Did the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise to the Bahamas catch your eye? I can see why it would! Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise cruise offers a super inexpensive trip to the Bahamas, and they always have deals going on! I got the chance to go on their cruise and stay package in February of 2023 (you can read more about my experience and review here) and I see lots of people who have questions about the cruise or want to know more before booking, especially since it’s so cheap.
So here are some important things to know before sailing with Margarittaville at Sea Paradise!
Pricing for Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
Prices for the cruise costs roughly around $130 USD per person (for an interior suite). There are often deals on the booking website, with offers on tickets being as low as $50 USD per person. You can follow Margaritaville at Sea on Instagram or Facebook to see when new sales are on!
Not everything is included in this fee, if you want any alcholic or specialty drinks, you’ll need to pay extra either at the bar, or you can purchase a drink package, I’ll have more on that later!
The basic fare includes shipboard accommodations, round-trip transportation, all meals (excluding specialty dining options), select beverages (drip coffee, juices, filtered water, and tea), live entertainment, and the supervised kids program.
There are also a few extra fees you need to pay that aren’t included, taxes, fees and port expenses aren’t included. They’ll be added to your total on top of the per person cruise cost.
Any other onboard expenses not pre-paid, like shore excursions, bar beverages, soft drinks, specialty dining, casino, phone calls, and photographs are also not included in the price, and gratuities will be added to your stateroom account during your stay onboard, these are normally around $20 per person per night. There also may be a Fuel Supplement cost of $15.
Embarkation for Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
The cruise departs from the Port of Palm Beach, we took an Uber to the port but they also offer parking for a fee.
Be sure to arrive early to allow time for parking and boarding!
When you enter the building, you’ll have your passport or identification checked and go through security. Then you’ll check your bags which they’ll bring to your room later (be sure to have a small bag with you with everything you’ll need for a few hours onboard, like swimsuits, sunscreen, any medications, etc). You’ll then wait in the check-in line and get your room keys that will connect to your credit card to make any purchases on board.
In the waiting area after checking in, you can take a souvenir photo, sign up for excursions, and buy drink packages.
Travel Documents for Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
If you’re a US citizen you can travel with jut a government-issued photo id and a birth certificate. Everyone else needs a passport. Since I’m not a US citizen I used my passport and I highly recommend you do to, even if you’re a US citizen. The passport line was super short, only about 10 people, and the ID and birth certificate line was hundreds of people long.
- If you have a passport, bring it for shorter wait times!
- Be sure to check Bahamas travel requirements if you’re not sure if you’ll need a visa or not!
- Visit this website to confirm the documents you’re required to have
Packages on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
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 $419 – This package includes priority boarding, dinner, and wine tasting at JWB Steakhouse, 10 drinks, and a $150 spa credit.
Solo License to Chill $239 – Enjoy 5 drinks, a $75 spa credit, breakfast and dinner at JWB Steakhouse, and a wine-tasting experience for one.
No Doubts Premium Drinks $99 – 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.
Faster Chill $129 per stateroom – This package includes express check-in, priority luggage delivery, and reserved seating at Stars on the Water Theater.
Ultimate Soda Package $10 per person per night – Receive a Margaritaville at Sea cup, and unlimited soda refills.
Check out the full details and other packages here.
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. While we were on board, I tried out most of the bars. The best bar was on deck 8 at the Euphoria Lounge. The drinks were strong and big, I got drinks from other bars that gave me small glasses.
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!
Onboard Entertainment: What to Expect
The ship has a schedule for each day which you can find on screens throughout the ship or on the TV in your state room. I recommend taking a picture of it so you can have it with you for your day onboard.
While we were on board they had lots of entertainment options like a margarittaville themed musical, a magician, a live band, a game show, karaoke and of course the sail away party! While some of these were a little cheesy I still thoroughly enjoyed them and had lots of fun going to the events!
Dining & Drinks
With the base fair you’ll get access to the Port of Indicision Buffet. We also had tickets to the JWB Steakhouse onboard but we didn’t want to make reservations, so we stuck to the buffet the whole time so we could eat whenever we wanted.
The buffet had a good variety of food and they even have ice cream! For breakfast they typically have fruit, bacon, eggs, sausage, all the basic breakfast items. For lunch they had burgers, salads, charcuterie board style snacks, etc. And for dinner there were burger, chicken, salads, fruit options. For each meal there were tons of options, definitely not limited to these, I think there’s something for everybody at the buffet!
Signature Cocktails
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, is very well themed even down to the drinks! Here are some of their Signature Cocktails so you can get an idea of what you’ll want to order! These are from a menu from the Euphoria lounge but I believe you can get them at any bar!
WHO’S TO BLAME MARGARITA
Margaritaville Gold Tequila, Triple Sec, House Margarita Blend.
Served on the rocks.
FINS TO THE LEFT
Margaritaville Silver Tequila, Blue Curaçao, House Margarita Blend.
Served on the rocks.
PERFECT MARGARITA
Margaritaville Gold Tequila, Margaritaville Silver Tequila, Triple Sec, Orange Curaçao, Lime Juice.
Served on the rocks
Boat Drinks
INCOMMUNICADO
Margaritaville Gold Tequila, Margaritaville Silver Rum, Triple Sec, Vodka, Gin, House Sweet & Sour, Cranberry & Pineapple Juices, Splash of Grenadine
TROPICAL HURRICANE
Margaritaville Silver Rum and Last Mango Tequila, Cruzan Hurricane Proof Rum, Orange and Pineapple Juice, Our House Sweet & Sour, Splash of Grenadine
OVERSEAS HIGHWAY
Cruzan Mango Rum, Blue Curaçao, Pineapple Juice, Mango. Served on the rocks.
HAVANAS & BANANAS
Havana Club Añejo Clásico Rum, Baileys Irish Cream, Crème de Banana, Coconut Purée, Float of Myers’s Original Dark Rum.
Served Frozen.
Tips for First-Timers
- Get to the pool or hottub early in the day or later at night to enjoy without crowds!
- The seats on the upper deck get taken quickly, so if you want a good spot for the sailaway party, find a seat you like when you get onboard and stay there!
- I recommend going to get your own drinks instead of asking for it from the waiter who will be taking drink orders on the upper deck, the drinks I got there were very small but when I went to the bar, I got a full sized drink, they each cost one credit on your wristband so might aswell get the bigger size!
- Take a picture on your phone of the schedule for the day so you can reference it
Pros vs Cons
Pros:
- Affordable
Decent entertainment and food options
Fun and short cruise, good for first-timers who aren’t sure if they’ll like a cruise
Compact itinerary, great for anyone looking for a short getaway (or if you get the cruise and stay package you can have a full week long vacation)
Entertainment options for a wide variety of people
Casual vibes
Cons:
- Smaller and older ship
- Fewer amenities than larger cruise lines
- Freeport may feel limited to some travelers.
- Fewer dining options compared to larger cruise lines
- Not as family oriented as other cruises
- The Jimmy Buffet theme might not appeal to everyone
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.
Planning a trip to Grand Bahama Island? Check out these blog posts!
Wait I literally had no idea there was a Margaritaville cruise!! I’m sold on that alone hahah
Ahh Margartivaville at sea looks unreal!! I need one of those cocktails ASAP!