Land Based All Inclusive Resort VS Cruise post Covid 19

[Pinboy]

Going to an AI in the future would be similar to a cruise regarding social distancing, wearing a mask, etc, etc-- 

Pas pour moi, merci ( Not for me, thank you ) .

[TeeRick]

11 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Funny you should mention this.

We have a 40 anniversary cruise booked for May 2021, and that should be a special trip. We have to be beyond many of the EU restrictions for that trip to be worth it.

So I googled AIs in the US. There is one highly rated standard Club Med in Port St. Lucie, but most of the rest tend to emphasize wellness and spa services, or be “dude ranch like”. Several sounded intriguing, but they didn’t fit my somewhat prejudiced view of what an AI is like. And of course there are still a few of the grand old resort hotels that offer American Plan - like the hotel on Mackinac Island and the ones in Virginia and West Virginia - The Homestead and the Greenbriar. And there’s BlackBerry Farm....

Not sure about the Club Med, but most of the others weren’t completely all-inclusive, alcohol was often extra and sometimes certain spa services and excursions.

But that is no different than a cruise.

 I’m following this thread with interest, because a luxurious stateside AI may be it for us for the May trip.

 

Oh, and The Williamsburg Inn, our last anniversary before we became parents was there - lovely, romantic, great service.

Thanks for all of the info.  I think I did the same search. I found this link and also found AI's in the Florida Keys.

 

 https://travel.usnews.com/gallery/10-top-all-inclusive-resorts-in-the-usa

 

It is our 40th anniversary too but next week.  Cruise was cancelled so I would settle for just a nice (indoor) dinner with immediate family at a restaurant.  Our area in PA has recently opened up this option.  All social distancing guidelines apply of course   I was not looking at having a dinner outside in the heat and humidity this time of year.

[K.T.B.]

7 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Thanks for all of the info.  I think I did the same search. I found this link and also found AI's in the Florida Keys.

 

 https://travel.usnews.com/gallery/10-top-all-inclusive-resorts-in-the-usa

 

It is our 40th anniversary too but next week.  Cruise was cancelled so I would settle for just a nice (indoor) dinner with immediate family at a restaurant.  Our area in PA has recently opened up this option.  All social distancing guidelines apply of course   I was not looking at having a dinner outside in the heat and humidity this time of year.

 

My wife and I wanted to go to Mackinac Island last year, but every date we picked seemed to be filled up, mainly with large groups of people.  And we were going on what would normally be a slow weekend for most places.  IMO, I'd never try to go there again, not worth the aggravation.

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, K.T.B. said:

 

My wife and I wanted to go to Mackinac Island last year, but every date we picked seemed to be filled up, mainly with large groups of people.  And we were going on what would normally be a slow weekend for most places.  IMO, I'd never try to go there again, not worth the aggravation.

Thanks for the input. Some friends visited the island a year or so ago, while helping move their daughter who was in Detroit at the time and enjoyed the atmosphere - but I don’t think they stayed at the famous old hotel.

 

It is hard for us to fill the cruising hole. We can and do go to the beach yearly, and we have a vacay house in the mountains that we rent out (when we go there, it is more work than play), but it’s not the same. The pesky cooking, cleaning and dishes get in the way.

 

 I agree that the virus will be with us for a long time to come, but I also think things may look different in about 8 months when vaccines begin to come available. Fingers crossed.

[K.T.B.]

28 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Thanks for the input. Some friends visited the island a year or so ago, while helping move their daughter who was in Detroit at the time and enjoyed the atmosphere - but I don’t think they stayed at the famous old hotel.

 

It is hard for us to fill the cruising hole. We can and do go to the beach yearly, and we have a vacay house in the mountains that we rent out (when we go there, it is more work than play), but it’s not the same. The pesky cooking, cleaning and dishes get in the way.

 

 I agree that the virus will be with us for a long time to come, but I also think things may look different in about 8 months when vaccines begin to come available. Fingers crossed.

 

Agreed about the vaccines.  I am hopeful that the one developed by Oxford passes all its tests (so far so good though!) and will available for distribution by mid-October from AstraZeneca.  That is their goal!

 

By January I think  (hope) cruising and vacationing in general will be amping up after vaccines are out.

[Fouremco]

57 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Agreed about the vaccines.  I am hopeful that the one developed by Oxford passes all its tests (so far so good though!) and will available for distribution by mid-October from AstraZeneca.  That is their goal!

