This weekend we’re headed to Disneyland Paris (not that there’s anything wrong with that).  We’re going on a package deal – which, if you believe the hype, is the only way for families to travel.  It’s got me thinking about all-inclusive deals – and why families shouldn’t always take them at face value.

Because “value” is the word du jour when it comes to travel these days, is it not?  European families love to visit properties that offer what they call “half-pension” – a package deal that includes breakfast and dinner meals along with your room.  And many of my American friends now look out for all-inclusive package stays – or “the land-based cruise ship option,” as I sometimes refer to it – where all food and drinks (including beer, wine and crippling-hangover-inducing brands of liquor) are included.  For both options, there’s the promise of a lot of value.  And who doesn’t want to get a great deal when they are looking at dropping good money for a family vacation?  (And, more importantly, who can resist the siren’s call of free drinks?* You know, I love ‘em).

But I think we, as families, need to ask a few questions before signing on the dotted line for an all-inclusive package.  Otherwise, you may be dropping a lot more cash than you might think for your supposed inexpensive and inclusive deal.

1.  What are the dining options on-site?

Big resorts often have several restaurants you can eat at – some buffet, some sit-down.  And if your all-inclusive pass allows you to roam freely at mealtime, you are in luck.  Unfortunately, when you look at the fine print, you’ll often find you are limited to one or two restaurants.  Find out if this is the case – and then, make sure it’s family-friendly eating.  At one all-inclusive resort, a friend told me it was all sit-down seafood with no child-friendly options for picky kids.  They didn’t end up saving that much when they found themselves buying the kids $20 cheeseburgers at the pool bar every night.

2.  What are the dining options nearby?

If your hotel is situated in a town, there may be plenty of other restaurants and cafes nearby.  Eating at the same restaurant night after night (or doing the buffet thing three times a day) isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  And if your kids are tweens, you may find them uttering the dreaded “b” word (booooooooooooring) after seeing that the resort is serving mystery chicken AGAIN.  If there are plenty of other dining options within a short walk, you may find you are skipping your included meals to grab something elsewhere.  Again, not such a great value.

3.  Will the property make any meal exceptions?

Are you planning to go off the resort for excursions and other kinds of exploring?  Certainly there’s something to be said for spending your week’s vacation at the resort and only at the resort sometimes.  But say you do plan to gallivant.  What is the property’s policy on included meals then?  Good properties will pack you up a breakfast, lunch or dinner to go with a little advance notice.  Of course, these to-go meals are not created equal – I’ve had some hotels offer gourmet picnics that thrilled us to bits and others that threw in a dried-up sandwich (which looked suspiciously like the ones for sale at the airport kiosk) in a paper sack with a pre-packaged cookie and tiny bottle of water.  And sadly, many more properties say “tough luck” if you are off-site and let you fend for yourself.  If the idea of staying close enough to the hotel to make your meals each day makes you cranky, you may not find the value you were seeking either.

4.  What are the set mealtimes?

Which leads me to the last point, when does the property serve meals?  My kid wakes up with the sun and likes to eat his dinner around 6 – and he gets really, really cranky we postpone his meals too long.  If the property only serves food at times that are in direct opposition to your kid’s eating schedule, once again, you may find yourself buying extra snacks and meals you hadn’t expected.  In our case, it was 10 Euro packages of biscuits (with only 6 stupid cookies in each!) at the hotel’s overpriced gift shop three or four times a day.  Find out when the property serves meals – and see whether it syncs up with your family’s schedule and travel style.  Good properties often allow families to eat a little earlier at the big buffets – it’s a win/win for both your family and the hipster childless couples who believe your children are stinking up the joint.

So there you have it – a few questions to ask to make sure your all-inclusive deal delivers on the value you were hoping for.  Now go forth and consume!  (And if you have any other questions to add, please comment – I’d love to hear them!)

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*Just remember that the likelihood of you deciding to splurge on that $50 bottle of wine offered on the wine list goes up exponentially with every crappy well drink you consume.  I’ve been appalled at some of our bar bills when free booze was on offer.  But sometimes you just need to pair your meal with something other than paint-thinneresque white wine.  Consider this the Number 5 question to ask yourself – how much self-control do you have after you’ve consumed two glasses of what basically amounts to anti-freeze?

March 22nd, 2010 | by Kayt Sukel 5 comments