I would definitely agree that whether or not you do an all-inclusive should largely depend on what you wish to do on vacation. I generally like to do a lot of relaxing and a little exploring (including shopping, catamaran/snorkeling trips, a meal or two out, nightlife). To spend a few extra dollars here and there isn't a big deal, though.
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Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle
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I totally agree. But most of these things can happen with resorts that aren't all-inclusive, as well. And I've never had a problem with ANY of these listed items on my vacations (but obviously they can, and do, happen).
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9. "Our drink list is limited."
Enticed by the idea of unlimited drinks on your all-inclusive vacation? While that may be what you're getting according to the most literal definition, don't set your sights too high. For one thing, those resorts that promise top-shelf booze will almost certainly make you ask for it. "I can almost guarantee you," says Terry McCabe, a travel agent in Oakland, N.J., "that when they're pouring you a gin and tonic, they're not pouring you a Tanqueray." And even if some premium-brand liquors are available, variety isn't always a priority. Says John Rachlin, a former Club Med employee: "The clubs have contracts with that country's distributors to serve the most popular local [beer and wine] at meals." Club Med says that it imports its wine from France but that it does contract with local companies to provide almost all the beer at meals.
That isn't the only issue. All-you-can-drink can mean big crowds at the bar. "The brochures say, 'Drinks are unlimited,' but that's only if you're willing to wait in long lines for the one bartender to serve you a drink," says LeAnna Dinardo, an administrative director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, who stayed at Sandals Royal Bahamian a year ago. "We didn't drink that much because of the lines." Sandals' Rivera insists that the bars at Royal Bahamian were fully staffed the week that Dinardo was there.
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First of all, if you want a top-shelf liquor, you have to ask for it, even if you're in the United States. I've worked as a server, and if someone asks for a gin and tonic, I give them house gin. Just like I know that if I go to a bar and ask for a whiskey and Coke, they're going to give me house whiskey. I want Jack, so I ask for that specifically.
And I think only a few times did I have to "wait in line" at a bar at an all-inclusive, if you even want to call it that. Basically, I sat at a stool while the bartender made a drink for one other person and then asked me what I wanted. When I was at the club in the one resort, yes, I had to wait behind a few people, but that will happen in any club, anywhere.
And I love this one:
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4. "Our hurricane guarantee doesn't guarantee much."
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That's why I don't go on vacation in the middle of hurricane season. LOL