 

By January I think  (hope) cruising and vacationing in general will be amping up after vaccines are out.

Even if their vaccine is approved for distribution in October, which I doubt, I think that it is overly optimistic to believe that it will have an impact on cruising by January. Global availability in meaningful numbers and the resources required to actually administer the vaccine will mean a long delay before there are enough passengers vaccinated to have an impact on cruising. 

 

[yorky]

Zero interest in doing another all Inclusive hotel. We have done a few in the past, the last couple being Tunisia and the Dominican Republic where we had armed guards at the gate and felt like prisoners with advice given on where to go and not go we were just bored solid after day 4 of a 14 night stay. Every day felt like Groundhog Day with the guys getting approached by local women of a certain repute at the hotel even when with their wife’s and insults getting thrown at all of us by porters loading luggage as we were leaving. We decided after that we would do short hotel breaks only and spend twice a year in holiday cottages in Yorkshire visiting my family. We have done the whole Disney family break in a villa which was fun but nothing compares to cruising for us.

[Denny01]

I haven’t read all the posts, but if cruising is a concern because we are in the middle of a Pandemic, going to a resort is a good option??

 

1. Flying to Mexico means many hrs in a confined space sharing air and spaces with strangers and a mask lowers the risk but the risk is still high. This is a ‘good idea’?

2. Sharing dining, bar, dance floors and other common areas with a bunch of strangers is a good idea? Wearing a mask in these places makes the experience so much more ‘fun’?

3. Realizing that some resort shows how participants aren’t experiencing COVID is a indicator that it is low risk? As occurs in most group gatherings, the participants catch COVID, head home and the reports show up ‘back home’. 

4. Coming home after sharing common areas and experiences with a bunch of strangers and spreading COVID is a great idea? Wouldn’t isolating for 2 weeks after returning be a good idea?

5. The EU blocked US travelers for a good reason, so you go to a resort, flying the same amount of time it takes to get to Europe, be in crowds with people who have a higher risk of being a carrier, all this is a good idea?

6. I’m in a vacation location and our numbers have skyrocketed after we opened the beaches, the bars, the rentals. But we just cancelled a major festival and starting to relook at many other high risk situations we’ve allowed to grow. 

 

I’ll stick with social distancing, including not getting into an airplane or ‘enjoying’ a resort with many others. 

 

Den

[yorky]

18 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Even if their vaccine is approved for distribution in October, which I doubt, I think that it is overly optimistic to believe that it will have an impact on cruising by January. Global availability in meaningful numbers and the resources required to actually administer the vaccine will mean a long delay before there are enough passengers vaccinated to have an impact on cruising. 

 

Afraid I now agree, that’s why we just did the left and shift next Feb to the following year, too many things that could still go wrong.

[K.T.B.]

41 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Even if their vaccine is approved for distribution in October, which I doubt, I think that it is overly optimistic to believe that it will have an impact on cruising by January. Global availability in meaningful numbers and the resources required to actually administer the vaccine will mean a long delay before there are enough passengers vaccinated to have an impact on cruising. 

 

 

Well, they're already in production for worldwide distribution.  By mid-October they will have over 3 billion doses ready to go.  The US will be getting something like 200 million doses initially.  And AstraZeneca is not charging a dime on these.

 

Next to cruising, this is one thing I've been following very closely!  

[Jeremiah1212]

4 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Going to an AI in the future would be similar to a cruise regarding social distancing, wearing a mask, etc, etc-- 

Pas pour moi, merci ( Not for me, thank you ) .

 

FWIW, most of the AI's in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area do not require guests to wear masks and no guests seem to be doing so either. Staff are wearing them, but at one particular resort chain the masks staff are wearing are modified face shields that have very debatable effectiveness. If I had a trip to a Mexican AI scheduled soon, I would be reconsidering...

[Fouremco]

6 minutes ago, K.T.B. said:

 

Well, they're already in production for worldwide distribution.  By mid-October they will have over 3 billion doses ready to go.  The US will be getting something like 200 million doses initially.  And AstraZeneca is not charging a dime on these.

 

Next to cruising, this is one thing I've been following very closely!  

When the vaccine first becomes available, I believe that most jurisdictions will establish priority lists for vaccination. The medical profession is an obvious high priority, as are first responders; politicians are sure to be top priority; long term care facilities and nursing homes, given the high number of deaths; and possibly seniors. By time it gets down to everyday folk under 65, there won't be a whole lot left of that initial batch, particularly if a second dose is deemed necessary.

