Should ALL cruises go to All Inclusive??

Following on from last weeks announcement, where Norwegian cruise lines broke the news that all of there cruises were going to be All Inclusive. I wanted to write this blog on whether or not all the other cruise liners should follow suit or do you prefer the full board aspect of things.

Typically on most cruise lines you pay your price up front and this generally includes most of your food and your entertainment. In some areas of the ship you can get soft drinks and teas and coffee’s. With the fact that Norwegian has now gone all inclusive they are now offering a wide range of premium alcoholic and no alcoholic packages as well as any service charges and gratuities. It used to be some of the 6 star liners that offered this service however after seeing some of the prices of these cruises it could be enough to put the mass market off. If you do break it down though you will notice that you are not actually paying that much more than a traditional 5 star cruise with a 6 star service. Now Norwegian have jumped on board with this it could be a game changer.

Since starting in the cruise business over 10 years ago I have seen more and more cruise liners offering drinks packages but only for a limited time. What I have also noticed is that more and more customers are asking for a drinks package to be included. I think customers want to know exactly what they have to pay up front without getting on board and seeing there could be some hidden charges.

I would personally prefer the ships to be all inclusive from the start. I would rather pay another couple of hundred pounds upfront and know exactly what I am getting. Most hotels offer All inclusive so why don’t all cruise liners do it. I understand they want a cheap lead in price to entice you to book however i believe it would work out better value in the long run to pay a bit more up front.

I would be interested in putting this to a vote and see what people think. Has anyone done All inclusive before? What are your thoughts on this and is that what you would go for again? Is there anyone who prefers the full board option. Maybe you dont drink to much and don’t think that value is worth it. Either way let me know.