Best cruise deals for all-inclusive voyages
All-inclusive cruises can look pricey but they offer tremendous value if you pick the right ones.
More cruise lines are offering all-inclusive packages either as standard or as an optional upgrade to the base fare. They can look pricey but offer tremendous value, covering things such as drinks from the bar, wi-fi and crew tips, so you can get on with enjoying your holiday. Travellers should read the fine print carefully. Each line has a different definition of what “all-inclusive” means, especially when it comes to drinks. Whether you’re looking for luxury or just want the basics covered, here are nine of the best all-inclusive cruises available now.
1. Panama Canal adventure
Oceania Cruises has revamped its fare inclusions with Simply More, an almost-all-inclusive deal that offers dining in all the speciality restaurants on board (for which the line has won multiple awards), wi-fi, shore excursion credit and – new for this cruise line – a choice of wines, beers and champagne with meals. Passengers still have to pay for bar drinks, and crew tips are added to their account. Put it to the test on a 16-night journey in late December, sailing on Insignia from Miami to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal.
Details: Sixteen nights from $6540 a person, twin-share, including drinks with meals and wi-fi; departs Miami on December 29, 2023.
2. Greece with extras
Several cruise lines have recently put up the prices of their all-inclusive upgrades but Princess Cruises claims to have thrown more in to justify it. You can buy a Princess Plus deal for $65 a person a day (which the line claims is worth $170), which includes wi-fi, crew tips, drinks up to $22 each, two “premium” desserts, two fitness classes to wipe out those desserts, and two meals in the less fancy speciality restaurants. It’s decent value; a seven-night cruise from Athens to Barcelona visits Corfu, Kotor, Messina and Naples.
Details: Seven nights all-inclusive from $2042 a person, twin-share, including tips and wi-fi; departs Athens on September 7, 2024.
3. Along the Seine
Luxurious Uniworld is one of the most generous of the river cruise lines: all meals and drinks, excursions, use of bicycles, tips and wi-fi are included. Sail on the opulent SS Joie de Vivre, which has beautiful lounges, an indoor pool that turns into a drinking den after dark and a bistro serving French classics. The vessel travels from Paris through Normandy with stops at Giverny, Rouen, Caudebec-en-Caux for pretty Honfleur and Mantes-la-Jolie for Versailles.
Details: Seven nights all-inclusive from $4799 a person, twin-share, including tips, wi-fi and excursions; departs Paris on March 17, 2024.
4. Autumn colours
Silversea also offers a generous amount of inclusions. Its “Door to Door” cruises offer a chauffeur-driven car to and from the airport as well. There’s still time to see the blazing autumn colours of North America’s east coast on a voyage on the smart Silver Shadow this October from New York to Quebec City, visiting Newport, Boston for an overnight, Portland, Halifax and Charlottetown before sailing the Saguenay River into Quebec.
Details: Ten nights all-inclusive from $7650 a person, twin-share, including tips, wi-fi and excursions; departs New York on October 25, 2023
5. All-inclusive Alaska
Imagine sending your laundry off every day and having it returned, wrapped in tissue, in a presentation box. That’s just one of the perks with Regent Seven Seas which, although expensive, throws in more than any other cruise line. All dining, drinks, a huge choice of excursions, pre-cruise hotels, tips and wi-fi are included. Alaska is a great place to go all-inclusive as excursions are pricey. On this cruise from Vancouver to Seward, guests can go whale-watching and bear-spotting, sailing on the ultra-luxe Seven Seas Explorer.
Details: Seven nights all-inclusive from $4433 a person, twin-share; departs Vancover on May 1, 2024.
6. Iberian adventure
Viking’s cool, Scandi-chic ships have a lot going for them. There are no cover charges for restaurants and wi-fi, and wine with meals, tips, access to the spa’s thermal suite are all thrown in. Some excursions are included. Every cabin has a balcony, so you can take in the shores of the Iberian Peninsula on a voyage from Bergen in Norway to Barcelona.
Details: Fourteen nights full board from £5340 ($10,052) a person, twin-share, including drinks with meals, an excursion in every port, wi-fi and tips; departs from Bergen on September 16, 2024.
7. Italy in depth
What’s pleasing about Azamara’s mid-sized ships is the extra value. Yes, you have to pay a supplement for wi-fi and the two speciality restaurants, but the food in the main dining room is excellent. A decent array of drinks is included, as is proper coffee and crew tips. The line focuses on smaller ports too: an Italy Intensive voyage on Azamara Quest calls at Sorrento, Amalfi and Portovenere.
Details: Seven nights all-inclusive from $2463 a person, twin-share, including tips; departs Rome on May 11, 2024.
8. No-fly Canaries
Saga’s two stylish, 999-passenger ships are fabulous for budgeting because so much is included. Guests can eat in the speciality restaurants (in the case of Spirit of Adventure, an Italian, a superb Nepalese and a supper club) and bar drinks are part of the deal, as well as decent wines with meals. Saga’s cruises for the over-50s sail from British ports and a 14-night Canary Island Medley whisks sailors from Portsmouth to Madeira, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Coruna.
Details: Fourteen nights all-inclusive from £3288 ($6637) a person, twin-share, including tips, wi-fi and some excursions; departs Portsmouth on December 4, 2023.
9. Affordable fjords
Celebrity Cruises offers the chance to upgrade to all-inclusive on a seven-night Norwegian Fjords cruise. Passengers sail from Southampton to Flam, Olden and Bergen, and are treated to menus by a Michelin-starred chef, 10 chic bars and lounges, access to a fitness centre, and an adults-only solarium. Other perks include free parking at the port, excellent kids’ clubs and sophisticated entertainment that wouldn’t be out of place in the West End or on Broadway.
Details: Seven nights all-inclusive from $2815 a person, twin-share, including tips and wi-fi; departs Southampton on June 8, 2024.
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