One of the cheapest cruises in the world, the Margaritaville at Sea. Yes, a cruise based on the song Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet. Now you can waste away in Margaritaville while sailing to the Bahamas. The cruise line is fairly new, being rebranded from the Bahamas Paradise Cruise line to Margaritaville at Sea in 2022.
Margaritaville Cruises has the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise ship, a ship built in 1991 that goes from West Palm Beach, Florida to Grand Bahama Island offering 2 and 3-night cruises, and the Margaritaville at Sea Islander with 4 and 5-night cruises from Tampa Bay to Key West and Mexico.
In February 2023, my friend Makenna and I went on the Margaritaville at Sea cruise to the Bahamas. We went one night on the cruise, stayed 5 nights in the Bahamas then took the cruise for one night back to Florida.
Booking:
Prices for the cruise costs roughly around $200. There are often deals on the booking website, with offers on tickets being as low as $50. You can follow Margaritaville at Sea on Instagram or Facebook to see when new sales are on.
Setting Sail: Boarding and First Impressions
We took an Uber and arrived at the port, Port of Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida. When we arrived there was a lot of confusion from other passengers on where to check in. Before entering the building our passports were checked and we headed inside to go through security. After security and checking our bags, we waited in line to check-in. The line was long but moved fast. We were given our room keys, which were also connected to our credit cards and used to make any purchases on board.
In the waiting area before boarding the ship, you can take a souvenir photo, sign up for excursions, and buy drink packages. I purchased the No Doubts package which is a wristband pre-loaded with 10 alcoholic drink credits for $119 USD. We sat in the waiting room for about 10 minutes while they finished getting the ship ready and then we were ready to board!
Stepping onto the ship, you’re greeted with a giant flip-flop statue. This seems to be in the lobbies of most Margaritaville resorts. Now would probably be a good time to mention that before this cruise, neither of us knew anything about Margaritaville or Jimmy Buffet and had never been to any Margaritaville resorts or restaurants.
We were told that the staterooms wouldn’t be available for a few hours as they were still being cleaned, which was expected. We were some of the first people to board the ship and we headed straight to deck 11, the License to Chill deck. This deck is where you’ll find the two pools and hot tubs and had a really lively atmosphere throughout the cruise with music, dancing, and other activities going on throughout the day. We spent most of our time aboard on this deck.
This was my first time on a cruise ship and I was pleasantly surprised with the layout of the ship. Having no idea what to expect before boarding, some parts of the ship felt outdated but overall the decor and layout were nice. The size of the ship is smaller than most but since this boat is used for short cruises, that shouldn’t be a problem.
We relaxed next to the main pool and since we were on the Margaritavile cruise I of course got a margarita. The whole time throughout the cruise they promoted Margaritaville-themed blender cups. Sometimes they would ask you directly if you wanted to buy one to make your drink cheaper, but most of the time they were just advertised in areas throughout the cruise ship and at the cruise port before boarding.
This blender cup add-on was around $20 and was a bigger cup than what is offered at the bar. The first drink is included in the price, with a slightly discounted price for any refills. I opted not to purchase the cup as it didn’t seem like a good deal to me and I didn’t want to carry it around, but plenty of people on board had the cup. More on that later.
Stateroom:
Our room took about two or three hours after boarding to be ready, which we expected. We headed down to our interior stateroom. They delivered our luggage to the room for us. Before this our hotel room was very run down, so this room felt like a 5-star hotel to us.
The beds were comfortable and the decor was nice.
The ship offers interior staterooms (which is what we got), oceanview staterooms, junior suites, and the grand terrace suite which has a balcony and jetted tub. Since the cruise is so short, I don’t think having an interior room would be a worry.
The TVs in the rooms have some uniquely entertaining channels. Our favourite channel had a slideshow of posts from Jimmy Buffett’s Instagram, with his music playing in the background, but they do have regular channels too.
They had a complimentary water bottle in the room and when they delivered our bags and saw there were two of us they brought us another bottle, which was nice. More water bottles were available to purchase for around $5, but we just reused the bottles provided.
Food and Drink options:
We ate at the Port of Indecision buffet for most of our meals on the ship. The food was nothing special but it was good enough for a short cruise. Some of the food was very unpleasant looking but for the most part, it was fine. Around the corner from the buffet is where they have ice cream, this was a very exciting discovery for us.
There was a pizza place on deck 9, the pizza was good although the wait was very long as we went late at night and it was the only food place open at that time. They had complimentary slices of pizza available but to get a a whole pizza, you would need to pay.
I also tried the coffee at the Margaritaville coffee shop the morning before we arrived back in Florida, it was surprisingly really good.
There are 2 other complimentary restaurants on board, Fins Dining, and the Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar.
The premium restaurants are JWB Steakhouse, an upscale option, Frank and Lola’s Pizzeria, and Margaritaville Coffee Shop they also offer room service.
The best bar was on deck 8 at the Euphoria Lounge. Drinks were strong and big
There’s a Margaritaville cup they try to push on you, but to me, it doesn’t seem like a good deal and I didn’t buy the cup as I didn’t want to carry it around.
The waits for the other dining options were very long, which is why we ate at the Port of Indecision buffet for most meals. The dining room at the buffet was often very full, meaning guests needed to take their plates and eat near the pool or take the food to a lower deck. You may want to eat before or after busy times. With the Margaritaville at Sea being a short cruise, I don’t think this is a big problem but it’s something to keep in mind. It would be nice if there were more complimentary food options or a bigger dining area.
Entertainment:
A highlight of the cruise was the sailaway party. This takes place on the pool deck and has a super energetic atmosphere.
