What are 'all-inclusive' cruise vacations?

What are 'all-inclusive' cruise vacations?

Dan Ilves (Dan Ilves, CTC, MCC) gives expert video advice on: Will I be bored on a cruise ship?; How safe am I from crime on board a cruise ship? and more...

The cruise industry, when it started, did it's marketing on the concept that they were all-inclusive. This meant that your accommodations were taken care of, your food was taken care of, there were things to do that you didn't have to pay for onboard the ship. If you were on a land-based vacation, you would often have to pay for all your meals, and the restaurants. Today, we can talk about cruises as being all-inclusive because all of those things are still true. However, there's a lot of things that are not included - alcoholic beverages are not included, spa services are not included, and if you want to be in the casino and gamble, that's also your own dime. There's value there but in terms of all-inclusive, it's important for the consumer to understand that there's a certain number of costs and value that they get in booking a cruise, unlike a land vacation. However, there may be additional expenses as well.