A message for Hlitner and 'food in all inclusive vs cruises

[hsaroya]

I posted a thread last year about how some of you felt about all inclusives vs cruises, never having been to an all incl myself. I think I am going to book my first one for next year and have one last question: how would you rate the food of the mainstream cruise lines over the all incl you have been to? If I want a similar food quality as on a cruise ship, what is the minimum star rating I should be looking at? And, yes, I realize food is very subjective....thank you!

 

 

Hi, Hank. I posted a question for you in the Italy port of call, under the thread "travel in Venice."

[CruiserBruce]

Well, that depends on the cruise line you are comparing to, but say to a mid market line like Princess or RCI, I would say a 3 star or maybe a 4 star all inclusive.

[John Bull]

There are too many different standards in all-inclusive resorts & on cruise ships, you're likely to get wildly differing replies. Our experience with budget-to-mid-price resorts & cruises is that food on the ships is better - a reliance on buffets in the resorts.

But others will have had different experiences.

 

Sadly too, we find the star system for ships is unreliable for comparison against hotels, although good enough to compare cruise line against cruise line.

I've always regarded hotels as being between two & five stars, and have never seen, let alone experienced, a six-star hotel.

I'd say knock one star, mebbe two, off cruise ship ratings for a comparable hotel. ie a four-star ship is no better than a three star hotel.

 

But it's all subjective, and anyone who disagrees with me is neither right nor wrong ;)

 

JB :)

[LHT28]

Depends on the island as well

Some have better food choices than others

 

we have always booked a 4 or 5 *

[Underwatr]

I've never been to an all-inclusive that had food comparable to the minimum standard on a cruise ship.

 

My regular all-inclusive is of the Punta Cana mid-market variety; e.g., Bavaro vs. Sandals.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Underwatr

[Gunner22aa]

The last AI I stayed at in Cancun was a 5 star. Frankly it was a huge disappointment and the 31/2 star I had stayed at before out shone them in the food dept hands down for both quality and choice. Princess beat them both on everyone of the cruises that I have been on with them but thats just my opinion and taste buds

[euro cruiser]

Even among star systems you're not always comparing apples to apples. In Italy, for example, the stars simply tell you what level of amenities a property offers. There is no relationship between the stars and the quality of those amenities or services.

[wassup4565]

We stayed at AIs in the Caribbean for 20+ years before discovering cruising. In my experience the food on cruise ships is noticeably better than in AIs. Buffet food is fresher, with more variety and more and better quality of meat on ships. As for the MDR, in my experience, it is better than any dining experience I had in any AI.

 

Here's the difference in a nutshell. I never gained weight staying at an AI, and often found myself eating things that didn't really taste good or have much appeal to me. I always gain a pound or two on board a ship, even though I try hard to be self-disciplined.

[hsaroya]

Thanks, everyone, for your insight. For me, the dining experience on board is an important one - I actually enjoy the 2 hr family dinners in the MDR, look forward to afternoon tea on Princess, enjoy the snacks in the International Cafe as I take in the piazza entertainment, couldn't imagine watching poolside games without Prego's pizza in my hand, and have spent waaaay too much time obsessing over the menu of the new Alfredo's. And let's not forget about that sublime dining experience on Oasis' Giovanni's. All of your comments have definitely given me food for thought ;) Not sure that I want to give all this up to satisfy the urge to try out an AI. I think if I did try it, and it's really the teens who are saying that we need to change it up a bit from the cruises, I might book the AI for Christmas and then a cruise for New Years; at least then I'll be assured the vacation will end off on a great note.:p

[Karysa]

Thanks, everyone, for your insight. For me, the dining experience on board is an important one - I actually enjoy the 2 hr family dinners in the MDR, look forward to afternoon tea on Princess, enjoy the snacks in the International Cafe as I take in the piazza entertainment, couldn't imagine watching poolside games without Prego's pizza in my hand, and have spent waaaay too much time obsessing over the menu of the new Alfredo's. And let's not forget about that sublime dining experience on Oasis' Giovanni's. All of your comments have definitely given me food for thought ;) Not sure that I want to give all this up to satisfy the urge to try out an AI. I think if I did try it, and it's really the teens who are saying that we need to change it up a bit from the cruises, I might book the AI for Christmas and then a cruise for New Years; at least then I'll be assured the vacation will end off on a great note.:p

 

Lots of reviews on the web on AI's. I would suggest reading reviews and asking an experienced trustworthy TA and choosing an AI that gets great reviews on food. I don't think it's as difficult as folks have lead you to believe but don't think that you will get a bargain because those are usually for resorts that don't score well in the food category.