They had entertainment throughout the day with music and activities on the pool deck. There’s a daily activity schedule available on TVs throughout the ship and in the staterooms. They had contests which turned out the be a lot of fun. The Golden Soul band was on board at the time we were on the ship and they were so good! We saw them perform a couple of times and their shows were very lively with great music.
A magician and mentalist, Drew Thomas was on board on our first night and the show was very good. The theatre they have the shows in, Stars on the Water Theatre seemed to fill up very fast, the only seats left being ones behind the giant poles that are in the room. There were lots of open seats because of the obstructed view, an interesting choice for a theatre, that will hopefully be improved one day.
On our ride back the show was, essentially a Jimmy Buffett-themed musical. We had no idea what to expect, before this cruise we had never even listened to Jimmy Buffett’s music. The musical was very cheesy but honestly, I think that made it more enjoyable. It felt like a fever dream. Watching the performers throw beach balls into the audience while dancing to Jimmy Buffett’s music thinking about the fact that I was floating in the middle of the ocean was a highlight of the trip.
They had ‘game shows’ throughout the day which were a lot of fun. We went to an adult scavenger hunt game show, which was a great time, and ended with a conga line.
They also had karaoke, a casino, dance lessons, and live music.
The most popular activity seemed to be a piano tunes sing-along with John Massey, every night that would stay open all night and was very busy both nights. This was a crowd favourite and was very enjoyable.
They had an onboard club, Margaritaville after dark. When we went, it was pretty late at night and only 3 or 4 groups of people were there. It was still fun, just not as lively as we would have liked. There are a few arcade games up there but about half of them were out of order at the time.
For such a short cruise I think they have enough entertainment options to have something that everyone will be interested in, but I wouldn’t go on this cruise expecting 5-star entertainment.
Packages:
Margaritaville at Sea offers restaurant, drink, and other packages available to purchase at booking, online, at check-in, or on board. Here’s an overview of some of the packages offered.
Ultimate License to Chill $749 – The most expensive package includes priority boarding and luggage, premium dining at JWB Steakhouse, $300 spa credit, 10 top-shelf drinks, shore excursion for two, Margaritaville at Sea Merchandise gift, and more
License to Chill $399 – This package includes priority boarding, dinner, and wine tasting at JWB Steakhouse, 10 drinks, and a $150 spa credit.
Solo License to Chill $199 – Enjoy 5 drinks, a $75 spa credit, breakfast and dinner at JWB Steakhouse, and a wine-tasting experience for one.
No Doubts Premium Drinks $119 – Receive a wristband loaded with 10 drink credits, no restrictions.
Blender Cup Package $119 – Receive a souvenir Margaritaville blender cup, and a wristband loaded with 6 drink credits.
Boat Drinks $99 – Receive a wristband loaded with 10 drink credits (up to a maximum of $12)
Faster Chill $99 – This package includes express check-in, priority luggage delivery, and reserved seating at Stars on the Water Theater.
Ultimate Soda Package $29 – Receive a Margaritaville at Sea cup, and unlimited soda refills
Arriving in the Bahamas:
Margaritaville Cruise at Sea offered some excursions to be booked in the waiting area before coming onboard or while on the ship at guest services. Since we were staying in the Bahamas for a few days, we decided not to book through Margaritaville and instead booked all of our excursions through our resort.
We arrived on Grand Bahamas Island after just a few hours of sailing, we spent overnight on the cruise and then deboarded in the morning.
Customs forms for the Bahamas were given to us and we filled them out in our room. They called people off the ship over the intercom by deck number. It didn’t take long to get everyone off the ship. Once off the boat we went through customs in the Bahamas and caught a shared taxi to our hotel. The cruise port is quite far from any hotels but there is a market and some food stands set up right outside the port.
Cruise back to Florida:
Arriving in Florida, the customs line was very long, unless you were using your passport. Most people were in the non-passport holder’s line, as US Citizens don’t require a passport to travel to the Bahamas via cruise. Thankfully, since we’re from Canada we had our passports and there were only two or three groups of people in front of us in line. The other line was at least an hour or two wait, so if you’re planning on going on this cruise and have a passport, bring it or be prepared for a long wait!
Cruise Tips and Tricks:
The complementary drinks available are water, tea, lemonade, and apple or orange juice. The cups they provide are tiny so especially if you’re not planning on buying a drink package you may want to bring a water bottle to refill at the refill stations.
Prepare a day bag with swimsuits, sunscreen, and anything else you may need for the day as they get your room ready.
Don’t miss the sail-away party!
Order your drinks at the Euphoria Lounge, it was by far the best bar on board.
Be prepared for a muster drill! On the way to the Bahamas, they’ll have everyone participate in a muster drill. About 15 minutes before this muster drill starts, they shut down the bars. Listen to the intercom and they’ll explain to you where to go during the muster drill, it was a quick process. Many people were confused or concerned while this was happening, but it’s normal!
Is the Margaritaville Cruise at Sea worth it?
Overall for a short getaway, I think the Margaritaville at Sea has great value, as long as you know what to expect. This is a budget cruise and not a 5-star cruise. If I lived in Florida I could see myself taking this cruise somewhat often, but if you’re planning on traveling to Florida from Canada or even farther away like we did just for this cruise, I think you’d be better off on another cruise if you’re not planning on staying in the Bahamas.
That being said I would still go on this cruise again as there were a lot of fun and memorable moments that I would like to relive, although I don’t think I would enjoy it as much unless I was staying in the Bahamas for a few nights in between the cruise again. I’d love to go on the Margaritaville Cruise to Key West and Mexico at some point in the future and see any differences the cruise has as it’s a longer trip.
