Things Cruisers MUST know before trying Margaritaville at Sea Cruises

We just got back on Friday from this cruise and were able to have drinks in the adult pool. They did tell us a couple of times that we had to stay to the sides so that they were over the "shelf" part, but we still had them in there. We didn't spend time in any of the other pools so I can't speak to those.

Hey!!! Love the new intro! 😁

Great I’ve watched all on Margaritaville that you did. I would try them. Good for them and not allowing people to remove gratuities!

Can't wait to cruise on this one in October. We are repeat Carnival cruisers and are looking for something different.

You don't know good cruise pizza until you have had the pizza on MSC ships. By far the best.

Only a pathetic loser would try to take off their automatic tips particularly if you didn't make an adult attempt to fix things you thought were wrong. Even so, nobody that can afford a cruise would do these jobs and work 7 days a week for months for the pay they receive including the tips. Looks like the newest ship is a major upgrade, to be honest you wouldn't catch me on their first ship. I think they are on to something and look forward to them building a new ship.

Your audio didn’t sound great though not as bad as Jared when you guys do a video together. I’m gonna assume y’all record off a phone and being as it’s landscape based on the audio I’m assuming the bottom of the phone where the mic is, is tilted to your right hand side. I would suggest investing in a couple off phone Bluetooth mics. Really appreciate y’all sharing your thoughts and insights on your cruising experience! I’m always looking forward to the next one!

Extra entrees in mdr? Why?

Not being allowed to delete tips should be industry wide.

I left paradise a few days ago and I couldn’t believe the Karen’s that were at guest services complaining about gratuity “their words we didn’t get any service”, umm so your saying you didn’t eat you didn’t have a drink your room was never clean? I am a bartender so I tipped in addition cash and let me tell you me and my group were treated like queens woke up to two drinks left on my wrist band. 🤷‍♀️Take care of your tipped employees and they will definitely take care of you!!

My opinion on paradise is I had a good time were there some bumps along the way yes but none ruined our time and I did go with a 17 yr old and a 10 yr old I played beer pong for the first time ever won did the adult scavenger hunt won danced my ass off at both sail always even tho it rained Ate like a pig even tho the pasta was awful Didn’t do an excursion but Mike Ts cab service took care of that too ended up at the blue dingy swam with a pig snorkeled had some drinks played more games. My only complaint was the lack of things to do at night with my daughter the first night she’s 10 My son (17) 10 days shy of his 18th birthday had the time of his life in the club Not drinking or anything but being allowed into a night club. He was up til they closed it down. Would I do paradise again yes but I would not bring my 10 yr old did she have a great time yes she did.

We are sailing the Islander in December for our honeymoon. Neither of us have ever cruised before but we wanted to do something relatively cheap and easy, so we went with this Margaritaville cruise. This info is very helpful especially for a first time cruiser!

did you know that the water was green in the pool at sail away was due to them getting the water from the Bay instead of the Gulf...

you seriously surprised by the country element? Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet were great friends!

I looked into sailing with them, but everything is 'a la carte' so it ends up being just as expensive as any other cruise line. You did an extravagant cruise so you were not really in the average 'budget' travel category.

Love the intro guys ❤

Love your new music intro!
Thanks so much for your honest review, we see so many “sugar coat” a cruise line!
It looks like fun!

Thanks so much for all the tips! We are cruising on this ship later this month. It will be our first cruise and people have lots of recommendations for cruising in general- one of which was the magnets for door decor and hooks. Is it just the doors or are there no magnetic surfaces for hooks in the rooms?

Love the new intro but I must admit I'm going to miss the old one.❤

I appreciate your videos! We just booked our first family cruise on this ship for later this month. I was honestly hesitant as this is literally navigating new waters for our family - two adults and four teens/tweens. I felt much better after watching your reviews. I’m hoping we have smooth sailing and become cruisers because it seems like a great way to have a good time and enjoy nice experiences while entertaining the kids and being smart with money. Wish me luck!! 😎🤞🏼

I'm gonna try the Islander as I'm a Tampa Bay Local. Hopefully before the new year I plan to get on this boat

Actually, your comment about no drinks allowed in the pool reminds me of something that I've wondered about for a while now. During the first day of swimming lessons, our instructor would inform us of safety rules around the pool, and one of them was no glass containers, and no alcohol, because of the safety risk if any glass broke in an environment where most people had bare feet and would be sitting on the floor in a bathing suit, and the obvious risks of impaired judgement where one can easily drown. Same thing when a convention social event was held in a waterpark: no one was allowed into the pool because alcohol was being served. So I'm surprised when on cruise ships and resorts alcohol is openly served (in glassware as well) and encouraged around their swimming pools, and wonder how the safety aspect is regarded. Even if a pool is not deep enough to be over the head of an adult, you only need 4 inches of water to drown in. And what about broken glass inside a pool or on the deck? I guess they must have ample lifeguards and staff keeping a very close eye on the entire pool areas at all hours they're open?

We have been on the Paradise several times. & loved it. We are looking forward to going on the Islander for the 1st time & love it that it’s in Tampa. Thanks for your info.

I am GLAD they make you pay gratuity. I can’t stand people that have all this money to spend on what they want but try to save by shorting hard working people. I’ve never been on a cruise where the staff don’t bend over backward for us. And some people are just cheap which shouldn’t fly. Don’t drink if you’re worried about cutting some costs somewhere but don’t be selfish.

Are Lola's Pizza and the Mexican Cantina spot included in the cruise price or extra fees.

Other videos that I have seen from other bloggers on this ship have been kind of dreary. You guys make it look way better. Thanks. Nice video.

What’s the deal with ordering two entrees in an mdr on any ship?

