The Best All-Inclusive Cruise Lines (With Luxury & Value Options)

Usually, when you book a cruise, you’re not paying for everything upfront. There are some extras that you’re expected to pay at the end, as well as some other optional elements of your cruise that have an additional charge as well.

You can get by on your cruise by only paying for the fare and the compulsory extras, but you might feel like you’re missing out, or you might worry about your budget.

So instead, it’s good to consider an all-inclusive cruise, where everything is covered in the price you pay.

In this guide, I’ll explain your options for all-inclusive cruises. Are they really all-inclusive? Which cruise lines offer all-inclusive deals? We’ll also discuss some other ways to make your cruise feel more inclusive.

What does all-inclusive mean on a cruise?

All-inclusive on a cruise means a cruise that includes some of the extras that you would normally have to pay extra for. Typically, it includes your drinks and your tips for the crew, but depending on the cruise line it may also cover WiFi, shore excursions and more.

There aren’t many cruise lines that are completely ‘all-inclusive’ but then it’s the same with hotels. They don’t include literally everything, but they do include a lot more than you would get if you didn’t book an all-inclusive fare.

Some cruise lines are all-inclusive as standard, and others have all-inclusive fares – where you can choose either a standard fare or pay an upgraded price for all-inclusive.

And on other cruise lines, you can add on extras like a drinks package, and prepay your tips, so that it’s almost like an all-inclusive fare.

I’ll go through the all-inclusive cruise lines now, and you can scroll down to see a summary of what they do and don’t include. Then I’ll cover the cruise lines that have an optional all-inclusive fare, and explain what those upgrades cover.

For the sake of brevity, when I break down the inclusions for each cruise line, I won’t keep repeating the same things that every single cruise line gives you for your fare, regardless of whether they are all-inclusive or not. 

You can assume that all cruise lines include:

• Your accommodation
• Your food in the inclusive restaurants
• A wide variety of daytime and evening entertainment onboard
• Use of the onboard gym and running track

The Best All Inclusive Cruise Lines

Marella Cruises is one of the best value all-inclusive cruise lines you can book. It’s also one of the few that wouldn’t be considered a luxury cruise line, aimed more at people who want a relaxing, mainstream cruise.

Marella is a British cruise line primarily, with a lot of little features aimed at those travelling from the UK, including regional flights from 20 airports around the country, tea and coffee-making facilities in your room, and bars stocked with British drinks.

In terms of being all-inclusive, your cruise fare includes:

• A large selection of drinks, served from 10 am until 2 am each day
• Tips for the crew
• Port fees and taxes
• Flights and international transfers, all controlled by the same company for a seamless travel experience

What you don’t get as part of your fare is:

• WiFi, but it’s very cheap
• Premium drinks, although drinks are individually cheap and you can upgrade for £10 per person, per day to a premium drinks package
• Shore excursions
• Laundry
• Room service
• Spa and beauty treatments

Read more: 13 Things To Love About Marella Cruises

If you’re looking for an adults-only all-inclusive cruise, then Marella Explorer 2 is the ship to choose, as the other Marella ships are all family-friendly.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is widely regarded as one of the most luxurious cruise lines in the world. It’s also one of the most expensive – you don’t get the incredible six-star service of your own personal butler for cheap.

Aimed at those who want the finest things in life, a Regent Seven Seas cruise includes a long list of benefits as part of your fare:

• Unlimited drinks
• Unlimited shore excursions
• Flights and international transfers
• Upgrades to Business Class flights on selected itineraries (depending on your suite)
• 1-night pre-cruise hotel stay (depending on your suite)
• 2-night or 3-night land programmes before or after your cruise (selected itineraries)
• Mini bar drinks replenished daily
• Gratuities
• Port fees and taxes
• All speciality restaurants
• Unlimited WiFi
• Laundry services
• Room service

You still don’t quite get everything included though, as you’ll have to pay extra if you want:

• Spa treatments
• Domestic transfers from your home to the airport

It’s worth shopping around though as a lot of travel agents will arrange free chauffeur transfers to and from the airport if you’re booking an expensive Regent Seven Seas package with them.

3. Saga

Saga is a cruise line that is specifically aimed at the over-50s. This is the cruise line to choose if you want small-ship luxury that is targeted towards a more mature audience, where everything is just made easy for you.

No loud families, no hectic schedules – just a relaxing cruise that has everything you need.

It’s also one of the more inclusive cruise lines on this list as your cruise fare includes all of the following as standard:

• All drinks served by the glass
• A selection of shore excursions in every port
• Domestic transfers from your home to the port (all cruises sail from the UK)
• Speciality dining in five restaurants on the ship
• Gratuities
• Port fees and taxes
• Unlimited WiFi
• Room service
• Travel insurance

The travel insurance inclusion is a unique one, but it makes sense considering how some Saga cruisers may pay more for their travel insurance normally if they’re older.

The only things you’ll need to pay for separately on your Saga cruise are:

• Spa treatments
• More premium shore excursions
• Laundry

4. Seabourn

Seabourn is another ultra-luxury cruise line that targets those who want an exceptional onboard experience, including the incredible service that only a crew on a small, high-end ship can provide. This is more than just a waiter learning your name and drink order – this is the full concierge experience at your beck and call.

