food is AWESOME!!! The wait staff and cabin stewards are so friendly and called us by our first names.

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I'll post some pic

1st: Me in staircase

2nd: Us coming into Nassau Bahama's

3rd: Our boat

1st: Us in dining room

2nd: Another of Nassau