AI's
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:25 pm
Never done an A.I. before. My girlfriends daughter is getting married at one on Jamaica in March what should I expect.
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Re: AI's
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:39 pm
Free drinks by the pool
Re: AI's
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:54 pm
We have done two AI vacations.
Both provided accomodations, goods, services, food, drinks and activities as described on the resort website/brochere. I can honestly say it was a decent value for the cost.
The "not so good" -
The business model, staffing levels, and bar and restaurant practices are designed to provide the above but not a whole lot more. (exception described below under the good heading)
For example - the beach bar at our last AI had one bartender during peak times. Beer was served in 8oz cups so by the time you got back to your chair, your beer was warm or gone/drank. The wait was so long as there were plenty of people who bring their own 64oz keg type mugs asking for two of them to be filled with frozen drinks each trip to the bar.
Lounge service around the pool and at the beach was slow. At the place we stayed in Mexico, my husband told the waitress straight out that she could expect a $5 tip every time she brought us beers. We drank a lot of beer that day!
The food was fine. I just don't like buffets. At the AIs we visited, the buffets were huge, crowded, noisy and food items were often missing. As people would wait for more shrimp (or whatever) to be brought out the line would grow, creating more of a crowd.
The sit down restaurant reservations were impossible to secure and when we did get one, the waiters were very invested in turning the tables as soon as possible.
We got tired to being on the resort. In the DR, we had no interest in going on any of the excursions and were stopped from walking off the resort by security. In Mexico, we had a good time in PDC and south to Tulum.
The good -
We did both as family trips and had a good time with our family. My mom and her husband go several times a year. They like "not having to waste time eating dinner" so the in and out of the meals appeals to them. They liked playing in the pool with our son, being able to be right on the beach each day, having snorkeling and a dive shop right on site and so on. I think AIs can be a great option for a group trip.
When in Mexico, we upgraded to the higher-end part of the resort and OMG, what a world of difference. It was spectacular. All of our meals were in a waterfront restaurant with daily local seafood specials. Wine and spirits were great quality and no issues with slow service. We could relax at dinner and enjoy the meal and the view. Our son was 4 at the time and the waiters were constantly entertaining him with silly hats made out of tableclothes, little games, special treats, etc. It wasn't that the servers were kissing our butts, it was that they seemed to truly enjoy their jobs. Every morning, I would ask our waiter to bring me what he ate for breakfast and I got to try something new (and Mexican) each day.
We already have another planned for November for my mom's birthday and we are looking forward to it. My mom and her husband are sort of old pros at getting what they want on their AI vacations so I just sit back and let my mom handle it.
Both provided accomodations, goods, services, food, drinks and activities as described on the resort website/brochere. I can honestly say it was a decent value for the cost.
The "not so good" -
The business model, staffing levels, and bar and restaurant practices are designed to provide the above but not a whole lot more. (exception described below under the good heading)
For example - the beach bar at our last AI had one bartender during peak times. Beer was served in 8oz cups so by the time you got back to your chair, your beer was warm or gone/drank. The wait was so long as there were plenty of people who bring their own 64oz keg type mugs asking for two of them to be filled with frozen drinks each trip to the bar.
Lounge service around the pool and at the beach was slow. At the place we stayed in Mexico, my husband told the waitress straight out that she could expect a $5 tip every time she brought us beers. We drank a lot of beer that day!
The food was fine. I just don't like buffets. At the AIs we visited, the buffets were huge, crowded, noisy and food items were often missing. As people would wait for more shrimp (or whatever) to be brought out the line would grow, creating more of a crowd.
The sit down restaurant reservations were impossible to secure and when we did get one, the waiters were very invested in turning the tables as soon as possible.
We got tired to being on the resort. In the DR, we had no interest in going on any of the excursions and were stopped from walking off the resort by security. In Mexico, we had a good time in PDC and south to Tulum.
The good -
We did both as family trips and had a good time with our family. My mom and her husband go several times a year. They like "not having to waste time eating dinner" so the in and out of the meals appeals to them. They liked playing in the pool with our son, being able to be right on the beach each day, having snorkeling and a dive shop right on site and so on. I think AIs can be a great option for a group trip.
When in Mexico, we upgraded to the higher-end part of the resort and OMG, what a world of difference. It was spectacular. All of our meals were in a waterfront restaurant with daily local seafood specials. Wine and spirits were great quality and no issues with slow service. We could relax at dinner and enjoy the meal and the view. Our son was 4 at the time and the waiters were constantly entertaining him with silly hats made out of tableclothes, little games, special treats, etc. It wasn't that the servers were kissing our butts, it was that they seemed to truly enjoy their jobs. Every morning, I would ask our waiter to bring me what he ate for breakfast and I got to try something new (and Mexican) each day.
We already have another planned for November for my mom's birthday and we are looking forward to it. My mom and her husband are sort of old pros at getting what they want on their AI vacations so I just sit back and let my mom handle it.