5 Reasons I Love This Affordable Cruise Line You Might Not Have
Heard Of
Written
By Ashley Kosciolek On March 01, 2025
Article
Found On https://thepointsguy.com/news/reasons-to-love-this-affordable-cruise-line
Margaritaville
At Sea Stands
Out As One Of The Most Affordable Cruise Options, With Fares And Onboard Extras
Often Costing Less Than Those On Other Major Lines. Despite Its Budget-Friendly
Pricing, The Cruise Experience Features Updated Cabins, Quality Dining And
Entertainment, And A Relaxed, Welcoming Atmosphere. The Company Operates A
Small Fleet Of Midsize Ships, Allowing For Personalized Service And Swift
Responses To Passenger Feedback. Margaritaville At Sea Also Supports Community
Initiatives, Including Free Cruises For Military Members And First Responders
Through Its Heroes Program. Cruise Fares Are The Highest They've Ever Been, And
Cruise Lines Are Making Conscious Efforts To Add More For-Fee Onboard Options
For Passengers. Yet One Line, Margaritaville At Sea, Remains A Fierce Holdout. Its
Fares Are Some Of The Most Reasonable In The Industry, And Even Extras Like Wi-Fi
And Drink Packages Cost Less Than They Would With Most Other Lines. But What
Does That Mean For You As A Passenger?
Here Are Five Reasons Why Margaritaville At Sea Is Worth
Considering For Your Next Cruise.
1. The Sailings Are Affordable - The Colorful Atrium On Margaritaville
At Sea's Islander Cruise Ship. This Oceangoing Arm Of The Popular Jimmy Buffett
Resort Brand Offers A Vacation That Includes A Room, Three Meals A Day (Plus
Plenty Of Between-Meal Options), Basic Beverages (Water, Soda, Juice),
Entertainment And Port-To-Port Transportation For That Amount. Even Margaritaville
At Sea's Most Expensive Accommodations Are Reasonably Priced. It Isn't Just
Cabins That Are A Bargain, Either. Margaritaville At Sea's Drink Packages Cost
About 32% Less Per Day Than Royal Caribbean's And About $10 Less Per Day Than Carnival's.
Plus, Its Wi-Fi Is Some Of The Most Affordable (And Reliable, Thanks To Starlink)
At Sea.
2. The Quality Is High
- You Can Expect Cabins That Have Been Updated With Bright, Modern Fixtures, Margaritaville
Resort Soft Furnishings And A Beachy Vibe; Food That Includes Excellent Main
Dining Room Fare, Burgers And Pizza For Free, As Well As Upcharge Sushi, Steak
And Cafe Items; And Entertainment That's Fun And Engaging Without Being Cheesy
Or "Too Much." Plus, You'll Find A Dose Of Vintage Appeal, With Both
Ships Having Retained Many Of The Original Touches Added When They Were First
Built. But Perhaps The Best Thing About A Cruise With Margaritaville At Sea Is
That It Offers Its Own Special Brand Of Escapism — A Term Made Popular By Jimmy
Buffett's Songs, Which Are Filled With Lyrics About Leaving The Day-To-Day
Grind Behind In Favor Of Relaxation And Time Spent With Good Friends. Its Casual
Ambience Is Replete With Parties, Live Music And A Vibe That's "Come As
You Are" (But Not Trashy). It's Not A Luxury Line, To Be Sure, And The
Ships Aren't New. But If You're Looking For A Cheap And Cheerful Vacation, A
Quick Weekend Getaway, A Sailing To Celebrate A Special Occasion Or A Way To
Bring Your Family Or Friend Group Together In A Way That Fits Everyone's
Schedule And Budget, This Is It.
3. It Doesn't Want The Biggest Ships Or Largest Fleet. Because Margaritaville At Sea Is
Small, Executives Personally Read Every Suggestion And Piece Of Feedback
Submitted By Passengers — Something I Discovered During An Exclusive Dinner
Interview With Margaritaville At Sea's CEO, Christopher Ivy, On The Line's
Newest Ship, Islander. Upper Management Is Involved In The Line's Day-To-Day
Operations At All Levels, And It Shows In How Quickly Adjustments Are Made
Following Cruiser Feedback And How Happy The Crew Seems To Be. Everyone — From
Room Stewards To The CEO — Can (And Does) Respond Quickly To Cruiser Feedback. The
Line Is Also Uninterested In Keeping Up With The Joneses When It Comes To Newer
And Bigger Ships. It Proudly Operates Two Midsize Vessels — Islander And Paradise
— That Were Purchased, Heavily Used, From Carnival Corp. Both Former Costa
Cruises Ships Were Extensively Refurbished And Continue To Operate Well Into
Their Second And Third Decades, Respectively. "Never Say Never, But We're
Not Planning To Launch A 250,000-Ton Ship Any Time Soon," Ivy Said. He Also
Noted That The Line Isn't Interested In Ballooning Its Fleet To Dozens Of
Vessels. As For Whether Or Not Margaritaville At Sea Is Looking To Add A Third
Ship, Ivy Said That, Although There's Nothing Currently In The Works, It's Not
Off The Table."There's Nothing Out There Officially, But We Are Looking To
Grow The Business." In Terms Of What's Possible When A Cruise Line And Its
Ships Stay Small, Ivy Noted That There's A Special Bond That Often Forms
Between Members Of The Crew And The Passengers They Serve — One That Isn't
Always Possible On Larger Vessels, Particularly If You're Only Cruising For
Three Or Four Days. "You Might Not Even See The Same Crew Member
Twice," He Said. "That's The Stuff That Makes The Bigger Difference.”
