Cruise ship worker reveals main difference between all inclusive holiday at sea vs in a hotel

Cruises are a pretty popular type of holiday, but it turns out there are plenty of ways in which first-timers can get caught out.

People have become so enthralled by the idea of spending time at sea that they are even selling their homes and taking up permanent residence on boats these days, which is fantastic so long as you can deal with the inevitable 'sea legs' that follow.

Even for just a trip, it seems fun and easy to travel the world by boat and stop off at several different luxurious destinations, while also having all the food and entertainment you could ever need seemingly at your fingertips.

But when it comes to the term all-inclusive, it turns out that there's a significant difference between what you might expect from an all-inclusive hotel or resort, to what you would get if you signed up for that special deal on a cruise ship.

Have you ever thought about swapping your all-inclusive resort holiday for a cruise? (Getty Stock Image)

Cruising as Crew, a popular account on YouTube, has now clarified the difference for any first-time cruisers who may well find themselves paying far more than they expected by the end of a trip.

As always, policies can vary from cruise line to cruise line so it's worth checking out the Ts and Cs before setting sail.

Food on a cruise ship

When you book an all-inclusive package, you expect to have all your food put in front of you and that is certainly the case on a cruise ship.

Even staff have all their food provided for free, so long as they wear the right clothes, so you don't need to worry about cooking anything up if you've paid for these benefits.

Drinks package

While we might see people knock back a few mimosas whenever they feel like it at an all-inclusive resort, the same cannot be said for a cruise ship, unless you're willing to pay extra.

Those cocktails are going to cost a little extra (Getty Stock Image)

A drinks package is something you could be 'prompted to buy', according to the YouTuber, and it's likely to be pretty darn expensive, so you'll probably have to be a heavyweight to get your money's worth.

Prices can differ significantly depending on who you're sailing with and what you're booking. P&O Cruises costs between £48.85 and £60.50 per day for its alcohol packages. In comparison, Royal Caribbean's booze option is around $89 (£66) a day.

Wi-Fi package

While there may be free Wi-Fi in certain areas of the ship, passengers will generally have to shell out extra to get online - and there's often different packages available.

Just because you're on all-inclusive cruise, doesn't mean you'll have WiFi (Getty Stock Image)

One lad even found himself £1,000 out of pocket after his phone continued to perform updates while on the ship's roaming Wi-Fi package, which goes to show that you should always read the terms and conditions.

So, while a cruise ship holiday might seem like a fantastic idea, you might not be able to FaceTime loved ones, scroll on Tinder or watch Snack Wars on YouTube unless you're willing to pay for it.

Tips and gratuities

Unfortunately, cruise ships have seemingly inherited the American attitude of paying their staff using tips, which means it falls upon the customer to ensure they can put food on the table.

This is 'something that a lot of new cruisers get surprised by', according to the cruise ship worker, and can make your all-inclusive deal suddenly seem a lot more expensive.

Failing to pay the staff who have been looking after you by the end of your trip can actually be a pretty bad move.

Speciality excursion or restaurant

This one seems simple enough because sometimes you have to pay more money for extra quality, but in case you were planning on going to a particularly special place to eat or wanted to do a fun activity that isn't necessarily included with the cruise, then guess what, it'll go on your bill.