Margaritaville at Sea

Margaritaville is one of the newest cruise lines at sea. As such, even veteran cruisers might not know what to expect on a ship where it's always 5 o'clock onboard! 

All jokes aside, I recently sailed onboard Margaritaville at Sea's newest ship, the Islander, on a 4-night getaway from Tampa to Progreso, Mexico. While most of the overall cruise experience was consistent with what you might expect on popular lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival, there were a few distinct features that set Margaritaville apart. 

Welcome guest writer Georgia Burgess! Georgia is an engineer in Dallas, Texas. While she does have a long-standing love of travel, she will be the first to tell you that her favorite place to go is home because that’s where her dog is. In her free time, she can typically be found knitting with her friends, on a walk with her dog, or watching Dallas Stars hockey.

Many cruisers won't sail without a drink package. Rather than paying for each drink individually, drink packages let you pay a daily price for an unlimited or a set number of beverages. They're great for convenience and to help establish a budget before embarkation. 

Most people have heard of cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian. However, there’s a relatively new player in the market: Margaritaville at Sea.

Margaritaville at Sea launched its first ship, the Paradise, in May 2022. A year later, the ship underwent a massive two-week dry dock before re-entering service in June. However, the cruise line launched another vessel in June 2024: Margaritaville at Sea Islander. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to stay in a Grand Terrance Suite on Margaritaville’s newest cruise ship on a 4-night voyage from Florida to Mexico and was more impressed than I thought I would be. 

Margaritaville at Sea’s Islander started as Costa Atlantica, offering cruises for Costa from 2000 until 2019. However, Margaritaville didn't purchase the ship until 2023. 

In August 2022, I cruised on Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise ship for the very first time. When I stepped onboard, the ship had only been operated by Margaritaville at Sea for three months. I was prepared for the unexpected and boarded the ship with an open mind to see what the brand brought to the high seas. 

Margaritaville At Sea is one of the newest cruise lines to hit set sail within the industry. Those who are fans of the cultural music sensation Jimmy Buffett are sure to have heard of this latest addition to the brand, and are donning their flip flops already!

Jimmy Buffet's new cruise line, Margaritaville At Sea, sails two-night cruises on an older, refurbished ship that is very enticing for the low prices you can find.

The new cruise line has chosen to convert, refurbish, and re-theme an older vessel for its purposes of bringing guests on a quick visit to The Bahamas, and has named its first ship Paradise. 

The rumor mill is ablaze with speculation that one cruise ship owned by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has been sold to be scrapped.

The Grand Celebration cruise ship, which is one of two ships owned by Bahamas Paradise, is scheduled to sail to Bhavnagar, India, which is known for its scrap yard.

Tradewinds spoke with CEO Oneil Khosa, who denies the ship has been sold at all.