Review: AI to X Cruise Comparison

[SusieV]

We just got back on Friday from a week at Palace Resorts' Aventura Spa Palace in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We decided to try out an all inclusive to see if we liked it since we have enjoyed cruising so much.

 

I'm going to try to compare the main features of the resort to our cruise experience overall rather than a specific cruise.

 

Arrival/Embarkation:

Very reminiscent of a Celebrity cruise! As we exited the car, a smiling staff member approached us with cool towels and a glass of champagne. Check in was quick and easy.

 

Verdict: Tie

 

Room:

We had a standard Jacuzzi room which was slightly smaller than a Royal Suite on Celebrity. We also had a private balcony with a hammock that was so relaxing for an afternoon with a good book. There was plenty of storage space, a complimentary minibar, and a liquor dispenser in the room.

 

On Celebrity, we have cruised in staterooms ranging from inside to FV and none was as nice as the resort basic room. We were able to tour a Presidential Suite and it is nearly double the size of the Penthouse on Celebrity- truly fabulous. However, there were some maintenance issues- one night our door rattled and we couldn't figure out how to make it stop. The minibar made a loud humming sound which was a little annoying. The air conditioning also produced an odd smell that we couldn't really figure out- our solution was to shut it off and keep the balcony open at night. Thank goodness it wasn't very hot weather!

 

Despite our love of the FV staterooms on the M class, I have to give the nod to Aventura for nicer accommodations.

 

Verdict: Aventura Spa Palace

 

Food:

This one is no contest. I will admit that in the past we have become a little disillusioned with the food onboard Celebrity ships (only adequate on our last cruise), but despite Aventura getting good reviews for its food on TripAdvisor, we found it decidedly hit or miss. However, one of the nice things about this resort is that is has seven restaurants to choose from and there is no limit to the number of times you may visit them in a week (as at some other resorts), in addition to a sweet shop and snack bars. We found the food at the Asian restaurant to be very good, the Mexican restaurant was also quite good as expected. We found the Italian restaurant to be subpar, and the steakhouse was good (the steak was exquisitely tender). Room service was pretty awful. It took in the neighborhood of 45 minutes to 2 hours to arrive, and you were lucky if you got what you ordered. On two occasions, the glasses were so grimy around the rims that we weren't sure whether or not they had been washed at all.

 

We also did not enjoy the waiting times at restaurants. They do not accept reservations, you simply show up when you want to eat and they tell you how long it will be and give you a beeper. Assuming you didn't show up between 6pm - 6:20pm (no wait), waiting times ranged from 30 minutes to an hour, generally. Although it wasn't so bad because we could just walk over to a bar, we really prefer traditional dining on cruises where our table is waiting for us at a specific time and our server already knows what we like. Although it was nice to have a choice, we really don't enjoy the freestyle type of dining.

 

We did like that once you got in and sat at your table, that your server would bring you an appetizer plate with the house specialties so that you had something to munch on while you decided what to order and also had a chance to sample some things you may not have considered (like fried cheese and banana dumplings!).

 

About half the restaurants at Aventura had a dress code of "formal casual" which meant pants for men and no sandals, and no shorts or swimwear for the ladies. A few times even this code wasn't strictly enforced, but for the most part people respected it.

 

So although we've been increasingly disappointed with the MDR on Celebrity, we still find the specialty restaurants to be a wonderful experience and they simply can't compare to the restaurants at Aventura. Although we enjoyed having such a variety to choose from, we prefer better quality food served in a nicer environment.

 

Verdict: Celebrity

 

Service:

We also found the service to be hit or miss. Tipping was included at this resort but we did bring small bills to thank the staff that helped us enjoy our vacation. We found in several cases that the staff did not seem to enjoy their jobs and it showed in their service. We did have two waiters that were excellent and we tipped accordingly.

 

On Celebrity, we have found the service to be generally excellent. Personally, we do feel that it is a result of the gratuities given at the end of the cruise- please feel free to disagree but I don't want to turn my review into an argument. We did note that since tips were not expected at Aventura that staff did generally seem to provide the minimum or occasionally less service. A few times we even got the run-around from the guest service staff (e.g. "Oh, you have to see Juan-Carlos about that").

 

Verdict: Celebrity

 

Entertainment:

Although in general we aren't really the type of people who partake in the evening entertainment, we found that the nights we did go to the shows, we weren't impressed at all.

 

We go to the occasional show on Celebrity and find them to be of much better quality. We have really enjoyed some entertainment like the comedians but weren't fans of the production shows. However, the shows on Celebrity are of clearly higher production value and are often quite entertaining, so we have to give the nod to Celebrity.

 

Verdict: Celebrity

 

Public Areas:

The pool area at Aventura was truly fantastic. The resort is divided into a North side and a South side (with a shuttle going back and forth every 5 minutes) and the North pool promotes quiet and relaxation while the South side was larger and always had pool activities going. There were even ping pong tables set up in the pool. Except for one packed day, we had little trouble finding chairs right beside the pool.