 

I suspect we've all been watching this closely. 😷

 

 

[Pinboy]

36 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

FWIW, most of the AI's in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area do not require guests to wear masks and no guests seem to be doing so either. Staff are wearing them, but at one particular resort chain the masks staff are wearing are modified face shields that have very debatable effectiveness. If I had a trip to a Mexican AI scheduled soon, I would be reconsidering...

Thanks, however,  perhaps I'm a wimp or maybe even smart.

We do not want to take any chances after what happened in the US where some city officials were much too lenient with the rules and welcomed  a " Love in ".  The fact that so many younger people didn't observe anything didn't help either.  

I could see the same crowd at AI's. 

[TeeRick]

20 hours ago, Denny01 said:

I haven’t read all the posts, but if cruising is a concern because we are in the middle of a Pandemic, going to a resort is a good option??

 

1. Flying to Mexico means many hrs in a confined space sharing air and spaces with strangers and a mask lowers the risk but the risk is still high. This is a ‘good idea’?

2. Sharing dining, bar, dance floors and other common areas with a bunch of strangers is a good idea? Wearing a mask in these places makes the experience so much more ‘fun’?

3. Realizing that some resort shows how participants aren’t experiencing COVID is a indicator that it is low risk? As occurs in most group gatherings, the participants catch COVID, head home and the reports show up ‘back home’. 

4. Coming home after sharing common areas and experiences with a bunch of strangers and spreading COVID is a great idea? Wouldn’t isolating for 2 weeks after returning be a good idea?

5. The EU blocked US travelers for a good reason, so you go to a resort, flying the same amount of time it takes to get to Europe, be in crowds with people who have a higher risk of being a carrier, all this is a good idea?

6. I’m in a vacation location and our numbers have skyrocketed after we opened the beaches, the bars, the rentals. But we just cancelled a major festival and starting to relook at many other high risk situations we’ve allowed to grow. 

 

I’ll stick with social distancing, including not getting into an airplane or ‘enjoying’ a resort with many others. 

 

Den

I was at least referring to driving to a resort in the US from my home area.  One within a state that has the virus cases under control like in the Northeast.  Definitely not flying anywhere.  If I became infected I could quarantine at home.  Not isolated on a cruise ship to nowhere or in a foreign country with no travel options.

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Thanks, however,  perhaps I'm a wimp or maybe even smart.

We do not want to take any chances after what happened in the US where some city officials were much too lenient with the rules and welcomed  a " Love in ".  The fact that so many younger people didn't observe anything didn't help either.  

I could see the same crowd at AI's. 

This was one part of one city (Seattle).  The mayor's Summer of Love comment in the CHOP area came back to bite her very hard.  She eventually disbanded it.  Not indicative of the whole US but I am sure it appears that way to the world sometimes.  I personally would avoid any type of resort or AI that attracts younger people.  But I would do that anyway.  COVID or no COVID.  That's why I sail Celebrity and not Carnival.

[Pinboy]

5 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Not indicative of the whole US

Absolutely correct --

I hope like hell Canadians are permitted to enter the US next winter so we can get out of minus 40 degree weather . I also hope like hell there are police to protect us . I also hope like hell my golf game improves later today when I  " hit the links " . 

 

 

[Denny01]

15 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I was at least referring to driving to a resort in the US from my home area.  One within a state that has the virus cases under control like in the Northeast.  Definitely not flying anywhere.  If I became infected I could quarantine at home.  Not isolated on a cruise ship to nowhere or in a foreign country with no travel options.

TeeRick, I understand your specifics, but many are talking about the classic island, out of state and Mexico resorts and so on. I would think the huge majority of us don’t think it is a good idea that even if we can drive to a resort and if we catch the virus we can go home and isolate.......the point is Not to expose in situations not required, and get the virus. 

 

But we each take risks we decide are acceptable. For me, going to a resort that have minimal/no social distancing, no masks required or used much, touching of common items but many others isn’t something I’m going to take part in. I’ve dropped out of ‘social events’ that are hrs long locally let alone spend days or a week in some higher risk venue. 

 

Good luck to all on how you decide what is acceptable. I don’t compare a resort to a cruise because neither are something I’d pick as if one is better than the other in the middle of a Pandemic. 