How much are the added gratuities?
I'm planning on going next year when they open Jamaica and the Cayman Islands as destinations. I like the vibe and the reasonable prices from what I have seen from your videos. Plus we live only about an hour and a half from Tampa.

One more thing. I keep hearing that much of the cruise is paid a-la-cart and not included. You were in a high end specialty suite that may have included things that us mear mortals would have to pay for. Anything you can add about what is not included that other lines would include?

Just got off the boat and it was amazing! Thank you again for the information that helped us make this excellent choice for our vacation. From the food to the service, we were very satisfied. We’re definitely going to do this for vacation going forward. I highly recommend this ship for couples and families. My family enjoyed themselves very much!

Thank you for the tips. Which cruise line food is better Margaritaville or MSC?

Been on the MAS Paradise a couple times and have enjoyed it. Going on the Islander next week and looking forward to it. Thank you for your review. I did recently just learn about the cowboy theme which is different from most cruise ships.

About to board in a week thanks for the info

That pizza doesn't look as good as MSC pizza. But it does look good for a cruise.

this whole thing looks like a massive cheese fest for babies

Not a problem at all sounds pretty 👍🏼

Margarita & Carnival cruise lines are the Motel 8 of the ocean !!

Sailed Sep 15-20 on Islander. They won't last long with 50% occupancy, no matter how many rationalizations. i.e. school in session, hurricane season, etc. That's a shame because there's a lot to like re ship, crew, shows and more. We're not foodies and as frequent cruisers we think we have a reasonable take on food. The food on the Islander was ok to excellent everywhere except the MDR. Chicken marsala was hideous. Final night fried rice appeared to have the leftover meats from the Mexican Cutie. We were not alone in our suspicion that leftovers were being recycled. Other points of service, pizza, burgers, tacos and Island Eats (conch, shrimp, crab ) were really good. The bars and lounges, although largely vacant were well-operated. Service throughout the ship was awesome. Maybe the best we've experienced ever. The shows were great, especially the county music production. As avid gamers the casino was a dud. The lone host, who we dubbed the "slot nazi" was indifferent and condescending in our interaction. If you're used to the casino mayhem on Carnival or action on NCL, you would have been very surprised and possibly disappointed. The cabin was great as was our steward. Turn down svc too boot. All in all we had a great time on the cruise, but damn, somebody needs to revisit the main dining room cuisine.

What were the table minimums at the casino?

I leave an opinion about our experience.

First of all, it is not a cruise; it is a micro cruise on an old, dirty, and expensive ship.
My husband and I have traveled with different cruise companies and always had good and pleasant experiences.
We traveled with my husband on this mini cruise, as a neighbor bought tickets for him and his family and convinced us to join.
We traveled from 10/04/2024 to 10/07/2024. Since our arrival, the experience has been terrible. We were assigned a frozen room, and the air conditioning could not be lowered because it was not working. We spent the first terrible night. We could not sleep; we literally froze.
The next day, we asked for a room change and paid an additional 50 USD to upgrade the room. 'SURPRISE,' the room had the same problem: the air conditioning did not work. We changed rooms again, but it was less frozen, and there was no more option to ask for changes.
They offer the drinks package for 160 USD per person, but you are only entitled to 8 drinks, which is a total scam.
They offer you an "all-inclusive" package to visit a resort in Grand Bahamas. 150 USD per person, which is yet another scam, because you enter a hotel, and you only have the right to the beach and the food that is just as terrible as what they offer on the boat.

The food at the Buffet is terrible. There is old bread, two fruit options, cold coffee, and unpleasant-looking food, to mention a few.

It's a dirty, unpleasant pool. It looks like they never wash or disinfect it. The sign says it has a capacity for only 10 people, but there were more than 20.
Dirty bathrooms, smelly corridors, people smoking marijuana in the "rest" areas

This is not to mention that at the time of entering the boat, you must leave a credit card as a guarantee, from which they charge you every day without asking you for the daily tips per person, the boat's gasoline per person, and the consumption you make. Likewise, if you go in your car, the only option is to leave the car with Valet, which charges you 100 USD in advance because the parking lot is from the same company.

For us, it was the worst experience, the worst boat. The only thing I can highlight is the staff who work there. They are very friendly and polite. Otherwise, the ship is a complete mafia—the TERROR cruiser.

In the end, if you travel with a companion, you leave with a bill of more than 1,200 USD for three days, which is a total theft since, as I mentioned before, we have traveled by other companies that I am not going to mention because they will say that I am advertising.
We have traveled on better new boats, with better service, better food, all-inclusive packages, unlimited drinks, restaurant options, and Wi-Fi for two devices for seven days for 1,300 USD for two people.
That's why I think it's a scam, and I abuse this company; it was the first and last time we got on that TERROR boat.

I would like to try the Islander-the atrium looks fabulous! I think it looks a far better than the Paradise. FFS-I want a hollowed out coconut filled with a brass monkey and a six foot straw floating in the pool!

Just book direct with the cruise line?

I booked a cruise going soon. My question for you is when is a good time to get the drink package and excursion booked like black Friday I heard they offer discounts is this true? Hope you can help ty

We are going on Islander for Thanksgiving. Thanks for all your info:-)

When reading the fine text, the 18% gratuity actually goes directly to the cruise line and they distribute it as they see fit. That does not necessarily mean it goes to the crew itself later.

I'm planning to book the Islnader in January. Thank you

You are a funny looking dude 😂

Do they have room service and if so do you know how much it is?

I Have been on the paradise ship twice, going this Sunday on the Islander, I will give my review after I get back.

Islander is an entirely different ship and experience from Paradise, they have more included options, including the pizza which is weirdly an upcharge on Paradise.