 

The grounds were constantly being cared for by staff and the interior of the North and South lobbies were always clean. There was a little deterioration of the ceramic tiles on the walls and floor (cracked and repaired) but it wasn't a big deal.

 

On Celebrity, we always enjoyed the public lounges and the Cova Cafe, but we found the pool area lacking. Because of the nature of the limited space, it is very difficult for everyone to have chairs near the pool. Except on sea days, we have never been able to sit near the pool. Not only for the lack of chairs but it always felt so crowded. At the resort, chairs were spaced out and we never felt like we were squished in with a bunch of other people.

 

Verdict: Aventura

 

Casino:

When on vacation, we tend to spend our evenings in the casinos at night. We enjoy playing Hold'Em and blackjack. Celebrity's casinos, although a little small, are certainly adequate for our purposes as long as they don't put those silly PokerPro tables fleetwide- we hate them. We much prefer a table with a live dealer, cards, and chips.

 

Unfortunately, casinos are illegal in Mexico so there wasn't one. We found ourselves with nothing to do in the evenings sometimes so we watched a lot of movies on TV. However, the in-room jacuzzi was amazing so it's not like we were suffering :)

 

Verdict: Celebrity

 

Spa:

I booked an 80 minute aromatherapy massage at Aventura. Their spa facility is very relaxing, with lots of greenery and fountains. On days where you have a spa treatment booked, you have complimentary access to the hydrotherapy pool, the steam rooms and saunas, and all the other facilities. My massage was relaxing, but I didn't find it to be as high quality as other spas I have visited. I also didn't like that after my treatment I was given a sign in book to write my name and I had to circle a face to indicate if I felt my experience was good, neutral, or bad, and write comments in front of the spa attendant. I would have preferred an individual comment card to be completed privately.

 

Outside the spa area, they also have an indoor pool and whirlpool area that was reminiscent of the Thalassotherapy pool on X.

 

On Celebrity, my spa services were always excellent although I did not enjoy the push to buy products at the end of the treatment.

 

Both spas had similar price points.

 

Verdict: Celebrity

 

Amenities:

There were a few little touches that were nice to enjoy at Aventura. First of all, it's an adults only resort (at least until April where they are permitting children on the South side only) so we didn't have to deal with other people's parenting or lack thereof. We also loved the free long distance calls. Any calls from your room to Canada, Mexico, or the USA were complimentary. There was also free internet in both lobbies.

 

And of course, the free alcohol. Although I was unable to enjoy it this trip, it was still nice to be able to order whatever I wanted and not feel pressured to drink it even if I didn't like it since I had paid for it. My husband enjoyed trying a variety of mixed drinks and liquors. The wine, of course, was of poor quality, and there was no premium wine list. We definitely missed Celebrity's wine lists and sommeliers!

 

Both the cruise and the resort offer different options here, and it's hard to say what we prefer. Although we missed the wine, it was nice not to have that big bill stuck under our door on the last evening!

 

Excursions:

When we booked, Palace was offering the Palace Passport promotion, where all of your tours were free. We had a little booklet to select from and we simply booked the tours we wanted and showed up. The tour guides in general were very good and entertaining. We did find that they tried to push people to buy from a specific area of stores (obviously where they got a kickback) but if you had done your research, you would know where the best places to buy were and not to listen.

 

We've generally found Celebrity's excursions to be generally good although we've had the dud here and there. The biggest drawback is how expensive they are and we now prefer to book private excursions in the ports to save money and often get a better experience.

 

Verdict: Aventura

 

Overall:

In general, we've decided that although the resort was nice and we did enjoy the trip, that we definitely prefer cruising. Nothing really beats sitting on your veranda watching the waves go by, waking up each morning in a different port (or sleeping in to a relaxing sea day), being treated like a guest by the staff, and dressing up in the evenings for good food and a fun night in the casino.

 

I don't know when our next cruise will be, under the circumstances, but we're looking forward to a return to Celebrity in the future.

 

I haven't had the opportunity to update my travel blog yet, but please stop back for a visit over the next few days if you'd like to see pictures of the resort! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

[kittyluvrnurse]

We got married here! It was fabulous! All AI's are going to fall short in service and dining options, even if there are 10 restaurants included for free (and all the drinks you want, too!). Aventura is a HUGE playground for adults! :) Cheers!

[Gonzo70]

Nice review. I pretty much had the same feelings when I tried out an AI. I enjoyed it, but I too love being out at sea and getting to see a variety of different ports.

[Texed]

We just got back on Friday from a week at Palace Resorts' Aventura Spa Palace in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We decided to try out an all inclusive to see if we liked it since we have enjoyed cruising so much.

 

Thanks for the comparison.