 

Den

[hcat]

We are so fortunate to have a  lovely lush backyard,  a sunny deck and screened in porch,  plus use of our dtr's  pool a few miles away.  Summer on Long Island is great.,except for a storm we are having today,..much needed rain.  Our local Covid numbers are excellent but we will continue to stay close to home, esp as  more things open up here.....more exposure and possible spread.

 

We'll be hanging out here til Nov when we hope to safely fly to Florida.. we usually go back and forth but once we get there we'll stay put awhile!  Pays to play it safe!

[pumpkin 11]

7 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Absolutely correct --

I hope like hell Canadians are permitted to enter the US next winter so we can get out of minus 40 degree weather . I also hope like hell there are police to protect us . I also hope like hell my golf game improves later today when I  " hit the links " . 

 

 

Why would you want to come to this country!? Our cases are skyrocketing! Stay home forever! forget the vaccine it's all too risky!

[Pinboy]

1 hour ago, pumpkin 11 said:

Why would you want to come to this country!? Our cases are skyrocketing! Stay home forever! forget the vaccine it's all too risky!

Ya ever feel what minus 40 feels like ? 

It's no " Winter of Love " !!!

Trust me, we will not be the first to cruise, or travel away from home anywhere , until we are pretty certain of a safe environment. 

That includes police protection in the places we visit !!! 

" Summer of Love " ???  Really ?????

[George C]

6 hours ago, hcat said:

We are so fortunate to have a  lovely lush backyard,  a sunny deck and screened in porch,  plus use of our dtr's  pool a few miles away.  Summer on Long Island is great.,except for a storm we are having today,..much needed rain.  Our local Covid numbers are excellent but we will continue to stay close to home, esp as  more things open up here.....more exposure and possible spread.

 

We'll be hanging out here til Nov when we hope to safely fly to Florida.. we usually go back and forth but once we get there we'll stay put awhile!  Pays to play it safe!

We can use our backyard pool 6 months out of the year , even though pool water isn’t to refreshing on 100 degrees days, luckily can watch movies on our large screen tv. But I think we will cancel our Florida cruise in November, almost doubt that cruise will sail and really do not want to fly using a mask. Really glad we did a great music charter on infinity in February before everything went crazy. We had same music charter book for next February also but that has been postponed to 2022. Both were in our first great royal suite. Unfortunately not sure when our next cruise or our other favorite vacation which is a trip to New York City will be. 

[K.T.B.]

On 7/9/2020 at 1:22 PM, Fouremco said:

When the vaccine first becomes available, I believe that most jurisdictions will establish priority lists for vaccination. The medical profession is an obvious high priority, as are first responders; politicians are sure to be top priority; long term care facilities and nursing homes, given the high number of deaths; and possibly seniors. By time it gets down to everyday folk under 65, there won't be a whole lot left of that initial batch, particularly if a second dose is deemed necessary.

 

I suspect we've all been watching this closely. 😷

 

 

 

Well, my wife and I are considered high risk with both of us being diabetic, plus I'm 57 and she's 72.  She'd most likely get the vaccine before me.

Edited July 11, 2020 by K.T.B.

[pumpkin 11]

On 7/10/2020 at 7:06 PM, Pinboy said:

Ya ever feel what minus 40 feels like ? 

It's no " Winter of Love " !!!

Trust me, we will not be the first to cruise, or travel away from home anywhere , until we are pretty certain of a safe environment. 

That includes police protection in the places we visit !!! 

" Summer of Love " ???  Really ?????

lol true

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 7/9/2020 at 2:22 PM, Fouremco said:

When the vaccine first becomes available, I believe that most jurisdictions will establish priority lists for vaccination. The medical profession is an obvious high priority, as are first responders; politicians are sure to be top priority; long term care facilities and nursing homes, given the high number of deaths; and possibly seniors. By time it gets down to everyday folk under 65, there won't be a whole lot left of that initial batch, particularly if a second dose is deemed necessary.

 

I suspect we've all been watching this closely. 😷

 

 

 

If schools are forced to reopen, I'll bet that the teachers' unions will be doing HEAVY lobbying for teachers/school staff to be in that initial grouping.

[Fouremco]

2 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

If schools are forced to reopen, I'll bet that the teachers' unions will be doing HEAVY lobbying for teachers/school staff to be in that initial grouping.

And rightly so.