And A Small Company Size Is Just As Important As A Small Fleet. Teams Lose
Something When They Grow So Large That Leaders Can No Longer Regularly Spend
One-On-One Time With Employees And Customers — Something Ivy, Who Likes To Get
His Hands Dirty, Indicated He Doesn't Want To Happen. "Things In Surveys
Take A Long Time To Come Through," Ivy Said, Adding That He And His Team —
Including The Chief Financial Officer, The Chief Marketing Officer And Hotel
Operations Manager — All Spend A Significant Amount Of Time On Board. "If
I Spend Two Hours In The Dining Room, Walking Around, Talking To People ... The
Feedback Loop Just Tightens."
4. Problems Are Addressed Quickly. Unfortunately, When Margaritaville
At Sea Debuted Its First Ship, It Wasn't Ready For Prime Time, And It Caused
Some Hiccups For The Brand. The Unveiling Of The Line's Second Ship, Islander,
Went Significantly More Smoothly Following A Multimillion-Dollar Refurbishment.
But It Wasn't Without Its Own Set Of Hurdles, Including Clogged Toilets, Leaks
During Inclement Weather And Malfunctioning Air Conditioning. However, Reports
From Passengers In The Ship's Facebook Group Indicated That The Issues Were
Largely Resolved By The Third And Fourth Voyages. (And TPG Can Confirm Things
On Islander Are Currently Ship-Shape.) Now, Thanks To Nimble Responses From
Upper Management, The Crew Seems To Have Found Its Stride, Shows Have Been
Fine-Tuned And Food In Many Of The Onboard Restaurants Rivals The Best You'll
Find On Any Mainstream Ship, Especially In Terms Of Value. Following First-Sailing
Complaints, The Plumbing Now Works As It Should, Leaks Have Been Patched, Cabin
Numbers No Longer Appear On Keycards (Something That Was A Security Concern)
And Dishes Are Cleared And Tables Wiped Promptly In Public Areas. (This Was A
Problem Initially, Particularly In The Buffet.) As Another Testament To How
Closely The Line's Executives Monitor What's Working And What's Not, Just Six
Months After The Debut Of Islander, Margaritaville At Sea Announced It Would Be
Adding Several Of Islander's Standout Bars And Dining Options — Including The Hemisphere
Dancer Bar And Far Side Sushi — To Older Sister Paradise. It Will Also Be
Updating The Menu At JWB Prime Steakhouse. Speaking Of Paradise, Following The
Success Of Its Two-Night Sailings Between Palm Beach, Florida, And Freeport, Bahamas,
The Line Has Expanded The Ship's Itineraries To Include Three- And Four-Night
Cruises That Have Added The Bahamian City Of Nassau To The Mix. "At The
Start Of 2024, We Were Running One Ship From One Port To One Port ..." Ivy
Said. "That Was It. With The Launch Of Islander, We've Moved To A New Home
Port. We Launched With Just Four- And Five-Night Sailings To Cozumel, Progreso And
Key West. What We Heard Very Early On Was 'Hey, Those [Ports] Are Great, But
What Else You Got? Where Else Can We Go?'" In Response To Those Questions,
Islander Now Visits Ports Across The Bahamas And The Caribbean, Too, With
Itineraries Ranging From Four To Seven Nights.
5. The Line Gives Back. In Addition To Being One Of The Most Affordable
Cruise Options Afloat, Margaritaville At Sea Has Found Ways To Give Back To The
Community. If You're A Fan Of Jimmy Buffett Or Simply Love Exclusive
Experiences, Ask At The Shore Excursions Desk About The Hush-Hush Speakeasy
Known As QMN. It Stands For Quietly Making Noise, And Part Of The Proceeds
Benefit Singing For Change, One Of Jimmy Buffett's Charities.Further, The
Cruise Line Has Developed The Heroes Program, Which Provides Free Cruises For
Two People (Not Including Taxes And Fees) To Members Of The Military And First
Responders As A Way To Thank Them For Their Service And Help Them Unwind. Although
Many Other Cruise Lines Offer Military Discounts, Only Margaritaville Offers
Cruise Fares For Free.
Bottom Line - Margaritaville
At Sea Certainly Lives Up To The Margaritaville Brand's Reputation. It Offers
Unpretentious Fun At A Great Price And In A Casual Atmosphere With Terrific
Accommodations, Food And Entertainment. Plus, It Reacts Quickly On What
Passengers Say They Want. But The Line's Offerings Go Beyond Affordable Fun. They
Foster Community By Giving Back And Allowing Passengers To Escape To A Place
That's All About Good Vibes — Something Modeled Daily By The People Who Run The
Company. As Ivy Parted Ways With TPG Following The Interview, He Lingered
Behind, Making His Rounds Through The Dining Room To Greet Passengers And Chat
With Crew — Many Of Whom He Knew By Name. With A CEO That Engaged — A Rarity In
The Cruise Industry — The Company Is Bound To Provide Something Special.
