Cancun All-inclusive - worth it?

[Indy]

Has anyone found out if it is better to exchange into an all inclusive resort; use up your deposit, pay the exchange fee and pay the all inclusive fee - or - book an all inclusive trip through a travel agent? Do they come close in price? Trying to decide which way to go for a May 2007 trip.

 

[jules54]

Most of the all-inclusives in the Cancun area you can also find on RCI extra vacations. That way you don't have to use up your deposit and no exchange exchange fee. The all-inclusive fee is the same either way. I myself don't like all-inclusive as it is so pricey and then your restricted to eating and drinking at the resorts restaurants, but I know that is not what you asked:ignore:
I have booked all-inclusives both ways through exchange(extra vacations) and also with travel agencies or travel clubs. If you plan on staying for 7 nites and can get decent airfare you will save several hundred dollars with RCI. If you only want to go for 4 or 5 nites it might be better to use a travel vender. Most of my experience is with the Palace group(Moon,Cancun,Beach,Sun) If the is the All-inclusive group you are looking at look around the Tug their are some owners that rent their weeks packages quite cheap I believe.

 

[JEFF H]

It often depends on what city you will depart from.
Many large cities have great package deals on Air and all-inclusive hotel packages.
You have to price buying airfare separate, RCI extra Vacation week plus all-inclusive fee and see how it compares.
Using a banked week also varies depending on the value of the week you banked. Its unlikely using a high maintenance fee week would make sense unless you were going to lose it anyways.

Palace resort owners often will sell a single certificate good for a one week stay and competitive prices.

 

[donnaval]

RCI often has the all-inclusives on Last Call for $129. I've also seen them many, many times for rent on Ebay for that amount.

We got "kidnapped" by a Moon Palace rep at the Cancun airport and one of our tour incentives was a day at the resort. We really enjoyed it. However, it was enough to convince us that a full week of doing all-inclusive would about kill us food- and booze-wise Apparently, we have no self-control!

 

[Indy]

If you don't go all inclusive, are there restaurants that are easy to get to? I have never been to Cancun and I have no idea. I always assumed that you needed an all-inclusive since you won't have a car and you always worry about the safety of restaurants.

 

[DianneL]

The public bus transportation in Cancun is great. Buses run often and are inexpensive, about 60 cents in US money. There are plenty of restaurants you can get to by bus in the hotel zone and also in the town of Cancun.

 

[Timeshare Von]

REposted - AI is a ripoff!

We were looking to do Cancun a couple of years ago. Thought about exchanging in through RCI until we learned of the mandetory AI fees. We ended up staying at a T/S resort (Caribbean Village) on the beach, for $110/night total for two of us through Travelocity.com. The rip of it would have been had we traded in (approx $650 cost for MF+RCI exchange for a week) PLUS the $130 per day for the AI fees for two, we would have be had to the tune of $790 for a week!

As it was, we stayed for 10 nights for just over a grand and had a great time!

Timeshares and exchanging into AI resorts is a horrible ripoff.

 

[tonyg]

Indy, Cancun has all kinds of restaurants, many in the hotel zone and more downtown. Most of them are quite good and you have many at each price range. Here is a page I did for first time visitors to Cancun's Royals, which can also give folks staying elsewhere some good tips for Cancun: http://www.geocities.com/tonygraz/triptips.html