I've done both AI and non-AI many times. If you like to eat and drink a lot, plus a nice room and zero beach hagglers, then RIU Club has a lot of advantages .... If you drink fewer than six cocktails per day and would ordinarily spend less than 60 per day on food and snacks, then financially it's probably not worth it ....

For a family with kids or groups of 10 or more, an AI can be convenient if you don't want to endure a bunch of two-hour dinners, etc. I can see the value in both ways.