The cruise line doesn’t offer the same inclusions as Regent Seven Seas does, but itineraries tend to cost less, so it’s a balancing act – your Seabourn cruise could work out to be similar value when you add the extra costs of what’s missing.

But what you do get is:

• All drinks served by the glass
• Speciality dining
• Gratuities
• Port fees and taxes
• Surf WiFi (upgraded Stream WiFi included for selected suites)
• Room service
• Mini bar drinks, replenished daily
• Self-service laundry

You’ll need to pay extra for the following:

• Flights and transfers
• Shore excursions

5. Silversea

Silversea is another excellent choice if you’re looking for a truly luxury cruise holiday. Silversea’s small ships include some of the most stunning accommodations at sea, with every room having its own butler. Silversea is essentially a direct competitor to Regent Seven Seas.

The inclusions for Silversea are similar to Regent, although not identical. What you do get it:

• Unlimited drinks
• Flights and international transfers
• Mini bar drinks, replenished daily
• Gratuities
• Port fees and taxes
• All speciality restaurants
• Unlimited WiFi
• Self-service laundry
• Room service
• At least one complimentary shore excursion in each port

What isn’t included:

• Spa treatments
• Domestic transfers from your home to the airport

The key difference here is with the shore excursions – Regent Seven Seas offer unlimited shore excursions with no charge, while Silversea offers a range of free excursions, and some paid ones too. Otherwise they are very similar all-inclusive experiences, so your choice may come down to the itineraries on offer.

You can also now choose a fare which doesn’t include your airfare or excursions, if you want a cheaper price, but only on selected cruises.

6. Viking

Famous originally for its river cruising, Viking’s ocean cruise ships also offer exceptional quality and luxury since their launch in 2013. Ships are modern and, just like their river cruise sisters, designed to take guests to the heart of some of the world’s best destinations.

Viking describes the cruise fare as including “everything you need – and nothing you don’t”. What you actually get is:

• Return flights from London and selected regional airports
• Free WiFi
• Free beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
• 24-hour speciality coffees, teas and bottled water
• Port taxes and fees
• Gratuities
• Self-service laundry
• Speciality dining
• Room service
• One complimentary shore excursion in every port

What you don’t get with Viking is:

• Spa treatments
• Domestic transfers from your home to the airport
• Alcoholic and soft drinks outside of meal times

With that last point, it may not matter much to you – the idea of a Viking cruise is to get out and explore the world, so you may not spend a lot of time on the ship when you aren’t eating. You may notice it in the evening though, as you relax with your entertainment and need to pay for your own drinks.

7. Scenic

Scenic is another cruise line that has made the move from river cruises to ocean ships, and they’ve brought their own brand of luxury to the open seas.

Scenic, similar to Viking, uses smaller ships to explore the most thrilling destinations around the world, including tropical islands, historic cities and expedition ships suited to the Antarctic.

Scenic’s inclusions list is pretty comprehensive too:

• Return flights and transfers
• All drinks
• All speciality dining
• Gratuities
• Port fees and taxes
• Shore excursions
• WiFi
• Private chauffeur transfers from home to the airport (selected itineraries)
• Room service
• Mini bar, restocked daily

In fact, the only thing you’ll need to pay extra for on a Scenic cruise is any spa treatments you want to enjoy.

Suggested read: Scenic vs Emerald Cruises

All-Inclusive Cruise Lines Compared

Here’s a summary of all the above all-inclusive cruise lines, and everything you get with your fare.

Cruise line	Marella Cruises	Regent Seven Seas	Saga	Seabourn	Silversea	Viking	Scenic
Drinks included	Yes (not all)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	At meal times	Yes
Speciality dining	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Room service	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gratuities	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shore excursions	No	Yes	Some	No	Some	Some	Yes
WiFi internet	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Flights + international transfers	Yes	Yes	N/A	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Home transfers	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Some
Mini bar	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Spa treatments	No	No	No	No	No	No	No

Cruise Lines With All-Inclusive Fares

These are the cruise lines that aren’t all-inclusive by default, but that offer cruise fare packages that rival the all-inclusive lines.

The difference here is that you can choose whether you pay for the upgraded fare, or you pay for the standard fare and then add on just the things you want to pay for separately.

Paying the upgraded fare usually works out to be better value, but only if you would otherwise have bought each element individually.

1. Celebrity Cruises

For a time, Celebrity Cruises was all-inclusive – it was a change the cruise line made in 2020, and for two years it was the only option you could book. However, in 2022, the cruise line reintroduced a cruise-only fare, meaning that all-inclusive became optional once again.

 

If you choose the All Included cruise fare, you’ll get everything you would normally get in a standard cruise fare as well as:

• A Classic Drinks Package
• Basic WiFi

The Classic Drinks Package normally costs from $89 per person, per day but does vary, and it includes all drinks on the ship up to the value of $10. Any drinks more expensive than this get the $10 discounted, and you also get 15% off any wine bought by the bottle.

The Basic WiFi package is the entry-level WiFi on the ship, so it’s useful for low bandwidth jobs like checking emails or sending messages to family. It normally costs from $20 per day.

So considering the average upgrade to All Included is $80 per person, per day, it makes sense to upgrade if you would make use of the drinks package and WiFi.

But you still don’t get:

• Speciality dining meals
• Premium WiFi
• Room service between 11pm and 6am ($4.95 surcharge)
• Shore excursions
• Tips

You did used to get tips included, but that has changed now.

2. Princess Cruises

With Princess Cruises, you have the choice between three different cruise fares. Princess Standard is, as the name suggests, the standard fare that you can choose with none of the extras added in.

Princess Plus is the next level level up, and includes everything you get in the Standard fare, as well as:

• A Plus Beverage Package (all drinks up to $15)
• WiFi for one device
• Tips
• 2 premium desserts per day
• 2 fitness classes per cruise
• Unlimited drinks from the juice bar
• 2 casual meals per guest
• OceanNow delivery
• Room service delivery

If you want to go one further, you can instead choose the Princess Premier package, which includes everything from the Standard fare as well as:

• A Premier Beverage Package (all drinks up to $20)
• WiFi for four devices per person
• Tips
• 2 speciality dining meals per cruise
• Unlimited digital photos and two photo prints
• Unlimited premium desserts
• Unlimited fitness classes
• Unlimited drinks from the juice bar
• Unlimited casual dining
• OceanNow delivery
• Room service delivery
• Reserved seating in the theatre
• The chance to win cash up to $100,000

Princess Plus costs $60 (£50) per person, per day while Princess Premier costs £80 (£65) per person, per day.

Read more: Princess Premier Vs Princess Plus

3. Holland America Line

In 2021, Holland America Line introduced their ‘Have It All’ fare, which offers four additional benefits as part of an all-inclusive upgrade. Costing from $99 per person, per day, the cruise line says that it gets you at least a 50% discount on buying each element separately.

You get:

• Shore excursions
• Free drinks package
• Speciality dining
• WiFi internet access

The drinks package and the WiFi are fixed – you get a Signature Beverage Package with 15 drinks per day included, and a WiFi Surf package, suited to checking messages and emails.

But the number of shore excursions and speciality dining meals you get depends on the length of your cruise.

Cruise length	Shore excursions	Specialty dining	Drink package	WiFi
6 to 9 days	1 excursion	1 meal	Signature Beverage Package	WiFi Surf
10 to 20 days	2 excursions	2 meals	Signature Beverage Package	WiFi Surf
21 days or more	3 excursions	3 meals	Signature Beverage Package	WiFi Surf

It’s also worth clarifying that the shore excursions are worth up to $100 – choose a cheaper excursion and you get it free. Choose one that costs more than $100 and you get the $100 discounted from the price.

4. Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL is another cruise line that has different tiers of cruise fare. You can choose to book a standard cruise, or you can instead opt for either Free at Sea or the Free at Sea Plus package.

With both, you’re getting drinks included, some speciality dining meals, money towards your shore excursions and WiFi internet access to use during your cruise, but how much you get of everything depends on the fare you choose.

Offer	Drinks	Speciality Dining	Excursions	WiFi
Free at Sea	Select drinks up to $15. Unlimited soft drinks and juice	2 meals	$50 towards 1st guest’s excursions in each port	150 minutes on a 7 night cruise (varies on cruise length)
Free at Sea Plus	Premium Plus Beverage Package	4 meals	$50 each (2 guests) in each port	Unlimited

The Free at Sea and Free at Sea Plus upgrade prices vary depending on the length of the cruise and any special offers NCL is running at the time, so it’s worth checking the cost before you book, and seeing how much of these inclusions you’re likely to use when you determine whether it’s worth paying the extra fee.

Suggested read: NCL Free At Sea Specialty Dining Explained

5. Fred. Olsen

On a Fred. Olsen cruise, you’re able to add on an all-inclusive drinks package when you book your itinerary.

The drinks package is relatively low cost compared to many other cruise lines – just £24.99 per adult per night – and it includes:

• Soft drinks by the glass
• Red, white and rose wine by the glass
• Cava by the glass
• Selected bottled and canned beers and ciders
• Selected house spirits
• A cocktail of the day

Final word

Choosing an all-inclusive cruise isn’t right for everyone.

If you’re not someone who drinks a lot during a cruise holiday, or you don’t care about using the WiFi or the speciality restaurants, you might be paying more for an all-inclusive service that you aren’t making the most of.

But, if you are likely to use at least some of the included elements, going all-inclusive can really help you relax.

You don’t have to think about your budget during your cruise – it’s already taken care of. It’s one less thing to think about, and a pretty hefty thing at that.

If you’re sailing with a cruise line that offers all-inclusive fares as an option though, definitely work out whether it’s worth you paying the upgraded price or paying for a standard fare and only paying for what you use – you could save a lot of money.

Related Posts:

• The Ultimate Guide to Cruise Drink Packages
• How Much A World Cruise Costs
• What’s Included in a Royal Caribbean Cruise?
• The Best Adult-Only Cruises